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Rating: 
Summary: Decent story, style is irritating at times
Review: I am a little surprised by the glowing reviews for this book. The story is a decent one and the world is interesting. That said, the story fails to engage the reader because of the style. In this one book the young King Lanius grows from an infant to a young man while events occur in the background. The problem with this is it comes off as an unending stream of fleeting significant events that come and go without having an impact. For most of the first three hundred pages there are a series of invasions and repulsions of neighboring armies, usually lasting only a few pages each and existing as historical backdrop, rather than compelling events. Because of this, it is hard to get caught up in the story because events are so transitory and don't seem to matter much. Much of the text also consists of descriptions of the characters evaluating their options. "Maybe he should do this, but then again maybe it wasn't such a good idea" is a fair summary. That gets old pretty quickly. Overall, the book is decent, but I could recommend many, many better fantasy novels.
Rating:
Summary: Decent story, style is irritating at times
Review: I am a little surprised by the glowing reviews for this book. The story is a decent one and the world is interesting. That said, the story fails to engage the reader because of the style. In this one book the young King Lanius grows from an infant to a young man while events occur in the background. The problem with this is it comes off as an unending stream of fleeting significant events that come and go without having an impact. For most of the first three hundred pages there are a series of invasions and repulsions of neighboring armies, usually lasting only a few pages each and existing as historical backdrop, rather than compelling events. Because of this, it is hard to get caught up in the story because events are so transitory and don't seem to matter much. Much of the text also consists of descriptions of the characters evaluating their options. "Maybe he should do this, but then again maybe it wasn't such a good idea" is a fair summary. That gets old pretty quickly. Overall, the book is decent, but I could recommend many, many better fantasy novels.
Rating: 
Summary: A Saga with style
Review: It is a rousing saga that holds much promise, enough so I am looking forward to book two in the series, Dan Chernenko launches the Scepter of Mercy series of fantasy books with The Bastard King. In a simple, straightforward narrative style, Chernenko sets his tale in the kingdom of Avornis and chronicle the rise of two extraordinary men - Lanius, the bastard son of King Mergus, and Grus, a royal navy captain of born of humble origin. Lanius was the son of Certhia, King Mergus� concubine. A beautiful woman, she held the heart of the King. In Avornis commoners were allowed three wives, nobles four and kings six. Since Mergus already has his six wives, Certhia must remain his leman. However, with the news she is to bear his child, Mergus grows determined to make her his seventh wife so his son will follow him onto the thrown. Mergus knows his younger brother Prince Scolopax is hungry to take over the throne, and will not welcome the news Mergus is to have a son. Since Lanius is the illegitimate son of a seventh wife, in the eyes of the people and church he cannot inherit rules. But a council of regents rally behind the child as a figurehead, while they control the real power. The child Lanius finds his life ruled by a series of regents so has little control over the fates. At one point, his mother, Certhia holds the power, and later Grus - a more powerful influence, who serves as jointly as king with Lanius. Grus has rising far from a humble naval captain to a great general and intends to make the most of his position. Grus, who is constantly tormented by dreams of things to come, must continually must battle the Thervings and the Menteshe, warlike tribes under the control of a banished Auld God, now called the Evil Banished Ones. A very strong entry into the fantasy realm.
Rating:
Summary: A Saga with style
Review: It is a rousing saga that holds much promise, enough so I am looking forward to book two in the series, Dan Chernenko launches the Scepter of Mercy series of fantasy books with The Bastard King. In a simple, straightforward narrative style, Chernenko sets his tale in the kingdom of Avornis and chronicle the rise of two extraordinary men - Lanius, the bastard son of King Mergus, and Grus, a royal navy captain of born of humble origin. Lanius was the son of Certhia, King Mergus' concubine. A beautiful woman, she held the heart of the King. In Avornis commoners were allowed three wives, nobles four and kings six. Since Mergus already has his six wives, Certhia must remain his leman. However, with the news she is to bear his child, Mergus grows determined to make her his seventh wife so his son will follow him onto the thrown. Mergus knows his younger brother Prince Scolopax is hungry to take over the throne, and will not welcome the news Mergus is to have a son. Since Lanius is the illegitimate son of a seventh wife, in the eyes of the people and church he cannot inherit rules. But a council of regents rally behind the child as a figurehead, while they control the real power. The child Lanius finds his life ruled by a series of regents so has little control over the fates. At one point, his mother, Certhia holds the power, and later Grus - a more powerful influence, who serves as jointly as king with Lanius. Grus has rising far from a humble naval captain to a great general and intends to make the most of his position. Grus, who is constantly tormented by dreams of things to come, must continually must battle the Thervings and the Menteshe, warlike tribes under the control of a banished Auld God, now called the Evil Banished Ones. A very strong entry into the fantasy realm.
Rating: 
Summary: The Time of Two Kings
Review: The Bastard King is the first novel in the Scepter of Mercy series. King Mergus of Avornis had ruled for almost thirty years without having an heir of his own body, despite trying with six wives, the maximum allowed number. Nonetheless, when the witch Rissa declared that the child carried by his concubine would be a boy, Mergus immediately took the pregnant Certhia as his seventh wife. Arch-Hallow Bucco objected, calling the child a bastard, and would not let the King take the boy into the Cathedral to worship the gods. Three days later, the church had a new Arch-Hallow and Bucco was sent to the Maze. In this novel, Prince Lanius, the bastard prince, is the center of a great controversy. After Bucco is banished, events became rather settled for a while and Lanius becomes enamored with book learning. He even spends his spare time in the palace archives. However, King Mergus dies when Lanius is only five years old. Prince Scolopax, Mergus' brother, then takes the throne by sheer gall (he claims it and nobody says otherwise). He sends Queen Certhia to the Maze and restores Bucco as Arch-Hallow. He also refuses to pay tribute to the Thervings. He has a fine and happy time until he drops dead of overindulgence after three years. Arch-Hallow Bucco then becomes the head of the Regency Council as ordered by Scolopax. Queen Certhia returns from the Maze. Then Bucco sends Certhia back to the Maze. Bucco calls together the army under Duke Regulus, but the Duke decides to put himself on the throne. However, after accepting a dinner invitation from Lepturus, chief of Lanius' bodyguards, Regulus soon finds himself dining within the Maze. Then the Thervings invade Avornis, burning and pillaging. Bucco negotiates a settlement with King Dagipert of Thervingia that includes a lot of gold and the betrothal of Lanius to Dagipert's daughter. With the contrivance of Lanius and his chief bodyguard, Queen Certhia returns from the Maze, abolishes the Regency Council, sends Bucco back to the Cathedral, takes over the Regency herself, and nullifies the betrothal. Then the Thervings invade once again. Certhia appoints Count Corvus as commander of the Arvornan army and sends his brother, Count Corax, to fetch an army of Heruls to attack the Thervings in the rear. Commodore Grus leads a flotilla of river galleys and barges to the Herul camp to ferry them across the river. Despite his distrust of the Heruls, Grus is prepared to load them onto the flotilla, but Count Corax treats him as a low class taxi driver and tries to draw on him; Grus has Corax returned to the Herul's camp on the wrong side of the river. Corvus grows bored with waiting for Corax and charges out into an ambush, barely making it back to Avornis before the Thervings arrive to besiege the town. After that fiasco, Certhia orders Grus to report to the castle, but Grus ignores the order. She then tries to have Grus punished for his defiance of her orders, but Grus claims to have never received any such order. Thereafter, he prudently stays away from the castle. Then Lanius reaches his majority and is crowned as King, but Count Corvus denounces Lanius as a bastard and declares himself king. Grus is invited to lead the remaining military forces against the usurper. Grus does reorganize and lead the army against Corvus, but he also has himself declared King along with King Lanius. Now Avornis has two kings, but all the power is in the hands of Grus. In this story, Lanius rails against his fate, but recognizes that Grus could have assured his dynasty by shortening Lanius by a head. Instead, Grus marries his daughter Sosia to Lanius and becomes his father-in-law. Grus does send Queen Certhia back to the Maze after she tries to kill him with a particularly nasty sending. In many respects, this story is a parallel with the history of Justinian and Belisarius. Unlike the historical pair, Grus gains the upper hand prior to Lanius reaching his majority and thereafter protects Lanius from other conspiracies. Thus, Lanius is never maimed and exiled as Justinian was. Moreover, unlike Justinian, Lanius knows that he is overreached by Grus and never conspires against him. Both kings, and certain other characters, occasionally have their dreams interrupted by a visit from the Banished One. While they cannot withstand him during the dream, each fully remembers their dreams afterwards. Although he is exceeding intelligent, the Banished One has a very low opinion of human mentality and doesn't watch his words when he gets excited. Lanius and Grus actually begin to set their policies according to the type of threats issued by the dethroned god. The author has written this story with more than a little biting sarcasm and irony. One of Queen Certhia's faults is her acceptance of the worthiness of the aristocracy and the degeneracy of the peasants. Such attitudes permeate the nobility. On the other hand, the peasants have many reasons to distrust and fear the nobility. They have also learned to fear all armies, whether friendly or enemy. Since Grus is the grandson of a peasant, he tries to change both the nobility and the army, but he probably won't live long enough to complete the job. The story is full of soldiery humor, particularly between Grus and Nicator, his second in command. However, Grus' father, Crex the Unbearable, a retired guardsman, is even earthier in his opinions (and tastes). Grus later acquires an army commander, General Hirundo, who is a disrespectful (but totally loyal) clown as well as being a superb subordinate (Grus is his own field marshall). Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys tales of political intrigue with both naval and military action. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: The Time of Two Kings
Review: The Bastard King is the first novel in the Scepter of Mercy series. King Mergus of Avornis had ruled for almost thirty years without having an heir of his own body, despite trying with six wives, the maximum allowed number. Nonetheless, when the witch Rissa declared that the child carried by his concubine would be a boy, Mergus immediately took the pregnant Certhia as his seventh wife. Arch-Hallow Bucco objected, calling the child a bastard, and would not let the King take the boy into the Cathedral to worship the gods. Three days later, the church had a new Arch-Hallow and Bucco was sent to the Maze. In this novel, Prince Lanius, the bastard prince, is the center of a great controversy. After Bucco is banished, events became rather settled for a while and Lanius becomes enamored with book learning. He even spends his spare time in the palace archives. However, King Mergus dies when Lanius is only five years old. Prince Scolopax, Mergus' brother, then takes the throne by sheer gall (he claims it and nobody says otherwise). He sends Queen Certhia to the Maze and restores Bucco as Arch-Hallow. He also refuses to pay tribute to the Thervings. He has a fine and happy time until he drops dead of overindulgence after three years. Arch-Hallow Bucco then becomes the head of the Regency Council as ordered by Scolopax. Queen Certhia returns from the Maze. Then Bucco sends Certhia back to the Maze. Bucco calls together the army under Duke Regulus, but the Duke decides to put himself on the throne. However, after accepting a dinner invitation from Lepturus, chief of Lanius' bodyguards, Regulus soon finds himself dining within the Maze. Then the Thervings invade Avornis, burning and pillaging. Bucco negotiates a settlement with King Dagipert of Thervingia that includes a lot of gold and the betrothal of Lanius to Dagipert's daughter. With the contrivance of Lanius and his chief bodyguard, Queen Certhia returns from the Maze, abolishes the Regency Council, sends Bucco back to the Cathedral, takes over the Regency herself, and nullifies the betrothal. Then the Thervings invade once again. Certhia appoints Count Corvus as commander of the Arvornan army and sends his brother, Count Corax, to fetch an army of Heruls to attack the Thervings in the rear. Commodore Grus leads a flotilla of river galleys and barges to the Herul camp to ferry them across the river. Despite his distrust of the Heruls, Grus is prepared to load them onto the flotilla, but Count Corax treats him as a low class taxi driver and tries to draw on him; Grus has Corax returned to the Herul's camp on the wrong side of the river. Corvus grows bored with waiting for Corax and charges out into an ambush, barely making it back to Avornis before the Thervings arrive to besiege the town. After that fiasco, Certhia orders Grus to report to the castle, but Grus ignores the order. She then tries to have Grus punished for his defiance of her orders, but Grus claims to have never received any such order. Thereafter, he prudently stays away from the castle. Then Lanius reaches his majority and is crowned as King, but Count Corvus denounces Lanius as a bastard and declares himself king. Grus is invited to lead the remaining military forces against the usurper. Grus does reorganize and lead the army against Corvus, but he also has himself declared King along with King Lanius. Now Avornis has two kings, but all the power is in the hands of Grus. In this story, Lanius rails against his fate, but recognizes that Grus could have assured his dynasty by shortening Lanius by a head. Instead, Grus marries his daughter Sosia to Lanius and becomes his father-in-law. Grus does send Queen Certhia back to the Maze after she tries to kill him with a particularly nasty sending. In many respects, this story is a parallel with the history of Justinian and Belisarius. Unlike the historical pair, Grus gains the upper hand prior to Lanius reaching his majority and thereafter protects Lanius from other conspiracies. Thus, Lanius is never maimed and exiled as Justinian was. Moreover, unlike Justinian, Lanius knows that he is overreached by Grus and never conspires against him. Both kings, and certain other characters, occasionally have their dreams interrupted by a visit from the Banished One. While they cannot withstand him during the dream, each fully remembers their dreams afterwards. Although he is exceeding intelligent, the Banished One has a very low opinion of human mentality and doesn't watch his words when he gets excited. Lanius and Grus actually begin to set their policies according to the type of threats issued by the dethroned god. The author has written this story with more than a little biting sarcasm and irony. One of Queen Certhia's faults is her acceptance of the worthiness of the aristocracy and the degeneracy of the peasants. Such attitudes permeate the nobility. On the other hand, the peasants have many reasons to distrust and fear the nobility. They have also learned to fear all armies, whether friendly or enemy. Since Grus is the grandson of a peasant, he tries to change both the nobility and the army, but he probably won't live long enough to complete the job. The story is full of soldiery humor, particularly between Grus and Nicator, his second in command. However, Grus' father, Crex the Unbearable, a retired guardsman, is even earthier in his opinions (and tastes). Grus later acquires an army commander, General Hirundo, who is a disrespectful (but totally loyal) clown as well as being a superb subordinate (Grus is his own field marshall). Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys tales of political intrigue with both naval and military action. -Arthur W. Jordin
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