Rating: 
Summary: Best I've read in quite a while
Review: I agree with the other reviewers who have likened this story-telling to George R.R. Martin, who is perhaps my favorite. I bonded with the characters, I cared about them, and I am very anxious to get my hands on the Charnel Prince (sp?).
This was the first Keyes book I've read, and the first book in a long time that I've had trouble putting down.
Rating:
Summary: What a spiny fellow!!
Review: I bought The Briar King, by Greg Keyes, a while back because everybody told me that it was so good. However, I found myself reluctant to start yet another epic fantasy series, so it languished in my "To be read" stack. Then, I received a review copy of the second book in the series, The Charnal Prince, so I decided I should probably read both of them soon. I tell you this not because you should necessarily care what I do (what a man reads is really his private business unless he writes reviews about them), but so that you can avoid doing the same thing I did. If you like fantasy at all, you should go out, get this book, and maybe even the second book, and read them. Right now. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Oh, you want me to tell you why you should read it? Ok. Keyes has created a masterpiece with vivid characters, an interesting overarching plot, and a doom from the dawn of time. This is not your ordinary doom from the dawn of time, though. The Briar King is a force of nature that is never truly understood, something that's called forth to wreak havoc on the land, changing this world into its own gruesome image. With this book, Keyes is well on his way to reshaping that world. We follow a disparate group of characters, including a king, his queen, a young knight who becomes her protector, a couple of princesses, and a fencer who becomes infatuated with one of those princesses. On the other hand, we have the guardian of the King's Forest, his lover, and a monk who finds himself translating some very ancient, and very evil, documents, much to the detriment of the world, not to mention his own skin. A conspiracy is afoot throughout the land, one which may bring down an entire royal family, and one which may result in the death of everybody. Everywhere. Treachery abounds, and nobody is safe. Will the coming of the Briar King make this all moot?
Keyes does almost everything right in The Briar King. He switches settings with a deftness I haven't seen in quite a while, leaving each scene just when it's starting to get good. This causes the reader to read the traditional "just one more chapter" to find out what's going on. I average about one hundred pages a day usually, and I know I at least doubled that with this book. Every character is completely three dimensional, with the exception of Fend, one of the villains of the piece. I found him a bit flat, but otherwise, all of the characters are interesting. Keyes also takes the story in some unexpected directions. A love affair that seems very predictable doesn't, in fact, happen. There are some daring escapes, but each one is plausible, not stretching that oh-so-important suspension of disbelief that some fantasy novels break constantly. Each character has a completely understandable motivation that keeps the book moving at a lightning pace.
Keyes also does a wonderful job of world-building. The map is beautiful (he credits Kirk Caldwell for it) and the land is populated with a dazzling array of cultures, all of them suitably human but different enough that you can tell the difference. One area, Vitellio, is clearly patterned after medieval Italy, even down to the names which sound pseudo-Italian. This has the double benefit of giving you an idea what the culture is like but it's just different enough. He also has a talent for languages. The language in Vitellio is one example, but others have been made up as well. He even goes so far as to invent dialects and slang for some of the people.
Finally, I have to compliment Keyes on the prose in the book. The imagery is amazing and the action scenes are extremely well choreographed. They are realistic, and blood does flow vividly, but he's not so graphic that heads are bouncing all over the place (though one or two of them do). Whether it's a quiet scene or a loud scene with swords bouncing off of plate armour, Keyes does a great job with it. Here's an example:
"Asper White opened his eyes to a vaulted stone ceiling and a distant, singsong litany. Fever crawled like centipedes beneath his skin, and when he tried to move, his limbs felt like rotting fern fronds." Pg 382
Best of all, Keyes is not afraid to kill any of his characters. Some people think that George R.R. Martin is sadistic to his characters! The body count is quite high, but none of the deaths are gratuitous. Each one fits the story perfectly, though some are quite perfunctory. Even these, however, don't feel out of place. Instead, they are realistic. While there are heroic escapes (and, admittedly, a couple of rather unrealistic ones), it's never a certainty that the viewpoint character will make it out of the scene alive. Sometimes, a death is just a death.
The Briar King is one of the best fantasy books I've read since Jennifer Fallon's series, and I think it even surpasses them. Everything just comes together in a rich whole, making a juicy treat that will taste good with every bite. And the best thing is, when you finish it, you can pick up the second book and wolf that one down too. Sadly, it will be close to a year before the final book is out.
David Roy
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading.
Review: I have to say that I wasn't much impressed with the first 150 pages of this book. After that, however, I got into it and breezed through it easily. I really enjoyed Waterborn and Black God, which i bought on a whim, so I figured I'd like this. As with everyone else, I also heard this series compared to Martin's own. First, there is nothing really to compare. The two are vastly different series and each impressive in their own way. Keyes is more economical and poetic in his writing. He's also concerned a lot more with myth and legend and believable world building. I enjoy his interest in language as well. Martin's the better writer overall, however. Of course, Martin's a lot more experienced too. Anyway, this book is well paced, has interesting characters, and a reasonably entertaining plot. There are flaws in this book, but there are none that readily come to mind, so that means I enjoyed it. I will definitely read the second and subsequent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible Tripe
Review: I know that some read for prose style, and others just for story, but I believe that a middle ground is possible, and certainly preferable.
When, in the first paragraph, a storm is described as "howling like a gale from hell," I know that the author is either too lazy or too unskilled to weed out clichés. This is not a good first impression. What does a gale from hell sound like, anyway? When he follows this with characters who, on the first page, are already grunting and muttering, I know that he not only disrespects his readers, he may actually scorn them.
I don't know his characters Carsek or Thaniel enough to care about them, and the writing is so overwrought that I can't clench myself against the pain to learn. People actually shout things like "You damned fool!" in this book, and the villains are described as having "brutish, unhuman faces." The story in this book may be brilliant, but I'll never know, because the author doesn't tell his tale in even minimally passable prose.
I couldn't read it. The prose was so bad that, before I knew what I was doing, I had climbed to the rooftop and "howled in rage and frustration," to use another of the author's frequent clichés.
No wonder that fans of more mainstream fare shake their heads when they occasionally thumb through genre fiction. It is books like this, praised effusively but written oh-so-badly, which limit the field to ghetto that it is.
Rating:
Summary: Something to hold me over until Feast for Crows comes out
Review: I must say that I had a much better time with this book than I have had with any fantasy book since I finished "A Storm of Swords." This book and this author may not have Martin's ability with the language but don't let that fool you. Even though the book makes a mention 4 main heroes the 4th guy(the swashbuckler) really doesn't do much.
The characters are likeable A forester, A young novice priest and a young knight. I try not to compare this to Song of Ice and Fire but it is sort of unavoidable.
So now my list of favorite authors reads
George R. R. Martin
Greg Keys
Terry Brooks
Overall-If you are starved for good fantasy make sure you pick this up.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Start to a New Series
Review: I picked up this novel on the recommendation of a friend who equated it with George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. While I would not consider in that category, I did enjoy this novel quite a bit. The characters are fully-formed; the world they inhabit fully-realized; and the premise interesting and worthy of continuing the series. Not being a fan of Keyes' alternate history Age of Unreason series, I was hesitant at first and actually kept the book on my shelf for the better part of a year before picking it up. That was my mistake. From the first page I was hooked on the premise and was nearly a hundred pages in before I looked up to see what time it was. That's saying a lot. Much of the so-called "epic fantasy" out these days is far from epic and short on character development. That's not the case here. Each of the main characters in this story can carry their own weight and many of supporting players, as well; in fact, you really start to bond with each one of them and very quickly become invested in their well-being. Too often in fantasy these days, character development takes a back seat to flashy magic and the oft- and over-used dragon. Not the case here. Keyes brings enough originality to the fantasy setting that you want the story to continue. How long has it been when you could say the same thing about Jordan or Brooks? Again, this is not quite Martin, but it is a good second and a great book to read while you wait for A Feast for Crows.
Rating:
Summary: I Cried at the End...Actually I'm Just Kidding
Review: I really didn't cry, I promise, unless it was out of joy of course (Cheesy? Yes I know...) I really can't do this book justice, because I REALLY feel it was one of the best I've read in a long time.
Greg Keyes has officially joined my club of "Favorite Writers"...we meet on Thursdays after the O.C. I don't know if saying that is enough for you to believe me that this is a 5-star book, I mean honestly speaking, my "reviewer" score isn't all that high, but I want to try to explain to you why I LOVE this book.
I'm a big fan of Gregory Keyes's characters. Most of the time, I really connect with them. Who can forget the young Benjamin Franklin in "Newton's Cannon"?
The characters in the Brair King weren't only likable, they were interesting, and fun to read about-that's the simplest way I can put it. Especially Cazio-yes, there are women feinting behind me as I write this review. Cazio can hold ranks with the best. He's witty, humorous, strong, skillful, cocky in some sense, but...He's just awesome. Stephen Darige is another one of my favorites. I don't want to ruin the story by telling you about him, but I definitely love the creativity and imagination that was put into his character.
I especially like how Greg Keyes keeps the story moving by leaving out overly unneccessary paragraphs of detail. I'm not a big fan of writers who delve into the pit of descriptive passages. I just want to read a good story-I'm very capable of filling in the other stuff. You tell me I'm in a castle, I see the castle. Okay, so you can tell me about the painting or tapestry on the wall, but PLEASE save me from its long winded history. Too much description is like covering the white areas on a Water Color painting. So, I'm not the master of analogies, but think about it-too much description makes the story seem slow and muddy. And that's what I appreciate about Greg Keyes. To me, it seems he places the most importance on...well, what IS important. Character, Plot, and Setting.
This book will make you laugh, perhaps cry (depending on how sensitive you are), it will make you want to read page after page, chapter after chapter, until you reach the end--which I have to say is really good.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you don't like fantasy, the dialogue is so natural and fluid that I'm sure you'll enjoy it. And I probably say this in all my reviews--sometimes I just want to shout it out--**Reading Can Be Fun** (cue "the More You Know" star and SFX...) I'm a big supporter of the philosophy of Education through Entertainment and this book fits perfectly into that mold. It may not teach A.P. Calculus, but it definitely has its moments of verisimilitude--moments where you can take the characters experiences and choices, and learn from them. And lets face it, good readers make better writers, better people, better students, etc...
So, pick this book up and give it a chance. You won't be disappointed, especially since it will only cost like $8...I think. And of course, there's always your local library, but the "Briar King" is a book I'm glad to have up on my shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I'll admit (a little shepishly), that before I started this book, I was very skeptical. I wasn't entirely convinced that this book would be worth my time. However, after casually picking it up late at night to read the first few pages, I had to force myself to stop reading and go to bed. The first few pages completely wiped away any doubts I had about this book before. It delivers on so many levels: plenty of action-and not the boring kind. It's very suspenseful, and keeps you turning the pages. There's romance (fairly predictable, but still exciting, and well written), and it can be very unpredictable. I gasped in shock more than once. I won't say who, but one of the characters is so evil, you'll find yourself wanting to strangle him yourself. The book is shrouded in mystery, which was what kept me going-you want to know what this is all about!The focus is constantly swithcing from one character to another, but Keyes suceeds in making you want to keep on reading. His characterizations are excellent, and no noe of them is 2-dimensional. I'm looking forward to the sequel very much (which comes out in a few weeks). You won't regret paying the 6 or 7 dollars to buy this gem.
Rating:
Summary: Five-star fantasy for fans of Tolkien, Martin, and Jordan
Review: In my estimation this exceeds the quality and readability of Robert Jordan, and nips at the heels of Tolkien and my favorite, George R R Martin. The characters, writing, language/history/culture/magic concepts, and clever (and at times brutal) plot twists are the best features. In some way it lacks the full feel of the "sweep" of other epic fantasies, but the work Keyes does with characters, along with the writing itself, distinguish it as absolutely first-rate.
Rating:
Summary: Give up on Robert Jordan and read this instead!
Review: The new Robert Jordan was such a disappointment that I was tempted to throw in the towel on fantasy for good, but a friend gave me this book last night and told me to read it and damn if this book doesn't kick butt! I've never read Greg Keyes before but I'll soon be rectifying that. The Briar King is just awesome! Unfortunately, it is not a stand alone (come one, publishing world, can't you find one author who can pull a complete idea together in the space of one volume?) but the book is so well-written that I will forgive him. I am rambling... Anyway, this book really rocks. It has those three elements that are so elusive in so many fantasy novels: Originality, Good Writing and Characters That Seem Like Real People. I highly recommend The Briar King!
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