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Overview
Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land—and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The king’s woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight—all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber. At the heart of this many-layered tale is Anne Dare, youngest daughter of the royal family . . . upon whom the fate of her world may depend.Synopsis
Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land—and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The king’s woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight—all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber. At the heart of this many-layered tale is Anne Dare, youngest daughter of the royal family . . . upon whom the fate of her world may depend.
Publishers Weekly
The author of the bestselling Age of Unreason tetralogy (The Waterborn, etc.) inaugurates the Kingdoms of Throne and Bone quartet with this epic high fantasy. The inhabitants of this splendid and dauntingly complex parallel world, Everon, are mostly descended from folk magically transported from our world. This is not quite the land of Faerie, although the Briar King resembles the old Celtic horned god Cernunnos, while Keyes brings his expertise as a fencing teacher to the swordplay, here called dessrata. The Empire of Crotheny faces war with its arch-rival, the Hanzish, and magical intrigues aimed at preventing the land from having a born queen (as opposed to a king's consort). By book's end, Princess Anne, the daughter of the Crotheny king, is fleeing for her life with Austra, her maid, and Cazio, a young Vitellian nobleman, having earlier experienced the pains of discipline in a convent and the horrors of having her family butchered. With aplomb, the author employs one of the most classic fantasy plots: the heir(ess) with a destiny and a necessarily huge cast of supporters. Keyes mixes cultures, religions, institutions and languages with rare skill. The main theme may emerge with formidable slowness, but patient readers will find the rewards enormously worthwhile. (Jan. 1) Forecast: With a six-city author tour, plus blurbs from Katherine Kurtz, Terry Brooks, Charles de Lint, Elizabeth Haydon and Melanie Rawn, this could well be Keyes's breakout book, garnering the kinds of sales associated with George R.R. Martin. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
In this resonant tale, the beginning of a major fantasy series, a once-powerful kingdom falls into terrible peril. In Greg Keyes's rustic epic, valorous woodsmen, bookish priests, and a trio of heart-snaring sisters drift into view with the grace and ease of long-missed friends.Publishers Weekly
The author of the bestselling Age of Unreason tetralogy (The Waterborn, etc.) inaugurates the Kingdoms of Throne and Bone quartet with this epic high fantasy. The inhabitants of this splendid and dauntingly complex parallel world, Everon, are mostly descended from folk magically transported from our world. This is not quite the land of Faerie, although the Briar King resembles the old Celtic horned god Cernunnos, while Keyes brings his expertise as a fencing teacher to the swordplay, here called dessrata. The Empire of Crotheny faces war with its arch-rival, the Hanzish, and magical intrigues aimed at preventing the land from having a born queen (as opposed to a king's consort). By book's end, Princess Anne, the daughter of the Crotheny king, is fleeing for her life with Austra, her maid, and Cazio, a young Vitellian nobleman, having earlier experienced the pains of discipline in a convent and the horrors of having her family butchered. With aplomb, the author employs one of the most classic fantasy plots: the heir(ess) with a destiny and a necessarily huge cast of supporters. Keyes mixes cultures, religions, institutions and languages with rare skill. The main theme may emerge with formidable slowness, but patient readers will find the rewards enormously worthwhile. (Jan. 1) Forecast: With a six-city author tour, plus blurbs from Katherine Kurtz, Terry Brooks, Charles de Lint, Elizabeth Haydon and Melanie Rawn, this could well be Keyes's breakout book, garnering the kinds of sales associated with George R.R. Martin. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.VOYA
The stories of Anne Dare, an impetuous, rebellious teenage princess; Aspar White, a rough but softhearted king's forester; Stephen Darige, a proud young priest and scholar; Neil MeqVren, the chaste and loyal queen's guard; Cazio Pachiomadio da Chiovattio, a cocky, smooth-talking teenaged fencer; and their compatriots and enemies circle around each other and finally interconnect. When the dreaded Briar King, the stuff of nightmare legend, wakes, he brings death and destruction on an unimaginable scale to the fantasy world of Everon. Readers drawn to sagas so sweeping that they only get started in the first five hundred pages will love Keyes's fully realized world, with its varieties of peoples, customs, and languages, so different yet so familiar that they seem as if they must exist. Teens will love the court intrigues, the breathless pace of the fights, the quiet interludes between lovers, and the suspense that builds ominously as clue after clue to the coming evil is uncovered. Most of all, however, readers will love Keyes's characters: Stephen's funny interior monologues and his uncovering of his courage; Aspar's slow realization that he is loved; Anne's leaps into love, into trouble, and into webs of ancient power; Neil's self-flagellation for his perceived imperfections; Cazio's brashness and his surprise when his swordsmanship suddenly matters instead of being a game. Libraries serving fantasy readers will want to buy this first book in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series and watch for the three planned sequels. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult).2003, Del Rey, 560p,— Rebecca Barnhouse