A Conspiracy of Kings (Thief of Eddis) [Hardcover]

Megan Whalen Turner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 23, 2010 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Thief of Eddis | Lexile Measure: 940L (What's this?)

Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace.

In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus—and Eddis—sets out on an Badventure that will change all of their lives forever.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 7 Up—Teenaged Sophos is his uncle's heir, but his love of poetry and lack of interest in ruling have caused his father to send him to a remote villa. When it is attacked by the king's enemies, Sophos is sold into slavery, where he begins to mature and develop both physically, from the hard manual labor, and emotionally. He makes the decision to escape slavery and try to resume his place as heir and eventually king of Sounis, traveling to Attolia to try to recruit support from its queen and king, Sophos's friend, Eugenides, the protagonist of The Thief (1996) and The King of Attolia (2006, both HarperCollins). Layers of intrigue follow Sophos as he tries to protect Sounis from various groups of enemies, leading to a surprising twist at the conclusion. Sophos tells his story to an initially unknown audience, but interspersed third-person chapters provide additional perspective. Fans of Turner's earlier books set in the medieval-style kingdoms of Sounis, Eddis, and Attolia will enjoy seeing Eugenides, the magus, and other familiar characters again, while the new protagonist and ample background make A Conspiracy of Kings accessible for new readers as well. This is a well-constructed and intricate tale of action, adventure, and assuming the mantle of leadership.—Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Following The Thief, a 1997 Newbery Honor Book, and The King of Attolia, a 2007 Best Book for Young Adults, Turner continues her exquisite series with another rich story that examines peace, power, leadership, and loyalty. After initial, tense prison scenes focused on Eugenides, the king of Attolia, the novel’s viewpoint switches from third to first person, and Sophos, the reluctant king of Sounis who prefers poetry to politics, relates the adventures that precipitated his rise to questionable power. Tutors have drilled Sophos in imaginary attacks, but after he loses his family in a real invasion, he is bereft and goes into hiding as a slave on a nobleman’s estate in order to avoid his sovereign responsibilities. Even though Eugenides’ fans will miss his presence, he continues to pull strings from the sidelines as he joins leaders in high-priced alliances and prepares for an invasion. Turner’s plotting remains deft, and the subtlety with which she balances her characters’ inner and outer worlds will delight both series newcomers and fans, who will be waiting to grab this stand-out, stand-alone adventure, filled with all the expected intrigue and political machinations, from the shelves. Grades 7-10. --Cindy Dobrez

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1 edition (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061870935
• ISBN-13: 978-0061870934
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Whalen Turner is married to a professor and often relocates when he needs to do research. When they traveled to Greece one summer, she decided to use its landscape as the background of a book, but didn't write The Thief until she was spending a year in California, where the olive trees reminded her of the Greek mainland.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - Continuity without repetition March 26, 2010

By Quick Ben

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book a lot. Turner continues to demonstrate her ability to construct beautiful sentences, moving descriptions of places, events and people, and elegant turns of phrase. There are the (for Turner) typical shining moments when characters reveal themselves, sometimes even to themselves. The reader learns more about Gen's world, its geography and history (the archipelago off the coast of Attolia and the impending all out war with the Medes suggests a future book in which the islands will play a prominent role and the possibility of a Salamis style naval battle with the Medes - I hope). We are reminded that Gen is 1) very young, 2) very very smart, 3) very very gifted, 4) willing to bear the burdens of both kingship and of those he loves, and 5) in need of a male friend to whom he can talk to and love more or less as an equal. We're also reminded that the gods work in subtle ways and that this is a world where violence is taken for granted even when regretted.

One reviewer asked why Gen was so "greedy". This seems a misreading of his motives which have to do with events foretold for Eddis and the impending conflict between the Medes and Eddis/Sounis/Attolia. Another reviewer found the epistolary style of the early part of the book off putting. I thought so too for the first few pages until the character to whom Sophos was writing became clear. One reviewer thought there was too little Gen. Gen isn't "onstage" in every scene, but I felt his presence continually in the actions and dialogue of the other characters. He remains the linchpin of the story. One reviewer questioned Sophos's intelligence and whether he was an interesting character. I read him as a very interesting character and quite smart, just not in a subtle and guarded "Gen" sort of way. One thing that struck me about Sophos as a character was that Turner was able to portray him as "royal" but in a very different way than Gen or Irene or Helen. By the end of _A Conspiracy of Kings_ I had a much better sense as to what made each of the rulers of Souris, Eddis, and Attolia uniquely suited to rule. This is in part to the different ways in which each has been introduced to the reader. One of the great things about this series is the way that Turner varies the point of view and other elements of the narrative structure while continuing the development of the characters, the plot and the setting. The density of the storytelling (which achieves a kind of paradoxical simplicity)contributes to the density of the story. The last scene of the book is utterly charming.

There are a number of fantasy writers whose books I look forward to reading but few writers whose books I look forward to rereading: Diana Wynne Jones, Patricia McKillip, C.J. Cherryh (for the most part), and Megan Whalen Turner.

50 of 58 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I wish Eugenides had made more of an apperance. (No spoilers for this book, but lots of them for preceding three books.) March 24, 2010

By Girl

Format:Hardcover

I'll just say it: I miss my thief. His Majesty, the King of Attolia has become more and more distant as these books progress. First he was Gen, a common thief, telling his story in an endearing first person. I loved him, and I loved that I, too, was tricked by the thief. I turned those last pages with my mouth open in shock that the braggart thief I had grown to respect for his stubbornness and wit was an even greater man than I thought.

For "The Queen of Attolia" he became Eugenides, a man whose life is related in third person, his thoughts a mystery, but the story at least told from his perspective. Then, in "The King of Attolia", I was denied even that. I was forced to sit and observe from the perspective of Costis, to be lured into his misconceptions and prejudices against the "King of Attolia," when I knew better. And now, in "A Conspiracy of Kings", he is donned (even more impersonally) "Attolis" and I see so little of the man I came here for. I am forced to snatch glances of the King through the eyes of Sophos, and desperately wish for more.

Sophos is not nearly the hero that Eugenides was.

His voice seems whiny and I found myself, if not skimming, at least hurrying through his story, which dominates the book. I just didn't care. I wanted to see the thief. Even the romance between Sophos and Eddis is not really fulfilling when I've already been privy to the complex relationship between Gen and Attolia. Can you imagine having to face the fact that you stole THE RIGHT HAND of the person you love? It seems unfathomable, unthinkable and yet, there it is, greeting Attolia every morning. I loved reading about it. I loved the scene in "The King of Attolia" where the queen touches the thief's face and he forgets, for an instant, that he is safe, he is loved, and believes he is once again at the mercy of a merciless queen. In comparison, Sophos and Eddis seem boring.

I want to read about the man who had the Queen of Attolia at his mercy--the woman who CUT OFF HIS GODDAMN HAND--and not only left her whole, but loved her. I came for the man who, mere pages after so successfully stealing the queen, was forced to stand imprisoned before Attolia, powerless, a pathetic sight, and swallow the knowledge that he would never die with dignity, he would lose everything--sight, sound, mind--and that the woman he loved would take it from him. And yet, he still had the courage to bait Attolia once more: "From shadow queen to puppet queen in one rule--that's very impressive."

"A Conspiracy of Kings" had all the classic elements I've seen--and loved--in Megan Whalen Turner's work: political intrigue, traitors, plot twists, romance, revelations, kidnapping, royal court drama--but it all seemed lacking without more of the thief. His personality is what draws me back. I spent the book longing for his appearances and however brief they were--I loved every second of them.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book- Tips to Maximze Enjoyment April 11, 2010

By M. Napier

Format:Hardcover

My relationship with this book started out cool, but now I am convinced it is the best book I will read this year.

Here are a few tips to really enjoy this book - I hope you will have as positive of a reading experience as I did:

Q1) Do you need to read any of MWT's books beforehand to enjoy this book?
A) Probably not, but it sure helps to re-read The Thief. The narrator of the book is Sophos. A secondary character in The Thief who has a charming personality. Refreshing your read of The Thief will bring this character (Sophos) to light as he comes of age and decides what kind of a man he is going to be in this book.

Q2)Should I buy this as an e-book or as a paper book?
A) I actually downloaded this first to my Kindle. Didn't like it that much - couldn't bond with the book. MWT has a wonderful command of the english language and her plots are dense, but light on their feet. It is easier to read this book in paper because it physically slows your reading down and you can refer back to dense (but nimble) sections.

Q3) For Young Adult Readers or for Adults?
A) For all--but it is definitely a mature plot line.

Q4) How does this fit with similar adventure/quest books like JK Rowling/ Harry Potter or Riodian's Lightning Thief?
A) MWTs books do not follow a formulaic structure. There are tremendous benefits to a formulaic structure - It makes for an easy read and easy bonding with the characters. It is easier to dive into those types of books since authors often don't write sequels rapidly. I found myself wishing for that type of familiarity to get me back into the author's mind/character's world. However, a simple re-reading of The Thief got me back there.

I can now say with confidence, I wouldn't trade MWT's structural choice for anything. She is doing something different, more complex and it allows you to get deeper into the world.

I will definitely be re-reading this book as well as the other in the series.

Well done MWT, well done!