The Blood King (Chronicles of the Necromancer, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Gail Martin (Author)
Key Phrases: hawthorn moon, vayash moru, little gyregon, The Blood King, Obsidian King, Bava K'aa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The second installment of the Chronicles of the Necromancer. Having escaped being murdered by his evil brother, Jared, Tris must take control of his magical abilities to summon the dead, and gather an army big enough to claim back the throne of his dead father. But it isn't merely Jared that Tris must combat. The dark mage, Foor Arontala, has schemes to raise the Obsidian King...

About the Author
Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for SF, fantasy and gost stiroes in elementary schoo. The first story she wrote—at age five—was about a vampire. Her favourite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14 she deided to become a writer. She enjoys attending SF / fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married, and has three children, a Himalayan cat and a golden retriever.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Solaris (January 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844165310
• ISBN-13: 978-1844165315
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,867 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Sequel, February 5, 2008

By	SciFiChick "www.SciFiChick.com" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Following the events in The Summoner, Tris has been training his magical skills and has tried to remain hidden from his brother, Jared, the usurper of his father's throne. Tris and his growing number of friends and supporters devise a plan to stand against Jared and his dark mage Arontala. But Tris must make sure he's strong enough to overcome Arontala, for the dark mage plans to release the Obsidian King. And if the Obsidian King were to take control of Tris, a summoner, the evil king would be unstoppable.

The Blood King is an exciting sequel. Most of the novel revolves around the adventures of Tris and his party gathering more support and just staying alive. With colorful characters (alive, dead, and undead) and truly evil bad guys, Martin has created a wonderful world of magic and wonder. At a daunting, 624 pages, I was surprised how quickly I read this riveting story. And I was truly disappointed that it had to end.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necromancer Chronicles Book Two, February 22, 2008

By	Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Margolan, so prosperous and peaceful under King Bricen's rule, has been reduced to starvation in less than a year. Everyone knows of the usurpation of the crown of Margolan by "Jared the Tyrant". He and his fire mage, Foor Arontala, have also broken the truce with the Blood Council and are hunting down all vayash moru (vampires). Things are going from bad to worse as the night of the Hawthorn Moon approaches. On that night, half a year from now, Jared and Arontala plan to feed all the souls captured in the Soulcatcher orb to the Obsidian King. Once accomplished, the Obsidian King will have the power needed to break free of the prison, which the Summoner named Bava K'aa had thrown him into, and evil will claim the entire Winter Kingdom.

He is Prince Martris "Tris" Drayke, son of Bricen of Margolan, Summoner and mage-heir of Bava K'aa. However, anyone looking at him would never imagine that he was more than a simple peasant enduring hard times, just like everyone else. The Sisterhood grudgingly agree to train Tris for his upcoming battles, but there is no guarantee that he will survive the training. Arontala is not only a strong fire mage, but is using blood magic (via sacrifices) to increase his power. Arontala will also draw power from the Obsidian King once he is freed.

Tris may very well be the strongest Summoner since Bava K'aa, but it is still going to be a royal battle indeed.

***** I thought this was going to be a trilogy or series, but the author may very well stop the adventure right here. The two books together are absolutely perfect. However, if she so chooses, Gail Z. Martin may continue the tale in another part of the kingdom. She could use the same characters or some of the secondary characters or even have completely new ones. I eagerly await this author's next title to see if the Winter Kingdom's story continues or not. As for the story itself, The Summoner and The Blood King may very well be the best fantasy story I have had the pleasure of reading in quite awhile. I do not doubt that the author, Gail Martin, will become a huge success in her chosen field. I foresee awards in her future and a large group (gaggle?) of fans, of which I now rank among. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Derivative would be high praise...., May 20, 2008

By	F. Williams "F. Willy" (Montevallo, AL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unfortunately, I have to finish every series I start. I HOPE I have finished this one! This book was utter crap. There was nothing fresh or original about it. Formulaic would be an apt description.

Handsome bard who has a close relationship with the royal family and throws (guess what?!) knives!
Check.

Bitter Captain of the guard.
Check.

Young prince who becomes the most powerful mage in the world over the course of ONE year...actually about 6 weeks of intense training.
Check.

Evil mage who is surprisingly inept.
Check.

Evil Usurper who is a sadist and has NO redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Check.

Beautiful warrior princess.
Check.

I could go on, but if I think about this book anymore I'm going to have someone "eastmark" kick me in the balls just to dull the pain.