Customer Reviews

The Briar King (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1)

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Briar King is the first novel in the (planned) fantasy quartet, "Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone." The gist of my review is this: TBK is perhaps the first wonderful fantasy book of the 21st century and worthy of a place beside A Game of Thrones (George Martin) and Assassin's Apprentice (Robin Hobb) on your shelf reserved for engaging, well-written, mature, contemporary fantasy. It is, in a word, a keeper.

TBK opens with one of (if not the) best preludes in fantasy, which raises the overshadowing concept for the saga: a warrior-queen leads an army of enslaved humans in the storming of their demonic masters' citadel, only to learn that the means of their victory may have set in motion the doom of the world. In the story itself, set over 2,000 years later, the first signs of this doom begin to appear in the kingdom of Crotheny. The mythical Briar King, doom's harbinger, is said to be waking from his ancient slumber, even as the wars and intrigues of the human nations carry on, seemingly unaware ...

I've been deliberately vague about the actual story and principal characters so as to let the book speak for itself. I read a good deal of fantasy fiction (and write it as well), and I'm pleased to say that this is one of the best I've read in recent memory. Keyes writes in clear, often artful prose and has a true gift not only for world-building (and the research that surely underlies it) but also for showing the world and its wonders and horrors vividly without over-description or telling. (Or at least, when he must tell, he does it in a plausible, often inconspicuous manner.) The dialogue is crisp and spiced with wit and various languages; the characters are, for the most part, realistic and distinct. The plot is well-balanced and builds to a page-turning crescendo. If I have a quibble, it's that not enough of ancient history and mysteries are revealed to make the climax wholly comprehensible. That is, the hook for the next book is a bit heavily baited, but it's bait that I'll bite on nonetheless.

With the medieval/"British" nature of Crotheny and the chapter-by-chapter shifts in character viewpoint, TBK will indeed draw comparisons to A Game of Thrones. However, they should mainly be favorable comparisons; moreover, TBK develops a different "feel" or texture as it progresses--the lands of Westeros didn't spring to mind as I read on.

The bottom line: I read this book free of charge from the public library; I've since ordered it because I'd like a copy for my fantasy shelf and, more importantly, because Keyes deserves our support and encouragement. This book helped me remember what this genre can be.

Greg Keyes' "The Briar King" is a mix of good fantasy and thorny mess. While the worldbuilding and background for the first book of his new series is outstanding, his writing doesn't live up to his imagination. It's a flawed but deeply interesting book overall.

The Briar King is a remnant of the old pagan beliefs, living on only in little superstitions and children's songs. But after the old holter Aspar rescues a nerdy young priest, they learn of strange things that are stirring in the woods, and human beings are dropping dead or being sacrificed -- and Aspar encounters a greffyn, a mythical monster whose touch and breath can kill. They're all signs that the Briar King is waking.

But the Briar King isn't the only source of trouble: the royal Dare family is being quietly turned on its head. Someone is trying to kill the queen, Princess Lesbeth has vanished mysteriously, and idealistic young knight Neil has fallen in love with Princess Fastia (who is married). Worst of all, one of the royals has gone mad, and threatens to destroy his entire family. The only one who may escape is immature Anne, who has been having strange visions.

It's virtually impossible to write semi-original fantasies now, but Keyes dodges the typical cliches -- elves, wizards, Dark Lords and demons. The story is engaging and unusual, but it starts stumbling partway through. But it demonstrates that Keyes has a good story worth telling; it ends on a "to be continued" note, of course.

Keyes starts off strong with mysterious occurrances and plenty of creepiness. He puts a lot of effort and description into his worldbuilding, such as the Dare family, the pseudo-Christian religion and well-crafted myths. But about halfway through "Briar King," Keyes starts to lose control of the story. There are too many subplots that only seem to be marginally tied together (what is up with that love potion subplot?), and it loses the creepy quality.

Keyes' writing is pedestrian most of the time, although it blossoms whenever something really freaky is happening. The description of Aspar encountering the Briar King is brief, but strikingly ominous. And once you get past the typical lead characters (spirited princess, priest with a lot to learn, cocky swordsman), there are plenty of unique supporting roles (like the dead old woman in the caves).

"The Briar King" is an unsteady but promising start to Greg Keyes new series. It dodges most cliches and sticks to an unusual storyline, but the execution needs some work before the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series can be counted as a good fantasy.

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.

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!

Every time I go to the book store, I pick up fantasy novels, flip them over to read the blurb on the back, and put them down when I read "blah, blah blah, end of an age, prophesy, only so-and-so with hidden powers/heritage/last of his-her line, blah, blah blah". The Briar King presents a medieval-like world which, thank you Greg Keyes, did not send me to the map with every new chapter. There's a handful of main characters in parallel storylines, some of which converge by the end of this book. The most appealing character is Aspar White, the forester. He's spent most of his life patrolling the King's forest, a solitary employee of an employer he's never seen. Disturbing things in the forest cause him to investigate, and the further things he finds brings out his heroism. Stephen Darige, the novice monk and scholar, is another reluctant hero. Through him we learn that the church has real powers we would call magic. Another storyline is devoted to the unravelling of the royal family of Grotheny and Anne Dare, its ultimate heir.

The Briar King was slow to get into (I made a few false starts) but once I got going, I was able to keep the characters straight in my head (unlike A Song of Ice and Fire) and enjoyed the story very much. Greg Keyes must like language, because he uses a few invented languages, much like Tolkien. For someone like me who wanted to be a philologist after reading Lord of the Rings, this is a real appeal.

The Briar King is the first of a trilogy, which somewhat disappointed me since it would have been gratifying to have the story wrap up in one volume. However it is a sprawling tale and there's clearly a lot more to tell by the end of the book.

Male and female fantasy fans alike will enjoy this story, with its swords and sorcery, myths and religions, and well-drawn characters.

Maybe fantasy authors are finally starting to understand it. Interesting, real characters are just as important to a fantasy story as swords and magic.

Akin to George R.R. Martin's magnificent A Song of Ice and Fire series, Keyes has created excellent characters that are likeable and real and has created a story full of political intrigue and a looming supernatural threat (the ent-like Briar King) that most seem oblivious to

Keyes also does a wonderful job of creating the kingdoms and lands of his world, imbuing it with a fascinating history full of events only hinted at (I can't wait to learn more about the reign of the Black Jester), and well-crafted languages to top it all off.

Keyes magic is also well-done. Not over-the-top but still apparent through the magical sedos and the evil Greffyn.

I can't wait to read the next installment in The Kingdoms of Thorne and Bone, The Charnal Prince. I hope it doesn't suffer the "second-volume syndrome" that is so common in fantasy these days.

The Briar King (2003) is the first novel in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series. In the olden times, humans were transported from their own world to be enslaved by the Skasloi. When the humans rose up and destroyed their masters using the sedos magic, their leader, Genia Dare, proclaimed the new age of Eberon Vhasris Slanon. But their Skasloi captive, Qexqaneh, told them that the use of the sedos would cause this new age to be cursed and destroyed.

Two millennia later, something deadly is stirring in the King's Forest. Aspar White, the King's Holter, finds a greffyn poisoning the woods and killing people with its very breath. Steven Darige, a novice traveling to the monastery at d'Ef, is rescued by Aspar from bandits and escorted to the monastery, where he discovers something is awry. William, the Emperor of Crotheny, is told of more warlike maneuvering by the Hansa empire and appoints his brother, Robert, as prime minister to uncover the Hansa plans. Neil MeqVren of Liery travels to Eslen to be presented to the Emperor, saves Queen Muriele from an assassin, is knighted by the Emperor, and is named the Captain of the Lier Guard, the Queen's Own. The Emperor's youngest daughter, Anne, has a vision of a masked lady voicing portents and advice.

This story shows that Keyes is strongly influenced by Tolkien's methodology, carefully building a consistent world rich in mythos and language. Where Tolkien used British mythology, however, with German and French influences, Keyes bases his world and characters on an extended mythology that also incorporates Celtic and Slavic influences.

This novel resembles Martin's Game of Thrones, in ambiance and treatment. Both books set the groundwork for a period of bloody war and intrigue. As such, both books are rather depressing; the bad guys get away with too much. The next volume in this series is entitled The Charnel King and is followed by two others; it may be a long wait before the final victory for our heroes and heroines.

Recommended for Keyes fans and anyone who enjoyed Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire series.

To put it simply, the Briar King is a decent novel. There is nothing particularly unique or fantastic about it. Most of Keyes' storypoints are simply fantasy stereotypes. The stalwart knight, the unhappy, independent princess, the knowledgeable priest (who fits the wizard role as well), the gruff ranger, the ranger's tougher-than-she-should-be love interest, the jealous and greedy younger brother, the not-so-trustworthy-church, etc. The character of Fend is particularly frustrating. The one-eyed enemy who has a questionable history with one of the lead characters, Aspar, who happens to be involved with everything that is going on and happens to be playing a huge role in everything even though he wasnt that important to begin with.

Comparisons to George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series are very misleading. The only real similarity between the two, aside from creating a realistic world based vaguely on medieval Europe, is that the chapters tend to focus on the perspective of one character. Yet Keyes routinely breaks the single-character perspective and jumps from perspectives within chapters. In all, the whole novel is about as complicated and deep as one or two of Martin's lesser story arches.

My final complaint is Keyes' heavy reliance on magic to suddenly save a character that seems to be utterly without hope. Such reliance put a particular damper on the climax of the novel. Although Keyes is not as frustrating as, say, Terry Goodkind in pulling magic out of nowhere to make up for weak storytelling, magic does seem to show up at just the right time to help out.

Despite the flaws which are becoming so prevalent in the fantasy genre as a whole, the Briar King is an enjoyable and entertaining novel. The characters, cliche though they may be, are likeable, particularly Stephen Darige who quickly grows on the reader. Further, the world is interesting and realistic. Keyes seems willing to kill off important characters, not to the extent say of George Martin, but he does leave the reader wondering if certain characters will survive the series. Some of the deaths were actually rather surprising. In addition, the history of Keyes' world is fascinating and the church history flows perfectly with the rest of the story. And despite writing a short novel, Keyes gives quite a bit of attention to detail, such as how words have changed over thousands of years (in the storyline). The political squabbling and maneuvering among the characters, too, lends an air of realism to a genre where politics are so often glossed over as unimportant.

I have to recommend this book. The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone is one of the best new series out there. But dont go into the novel expecting George Martin or even Robert Jordan. The comparisons are simply unfair and damaging to the readers' enjoyment of the novel. The Briar King is a good book, so enjoy it.

I had never heard of The Briar King or Greg Keyes until I saw Terry Brooks plugging the book on his web site. I decided to check it out. It has always been difficult for me to get excited about a new fantasy series, it feels like a major investment of time and I don't want it to be a waste. But, with the Terry Brooks recommendation and blurbs on the back cover from Melanie Rawn and Katherine Kurtz, I was willing to give the book a chance. I'm glad that I did.

The Briar King will suffer from inevitable comparisons to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and to George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire . While such comparisons are only natural, they are unfair. A fantasy series needs time to develop over several books to be fairly compared to another major series. Also, while there are a couple of stylistic similarities, The Briar King is wholly distinct. It also stands up quite well on its own.

The novel begins thousands of years before the main story, as we see the origins of the land and the prophecy that will begin to shape the events of the book. The novel follows several characters: the headstrong daughter of a king, a woodsman, and a bookish scholar. While some of these paths to intertwine at points, there is quite a bit going on to build the world as a real place as well as creating a detailed story that will be a joy to follow over 4 books. The series will be called The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone and will be four books.

This is an exciting new fantasy series, and any fan of Robert Jordan or George Martin owes it to him or herself to check this one out.

An incredibly phenomonal novel. I must confess I was absolutely prepared to be let down given the incredible reviews of this novel and the multiple comparisons to George R.R. Martin; however, if anything I was overly impressed. Read this novel. Without question Greg Keyes is the best thing about fantasy going right now, other than Martin. Goodkind has gotten ridiculous; Brooks same story over and over; and Jordan, who even cares anymore? Do yourself a favor pick this novel up and strap yourself in for an incredible ride. You will not be disappointed.