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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great modern fantasy epic continues, October 28, 2004
This review is from: The Charnel Prince (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2) (Hardcover)
With The Briar King, Greg Keyes created a masterpiece of a first book, so much so that it would be almost impossible to keep it up at that level. He tries very hard, however, and almost succeeds. The Charnel Prince suffers a bit from "middle book syndrome," but not as much as some series I've seen. Keyes keeps the tension high, introducing some wonderful characters to take the place of those killed off in The Briar King. The book is marred only by a massive coincidence that, while it can be explained, still strains the suspension of disbelief a bit.
The biggest compliment I can give to Keyes is that I wish this series was done. Right now. I want to be able to read the rest of this and see how it comes out. Unlike The Briar King, Keyes ends this book on a bit of a cliffhanger. While Keyes doesn't break up the action with a vivid cliffhanger, one of the main characters is dealt a massive blow in a truly horrifying epilogue that shows just how evil one of the villains can be. What's even worse (or better, you could say) is that I had really grown to love this character, which made the ending even more of a shock. It left me with a pit in my stomach, which to me demonstrates just how good the characterization was.
Keyes continues his deftness at this characterization. Princess Anne is probably the best, as she grows up a lot in the span of six months or so. I guess running for your life will do that to you, but most of the haughtiness has left her by the time she reaches her final scene. She's done the work of washerwomen, been threatened with a marriage fostered in darkness, and realized that the love of her life isn't quite as pure as she had always believed. All of her arrogance has been blunted by the news of the deaths in her family as well as the mystical fate that seems to be in store for her.
Even better is Leoff, the composer who is on a journey to take a royal commission in the capital, not realizing what he's getting into. He's the true innocent, doing what he believes is right no matter what the consequences. The music in his heart and all around him captivates him, and the chance to write a piece of music that is unlike all others, despite what the church might say, draws him like a moth to a flame. His relationship with young Mery, who he finds hiding in his room, is wonderfully charming and innocent, as he takes the young girl under his wing and teaches her music. It's interesting to watch him deal with all of the political maneuvering going on around him because he is such a non-political creature. While he agrees to help Queen Muriele by composing a piece that will be unmatched, we get the feeling that he's doing it more to compose a piece like that than because he truly wants to help her. He is a good man, however, trapped in a world that could chew him up too easily if he missteps.
There are too many other characters to name them one by one, but they are all wonderfully done, with the small exception of Robert. He comes off a little flat in this one, possibly because of his circumstances. Thankfully, those circumstances do ultimately become interesting as we find out why he's around and what those circumstances are, as well as what they mean for the rest of the world. He is still, however, rather dull by himself. That he is the only one is a marvel, though, considering how many characters populate this book. Even the bit parts are well-rounded, given enough depth to be interesting even without delving deep into their background.
Everything else about the book is great, as was the first book. The prose, the world-building, everything. Keyes has created living, breathing societies that are all interrelated yet distinct. The religion is especially interesting. One can mildly criticize him for making yet another series where the church is on the side of the bad guys, but there are enough holy loners to make it clear it's not the religion itself at the center of the evil. It's just the men who have climbed to the height letting the power get to them.
The only bad thing about the book is the massive coincidence that brings together three of the disparate plotlines to the same place at the exact same time at the end of the book. Two of the three can be explained, as one of the characters is desperately tracking another before it's too late. However, the third one just stretched my allowances a little too far. It wasn't enough to completely destroy the book, but it might have if the rest of the book had been found wanting. Thankfully, the book itself holds your attention and won't let it go, so it's easy to allow this coincidence, notice it briefly, and then discard your annoyance because everything else is so good.
The Charnel Prince is a captivating read that grabs you, forces you through the ringer along with its characters, and then dumps you just when you want the book to go even further. I will be anxiously awaiting the third volume. Greg Keyes should be very proud of himself.
David Roy
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but nothing more, August 21, 2004
This review is from: The Charnel Prince (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2) (Hardcover)
greg keyes has been touted as the Next George R.R. Martin in some circles, writing gritty epic fantasy with lots of well drawn characters.
Well, his stuff is gritty, and reasonably epic, and there are a number of characters, but thats where the similarities end. Martin is better by far. His characters read like real people, his politics are as engaging as his action, which is very, very engaging.
Keyes isn't up to that level yet. He has given new life to old cliches, but they are still cliches. Sir Neil the perfect knight. Cazio the cocky duelist. Anne the willful girl growing into a strong woman. Aspar the veteran ranger. There are a few new characters, most notably a composer who is one of the most interesting of the books characters, and whose final chapters are truly fantastic.
This is a short read, and it moves at a breakneck pace which keeps you entertained but allows for little serious character development. Cliffhangers are overused to the point where they begin to lose their intended effect.
His action scenes are excellent and exciting, though not exactly realistic.
Essentially, this book is fun. Its ridiculous to pretend its anything more than fun, popcorn epic fantasy. But it is fun, popcorn epic fantasy done well, and sometimes that is enough
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
flawed but moves story along, good new character introduced, September 3, 2004
This review is from: The Charnel Prince (The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 2) (Hardcover)
The Charnel Prince succeeds in what should be the immediate and least of goals for second books in series--it moves the plot along. The book is well-paced, moving quickly through various storylines and transitioning nicely from one point-of-view to another. The shifts occur smoothly and repeatedly act to increase suspense (some may tire of the tactic; it never really bothered me). The different stories are mostly well-balanced, each carrying its own weight in terms of plot and character. Though I'd say one is noticeably weaker than the others, it doesn't act as much of a drag on the book as a whole.
There is no "recap" of the Briar King, but Keyes does a nice job of refreshing the reader's memory without being too obvious and without slowing the book down with a lot of early exposition. The main characters all return, some showing signs of growth, others performing their roles somewhat perfunctorily. Queen Muriel is perhaps the best example of a character who exhibits subtle and continuing signs of natural growth. Some of the characters instead have their changes "announced" to us, either by internal monologue, narration, or the somewhat clumsy remarks of other characters. Keyes also introduces a brand new major character, a composer, who is one of the more interesting characters of the series and whose personal storyline is certainly one of the more unique ones I've seen in fantasy.
The boil of internal and external politics and the conflict between pagan and institutional religion, along with the typical individual grasp for power, makes for a stimulating ride. The more personal relationship issues aren't handled nearly as well, but since they remain mostly understory, they don't cause too much damage.
Overall it's a well-constructed and mostly well-written book, with several very strong scenes (especially those involving the composer), but it lacks somewhat a true spark. Some of the characters play out their roles a bit too robotically, some of the character shifts are too quick, the storyline involving Aspar and friends is weak in comparison to the others, and some of the plot points a bit too well-worn: secret passages in the castle, brilliant plotters allowing themselves to be overheard plotting (twice), mysterious aid coming out of nowhere at just the right time. None of these are major flaws, none of them bring the book to a screeching halt or make it a bad book. But they do make it a flawed book, one that despite its quick readability doesn't tug the reader along or make him/her ache for more. Having seen these characters through two novels now, and with all the pieces seemingly in their place, the time is ripe for the third book to transcend the first two in inventiveness and characterization. The composer character in this one is a good sign.
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