Kushiel's Scion (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "WE WERE ATTENDING a country fair when the news came..." (more)
Key Phrases: Gallus Tadius, Master Piero, Deccus Fulvius (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The magnificent fourth book in Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series marks the start of a new trilogy set in Terre d'Ange, the author's reimagined Renaissance world. The story picks up where volume three, Kushiel's Avator (2003), left off, though Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel, a prince of the blood, now narrates in place of the unforgettable heroine of the previous books, Phèdre nó Delauney. As a boy, Imriel is abandoned by his treasonous parents and subjected to terrible indignities by pirates. Later rescued and adopted by Phèdre, he grows into a position of authority and learns many skills, including sexual prowess. He has a torrid affair with a married woman, and finally survives a terrible siege at a walled city he courageously defends. The specter of Imriel's sinister, absent mother, Melisande Shahrizai, looms over the action. Credible and gripping, this is heroic fantasy at its finest. (June)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Traitorous parents, the curse of Kushiel's blood in his veins, and the unspeakable crimes he endured while a child slave severely damaged Imriel. Feeling tainted and incapable of goodness, he fears he will misuse Kushiel's gift. Yet he is compelled to overcome the dark forces that shaped him. The love of Phedre and Joscelin, his beloved adoptive parents and Terre d'Ange's greatest champions, has helped him heal. He does an excellent job of comporting himself as a prince of the blood, third in line from the throne, until he turns 18. Then the conflicts raging within threaten to overwhelm him. Pushed beyond his limits by his first visit to Valerian House with his Shahrizai cousins and angry with the powerful, twisted desire that is Kushiel's legacy, in an impulsive moment he flashes up at Phedre--and changes his world irrevocably. He is now on his path to adulthood, first stop Tiberium. Traveling and living simply, he hopes to find himself. Evoking the same stunned awe that the tryptych of Kushiel's Dart (2001), Kushiel's Chosen (2002), and Kushiel's Avatar (2003) did, the Imriel trilogy is off to a smashing start. Uncommonly self-aware, young Imriel, in his maturing thoughts and emotions, is a tremendously believable, sympathetic character. Meanwhile, Carey continues thoughtfully and respectfully re-envisioning S&M in images of beauty, power, and eroticism firmly rooted in the sacred. Intelligent, sexy, heartbreakingly human, Carey at her intoxicating best. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (June 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044650002X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446500029
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #371,092 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 4 in The Kushiel's Legacy Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kushiel's Line throws as true as Kushiel's Dart, June 22, 2006

By	Ashley Megan "amazonfox" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews

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After the hideous disappointment of "Banewreaker", I was on pins and needles regarding Carey's return to Terre D'Ange in "Kushiel's Scion." Would the sexy, dark, original voice that had given us Phedre, Joscelin, Hyacinthe, and Melisande be replaced by the boring tediousness of the "Sundering" series? I just knew it would kill me to see that happen to these beloved characters. Furthermore, what to make of the fact that the next three books would not be narrated by that most cunning of linguists? Would Terre D'Ange without Phedre be whipped cream without the cherry?

Thank Elua, all my fears were unfounded. "Scion", while taking the Kushiel's Legacy series in a new direction, is a welcome and worthy addition, and Imriel is an excellent and insightful new narrator. His voice is, naturally, different from Phedre's, but the beautiful, rich language is the same. Carey has done a great job making the transition from anguissette to prince.

Imriel's story is also very different from Phedre and Joscelin's, and part of what makes this book interesting is that he recognizes it. Imri adores his foster parents, but despairs at ever living up to their example. For one thing, Phedre and Joscelin are once-in-a-generation heroes, larger than life and - in Phedre's case - chosen by Kushiel himself. Imri, while a royal Prince of the Blood, is still ordinary, and the son of Terre D'Ange's greatest traitor to boot. More than anything, he wants to be good - but first, he must decide what that means. Can he be good without ever saving the world the way Phedre did? Is it possible to be good with Kushiel's blood - and his mother's treachery - in his veins?

More than anything (and unlike previous books), "Kushiel's Scion" is a coming of age story. Still scarred by his childhood abuse, and troubled by the shadow that his mother Melisande continues to cast, Imriel stumbles through his life, torn between the various factions that either support or suspect him. One of the most interesting things about having him as a narrator is seeing old and beloved characters through his eyes. For instance, while Phedre loves Ysandre and Nicola dearly, Imri doesn't like either of them - and Carey makes us understand why and even empathize. On the other hand, Phedre's feelings towards House Shahrizai (Melisande's family) were justifiably complex, bound up with mistrust and desire. Imriel feels some of that, too, and yet his young Shahrizai cousins are among his closest and most loyal of friends.

The second half of "Scion" has Imriel participating in that most time-honored rite of adolescent independence - going away to college. In this case, it's the University of Tiberium, where Anafiel Delauney studied so many years ago. Imri hopes to find out where Delauney learned the arts of "covertcy", and ends up stumbling into a large and powerful Guild of spies and power-brokers who are quite interested in Melisande's talented son. He also makes a group of international friends, including the Dalriadan Prince Eamonn mac Grainne, the Skaldian woman Brigitta, and a troubled and haunted young Tiberian, Lucius.

The action in the book comes in the form of a large siege and battle towards the very end. Imriel is, at best, a periphery character in the battle itself - he's caught up in it by chance. Yet this, too, is part of his search in learning to be good. He learns that it's not necessary to be a god-chosen hero like Phedre or a great swordsman like Joscelin in order to be a good soldier, a good friend, and a good man. Phedre did heroic things because she was the only one who could do them. Imriel does small things because sometimes, they're all he can do.

Nitpicks - I hope the prudes out there who objected to the explicit sexuality of the first three books are happy, because the sex here is toned down considerably. Indeed, Imri's history means that almost every sexual encounter is entangled with feelings of guilt and horror. Pity. I really started to miss Phedre's exuberant eroticism about halfway through; the sex here feels a little cold and unsatisfying. The ending of "Scion" is likewise slightly frustrating, without as much of a resolution as I might have liked. Still, it does leave me wanting more. The groundwork is laid here for another fascinating triptych of books about an extraordinary character, executed by a brilliant and talented writer. I am, again, on pins and needles - in a good way!

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So glad to be back in Terre d'Ange, June 8, 2006

By	Kelly L. (www.FantasyLiterature.com) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Return to Terre d'Ange with Kushiel's Scion, sequel to the Kushiel's Legacy trilogy. This book follows Phedre's adopted son, Imriel, son of the treacherous Melisande and third in line for the D'Angeline throne. Carey does an excellent job of developing Imriel into a complicated, troubled young man without in any way betraying the character he was in Kushiel's Avatar: haunted but with the proverbial heart of gold.

Imriel is coming of age here, and coming to terms with desires he finds hard to face. Between his molestation at the hands of the Markhagir of Drujan, his anger with Melisande, and the dominant tendencies inherent in his bloodline, Imriel finds sexuality a minefield of issues. He wants more than anything to be a good person, but fears he's fated to be something else.

His quest to find maturity and inner peace will lead him to the Night Court (fans of the Night Court rejoice--we see more of it here than we have since Dart), into court intrigues, and to an Italy still clinging to the ghosts of its glorious past. Imriel finds himself surrounded by schemes, plots, and conflicted desires, and truly comes of age in this hotbed of troubles. I really love what Carey does with his character, and can't wait to see what comes next for him, as it's clear there will be further Imriel books.

The one thing I didn't like at first was that the climactic battle didn't seem to have much to do with Imriel; it was more that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But on further thought, I realized that Phedre, too, was sucked into things she never meant to be involved with, in Dart and Chosen. I'm just so accustomed to the Phedre of Avatar, plunging herself headlong into adventure because she knows she has to--but this is a mature, 30ish Phedre. Like the younger Phedre, Imriel ends up in situations he never intended to be involved with, but becomes a stronger character through these tribulations. In the end, I think the plot works, and really shows how far Imriel has come since the beginning of the book.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacqueline Carey and Imriel do not disappoint, June 6, 2006

By	Elyse Powell (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

I was very excited and a bit apprehensive about the newest novel set in Terre D'Ange. When I heard that Ms. Carey was continuing the story of the Kushiel's Dart trilogy in a new book, I was ecstatic because frankly, the series is one of my all-time favorite reads. But as many a loyal fan of a popular book or movie can attest to, there is always that fear that the sequel just won't measure up to the original.

Well, for me that fear was put to rest within the first few chapters.

As told by the title, Kushiel's Scion no longer follows his chosen, Phèdre, but his descendent, Imriel. The book is still in first person, and I was very glad to see that the voice was clearly new and distinctly Imriel's, with all his tortured memories and confused yearnings. I certainly don't want to ruin anything for those who haven't read the original series (and if you haven't, then begone! This book will absolutely ruin some of the best shocks and surprises in those books), but be at ease that all the beloved characters return and are given an opportunity to be themselves without the feeling that they were just names dropped in to please the fans.

Phèdre is still a part of the book because she is such a large part of Imriel's life, despite all the complications it is sure to cause.

Imriel is a character who manages to be heartbreakingly fragile in one moment and ridiculously brave at the next. He's boyish with an innocent yearning to just be good, but at the same time he's moved by dark, violent desires. He possesses a keen intelligence that can sense and manipulate the flaws in others but is haunted by the shadow of his traitorous parents and his time as a slave in a place worse than Hell. The poor kid basically couldn't be boring if he tried.

As for the plot? Well, it's a Carey book and it operates on the Three Chapter System, as I like to call it. The first chapter you're trying to figure out what "needs must" and "anon" mean (Yes, the writing style is formal. And beautiful.). The second chapter you're trying to figure out who the heck everyone is, who their lover is, who they're married to, who they have a feud with, how they're actually royalty on their mother's side, and so on. The third chapter you get introduced to the sadomasochistic sex.

Then there's a betrayal or an attempted assassination or an invasion and you have to find out what happens next and suddenly it's 3 a.m. and you have to work tomorrow and damn it, why is this so addictive?

My favorite thing about her writing is how, in the midst of all this court intrigue and secret societies and global politics she inserts these raw, human moments that make you pause and remember that these are people you're reading about, with joys and loves and sorrows just like yourself.

Yes, I loved it. No, it's not The Original Series: The Redux. The story continues to grow while maintaining the elements that made it good in the first place. It's something new, something exciting with the promise or more intrigue and self-discovery in books to come.

And maybe more sex. :)