Customer Reviews

The Scepter's Return (The Scepter of Mercy, Book 3)

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This is the third volume and climax to the "Scepter of Mercy" Trilogy, which consists of the following books:

1) The Bastard King: Scepter of Mercy, Book One
2) The Chernagor Pirates (Scepter of Mercy, Book 2)
3) The Scepter's Return

These books were written by Harry Turtledove using the pen-name Dan Chernenko. Apparently he felt the books were different from his usual subject matter and wanted to see the reaction they would get without his name. The most recent printings actually do have his name on the cover, followed by "writing as Dan Chernenko".

In the previous volumes, unusual political manouvers caused the situation where the Kingdom of Avornis had two kings at the same time: King Lanius, descended from a long line of kings, and King Grus, the son of a guardsman.

The Kingdom of Avornis is beset by enemies on all sides, particularly by barbarians to the south, in territory ruled by the immortal "Banished one" who used to be a God before the other Gods expelled him from heaven. King Lanius has discovered that the Banished one was previously worshipped as Milvago, the principal god. Milvago has stolen from Avornis a powerful talisman for peace, the Scepter of Mercy, which had been given to the Kingdom of Avornis by the Gods who supplanted him.

Strong rivalry remains between Lanius and Grus, but neither wants to tear the country apart in civil war when they have so many dangerous enemies: both would like to get the Scepter of Mercy back from the Banished one. But strife between Lanius and Grus is not the only possible threat to the peace of Avornis: King Grus has been watching his fellow King like a hawk as long as they have shared the throne but neglected to consider a possible threat from even closer to home.

Meanwhile Lanius has thought of an ingenious scheme to recover the Scepter of Mercy ...

Some readers absolutely hated this series, other, of whom I was one, greatly enjoyed it. There books do have both the strengths and weaknesses of many of Harry Turtledove's books. For example, there is a strong storyline, well crafted and believable characters - but he does tend to repeat things an awful lot. I also had some difficulty with the fact that the Banished One seems to have a kind of selective omniscience: if that sounds like an oxymoron it's because what he knows and doesn't not do not quite make sense.

Milvago has enough awareness of what Lanius and Grus are plotting to be able to send both the kings themselves, and also one of the key players in their plans, horrible nightmares to try to put them off. Yet he doesn't seem to know enough to give his supporters some fairly simple instructions by which he should have been able to make the plan impossible. I suppose since his mortal heroes were up against a defrocked God, Turtledove had to put some limits on how their enemy could use his powers to give them a chance.

There is a similar and more explicitly explained depiction of interaction between pre-industrial humans, and Gods who are much more powerful than humans but neither omnipotent nor omniscient, in a novel which Turtledove published under his real name, Between the Rivers.

Apart from these minor flaws this is a really enjoyable trilogy.

This third book in its series appears better written than the first two. Perhaps Turtledove pulled his socks up and paid more attention to the writing. At times in the book, there are actually interesting plot developments of some sophistication.

However, if you really do like Turtledove's writings, you will see better in his other series, like the Civil War tomes.

You might wonder about the previous reviewer, Craig, who commented how this is a good first work by Chernenko. Was that tongue in cheek, or did he even read the book? It says on the front cover that it is by Turtledove. Probably because the publisher wanted to attract more readers. Who unfortunately may not get all that they hoped for.

A good ending to the trilogy. As with the other novels, not a brethless pace but it gets there, albeit sometimes through the back door. The interplay of the kings, the family interplay and the court intrigue amke this better thn average.

Dan Chernenko pulls off a great finale to the Scepter of Mercy trilogy with his final volume, The Scepter's Return. The author sticks to the style that worked so well in the first two books, and keeps the story interesting for the reader right to the end.

What really struck me about this series is the stark humanity of the central characters. No glorious heroes here, just men and women with all of the foibles and flaws that make us all who we are. Some of the interchanges between these characters are funny enough that I had to stop reading because I was laughing too hard.

Chernenko tops off his achievment here in the fashion I have come to expect from him. The theme of people not necessarily getting what they deserve plays an important role in finishing this tale, and so do the weight of difficult decisions that surround the love-hate relationship between the two Kings that are central to the story.

A masterpiece, and doubly impressive for being Mr. Chernenko's first effort.