The Second Empire (The Monarchies of God, Book 4) [Paperback]

Paul Kearney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Monarchies of God | Publication Date: March 26, 2002

Religious wars, shapeshifter invasions, and political intrigue drive the fourth novel of this epic fantasy series.

"Kearney paints the gore, the sex, and the lust for power in vivid colour." (SFX)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SALES POINTS "One of the best fantasy works for ages ... tough, muscular realism ... Kearney paints the gore, the sex and the lust for power in vivid colour" SFX "Impressive for its human insights, its unusual take on the use of magic, and its fine blending of historical elements with sheer invention" Locus "His Monarchies of God is simply the best fantasy series I've read in years and years" Steve Erikson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441009247
• ISBN-13: 978-0441009244
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Impressive!!!, June 2, 2002

By 

rzaster - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second Empire (The Monarchies of God, Book 4) (Paperback)

"The Second Empire" is book four of "The Monarchies of God" and is even better than the first three novels. Most of the book deals with the war between the Merduks and the Torunnans. Unlike the the last book of the series, people such as Richard Hawkwood, Murad, and Bardolin do make appearances, but this book really centers on Corfe Cear-Inaf.

Corfe is the leader of Torunna's army and is battling a religous war with the Merduks. In the last book the monks Avila and Albrec have brought forth a document that says that Saint Ramusio, the Westerners savior, and Ahrimuz, the Merduks (Easterners) savior, were the same person. This is a fascinating discovery since the enemies really idolize the same God and the war is frivolous due to religous reasons.

The plot of this book made me think about certain things that are going on in our world. There are religous clashes happening today and this book makes you wonder if Paul Kearney borrowed from current events as well as history. Kearney borrows greatly from Renaissance history and this makes for a different feel to the book compared to others. I am used to reading books that take place in the medieval times but this is different as this book has guns and other things that weren't present back in medieval times.

Most epic fantasies are known to be long books that are well over the five hundred page mark. "The Second Empire" is amazingly under three hundred pages and this book is better than some of the very long stuff that you could read today. Because of this this series would be great for somebody that is not willing to read door stopper size novels. The fourth book of "The Monarchies of God" is a truly amazing read that will be enjoyed by fans of the series and fantasy fans in general. This is a great read.

Happy Reading!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, but..., October 25, 2002

By 

"mapwiz" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second Empire (The Monarchies of God, Book 4) (Paperback)

There's no doubt that Paul Kearney has the ability to spin a powerful yarn. The politics, the drama, the plot twists, the characters, they're all there. But I base my rating of a story's quality on its ability to hold my attention. And nothing diverts my attention more than flagrant spelling errors which should have been caught in the proofreading stage. These appear throughout the novel. Rather than galley proof reviews, "The Second Empire" was apparently given a quick run through a spellchecker, without regard for the results. When I read "I am tyred, Betanza thought. I am tyred, and I am older than I think I am.", I imagined Betanza as a golf cart rather than leader of the Inceptine Order. If the author is tired of the story, he should just finish it and spin us another fascinating tale. Ace Books should be more careful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story Continues, December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Second Empire (The Monarchies of God, Book 4) (Paperback)

The first book did not totally grip me, but by the time the third and fourth appeared I was fully enthralled. A truly gripping story with all the intrigue and twists you could want. The characters are gritty and composed of the kind of flaws that bring them to life. I agree with some of the editing comments, but it did not reduce my enjoyment of the yarn as a whole. Bravo and I eagerly await the next one.