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

~ Greg Keyes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Briar King, Greg Keyes's latest elegant entry into the world of high fantasy, lays the groundwork for what promises to be a mesmerizing four-book series--the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. Keyes spins his tale in a meticulously crafted fantasy realm on the brink of apocalyptic change. The Briar King, a legend cobbled from children's stories and rural folklore, is waking from his slumber to an unknown but cataclysmic end. Dark agents are afoot in the land, stirring war and edging an ancient prophecy closer to fulfillment. In destiny's path are a king's woodsman, his headstrong lover, a bookworm priest, a cocksure swordsman, and the embattled (from within and without) kingdom of Crotheny. Keyes masterfully intertwines far-off courtly intrigue with the personal quest of the woodsman and his brave companions who seek to unravel the secret of the Briar King before all is lost.

Although The Briar King will suffer the inevitable comparison with George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, it should be said that Keyes's work is no mere rip-off. This is excellent world building, applied with a dark, powerful touch that should convince Martin fans to become Keyes fans, too. --Jeremy Pugh --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The author of the bestselling Age of Unreason tetralogy (The Waterborn, etc.) inaugurates the Kingdoms of Throne and Bone quartet with this epic high fantasy. The inhabitants of this splendid and dauntingly complex parallel world, Everon, are mostly descended from folk magically transported from our world. This is not quite the land of Faerie, although the Briar King resembles the old Celtic horned god Cernunnos, while Keyes brings his expertise as a fencing teacher to the swordplay, here called dessrata. The Empire of Crotheny faces war with its arch-rival, the Hanzish, and magical intrigues aimed at preventing the land from having a born queen (as opposed to a king's consort). By book's end, Princess Anne, the daughter of the Crotheny king, is fleeing for her life with Austra, her maid, and Cazio, a young Vitellian nobleman, having earlier experienced the pains of discipline in a convent and the horrors of having her family butchered. With aplomb, the author employs one of the most classic fantasy plots: the heir(ess) with a destiny and a necessarily huge cast of supporters. Keyes mixes cultures, religions, institutions and languages with rare skill. The main theme may emerge with formidable slowness, but patient readers will find the rewards enormously worthwhile.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345440706
• ISBN-13: 978-0345440709
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,355 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorny "King", April 16, 2004

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

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.

54 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five-star fantasy for fans of Tolkien, Martin, and Jordan, January 21, 2003

By	E. K. Stackler "Ed Stackler" (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Briar King (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1) (Hardcover)

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.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark rose among thorns, April 16, 2003

By	the_smoking_quill (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Briar King (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Book 1) (Hardcover)

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.