The Pretender's Crown (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Murphy's crisply written sequel to 2008's alternate history The Queen's Bastard, aliens known as the Heseth, the people of the sun, have visited Earth in what would be our 16th century, but the supernatural elements are limited to the occasional use of magical abilities. The plot is more focused on the struggle for power in Echon (Europe), which features familiar rivalries between Aulun (England), Gallin (France) and the Prussian Confederation. As political tensions heat up, Belinda, the witchfire-wielding assassin and illegitimate daughter of Aulun's Queen Lorraine, faces relationship problems with Javier de Castille, prince of Essandia (Spain) and Gallin, and with her overbearing mother. Murphy tends toward long discussions of war, succession and various attempts by the Heseth to influence human development, mostly balanced by clever intrigue and raw, explicit sex scenes. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The much-anticipated sequel to The Queen’s Bastard (2008) won’t disappoint patient readers willing to dedicate time and thought to the myriad political machinations in the weighty first nine-tenths of the book. Belinda Primrose, back in Aulun, is finally recognized after saving the navy from the Gallin Armada while being mistaken for the Madonna. Javier de Castille’s witch-power is deemed a gift from God by the Pappas, allowing him latitude to use it as he wars against Aulun, attempting to bring it back into the ecumenical fold. Battles, marriages, assassinations, changes of allegiance, and political intrigue strip the protagonists down to their cores as they lose everything and gain something else. With secrets of Belinda’s and Javier’s true beginnings revealed, Belinda reevaluates her fealty to an alien queen lurking in space and her responsibilities to the world into which she was born. Readers will have to await future installments of the Inheritors’ Cycle to know how it all finally comes out. --Herald Diana Tixier

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345494652
• ISBN-13: 978-0345494658
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #464,552 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Inheritors' Cycle Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four and a Half, rounded up, May 6, 2009

By	A. R. Grenier (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The only reason why this book is 4.5 stars and not 5 is because I do not think that Murphy's "alien race" tie in is done as effectively as it could be. While it creates an interesting motivation for the protagonist (Belinda) to make the decisions that she does, I think that the general tie in of the "alien story" to the action is a little weak.

This book does not stand alone easily. I would definitely recommend that you read The Queen's Bastard (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 1) first.

The political intrigue and diplomatic plays that began in The Queen's Bastard are more intense, more complete, and more interesting in this book. If you enjoy books like Kushiel's Dart for the political espionage, you will enjoy this series. (Mind, this series is not as good as Carey's work with the Kushiel's Legacy series, but they're in the same realm.) Also improved upon: the character development. All of the characters have rounded out to more complex shades of gray, an improvement all around though you will probably find yourself liking Javier a little less (he's a bit more whiny in this book).
In short: read this book, even if you weren't thrilled with "Queen's Bastard." It's an improvement and a solid, gripping read.

(I was so engrossed in it at one point, I had reached the end of the metro line and the train and platform had cleared of all other people before I snapped out of it long enough to get off the train before it went to the station yard.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, May 2, 2009

By	Lisa "Fantasy fan" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews

Pretenders Crown is the sequel to The Queen's Bastard (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 1).
This book defies description-
1. Part alternative history: 16th Century ELizabethan England/Europe
2. Part magical fantasy
3. Part Machiavellian political drama
4. Part Science Fiction (yes- Sci Fi!).
5. Part romance (very little).

The writing is dense. The POV shifts from character to character, so you really have to concentrate when reading. This is not one of those books where you can skim 2-3 pages and not miss a beat. This is not light reading, but is amazingly well written.

You must read Queen's Bastard first. If you have already read Queens Bastard, then the following will make more sense. There are some OMG revelations here, so I will try and not put in any Spoilers.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Belinda- in QB she definetely had shades of gray and was hard to like. In this we actually see her character grow and become more likable. She transforms herself from pawn to player as she realizes what is transpiring around her.
2. Less sex- in QB Belinda's "witchpower" fed from her sexual energy. Thankfully Belinda has learnt to seperate the two by the end of the book. There is still plenty of sex in the first half, although no forced sex like in QB.
3.Javier- in QB he was a sympathetic character, and here he actually becomes less likeable. Events transform him just as they do Belinda. There is a shocking revelation about him that will have your jaw drop.
4.Witchpower- what this is and how Belinda,Ivanova, Robert Drake,Dimitri and Javier possess it is revealed. Again a big shock to me. I did not see this coming.

This book is so different from the Urban Shaman series and the House of Cards series. I think it proves what an amazingly versatile author C.E.Murphy is.

This book is labelled as Part 2 of the Inheritance cycle. The conclusion is satifactory but does leave itself open for a 3rd book. The author's website does not have any info yet as to when it would come out.

If you enjoy complex dark fantasy with a hostorical and Sci-fi dash, you will love this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Pretender's Crown (The Inheritors' Cycle, Book 2), June 19, 2009

By	R. green "rwgreen" (Denver, Co United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the sequel to the Queen's bastard and it's as emotionally complex. If you like political intrigue this book is for you. I was surprise by the outcome.