The Saints of the Sword: Book Three of Tyrants and Kings (Tyrants and Kings, Bk 3) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Finely crafted, fluid writing and fully rendered characters lift the third and concluding volume in Marco's Tyrants and Kings series, his epic militaristic fantasy about the warring continents of Nar and Lucel-Lor. In the series' debut novel, The Jackal of Nar (1999), Aramoor heir and reluctant warrior Richius Vantran (aka the Jackal) experienced magic and culture shock in Lucel-Lor. In The Grand Design (a B&N "Best of 2000" selection) the slaughter escalated as Nar's Emperor Biagio struggled for power and the exiled Vantran was drawn into the conflict. Complexities of political intrigue, rivalries and revenge erupt in the newest novel, with the focus on 16-year-old Alazrian Leth, a prince with secret magical powers. In need of allies to oppose gathering enemy armies, Biagio sends the young prince on a mission to find Vantran and ultimately raise a massive militia force. In this richly detailed world, the panoramic ocean battle scenes are particularly vivid. Avoiding cliffhanger climaxes, Marco has wisely injected a feeling of closure so that each book in the series can stand alone. Some readers, however, may be disappointed to find minimal fantasy elements. (Feb. 6)Forecast: The Jackal of Nar won a Barnes & Noble Reader's Choice award. At his best, Marco can hold his own as a writer with other major fantasists, including Stephen Donaldson and Terry Brooks; his sales should continue to climb. The superb series cover art by fantasy artist Doug Beekman is a major plus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the third volume of Tyrants and Kings, Emperor Biagio of Nar is only slightly less ruthless than before, yet now he is intriguing and scheming for peace! Indeed, he is willing to betray his own fleet to make peace with the sorely tried seafarers of Liss, and he taps Alazrian Leth, bastard son of the governor of Aramoor, for a secret mission to Lucel-Lor. The core of the novel is Alazrian's coming-of-age on this mission as he meets most of the many characters introduced in this book's two predecessors, develops magical powers (including healing and mind reading), and participates in the climactic battle against his own grandfather, Tassis Gayle, the mad ruler of the Eastern Highlands. Tyrants and Kings is more a tribute to Marco's fertile imagination than to his narrative technique, and Tassis Gayle isn't a sufficiently formidable opponent. But readers who relished what has gone before won't be unhappy with this continuation, which may be the series' conclusion. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553380230
• ISBN-13: 978-0553380231
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,121,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Tyrants and Kings Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Series Taken as Whole!, February 27, 2001

By	Ash Quadir (Swedesboro, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Saints of the Sword was a very entertaining book, though it does not measure up to its predecessor The Grand Design, which was an excellent book. The plot is exciting certainly, but characterization slips a bit. Biagio, Richius, Nicabar, etc. don't always maintain a consistency in character (particularly Biagio and Nicabar), though Mr. Marco tries to explain the radical shift in personalities from previous books. This shortcoming detracts from the solid characterization of previous books and also hampers the plot. Still, the book was exciting and the pages turned fast. If you read the first two books, I do recommend you read this one. Mr. Marco is one of the better writers out there and one waits with bated breath for his next book (which will not be about Nar - sadly). But he does leave the possiblility of other books taking place in Nar, though he has "other things on the burner right now." His words, not mine.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conclusion cements Marco's status in Fantasy, August 20, 2001

By	Robert H. Bedford "Rob H. Bedford" (Branchburg, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Marco should be very proud of himself. The concluding volume of his TYRANTS AND KINGS trilogy was a wonderful read and satisfying conclusion to one of the finest sequences in recent fantasy literature. THE SAINTS OF THE SWORD maintained the high quality of the previous two novels in the series.

The action of the battles and interactions of the characters were superbly drawn. One of the themes that came up in this concluding volume was the notion that people can change; redeem themselves. The Emperor Biagio was cast as one of the main villains in the previous two novels, but throughout The Saints of the Sword, Biaigio constantly tried to prove that he was a changed man. He made apologies for his previous dastardly acts and was truthful in Saints, something he was not in previous volumes. Biaigo is a reformed drug user, something that touches upon one of the problems of society today. Herein, Mr. Marco has tied a notion in the fantastic setting with a real world issue, lending credence and believability to his characters and their story.

The character or Richius Vantran, who was the primary character in the previous books takes a step back as a secondary, yet very important character. The series began with Richiuss tale, and while not as primary a character in this novel, the story ends with the resolution of his initial struggle. The perspective change of Richius as primary character from the earlier volumes and almost a living legend in this volume was enjoyable.

The cast of characters was sizeable, but not overwhelming, there were new characters playing big parts such as Alazarian and returning characters such as Jelena. Mr. Marco balance everything expertly, the drama, the passion and the war. Occasional bits of humor helped to highlight Mr. Marcos deftness at showing the humanity in a fantastic story of magic, war and fantasy.

John Marco has told a compelling, plausible tale with sparkles of magic and wonderful battle scenes. He is one of a new group of superb writers of Speculative Fiction that should be read and held up as the best of the genre.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John Marco Continues To Hone And Refine His Skills, March 6, 2001

By	Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

John Marco has continued to improve upon his tale, in "Saints of the Sword" building upon the strengths of the earlier two books, while stepping back from some of their weaknesses. In particular, the author has skillfully expanded upon his use of multiple point of view used to such good effect in "Grand Design," adding new and strong characters with the introduction of Alazrian, Kasrin and Elrad Leth, as well as further developing the strong roles played earlier by Biagio, Nicabar and the Queen of Liss. Richius Vantran, the dominating protagonist in "The Jackal of Nar," steps even further to the background, a choice that I applaud, as I had always found his characterization mildly problematic, with his vacillating, at times verging on overwrought resistance to his role in events. In many ways, compared to Simon in "Grand Design," or Biagio or Kasrin in this work, Richius' actions and motives appear weak and not as successfully realized, threatening his character with being overshadowed as new characters come to the forefront. This was particularly true in the case of Simon in book two, who in many ways reflected many of Richius' dilemmas, but with greater strength, clarity and sympathy of purpose. I missed his presence here.

Marco has also refined his use of political intrigue, in many ways this series beginning more and more to mirror George R.R. Martin's ongoing "Song of Ice and Fire," without seeming a knock off, though lacking the latter's scope and depth of detail and characterization. Nonetheless, those of you that have enjoyed Martin's current series will likely find much to admire here, as long as you do not draw your comparisons too closely. After all, this would be unfair to Mr. Marco, who is a relative newcomer, whereas George R.R. Martin has been writing successfully for a couple decades. But as John Marco has been building more upon his strengths than his weaknesses, as evidenced here, one greatly anticipates his future.

Marco continues to at times make his plot too tidy, certain characters, as another reviewer has noted, too readily changing their stripes or accepting changes in circumstance. It is difficult to entirely accept Biagio's change of heart, despite the author's efforts to convince us, and Nicabar's ready acceptance of Kasrin seems too easy to be wholly credible. Other incidents occur with similar ease or coincidence. Finally, Richius' pangs of guilt have by now worn more than thin, though, with his little stage time, we are not again forced too much into dragging his whining bones through the fire.

It would appear that the author has already begun a new work, evidently not a direct outgrowth from this series. However, for those of you who will miss Lucel-Lor and Nar, there are a number of hints at the conclusion of this work that leave more than ample room for a return sometime later. In any event, as this series is one of the more impressive debuts I have read, I will eagerly look forward to Mr. Marco's next project. I can only promise great expectations for the future.