Synopsis: At age nine, Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath vowed to avenge
his slaughtered mother and brother—and to punish his father for not doing so.
At fifteen, he began to fulfill that vow. Now, at eighteen, he must fight for
what he has taken by torture and treachery. Haunted by the pain of his past, and plagued by nightmares
of the atrocities he has committed, King Jorg is filled with rage. And even as
his need for revenge continues to consume him, an overwhelming enemy force
marches on his castle. Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But he has found
a long-hidden cache of ancient artifacts. Some might call them magic. Jorg is
not certain—all he knows is that their secrets can be put to terrible use in
the coming battle... (from the online description)Review: As with the previous installment, this book is full of reprehensible actions, violence, blood, and strange phenomenon.
Jorg, now King, recounts how he settled into life as a
monarchy, the years leading to the current place we find him, battling invaders
of his stolen land.
Lawrence once again employees the first-person narrative, divided
between the present and the past. It could be confusing, but Lawrence uses a
deft hand in weaving the narrative, building the past and present into one
final conflict. And giving the reader a few twists and turns and at least one “Oh,
didn’t see that coming” moment.
It still has the trademark GrimDark quality – people die - badly,
violently, painfully. Jorg is still selfish, still cruel, still using people
for his own ends. And yet, you find yourself hoping he succeeds.
As this is a post-apocalyptic future of our own work, I
often wondered how Lawrence would explain the magic that clearly exists. In
this book, he does, a little, and in a way that makes sense to me. It’s almost believable.
Worth reading if you enjoy dark and violent stories with
intriguing plots.
Bookmarks: 4 of 5
Awards: None
ISBN: 978-0-425-25623-7
Year Published: 2012
Date Finished: 04-21-2018
Pages: 419
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