proggeddy's review against another edition
5.0
I liked it a lot. The characters were rich and felt like real people. She described their interactions with one another in a way that was easily imaginable and true to the characters. It was also a lot more subtle book than your everyday fantasy novel. Sometimes I wonder if life is more or less just a bunch of subtly leading onward.
There's a lot left to discover, and I look forward to seeing where The River Kings' Road will take us.
There's a lot left to discover, and I look forward to seeing where The River Kings' Road will take us.
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
Set in a feudal world not unlike Europe after the breakup of the Roman Empire, The River Kings' Road begins with the massacre of a village and a visiting lord from a neighboring country, along with his family, who were the targets\. One knight and the lord's infant child survive, however, and along with a village girl and her child, they make their way across dangerous country seeking safety and attempting to avoid the killers, who know that they have not succeeded in wiping out the entire family. I liked this book because, despite being a first novel, it is well-written and the world, with its history, religion and magic, appears to have been well-planned and well thought out beforehand. Also, the characters are complex - the man behind the killings, for example, is not pure evil and even suffers some remorse - nor do people behave in stereotypical ways. The ending, to, was a twist on the tried-and-true old standby that I expected to find. I look forward to future installments in this series.
nixnixnixnixnix's review
4.0
This was probably a solid 3.5, but I was feeling generous for the way this book got better as it went along. It didn't have much world building and it took a while for the characters and story to really come together, but by the end I was hoping for more.
I'm only bothered by one thing: what's with the kind of racist character development? One character is obviously described as shocking to anyone he meets because of his darker skin tone. I couldn't really get past that. At least he's kind of the good guy...?
I'm only bothered by one thing: what's with the kind of racist character development? One character is obviously described as shocking to anyone he meets because of his darker skin tone. I couldn't really get past that. At least he's kind of the good guy...?
epersonae's review against another edition
3.0
A solid fantasy novel with interesting plot twists, lots of rich description, and a crazy number of different POVs. Even some of the unsavory characters end up having sympathetic sides, which is always intriguing to me. Not so psyched on the plot thread of "they're in love, but he's taken a vow of chastity" -- although it's not done too badly. But otherwise enjoyable, and I'll probably read the sequel when it comes out.
ptaradactyl's review against another edition
2.0
I'd call it a middle-of-the-pack fantasy. Not a horrible read, but nothing to write home about, either.
It's definitely set up to be a series (because the world obviously needs more drawn-out fantasy series) that I just can't see myself anxiously following. It uses the chastity-vow-as-a-plot-device, and while it doesn't get broken in this series, it managed to annoy the crap out of me. I will admit to being intrigued by the Thorns, and the treasonous brother is probably one of the most likable usurpers I've come across in a long time. Some of the back story hinted at seems far more interesting than the plot itself, though.
It's definitely set up to be a series (because the world obviously needs more drawn-out fantasy series) that I just can't see myself anxiously following. It uses the chastity-vow-as-a-plot-device, and while it doesn't get broken in this series, it managed to annoy the crap out of me. I will admit to being intrigued by the Thorns, and the treasonous brother is probably one of the most likable usurpers I've come across in a long time. Some of the back story hinted at seems far more interesting than the plot itself, though.
stenaros's review against another edition
1.0
I really disliked this book. First off, what does every medieval fantasy novel worth its salt have in the front cover? Yes! A map. This is handy for several reasons, but mostly because when I read that Brys and Odosse traveled between Willowfield and some border town in Oakharn I need a visual to understand how far that is and also where everything is in relation to each other. Without that, all those town names are only made-up words on a page. The map makes the narrative real. Other problems? There are too many characters that flit in for two paragraphs and then don't return for 50 pages. When they do return, they appear without reintroduction, which would be fine if they were memorable characters in the first place. Unfortunately, they weren't and I didn't care enough to flip back and find out who they were--and here e-readers with their search function would be very handy in this instance, though I suspect I wouldn't actually use the function-- so I spent substantial portions of the narrative thinking, "who is this?" Also, the author employs the abhorrent Steven King technique of killing off a very nice innocent minor character whose kindness should have been rewarded. Overall, this was an entirely unsatisfying 388 pages and I don't recommend this book in any way, shape or form.
archmageofthearchive's review
3.0
All I can really say is that this book is adequate. I figured it probably would be, but had hoped it would surprise me and be a bit more. It got better towards the end, but never had anything to make it truly great.
Really, this felt like a really good high school production of a big-time musical. Sometimes you go see some teenagers perform Les Miserables, and you know it won't be spectacular, so you're not really disappointed. In fact, a few performances might even be stellar, even though they can't possibly compete with a professional cast. In the end, the production will be a bit uneven, you'll always be aware that it's on a stage, the budget will be shoe-string at best, and so forth. That's what this book is like. It does everything just fine within its reach, but that doesn't change the fact that its arms are not long enough to attain more.
I will say that while the plot is quite thin, the characters are actually quite good. Brys is atypical, not being overly-gallant and in fact very efficient without being a Ranger/Warder/other-fantasy-super-soldier. Odesse is a strong, though plain woman. There's no rushed/forced romance, and she's a fairly plain woman, rather than a stunningly beautiful characiture. Kelland and Bitharn are both interesting and have a very believable relationship (though Bitharn's little feminist scene is really pointless, since this is clearly a more egalitarian world than your usual medieval fantasy world). And Leferic is a really gem of a villain--sympathetic, nobly-intended (in the going-straight-to-hell sort of way), and clever.
Ultimately, Merciel's writing isn't bad, but it isn't wondrous, either. There's no sweeping quality to it, no strong base of humanity, etc. It's strong, but lacks conviction.
Again, this is not a bad book, per say. In fact, you could say that there is nothing seriously wrong with this book. It's just that there isn't enough that is sufficiently right with it either. I might pick up the sequel later, but that will be a long time in the future.
Really, this felt like a really good high school production of a big-time musical. Sometimes you go see some teenagers perform Les Miserables, and you know it won't be spectacular, so you're not really disappointed. In fact, a few performances might even be stellar, even though they can't possibly compete with a professional cast. In the end, the production will be a bit uneven, you'll always be aware that it's on a stage, the budget will be shoe-string at best, and so forth. That's what this book is like. It does everything just fine within its reach, but that doesn't change the fact that its arms are not long enough to attain more.
I will say that while the plot is quite thin, the characters are actually quite good. Brys is atypical, not being overly-gallant and in fact very efficient without being a Ranger/Warder/other-fantasy-super-soldier. Odesse is a strong, though plain woman. There's no rushed/forced romance, and she's a fairly plain woman, rather than a stunningly beautiful characiture. Kelland and Bitharn are both interesting and have a very believable relationship (though Bitharn's little feminist scene is really pointless, since this is clearly a more egalitarian world than your usual medieval fantasy world). And Leferic is a really gem of a villain--sympathetic, nobly-intended (in the going-straight-to-hell sort of way), and clever.
Ultimately, Merciel's writing isn't bad, but it isn't wondrous, either. There's no sweeping quality to it, no strong base of humanity, etc. It's strong, but lacks conviction.
Again, this is not a bad book, per say. In fact, you could say that there is nothing seriously wrong with this book. It's just that there isn't enough that is sufficiently right with it either. I might pick up the sequel later, but that will be a long time in the future.
tfrohock's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent fantasy for adults with believable characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Ithelas series, which according to Liane Merciel's interview at Alex Bledsoe's blog (http://downinluckytown.blogspot.com/2010/03/interview-with-liane-merciel-author-of.html) is going to be even darker than this novel. Good stuff!
seak's review against another edition
4.0
While visiting the rival's city of Willowfield, the Lord of Bull's March, Sir Galefrid, has been ambushed by a dark magic only a Thorn could wield. The entire town is decimated, except for Brys Tarnell, who is able to escape just before the bloodmist fully takes its toll.
The coincidences and timing make it hard to believe it's only the workings of a Thorn and its bloodmagic. Sir Kelland, a knight of the Sun, blessed to work magic in the goddess Celestia's name, and Bitharn, hopelessly in love with Kelland, are asked to investigate by the Lord of Langmyr and governing province of Willowfield who had hoped to enter peace talks with the rival lord, Sir Galefrid.
Set in my favorite subgenre, that of secondary world epic fantasy, The River Kings' Road [US] [UK] is the first in the series of Ithelas (the second, Heaven's Needle [US] [UK], having been recently released).
As Peter William mentions in his review, there's a lot of competition (or maybe just a lot of books) in this subgenre with the very easy possibility of good works being lost in the sea of junk. Luckily for me, I have friends that know a good thing when they see it.
I still can't believe this was a first novel for Liane Merciel. Her prose is crisp and the pacing is perfect. I was deeply involved with the characters, and even her antagonists are hard not to like, or at least respect, they reside in a nice gray area.
The magic is centered around certain rituals that invoke a goddess' power. The Thorns' magic is based around their worship of the goddess of pain, so their rituals are pretty sick and twisted indeed. Kelland, as a knight of the Sun, has certain magical abilities which, like the Thorns, aren't completely explained, but also based in ritual (although more inward than the Thorns' outward pain infliction).
This brings up a great point that sets Merciel apart. Not only is her magic something different than the usual, but her entire story isn't run-of-the-mill either. There is no quest, but the world she's created is mysterious and vast nonetheless.
Once you get past the confusion at the beginning, mostly in trying to figure out which town belongs in which kingdom and who's on whose side, The River Kings' Road is a very satisfying read.
Why Read River Kings' Road?
Liane Merciel deserves much more credit than she has received until now and I hope her audience continues to grow and grow. I really enjoyed her debut, The River Kings' Road, and I'm extremely excited for the next installment, Heaven's Needle. Highly Recommended!
4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it!)
The coincidences and timing make it hard to believe it's only the workings of a Thorn and its bloodmagic. Sir Kelland, a knight of the Sun, blessed to work magic in the goddess Celestia's name, and Bitharn, hopelessly in love with Kelland, are asked to investigate by the Lord of Langmyr and governing province of Willowfield who had hoped to enter peace talks with the rival lord, Sir Galefrid.
Set in my favorite subgenre, that of secondary world epic fantasy, The River Kings' Road [US] [UK] is the first in the series of Ithelas (the second, Heaven's Needle [US] [UK], having been recently released).
As Peter William mentions in his review, there's a lot of competition (or maybe just a lot of books) in this subgenre with the very easy possibility of good works being lost in the sea of junk. Luckily for me, I have friends that know a good thing when they see it.
I still can't believe this was a first novel for Liane Merciel. Her prose is crisp and the pacing is perfect. I was deeply involved with the characters, and even her antagonists are hard not to like, or at least respect, they reside in a nice gray area.
The magic is centered around certain rituals that invoke a goddess' power. The Thorns' magic is based around their worship of the goddess of pain, so their rituals are pretty sick and twisted indeed. Kelland, as a knight of the Sun, has certain magical abilities which, like the Thorns, aren't completely explained, but also based in ritual (although more inward than the Thorns' outward pain infliction).
This brings up a great point that sets Merciel apart. Not only is her magic something different than the usual, but her entire story isn't run-of-the-mill either. There is no quest, but the world she's created is mysterious and vast nonetheless.
Once you get past the confusion at the beginning, mostly in trying to figure out which town belongs in which kingdom and who's on whose side, The River Kings' Road is a very satisfying read.
Why Read River Kings' Road?
Liane Merciel deserves much more credit than she has received until now and I hope her audience continues to grow and grow. I really enjoyed her debut, The River Kings' Road, and I'm extremely excited for the next installment, Heaven's Needle. Highly Recommended!
4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it!)
deadwolfbones's review against another edition
3.0
Merciel has done really well here for a first novel. The world-building isn't quite up there with some of the greats of the genre--in fact, this seems to be a book written largely for those already familiar with the genre's tropes--but it's nonetheless vivid, and probably more quickly readable for that fact. The characters are strong, the plotting is sure, and the resolution satisfying in its own way. Can't wait to see where she goes with the next one.