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A review by mastersal
The Briar King by Greg Keyes
4.0
Finally - a fantasy which worked for me!! Phew - I was thinking I had lost my love of the genre but it turned out that I was just not reading books which worked for me (who would have thunk!?).
After almost 10 years I have finished this book. Great record I know. I bought this book in 2010, started it in 2011 and read up to page 114 (I found a bookmark there!!!!). I don’t remember why I put this down and why I never got back to it (probably because the paperbacks were stacked somewhere in the back on a shelf that I didn’t look at often).
Thankfully, despite the age of the book it held up. Being published in 2002, not surprisingly, the fantasy has dated a bit. It works firmly within the western fantasy tropes - dark lord rising, chosen ones, vaguely medieval world with kinds, prophecies etc. - without much innovation.
The synopsis doesn’t seem particularly inspiring but I am glad I decided to give this a try. I was expecting this to be a pleasant but surface read. A sword-and-sorcery romp which really didn’t challenge the reader.
In the end, the competency of each of the components of the novel - the writing, the plot, the characters, the pace - and how they all worked together engaged me. The story follows a number of characters each of which are off having their own adventures. I liked all of them but the constant back and forth was distracting. The writing was clear but not particularly lovely (except for the prelude which was great - that helped me give the book rope).
Around the mid-way point, however, the plot threads came together and the pace really picked up. The book took it’s time, which was a risk which could have lost the reader. I am still a little iffy about some of the characters but I like most of them. The weakest character was the holter who opens a book which is a shame.
The book ends in a good place with enough context that I am interested in what happens to the characters and the kingdom.
In the end I am giving this 4 stars. The book is firmly within the tropes of the genre but solidly done with care taken on the cast of characters. A strong read which has done well in setting up stakes. I can’t give this a higher rating because of the slower start. I compare this to something like [b:Red Sister|25895524|Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1)|Mark Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481038440l/25895524._SY75_.jpg|45777900] which handled the world building and characters much better.
I am hopeful about the next book. I am looking forward to seeing if the author can maintain the pace and give us a good payoff. I am looking forward to it.
After almost 10 years I have finished this book. Great record I know. I bought this book in 2010, started it in 2011 and read up to page 114 (I found a bookmark there!!!!). I don’t remember why I put this down and why I never got back to it (probably because the paperbacks were stacked somewhere in the back on a shelf that I didn’t look at often).
Thankfully, despite the age of the book it held up. Being published in 2002, not surprisingly, the fantasy has dated a bit. It works firmly within the western fantasy tropes - dark lord rising, chosen ones, vaguely medieval world with kinds, prophecies etc. - without much innovation.
The synopsis doesn’t seem particularly inspiring but I am glad I decided to give this a try. I was expecting this to be a pleasant but surface read. A sword-and-sorcery romp which really didn’t challenge the reader.
In the end, the competency of each of the components of the novel - the writing, the plot, the characters, the pace - and how they all worked together engaged me. The story follows a number of characters each of which are off having their own adventures. I liked all of them but the constant back and forth was distracting. The writing was clear but not particularly lovely (except for the prelude which was great - that helped me give the book rope).
Around the mid-way point, however, the plot threads came together and the pace really picked up. The book took it’s time, which was a risk which could have lost the reader. I am still a little iffy about some of the characters but I like most of them. The weakest character was the holter who opens a book which is a shame.
The book ends in a good place with enough context that I am interested in what happens to the characters and the kingdom.
In the end I am giving this 4 stars. The book is firmly within the tropes of the genre but solidly done with care taken on the cast of characters. A strong read which has done well in setting up stakes. I can’t give this a higher rating because of the slower start. I compare this to something like [b:Red Sister|25895524|Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1)|Mark Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481038440l/25895524._SY75_.jpg|45777900] which handled the world building and characters much better.
I am hopeful about the next book. I am looking forward to seeing if the author can maintain the pace and give us a good payoff. I am looking forward to it.