A review by mimosaeyes
The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner
5.0
I think I'm genuinely obsessed with the way Megan Whalen Turner constructs a scene and tells a story. Her deftness with perspective, the way she withholds and reveals information, her ability to say more about a character's motivations through implication than other authors manage by stating things outright... On the surface of it, her writing seems unadorned, but she has you hanging on to every word and re-reading lines to absorb and savour them.
This book is about how Eugenides becomes King of Attolia in more than just name - how he wins over the Attolian court with his wits, skill, and personality. Central to this process is the soldier Costis. His shifting perception of the king is a triumph of both Eugenides' strategy and Turner's storytelling. It mirrors, I realise, how the reader comes to love and respect Eugenides over the course of the first two books. Genius, and better still: unpretentious genius.
Eugenides' relationships in this book are a delight to read about. Eugenides and Attolia/Irene, for one - what a fascinating, complex dynamic, full of love and fear and power, and not in a deliberately, annoyingly "edgy" way. Then there's Eugenides and Costis, who remind me of Eddis/Helen and Eugenides (in that order) but also Arthur and Merlin from the BBC series (for clear reasons, I think). And a whole smattering of more minor characters, whose ties to Eugenides are well-foregrounded to show how he leaves behind the isolated, shadowy role of Thief and accepts - earns - the mantle of King.
This book is about how Eugenides becomes King of Attolia in more than just name - how he wins over the Attolian court with his wits, skill, and personality. Central to this process is the soldier Costis. His shifting perception of the king is a triumph of both Eugenides' strategy and Turner's storytelling. It mirrors, I realise, how the reader comes to love and respect Eugenides over the course of the first two books. Genius, and better still: unpretentious genius.
Eugenides' relationships in this book are a delight to read about. Eugenides and Attolia/Irene, for one - what a fascinating, complex dynamic, full of love and fear and power, and not in a deliberately, annoyingly "edgy" way. Then there's Eugenides and Costis, who remind me of Eddis/Helen and Eugenides (in that order) but also Arthur and Merlin from the BBC series (for clear reasons, I think). And a whole smattering of more minor characters, whose ties to Eugenides are well-foregrounded to show how he leaves behind the isolated, shadowy role of Thief and accepts - earns - the mantle of King.