Keyes, Greg ~ The Charnel Prince ~ Del Rey, 2004 ~ 516 pages ~ adults, some teens.
" 'I hear a noise,' Martyn murmured, reining in his dappled gray stallion. 'It is an unusual sound.'."
This is the second volume in the "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone" series...
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Keyes, Greg ~ The Charnel Prince ~ Del Rey, 2004 ~ 516 pages ~ adults, some teens.
" 'I hear a noise,' Martyn murmured, reining in his dappled gray stallion. 'It is an unusual sound.'."
This is the second volume in the "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone" series [the first volume was The Briar King]. While the settings remain much as before, attention shifts away from the court and the capital. With King William and two of his daughters dead, evil active in the King's Forest, and demonic magic practiced by monks, Crotheny is awash in fear and panic. The Queen attempts to hold things together but has little support among the nobles. Anne, sent away earlier to a convent of sorts, narrowly escaped death when knights attacked the convent and killed all within. Now Anne and her maid are on the run. With a large reward for them -- alive or dead, especially with knights of the church searching, it seems unlikely that they will survive.
However, new characters appear to provide unexpected assistance. Cazio is unusually skillful with a duelist's weapons but has little experience against Knights and their broad swords. Leoff is a composer with unusual ideas and the ability to create music that has almost magical qualities to those who hear it.Other new characters come and go, but some are likely to have larger roles in the future [at least I hope so].
The stage has been set. Although there are some new places and new creatures, the basics have not changed. The church is attempting to use ancient sites of power and evil rites to increase its power. The Briar King has awakened but may not be the enemy after all. World-building remains excellent and characters are well developed. While the plot is somewhat straight-forward, there are enough surprises and interesting developments to keep the pages turning.
The Queen attempts to keep the kingdom together while others plot her downfall. Anne continues to flee from her pursuers but with little serious planning or analysis. She hopes to find aid from the knight that she believes truly loves her. At the same time, she is beginning to gain some small sense of power within her. Neil has been sent by the Queen to find Anne and keep her safe. Robert, even more evil than before, appears in league with the Queen's enemies and the historical enemies of the Kingdom. Asper and Stephen continue to discover exactly what the church is doing with ancient sites and how to stop them from creating a great evil power.
As before, one thread stays at the palace where the Queen attempts to keep the kingdom together. A second deals with the events in the King's Forest with the monks, the monsters, and the Briar King. The third deals with Anne's escape and those she encounters along the way. A fourth focuses on Neil's attempt to find Anne and protect her. There is considerable action, a good deal of magic, strange monsters from the past, and good people willing to help those in need.
Recommendation:
Cover art by David Stevenson shows the Queen being challenged by two armed men, likely knights. It appeals and shows both the Queen's beauty as well as the danger she faces. The maps by Kirk Caldwell are helpful, but the front one is not as legible as it might be. Again, a glossary of people, places, and ... would be helpful give the complexity of the plot and the four physical volumes.This is a major fantasy publishing event and should be held in even small fantasy collections.
