REVIEW: THE KING OF THE CRAGS

Dragon illustration: Dominic Harman

Cover design: Sidonie Beresford-Browne

 

THE KING OF THE CRAGS

MEMORY OF FLAMES BOOK TWO

BY

STEPHEN DEAS

 

ISBN: 978-0-575-08379-0

Pages: 366

Publisher: Gollancz

First published: 15 April 2010

This edition published: 10 February 2011

On the cover:

*SPOILER WARNING*

If you haven't read book one, The Adamantine Palace, this will contain spoilers.

(The review will be spoiler free, so you can still read that.)

Prince Jehal has plotted and murdered his way to power. Speaker Hyram is dead. Queen Shezira faces trial for treason. Jehal is married to her daughter, Lystra, and has the new speaker, Zafir for his lover. He has everything he ever dreamed of. And is learning that dreams can become nightmares...

 

On the edge of the World Spine the fires of rebellion are burning. A fire fueled by an ancient prophecy. The Red Riders are coming. And the flames that will come on the wings of dragons are flames that could engulf the world.

 

For

 

Out of the sun there shall come a white dragon, and with the white dragon a red rider. Thieves and liars shall quiver and weep, for the rider's name shall be Justice, and the dragon shall be vengeance.

   This book picks up where The Adamantine Palace left off, and throws you right into the action. And there's quite a bit of action in this book, but it is nicely balanced with the courtly intrigue that we came to know in the first book.

   There is a lot going on with the royal intrigue in this novel. What we saw in the first book escalates nicely, and you really feel that the events are starting to build to something momentous.  Deas also manages to make it near impossible to predict what is happening. There are some twists to the plot here that are not as much telegraphed as they are a telegraph-pole coming out of nowhere and hitting you in the face.

   Deas is very good at pulling off the unexpected turn. This makes reading a joy, as the discovery of what is going to happen makes it for a novel that becomes a fast read. Of course this is mostly because you will be driven by the suspense to read "just one more chapter".

   There's more than enough happening here to make a much thicker Fantasy novel, but Deas doesn't waste his time. We don't get the padding that some Fantasy authors do, Deas concentrates on getting the plot moving. And the reader gets a whirlwind of a ride that doesn't leave much room for rest, something that is in my opinion a very good thing.

   Dragons are again a very central part of what is happening. We get more information on how they function here, and the gradual revelations of how dragons function in Deas's world is very interesting to read.

   The dragons do not at all feel like the cardboard-cutouts they can sometimes be in Fantasy. They are an integral part of the world, and they have a history of their own. Linking this history to the rest of the story is done in a way that makes them feel like a natural part of the plot. And there is more than enough originality in that part of the story to make for a very interesting addition to the lore of dragons in Fantasy.

   Deas has managed to write a great second book. There is plenty of action here, and the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns. While the novel does do some building up to the next book, that is hardly noticeable when you read, you are far to busy taking in what is happening at the moment.

   This is a great continuation of The Adamantine Palace, and at the same time it gives you an urge to know what is going to happen next. As a second novel in an Epic Fantasy series, this is certainly one of the best I have read.

   The Memory of Flames has just gotten even better with its second installment.

REVIEW: The Adamantine Palace

LINKS: Stephen Deas  Gollancz  Gollancz Blog

REVIEW: THE ADAMANTINE PALACE

Dragon illustration: Dominic Harman

Cover design: Sidonie Beresford-Browne

THE ADAMANTINE PALACE

MEMORY OF FLAMES BOOK ONE

BY

STEPHEN DEAS

ISBN: 978-0-575-08374-5

Pages: 369

Publisher: Gollancz

Published: 19 March 2009

On the cover:

There will be flames

The power of the Realms depends on its dragons. Jealously guarded, nurtured by their handlers, ridden by the aristocracy, they are bred for hunting and war. But only the alchemists and the mysterious liquid they administer to the dragons stand between the Realms and disaster; for without the liquid, the dragons would be returned to their natural fury: Unbiddable, terrifying, awesomely strong, able to destroy an entire army, to burn a kingdom to ashes.

Prince Jehal is thinking of other things. Of power over all the Kings and Queens of the Realms; and he is prepared to charm, lie, betray, plot and murder to get it. Nor is he alone in his ambition. Queen Shezira has her daughters and she means to use them as she herself was used, to gain the ultimate prize, marrying them off to secure her influence and power.

All sell-sword Kemir is thining of is money. Of freedom from the un-ending arrogance of the dragon riders. And maybe a little cold revenge against the warlords who both need him and despise him.

And now a dragon has gone missing...

   Dragons: In many ways they are a cliche of Fantasy, the ultimate symbol that says "Here be Fantasy". And as a mythological beast they are a part of the collective consciousness of human history. So basically the question with a book like this is; does it add anything to dragon lore, or is it just a rehash of old tropes?

   Fortunately what Deas does with dragons in his book feels really fresh. They are a source of power, a weapon for the aristocratic elite, their main means of controlling their territories. And they also function as a deterrent, a weapon of mass destruction you don't want your enemies to unleash on you in retaliation.

   But this story isn't just about dragons, it is also about the intricacies and intrigue of politics, and here lies the mayor plot points. Deas manages to create a very interesting set of characters in the royalty of his world, characters that are complex and intriguing. They are all well developed and believable, you will recognize their type, but they will sometimes surprise you. At times this makes for a wild ride of a plot, with lots of twists and unexpected events, something that is evident as early as the prologue.

   There isn't really all that much action as such in the book, but the story itself is pretty fast-paced and it has a plot that makes it very easy to read "just one more chapter" for far longer than you originally intended too.

   One of the strengths of the book is how the different threads work together. There are different sub-plots that compliments each other and add to the whole.

   The worldbuilding is very well done. Deas has created a world that feels real, and also has a distinct feeling of having developed - especially on the geopolitical scale. There is very little infodumping, and you learn about the world without it being intrusive into the story.

   There is as I mentioned above quite a bit of information on dragons, and how they function in this world. The dragon lore is really interesting and adds greatly to the realistic feel of the novel, and you get a feeling that what you learn will have repercussions in the story later. I found this to be one of the best, if not the actual best,  descriptions of dragons I have ever read, and just that justifies giving this a try.

   This is a great first novel, it will satisfy fans of Epic Fantasy with its realistic setting and intricate story. And there is so much here for anyone who has an interest in dragons to love. It is the first volume in a series that I think any fan of Epic Fantasy will enjoy. This is a fast-paced story with lots of action and intrigue that is hard to put down, and Deas's writing will have you reading into the small hours.

   A word of warning: If you like this book by page 50, be sure that you have the next volumes at hand. You will want to continue reading after you finish this book.

LINKS: Stephen Deas  Gollancz  Gollancz Blog