Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When the king of Antea dies, loyal and idealistic Geder Palliako is appointed regent for the young prince. But Geder is an unrepentant genocidaire and an unquestioning follower of the Spider Goddess of Truth, and his bad judgment threatens to destabilize the region. His opponents attempt a coup but are doomed by their adherence to the feudal social order, which blinds them to both the danger of the Spider priests and potential allies among the lower classes. It's left to the people beneath their notice to set things right. Cithrin bel Sarcour and her colleagues at the Medean Bank plot Geder's downfall, and bank mercenary Marcus Wester and former priest Master Kit set out to kill a goddess. Abraham builds on The Dragon's Path to create and sustain a rich, satisfyingly complex epic fantasy. Agents: Shawna McCarthy, the McCarthy Agency, and Danny Baror, Baror International. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Simeon, Emperor of Antea, has died, leaving his throne to his son Aster, who is still a boy, and the regency to Geder Palliako, an accidental war hero who prefers philosophy and books to human contact. When an act of diplomacy goes wrong, war breaks out between the Severed Empire and the land of Asterilhold, and it falls to the Empire's true protectors-individuals who stand outside the circle of power-to save the kingdom. In the meantime, Cithrin bel Sarcour, the voice of the Medean Bank in Porte Oliva, seeks a way to prove she deserves to be more than a figurehead and enlists the aid of guard captain Marcus Wester and a group of traveling players who have assisted her in the past. VERDICT This sequel to The Dragon's Path manages to advance a complex and byzantine plot while leaving enough loose threads to carry into future installments. Abraham's multidimensional characters represent a fascinating cross section of late medieval/Renaissance society. The author's fans as well as lovers of epic fantasy should enjoy this ongoing series. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Marcus Wester and company return to work their magic and mischief among the Firstbloods, Kurtadam and Southlings. Whether you're a fantasy buff or not, you have to admire ace storyteller Abraham's skill at building plausible alternate worlds, a trade much practiced, but not often so well, ever since the days of Tolkien and the Shire. Picking up where The Dragon's Path (2011) left off, Abraham reintroduces us to his mixed-bag company of heroes and villains, inserting some timely touches in his aoristic universe--for one thing, fiscal troubles that the assembled kings of his European-ish landscape seem disinclined to solve together, and for another, a struggle between the forces of reason and an entrenched priesthood, "Palliako and his Keshet cultists," as one of the good guys puts it. Or are they good guys? One of the many strengths of Abraham's storytelling is that he allows a little moral ambiguity to curl around the toes of his characters; the heroes aren't 100 percent virtuous, while the bad guys sometimes have a few redeeming qualities. Good thing, too, for it's a mixed-up, violent world in which Cithrin bel Sarcour, "voice of the Medean bank in Porte Oliva," now finds herself, and a smelly and unsanitary one at that; she's inclined to appreciate differences of cultural tendency as long as the bottom line isn't harmed, whereas others are more keenly aware that she is a "half-Cinnae girl in a well-tailored dress," less so that Cithrin has perforce been playing hanky-panky with the books. Did we say that the bad guys had their good sides? True enough, but there is evil aplenty for Wester and his merry band to battle, even if others are inclined to let such things sort themselves out; as one says, "Bring swords to the border, and a few men's follies become a tragedy for thousands." Indeed, and you never can tell what sorts of follies the Haaverkin and the Tralgu and such are going to cook up. Another trademark romp in the otherworld, and a lot of fun.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
