THE REDEMPTION OF JAREK

In Madeley’s medieval adventure novel, a disgraced duke begins to discover what it takes to rule as he confronts a vengeful king hell-bent on war.

Jarek, the brash duke of House Wancyek raised to one day assume the throne of the kingdom of Wancyrik, essentially throws it all away: After becoming angry that his uncle, King Julian, disciplined one of his riders, Jarek slaps the king and loses an ensuing duel with his cousin, Duke Lenn. His punishment is banishment. Now cut off from royal support, Jarek is allowed to keep his province and ferociously loyal soldiers—but only under the promise that he’ll never return or attack the capital. Meanwhile, in a different land, King Elcimer has managed to form a peaceful coalition with his neighbors. But an assassination attempt by one of his allies, combined with the ruthless manipulation of powerful King Jonnecht of Kensrik, spurs Elcimer to unleash war on the land. Jarek, wallowing in his solitary misery, receives a much-needed wakeup call during a discussion with Galyna, a villager who explains to him the hardships that Jarek’s people have endured under his leadership. With Elcimer’s war making life for his people even more difficult, Jarek faces a choice: Admit defeat, or step up and be the leader he was born to be. Natural dialogue and striking action scenes combine to paint a vivid portrait of a land in chaos. Madeley constructs a world full of danger with both style and wit: “Elcimer is a young man with the loftiest ambitions. Having not faced a moment of substantial adversity or terror in his life, nothing limits the heights which he imagines he could achieve.” There isn’t any real question as to whether or not Jarek will choose to help his kingdom’s people, so the true tension lies in Elcimer’s strategic decisions and in his confrontation with Jarek. That tension, along with the enjoyably flawed characters whom readers meet along the way, ably carries the novel forward to a satisfactory conclusion.

An enthralling epic that balances politics and morality with dramatic battle scenes and complex characters.