A successful high-stakes fantasy that delivers riveting action scenes and bold characterizations.
This sequel sees a far-reaching demonic conspiracy throw the world into chaos.
As King Saldor’s youngest son by a second marriage, Sillik never thought he’d rule Illicia. But now that assassins have slaughtered most of House Rendarick, the young man, well versed in the seven laws of magic, is the crown prince. Having defeated the assassins, Sillick and his sword master, Briana, have encamped with the Illician army near the Falls of Theosa. They’re joined by the Nerak army, which stands with Sillik against the kingdoms of Ynak and Peol. Fire wolves harass the camp, though the later return of dragons, not seen in centuries, exacerbates the situation. Meanwhile, in the island city of Salone, where the seven laws are taught, word has arrived of House Rendarick’s fate. King Ametor and Queen Jacqueline, Sillik’s cousin, fear the worst since they’ve seen sinister schula creatures on the island. A cabal that worships the nine gods of evil is led by Brother Simpsen. Those loyal to the seven gods must join together to defeat the followers of the nine, which results in Sillik’s drafting his friend Lysander, Cliff Flier of Aceon, into battle. Without the blessing of his mother, Queen Saskia, Lysander risks a vast contingent of herish—giant birds of prey that submit to riders—on a quest to save his friend. Cannon’s imagination is glorious and savage to behold in this fantasy sequel to The Kings’ Assassin (2018). Not only does magic offer villains their darkly shining moments—Brother Simpsen crushes to death, then resurrects a dove in one scene—but politics provides toothsome horror as well. The seductress Minerla brings a daring bit of kink to a narrative that wears its A Song of Ice and Fire influence proudly. The author trades the prophecy trope for predictions made by the goddess Lady Silvia while the quest for secret libraries and special artifacts scratch more traditional genre itches. After a rousing final act, readers should be deeply satiated by Cannon’s brand of magical duels and intrigue until the next installment.
A successful high-stakes fantasy that delivers riveting action scenes and bold characterizations.Pub Date: May 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-79601-987-2
Page Count: 558
Publisher: XlibrisUS
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Weird and haunting and excellent.
The much-anticipated second novel from the author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (2004).
The narrator of this novel answers to the name “Piranesi” even though he suspects that it's not his name. This name was chosen for him by the Other, the only living person Piranesi has encountered during his extensive explorations of the House. Readers who recognize Piranesi as the name of an Italian artist known for his etchings of Roman ruins and imaginary prisons might recognize this as a cruel joke that the Other enjoys at the expense of the novel’s protagonist. It is that, but the name is also a helpful clue for readers trying to situate themselves in the world Clarke has created. The character known as Piranesi lives within a Classical structure of endless, inescapable halls occasionally inundated by the sea. These halls are inhabited by statues that seem to be allegories—a woman carrying a beehive; a dog-fox teaching two squirrels and two satyrs; two children laughing, one of them carrying a flute—but the meaning of these images is opaque. Piranesi is happy to let the statues simply be. With her second novel, Clarke invokes tropes that have fueled a century of surrealist and fantasy fiction as well as movies, television series, and even video games. At the foundation of this story is an idea at least as old as Chaucer: Our world was once filled with magic, but the magic has drained away. Clarke imagines where all that magic goes when it leaves our world and what it would be like to be trapped in that place. Piranesi is a naif, and there’s much that readers understand before he does. But readers who accompany him as he learns to understand himself will see magic returning to our world.
Weird and haunting and excellent.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63557-563-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world.
Following The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (2020), a rescue mission lands Susan on an entity’s radar.
Susan (art student, demi-mortal) and her boyfriend, Merlin, (gender shifting and nonconforming fashionista and left-handed bookseller) are still together but taking it slowly, especially because Susan’s not comfortable with the proximity to the supernatural Old World that Merlin represents (especially because her own Ancient Sovereign father is going to be waking at the New Year). But when contact with an ensorcelled map pulls Merlin into a pocket dimension out of time, Susan doesn’t hesitate to use her heritage and artistic ability to make a translocation map to get him back safely. Their dangerous jaunt reveals the existence of a supernatural serial killer—and draws its attention to Susan. While the booksellers unravel a pattern of murders going back decades, Susan tries to avoid being the next sacrifice while grappling with fears of losing herself to the Old World and being changed into something else. And the dreams she’s having of her father’s demesne, dreams that might be more than dreams, leave her convinced that a big change is coming. All plotlines are time-sensitive enough to put the dead in deadline, keeping tension high as they face a variety of threats. While Susan’s internal conflict gets repetitive, it pays off in the climax. The leads are White; the secondary cast’s racially diverse.
A fast and fun outing in an immersive alternate world. (Fantasy. 12-adult)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-323633-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
