The 1990s witnessed the release of several ginormous multivolume fantasy novels, as several authors attempted to outdo J.R.R. Tolkien. The first book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time epic was released in 1990. Wheel of Time was originally supposed to be a six-book series, but it ended up becoming a 14-volume monstrosity that the author died before he could finish writing it. Another author, Brandon Sanderson, had to be brought in to complete the last 3 novels.
In 1996, George R.R. Martin published the first book in his A Song of Fire and Ice saga. Twenty-seven years later the series is still not completed, and it is not looking like it will be finished anytime soon. Martin’s former collaborators have already stated that they will not finish his series for him should he pass away before it is done.
So funny, Tolkien managed to create a still unrivaled masterpiece in just 3 1/2 books (counting the Hobbit).
Kingdom of Thorn and Bone
Both Wheel of Time and A Song of Fire and Ice have been immensely successful. There is no question that they are both well done, if perhaps overlong and bloated. However, there is a series that I believe is just as good as those two, but has unfortunately been overlooked by many fantasy readers. That series is ‘The Kingdom of Thorn and Bone‘ (kingdom of bone and thorn) by Greg Keyes.
Thorn and Bone was a late comer to the fantasy epic fad. It was published between 2003 to 2008, thus was easily overlooked by its bigger brothers. Which is a shame, because this series is well written and intelligent. Mr. Keyes is able to build suspense until the final confrontation with an enemy that threatens destruction of the entire world. There is no “Dark Lord” per se. The protagonist’s enemy is possibly of their own making. I will leave it at that.
Pluses and minuses
To nitpick a bit, while there is plenty of action throughout the series, there are times when the story drags. Not terribly so, however. Also, Mr. Keyes must have been given an a very nice thesaurus at some point in his life, because he tends to be a bit verbose. I had to look up a few words myself.
In addition, the character development is not quite on par with Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones. Don’t get me wrong, we care about the characters and want them to succeed. But I’ve got to give Jordan and Martin credit, they created some truly memorable characters.
Also, the denouement was rather sudden and not completely satisfying. I would have liked to know more about how the characters fared after the climax.
Still, Mr. Keyes has a huge positive over his literary peers. He finished his series while he was still alive!
Kingdom of Thorn and Bone: I highly recommend it.
—————-Interlude————————–
————What’s Next on the Nightstand————————
The Spanish Frontier in North America (The Brief Edition) The Spanish Frontier in North America)
This version of ‘The Spanish Frontier in North America’ by David L. Weber, is an abridged version of his college textbook. Mr. Weber cut out a lot of footnotes and appendices to make this book more accessible to the lay reader.
The author promises that this book will try to be evenhanded in treating the subject. He says he will not shy away from covering the atrocities committed by the Spanish explorers in North America. But he will also try to address positive aspects of the Spanish and their North American frontier.
I’m somewhat fascinated by the role of Spain in the development of the Modern United States. So much of US history I was taught as a youngster focused primarily on the British development. Very little was taught about the French and Spanish impact.
If I feel it is worthy of my august* attentions, I’ll post a review when I’ve finished.
*highfalutin
