Greg Keyes (J. Gregory Keyes)
The Briar King (2003)
Author: Greg Keyes (J. Gregory Keyes)
Genre: Fantasy (Dark Fantasy, Epic)
Plot Summary:
Through battle and sorcery, Virginia Elizabeth Dare and her fellow slaves succeed in overthrowing their Skasloi masters. Two thousand years later, her descendents rule the kingdom of Crotheny. Enemies of King William wish to see the king, queen, and princesses dead, in order to place the biddable “saint-touched” prince on throne. The youngest princess, Anne, receives strange warnings of her family’s fate and her future role. Loyal Neil MeqVren, a common-born and newly-pledged knight, encounters a court full of treachery and hostility. As plotters—some very near to the king—form their plans, an ominous creature stalks through the King’s Forest. The Sefry, the gypsy race who inhabit the forest, warn Aspar White, the king’s holter, that the Briar King has awakened. According to folk legend, the Briar King will end his sleep and bring about the destruction of the world of men. Stubborn in his disbelief, Aspar dismisses their warnings as he investigates murders in the forest. Only as Aspar travels deeper into the forest does he discover the danger contained within and the truth of the ancient tales.
Geographical Setting: Virgenya, Vitellio, and Crotheny (imaginary)
Time Period: Indeterminate/Medieval
Series: The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone (#1)
Appeal Characteristics:
Identified as an alternate history fantasy, The Briar King merely hints at connections to America’s colonial past, though Keyes may develop these ties more clearly in later books. He does, however, create a world of various races and peoples, with a complex history. The first in a planned teratology, the book has fast-paced action, and the story is told in turn through the perspectives of all primary and some secondary characters. Primarily dark in tone, The Briar King features the dual threats of human political scheming and of supernatural forces. Keyes uses a skillful balance between dialogue and description, but his writing style is occasionally awkward.
Similar Authors: George R. R. Martin, Terry Goodkind
Red Flags: Graphic violence, including combat, torture, beatings, and murders; graphic descriptions of dead and dismembered bodies; sexual references, but little actual sexual content; some strong language; occult magic with human sacrifices
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