The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu and Mihir Wanchoo)

OFFICIAL AUTHOR WEBSITE
Order "The King's Blood" HERE
Read an Excerpt HERE
Read FBC's Review of "The Dragon Path"
Click here for The Dagger and The Coin Giveaway


AUTHOR INFORMATION: Daniel Abraham has been nominated for the Hugo,Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, and was awarded the International Horror Guild Award. His bibliography includes The Long Price Quartet, Hunter’s Run (w/Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin), the short story collection Leviathan Wept and Other Stories, the Wild Cards: The Hard Call comic book miniseries, and The Black Sun’s Daughter urban fantasy series written as MLN Hanover. His recent ventures include Leviathan Wakes (w/Ty Frank) under the pen name James S. A. Corey, and the comic book adaptation of GRRM’s A Song of Ice & Fire. 

PLOT SUMMARY: WAR AND MADNESS CAST SHADOWS OVER THE LANDS DRAGONS ONCE RULED. 

Geder Palliako's star is rising. He is a hero of Antea, protector to the crown prince, and darling of the court. But storms from his past are gathering, and with them, a war that will change everything. 

Cithrin bel Sarcour founded a powerful bank on stolen wealth, forged papers, and ready blades. Now every move she makes is observed, recorded, and controlled. Unless Cithrin can free herself from her gilded cage, the life she made will be for naught; war may provide just the opportunity she needs. 

An apostate priest sees the hidden hand behind all: a long-buried secret of the dragon empire threatens everything humanity has built. An age of madness and death is on the way, with only a few doomed heroes to stand in its way. 

CLASSIFICATION: Influenced by the likes of Alexandre Dumas, George R. R. Martin, Joss Whedon, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J. Michael Straczynski among others, The Dagger and the Coin is Daniel Abraham’s take on traditional epic fantasy. 

FORMAT/INFO: The King’s Blood is 501 pages long divided over a Introduction, an Entr'acte, and forty-five chapters with each chapter designated by the name of a main character. Also includes a Map, a Dramatis Personae list, an introduction to the taxonomy of races and an excerpt from The Poisoned Sword, the third volume in The Dagger and the Coin. Narration is in the third person via Captain Marcus Wester; Geder Palliako; Cithrin Bel Sarcour; Dawson Kalliam, the Baron of Osterling Fells; Dawson’s wife, Clara Annalie Kalliam; and Master Kit the apostate. 

The King’s Blood is the second volume in The Dagger and the Coin—a projected five-volume series. May 22, 2011 marks the North American/UK Trade Paperback publication of The King’s Blood via Orbit Books. 

LIVIU’S ANALYSIS: The King's Blood is secondary world fantasy at its best and in addition it has a writing style quite above the usual "utility English" of the genre; maybe not quite at (the top of) literary fiction levels (see Hari Kunzru's Gods without Men for recent such), but close, while pretty much all the things that I would mark as negatives come from the nature of the genre rather than from the author. 

I would try to avoid spoilers so I will talk only a little about the storyline, just to mention that it is a direct continuation of The Dragon's Path and a lot of things happen by the end of the novel which happens at a good stopping point with no cliffhangers but not much global resolution beyond tbc either - in this sense the first two volumes of the intended 5 book series are truly volume 1/2 of a huge novel. 

The structure is similar with Dragon's Path and features POV chapters from Cithrin, Dawson, Clara, Geder and Marcus with interludes from Master Kit. As mentioned lots of things happen including intrigues, conspiracies, wars, pirates, deaths of named characters, while the world is expanded to some extent and the roles of the thirteen races are made a little bit clearer here, though again mostly regular humans aka "firstbloods" are of importance (and Cithrin of course who is half-blood Cinnae but much closer to her firstblood half by upbringing). There is an appendix written from the POV of a scholar of one the "superior bloods' (of course he would claim that...) and discussing the thirteen races, while many secondary characters - some new, some old and some who may become important later appear and some have really great moments.  

The King's Blood also has an elegant rather than visceral feel and consequently the more emotional moments are still cerebral to a large extent rather than pure emotion and the action flows naturally rather than twisting and turning - here I tend to prefer the more visceral feel and the twists and turns with "what..?" moments, but as that is a pure personal preference, I would not count it against the book especially that it executes so well in these two categories (elegant style, natural story lines). The pages turn by themselves and I literally could not put the book down and read it in one very long sitting, but i expect to revisit the world and probably reread The Dragon Path too soon. 

As for negatives - as mentioned mostly due to genre - the book like most SFF is about politics and the organization of society and like most fantasy it is a retrograde such where "what is your blood" counts more than anything else outside of specific commercial cities - true that say Geder who is minor nobility raises himself with luck and a strong dose of magic, but he is still noble - nobility and blood with the role of women very traditional in the "high society" - again the lower and commercial classes are different but over 60% of the book is about the nobility, a bit smaller world building than expected and occasionally feeling like a sandbox - but ultimately the novel captivated me again and showed that great writing and characters and a reasonably well thought secondary world (with the caveats above) still can keep me interested in traditional fantasy despite my feeling of "exhausting the genre" in the last 4 years. 

MIHIR’S ANALYSIS: Daniel Abraham’s debut series had a lot of readers and critics praising his original premise and that did get fans excited for his next series which was a move back to the favored pseudo-European setting. This series was also going to be an amalgam of some classic literature as well as genre favorites. The first book in the series really gave the readers a nice look into the world created by the author wherein dragons ruled a long time ago and created the thirteen races. The main characters were introduced and enough intrigue was created. 

With the King’s Blood, we are once again swept in to the world of the Dragons. Cithrin has been successful with her moves and in setting up a front for the Medean bank in costal city of Porte Olivia what she didn’t bargain for, are the chains the bank would set on her in the form of a clerk who cross-checks her each and every move. Geder Palliako never thought his star would ever rise so high but as the royal regent he now holds the most powerful court position and enjoys a good comfort level with his ward prince Aster. He however does not know that his ascent has only begun and further events will propel him into the limelight unsuited for him. Dawson and Clara Killiam are further faced with trials as they weave familial and political situations and try to do the right thing. Lastly there’s Master Kit who remembers his past life and decides that the time has come for him to step back in his earlier life and accomplish what he first set out to do. 

Thus begins the second chronicle of the Dagger and the Coin, the author has raised the stakes in this book by further evolving the characters from the roles that they were assigned or deemed to follow. Characterization has always been Daniel Abraham’s forte and he absolutely shines in this book as well. Geder, Cithrin, Dawson, Clara and Marcus are all rounded individuals however the author completely immerses the reader in their thoughts and actions and fleshes them out to such an extent that it becomes harder to differentiate between their good and bad sides. Particularly Geder and Dawson, these two characters are ones whose actions can particularly viewed in a horrific light however the author manages to make the reader connect with them and particularly create doubt in the reader’s minds. 

This book’s theme is about the folly of certainty and the actions based on it. There are a few lines in the book that highlight it well: 

 “Truth and lies, doubt and certainty. I haven’t found them to be what I thought they were. I dislike certainty because it feels like the truth, but it isn’t. If justice is based on certainty, but certainty is not the truth, atrocities become possible. We’re seeing the first of them now. More will come”. 

The author very conveniently plays with this theme and it is largely prevalent in the lives of Geder and Dawson, both of whom have the most upheavals in this book. Cithrin and Marcus however are not entirely exempt from this but their journey is more of an introspective one that makes them realize what they wish to do with their lives from this point forward. The POV count is also kept the same however the next book might see the introduction of a new character or two. In this regard the author has learnt a thing or two from his mentor and friend George R.R. Martin, namely the pitfalls in introducing more and more POV characters thereby complicating the story threads. The author keeps a tight rein on the storyline and keeps it focused with the help of the limited number of POVs. 

 Lastly the pacing of this book is much smoother than the first one and also with the addition of the taxonomy of the races, the classification seem to help the readers in understanding the differences in the races prevalent. The only negative for me in this book would be that this book lacks the EPIC feel that this series is supposed to be about, as right now it’s more focused on the action of the few that will lead to repercussions for the many. Perhaps the author intends to change this in the last three books but I would like the epic part of the story to begin as well so we can truly get to see this story come alive and discover more about the dragons and other mysteries of this world. The magic as well as the world setting if further explored will add to awesomeness of the series. 

CONCLUSION(LIVIU): Daniel Abraham has crafted a worthy sequel and perhaps a better book in terms of plot, characters and pace. All in all The King's Blood was the first 2012 fantasy that satisfied my expectations and of course it will have a place on my top 25 list of the year. I hope the series will continue to keep these extremely high standards all the way, while I believe that there is scope and depth for five books though I expect considerably more universe expansion.

Dragon Poems for Smiletrain: An Anthology For Charity by L. M. Stull and M. R. Mathais

SmileTrain is an organization with a mission to provide a child born with a cleft the same opportunities in life as a child born without. They offer the following:
 - Provide free cleft surgery to hundreds of thousands of poor children in developing countries.

- Train doctors and medical professionals in over eighty countries.

- Treat the “whole child” with comprehensive, total rehabilitative care including: speech therapy, general dentistry and orthodontics.

To help this wonderful organization, M.R. Mathias and L.M. Stull hosted a wonderful contest for poems about dragons. They have now collected all the entries into an eclectic collection and all proceeds from the book will go towards Smiletrain and their amazing efforts in helping children. So spare a look if you can at their wonderful website and for buying your copy of this collection for Kindle you can check it out HERE.

GUEST POST: Sequels And Satisfying Endings by David Dalglish

Haern the Watcher is, without a doubt, my most popular character. I’ve had fans name their Skyrim characters after him, received numerous pleadings for more books featuring him, and even one man say if he wasn’t gay already, he’d go gay for Haern. I’ve written eight books now featuring him, yet to be honest, I screwed up terribly when I devoted a trilogy just to him.

It’s not that he can’t carry the story. No, the problem is that the focal point for his entire character arc, that of his rebellion against his father’s desire to mold him into the heir of a criminal underworld, gets settled outside the trilogy. Imagine if Luke and Vader, after the end of Empire Strikes Back, never saw each other again. This is my own fault in writing a prequel, of course, and I love my fans for having as much fun with the third book, A Dance of Death, as they did. The first book involved Haern’s emotional revolt against the underworld, the second detailing him fully grown and physically attempting to overthrow a culture of crime (think Batman and Gotham City). The third book took Haern away from his city, to face a copycat that exposed the dangers and hypocrisy of killing to create peace. My hope was the third, in focusing on just who and what Haern represented, and why he fought, might provide a satisfying conclusion.

But for a lot of readers entering into the trilogy prior to reading the Half-Orcs, I got the same response over and over: when does Haern confront his father? Why this side story? Generally I gave them a lame response and pointed at the Half-Orcs, but even then, there was one major problem: I wrote the climactic confrontation before ever going into detail with Haern’s backstory. Perhaps I’m just far too harsh a critic of my own storytelling, but in hindsight I feel I didn’t do it justice. I didn’t do it big enough!

Not anymore. With the Watcher’s Blade Trilogy, this is my chance to push everything to a head. I’ve got three different series taking place in the same world, and I’m tying them all together. This is my Avengers, if you will, my Justice League. Those who have stuck with me through the various storylines are going to be in heaven. The previous trilogy established these characters, and now with this one, I get to play. Haern and his father will get the confrontation I’ve always felt they, as well as my readers, really deserved. One where the whole damn city nearly burns down from the conflict, and there’s a dozen factions in the background trying to manipulate things their way.

Blood of the Underworld is my way of getting things started, and hopefully catching up any readers who are new to my world. In the Half-Orcs, two brothers nearly destroyed the world. In Shadowdance, a son rebelled against his father. With the Watcher’s Blade, I’m hoping for a nice mix of both in terms of scope and consequence, and I’ll gladly welcome anyone else to come along with me and enjoy the ride.

Assuming they don’t mind a few slashed throats along the way, of course!!!

AUTHOR INFORMATION: David Dalglish was born in Missouri and graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a degree in Mathematics. He is the author of the popular Half Orcs series, The Shadowdance trilogy and The Paladins series. He has previously worked as a manager and as a para-professional for Spec-Ed students. He lives with his wife and children in Missouri.

Official David Dalglish Website 
Read FBC's Review of “A Dance of Cloaks” 
Read FBC's Review of “A Dance of Blades” 
Read FBC’s Review of “A Dance of Death” 
Read FBC’s Interview with David Dalglish

"Child of all Nations" by Irmgard Keun (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

 

Irmgard Keun at Wikipedia

Order "Child of all Nations" HERE

"Kully knows some things you don't learn at school. She knows the right way to roll a cigarette and pack a suitcase. She knows that cars are more dangerous than lions. She knows that you can't enter a country without a passport or visa. And she knows that she and her parents can't go back to Germany again. But there are also things she doesn't understand, like why there might be a war in Europe--just that men named Hitler, Mussolini, and Chamberlain are involved. Little Kully is far more interested in where their next meal will come from and the ladies who seem to buzz around her father. Meanwhile she and her parents roam through Europe from country to country as their visas expire, money runs out, and hotel bills mount"

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "Child of all Nations" by Irmgard Keun, translated by Michael Hoffman, is a novel I found about at Goodreads after reviewing some recent translations; a check of the sample and the first few paragraphs were just irresistible for me and I bought and read the book in an evening.

"I get funny looks from hotel managers, but that’s not because I’m naughty; it’s the fault of my father. Everyone says: that man ought never to have got married.

At first they treat me as if I was a rich lady’s Pekinese. The chambermaids make kissy mouths at me and little mwah mwah noises. The maître d’ slips me postage stamps, which I save, because I might be able to sell them later. The man in the lift lets me press the button to our floor, and he doesn’t interfere, much. And the waiters brandish table-napkins at me in a friendly sort of way. But all that comes to an end when my father has to leave to raise money, and my mother and me are left behind, and the bill still hasn’t been paid. We are left behind as surety, and my father says we’ve got as much riding on us as if we’d been fur coats or diamonds.

Then the waiters in the hotel restaurant no longer brandish their napkins in that jolly way; instead they flick them at our table. Mama says they do it to clear the crumbs away, but it looks to me more like what you do to keep away pesky cats that have their eyes on the roast."

 
And so it goes, and Kully's narration of her European and later even American wanderings interspersed with quotes and letters from her father continue at a fast clip in the same funny, somewhat ironic style which shows the insecurities of the child that has no home and the despair of the exile grown-up artist and writers who paradoxically have only reputation to sustain them so they need to live expensively to maintain their credit, while scrambling to pay their latest bills and staying just ahead of the creditors on scarcer and shorter temporary visas.

No wonder that for most suicide became the only rational option - a little research about the book and the people hinted at during Kully's narration shows that clearly - and death is always accompanying Kully who for the most part makes a game about it. But not always as the following paragraph shows:

"Grown-ups were trying to tell me how it’s possible to go to heaven. I hate it when people have such a low opinion of children that they think they’ll believe anything they’re told. What person in their right mind would stay in the world with worries and strife if he could be in heaven instead, and it not even cost any money?

Nor do I believe that bad people go to hell. Bad people are much too canny to do bad things if they knew they would go to hell as a result."

Like EM Remarque's better known novels of exile, this novel had a visceral appeal to me and that trumped the occasional niggles - the narrative stalls here and there and Kully's voice seems a bit too "wise" on occasion.

Noting that the book was written in 1938, there clearly could not be any definite ending to it, but still as we turn the last pages we are left with the hope that somehow Kully and her family will find their safe "port", though we rationally know that their travails are only beginning as Hell is just getting unleashed in its full dimension across most Europe.

Highly, highly recommended.

 

Masterpiece of SF: "Brain Child" by George Turner (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

George Turner at Wikipedia

Order Brain Child Here

"David Chance, the unknowing offspring of a long-forgotten experiment that produced genetically engineered child geniuses, learns terrible secrets about his own conception and discovers the horrifying course that human history is taking."

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I find it hard to say how many times I have read Brain Child - I would guess that the recent April 2012 reread was my 7th or 8th, but possibly more, though it was the first after the 4 year intensive sff reading/reviewing here at FBC, so I was curious how the novel will stand versus more modern sff - and the book still stands tall so to speak deserving its place on my all time favorite list - place that also covers the rest of the retro-near-future Australia sequence of George Turner comprising The Destiny Makers, Drowning Towers, Genetic Soldier and the posthumous Down There in Darkness.

   

Brain Child takes place in a sort of retro-future Australia of the 2040's with climate change, overpopulation and no Internet, but the power of the narrative, the extraordinarily compelling style of the author, the superbly drawn characters and the twists and turns of the story spiced with a few nuggets of eternal wisdom (power corrupts, who do you trust to watch the watchers etc) make this a top-top sfnal novel.

The story seems straightforward - in 2002 the government created super-babies of which 3 (quadruplet and related in-between like sort of cousins) groups of two girls, two boys A, B, C survived; group A turned to be good at science and group B at art but outside a few social dysfunctions they were within normal human parameters and were released at 18, while now in the 2040's they are reclusive and working for the government in group A case and just reclusive in group B case.

David Chance, young upcoming journalist raised into an upscale orphanage - under the population laws extra children born without permits become charge of the state and are raised in orphanages and of course the rich people's "indiscretions" get better orphanages - gets summoned by Arthur Hazard (of group A, not to speak of the pun of the surnames plus the letter D in David) who declares that he is his father though not by intention as he was experimenting with sex when 18, a girl wanted to keep hold of him etc... 

So David did not get aborted as the girl concealed her pregnancy and he is the only known child of the groups, while now he has to undertake the mission he was raised for and subtly influenced from young age when his existence became known to Arthur and the government (so his education was subtly directed to turn him towards journalism etc). After a bit of recriminations and feeling upset, David is hooked on the mission and the adventure starts.

The mission? Well, remember group C; they were true posthumans, super-powerful, unknowable and the humans in charge got scared and kept them isolated, but at age 18 one of them, Conrad escaped to unknown hereabouts; returning a few months later he conferred with his group - nobody knows what about since once Conrad returned his group, which until them accepted the humans surveillance and later harsh interrogation up to torture, now isolated itself and accepted only one nurse as point of contact - and then they committed suicide - they just stopped living. However, Conrad tantalizingly mentioned a "legacy" to the nurse and only a few like Armstrong, the scummy politician that originated the project and who kept that nurse on his private payroll and the Hazards knew about that...

Said legacy may have to do with human immortality or at least control of DNA and genetics, while David is also nudged to find out what happened to Conrad in his months away and why group C committed suicide on return. Just awesome and with so many twists and turns and a "jaw breaking" denouement that is still powerful on the 8th reading or so.

All George Turner's books mentioned above in this sequence are superb, still relevant and highly readable though Brain Child is still the one that stayed with me the most.