![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jmc_bksI finished King on Tuesday, and have been thinking about my review ever since, resisting the urge to gush. I may not be able to help myself. It's at the top of my list of the best books I've read this year, and the series may end up on my list of Books to Grab on the Way Out of a Burning House. The other problem with writing a review is how to explain what I loved about the book without spoiling the story and giving away the twists and turns that make the story.
The King of Attolia the third book of Turner's series about Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis. Although King is well-written enough to stand alone, you really should read The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, which I reviewed here and here, in order to appreciate what occurs in this third book.
The book opens on the night of the wedding between Attolia and Eugenides, and the brief first chapter does an excellent job of revealing the opinions of the the people of Attolia toward this marriage. The Queen's Guard is disgusted, the court attendants despise the new king, the master of spies fears that his queen will be giving power to someone who doesn't know how to wield it, and the barons are circling like sharks, planning on getting in with the king and manipulating him for their benefit, being the man behind the throne so to speak.
Attolia (the queen) is tired. She has struggled to keep the throne among her power hungry barons. Now that she is married, she wants (and the country needs) the king to step up. That's not to say that she couldn't continue to rule, but she needs an equal, someone whom other rulers will look upon with respect. As an unmarried queen without an heir, her position was always precarious. Having a king will only strengthen Attolia if he is a king who is able command respect and handle the affairs of the country. But is Eugenides that man? Can he become that man? Or will he be a puppet of the barons?
Eugenides is a fascinating character. As I read King, I kept thinking of Kyprioth, the trickster god in Tamora Peirce's books, and Miles Vorkosigan. Gen is not like either character physically, but in the way they manipulate people, working in the dark, distracting subjects and underlings using sleight of hand and misdirection. In one Vorkosigan book, a character calls Miles's mental processes "twisty", which describes Gen perfectly. As Thief of Eddis, he was a man-boy of some fame and power, although he operated mostly in secret. There's a passage in The Queen of Attolia that explains Gen's ambivalence about being king perfectly:
Most of the book is told in third person POV, with the narrator looking over the shoulder of Costis, a young squad leader, for the most part, although there are a few other characters who are followed to a much lesser extent. Costis, hearing the king twit Teleus, Captain of the Queen's Guard, about the poor job they did of protecting the queen earlier, hits the king and believes his life is forfeit. Eugenides saves him from the queen's wrath, and has Costis added to his retinue. Why? Costis believes it is because Eugenides has no control over anything, and wants at least to have someone he can control.
The POV/narration gives Turner the opportunity to share important pieces of information about things going on in Eddis and with other people in Attolia. But since the narrator is not omniscient, it leaves room for the twists and turns of the story.
Through out the book, I kept wanting to shake the Attolians. They seemed to have forgotten that this young king they despised had been the Thief of Eddis who stole Hiamathes's Gift, stole the magus of Sounis, stole the queen from her castle. Do they think his brains disappeared when he became king? But that's the whole point of the book -- making the people of Attolia see him as king, making Gen willing to be king.
To be fair to the Attolians, Gen carries himself in an unkingly way intentionally. He sleeps through council meetings, he slouches in the throne, he deports himself no better than a printer's apprentice, as Costis observes. In fact, Costis asks more than once, why can't the king behave with any dignity? Costis's realization of who/what Gen is doesn't come until more than half way through the book:
Will Eugenides be able to earn the respect of the barons and control his court? Will he be able to become a true king? Well, since the book isn't a tragedy, you can probably guess that he will be able to, but getting to that point in The King of Attolia is a fascinating journey.
The series could end here, with Eugenides becoming the king that Attolia needs, but I hope that Turner will continue, so readers can see what will happen next with the Mede threat advancing toward Attolia, Eddis and Sounis.
Random thought that I couldn't figure out where else to put: The naming convention interested me. The country is Attolia, the largest city Attolia, the queen called Attolia. Her name is Irene, and the use of that name in one part is deliberate, I think, because it drives home to Costis, the young soldier, that although she is queen, she is a person, too. Gen is called by his name or the king for most of the book. His proper address would be Attolis, but only the queen ever calls him that, when she is trying to get him to be the King, rather than the fool that everyone believes him to be.
Book flap summary and passages from King and Queen quoted under Fair Use.
The King of Attolia the third book of Turner's series about Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis. Although King is well-written enough to stand alone, you really should read The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, which I reviewed here and here, in order to appreciate what occurs in this third book.
By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia's barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court.
When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of the political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot es cape the difficulties hemakes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate.
The book opens on the night of the wedding between Attolia and Eugenides, and the brief first chapter does an excellent job of revealing the opinions of the the people of Attolia toward this marriage. The Queen's Guard is disgusted, the court attendants despise the new king, the master of spies fears that his queen will be giving power to someone who doesn't know how to wield it, and the barons are circling like sharks, planning on getting in with the king and manipulating him for their benefit, being the man behind the throne so to speak.
Attolia (the queen) is tired. She has struggled to keep the throne among her power hungry barons. Now that she is married, she wants (and the country needs) the king to step up. That's not to say that she couldn't continue to rule, but she needs an equal, someone whom other rulers will look upon with respect. As an unmarried queen without an heir, her position was always precarious. Having a king will only strengthen Attolia if he is a king who is able command respect and handle the affairs of the country. But is Eugenides that man? Can he become that man? Or will he be a puppet of the barons?
Eugenides is a fascinating character. As I read King, I kept thinking of Kyprioth, the trickster god in Tamora Peirce's books, and Miles Vorkosigan. Gen is not like either character physically, but in the way they manipulate people, working in the dark, distracting subjects and underlings using sleight of hand and misdirection. In one Vorkosigan book, a character calls Miles's mental processes "twisty", which describes Gen perfectly. As Thief of Eddis, he was a man-boy of some fame and power, although he operated mostly in secret. There's a passage in The Queen of Attolia that explains Gen's ambivalence about being king perfectly:
"I think," he said slowly. "I think I didn't think all this out."
"Marrying her, you mean?" Eddis sat down next to him, concerned.
"Nooo," he said, and he looked over at her. In his eyes Eddis saw a hint of something she couldn't remember having seen there before. Panic.
"I didn't think about being king," he said, his voice hoarse, either from worry or from the bruises around his neck.
Eddis stared. "Your capacity to land yourself in a mess because you didn't think first, Eugenides, will never cease to amaze me. What do you mean you didn't think about being king? Is Attolia going to marry you and move into my library?"
"No," said Eugenides, looking sullenly at his feet. "I knew that I had to be king. I just didn't think about it."
"All those clothes," Eddis remarked thoughtfully. "Ceremonies. Duties. Obligations."
"People staring at me," Eugenides said, "all the time."
Most of the book is told in third person POV, with the narrator looking over the shoulder of Costis, a young squad leader, for the most part, although there are a few other characters who are followed to a much lesser extent. Costis, hearing the king twit Teleus, Captain of the Queen's Guard, about the poor job they did of protecting the queen earlier, hits the king and believes his life is forfeit. Eugenides saves him from the queen's wrath, and has Costis added to his retinue. Why? Costis believes it is because Eugenides has no control over anything, and wants at least to have someone he can control.
The POV/narration gives Turner the opportunity to share important pieces of information about things going on in Eddis and with other people in Attolia. But since the narrator is not omniscient, it leaves room for the twists and turns of the story.
Through out the book, I kept wanting to shake the Attolians. They seemed to have forgotten that this young king they despised had been the Thief of Eddis who stole Hiamathes's Gift, stole the magus of Sounis, stole the queen from her castle. Do they think his brains disappeared when he became king? But that's the whole point of the book -- making the people of Attolia see him as king, making Gen willing to be king.
To be fair to the Attolians, Gen carries himself in an unkingly way intentionally. He sleeps through council meetings, he slouches in the throne, he deports himself no better than a printer's apprentice, as Costis observes. In fact, Costis asks more than once, why can't the king behave with any dignity? Costis's realization of who/what Gen is doesn't come until more than half way through the book:
. . . Costis realized that what he had taken for the roughness of sleep was the king's accent. While half asleep, he had spoken with an Eddisian accent, which was only to be expected, but Costis had never heard it before, nor had anyone he knew. Awake, the king sounded like an Attolian. It made Costis wonder what else the king could hide so well that no one even thought to look for it.
Will Eugenides be able to earn the respect of the barons and control his court? Will he be able to become a true king? Well, since the book isn't a tragedy, you can probably guess that he will be able to, but getting to that point in The King of Attolia is a fascinating journey.
The series could end here, with Eugenides becoming the king that Attolia needs, but I hope that Turner will continue, so readers can see what will happen next with the Mede threat advancing toward Attolia, Eddis and Sounis.
Random thought that I couldn't figure out where else to put: The naming convention interested me. The country is Attolia, the largest city Attolia, the queen called Attolia. Her name is Irene, and the use of that name in one part is deliberate, I think, because it drives home to Costis, the young soldier, that although she is queen, she is a person, too. Gen is called by his name or the king for most of the book. His proper address would be Attolis, but only the queen ever calls him that, when she is trying to get him to be the King, rather than the fool that everyone believes him to be.
Book flap summary and passages from King and Queen quoted under Fair Use.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-30 05:31 pm (UTC)Btw, MWT mentioned that she is an admirer of Lois McMaster Bujold's works.
Cross over appeal?
Date: 2006-04-30 07:27 pm (UTC)Having said that, there are a lot of romance readers who don't require strict adherence to those two requirements, and to whom the Attolia books would appeal (like me :). Romance readers who also read fantasy and science fiction are a likely audience, too, I think.
Re: Cross over appeal?
Date: 2006-04-30 08:07 pm (UTC)http://tinyurl.com/fp7p2
I bring it to your attention because I believe the moderator is going to be deleting the thread soon at MWT's request.
(My apologies, if this response should somehow appear twice).
Re: Cross over appeal?
Date: 2006-05-01 11:36 am (UTC)jmc
no subject
Date: 2007-03-14 05:39 am (UTC)I'm curious, though. DOesn't Costis refer to Eugenides as Attolis when he is running to try and "save" him in the garden?
no subject
Date: 2007-03-14 11:39 am (UTC)Thank you!
I don't remember what Costis said (or screamed?) as he rushed toward the garden to save Eugenides. I'll have to pull the book from the shelf this evening and check. Any excuse to re-read....
~jmc