The Crown of the Blood, The Crown of the Conqueror, and The Crown of the Usurper.
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- In the same series!
- A Message from SFBook.
- A Lesson in Friendship (Lesson Series Book 4).
- See a Problem?.
- Father of Dragons (Binding of the Blade).
- Scandinavian Cooking?
- Vivre (French Edition).
It's quite interesting enough on its own, for my money -- in the midst of everything Crown of the Blood poses some tough questions about loyalty and duty and trust -- so that at times I caught myself rolling my eyes at the fantastical elements that did crop up, though I see why they were there: If you like detailed examinations of military strategy and tactics admittedly executed over imaginary terrain or accounts of life in a Roman legion or depictions of a society that really does have a problem of too many wives for too few husbands Askhorian legions euthanize soldiers who are too wounded to keep marching, so the numbers of eligible men back home must indeed be small; didn't I tell you that this version of Rome is WAY more brutal?
That's not what I look for as a rule, but I'm happy when I find it.
The Crown of the Blood
And that's another sequel I have lined up for next year. Jul 09, Darrin Drader rated it really liked it. I love the setting for this book. I love the fact that Thorpe credits Alexander, Phillip, and Julius as the inspiration for the book for those not in the know, it's Alexander the Great, Phillip II Alexander's father , and Julius Caesar, the three great conquerors of the ancient world.
I'm glad that he chose to set this in an age of lifelike statues, marble pillars, and bronze rather than the traditional medieval European based setting. I think medieval Europe is over-represented in fantasy wh I love the setting for this book. I think medieval Europe is over-represented in fantasy while Greece and Rome are grossly under-represented My own book, Echoes of Olympus, will be an alternate history Classical Greece that draws from mythology, as well as traditional fantasy for inspiration.
I found most of the characters interesting and compelling, though I must admit that at least one of the point-of-view characters that received a lot of attention bored me to death and didn't really do much to advance the plot. That's the main reason that I give this four stars instead of five. I feel that the space could have been better used in many cases. One of the things I really like is that it strives to make the characters as real as possible, flawed, and not always likable. In fact, I found that there were highly admirable traits that our main character Ullsard had, while there were other traits that made it clear that we weren't supposed to love this guy.
He isn't an anti-hero, he isn't a political mastermind The only other thing I'd have done differently is to have a little more adventure leading up to the big climax. Given the fact that there's a good amount of content after the conclusion of the book, the final chapter really snuck up on me, and was much shorter than expected. I can think of some additional scenes that could have strengthened it toward the end.
That said, it is interesting and I will read the second one in the series, and I do recommend it for others.
Aug 01, Joshua rated it really liked it. This book made me feel nostalgic for my history obsessed high school days. The author clearly derives a lot of his ideas from Alexander the Great, and the Roman emperors. He says as much in the beginning of the book. The book is well written, though at times it seemed to jump unexpectedly. For example they are going to take a wall I had a hard time getting used to the names, but by the end of the book i got used to them.
All in all, if you ever enjoyed reading a This book made me feel nostalgic for my history obsessed high school days. All in all, if you ever enjoyed reading a book about Alexander the Great crushing Persia, or Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon then this book is for you. Apr 08, Abhinav rated it it was amazing Shelves: You can find the full review over at my blog: Its just not something that clicks immediately or something that you even consider on a conscious level.
I had that reaction when I found out that James Swallow had written in Star Trek and Stargate universes two of my favourites it goes without saying , that Graham McNeill had written for StarCraft I, Mengsk is a fantastic novel , that Dan Abnett wrote a fair amount of comics for various publishers. So I eventually picked up Crown of The Blood, and when I started to read it, I went in expecting to be… surprised, shall we say. Crown of The Blood will surprise you for sure and then some. It is not traditional fantasy because the narrative does not take place in a pseudo-medieval European world, a setting that is extremely common, as common as the barbarian societies popularised by Michael Moorcock and Robert E.
That in itself is a big draw of the novel for me, and also one of its biggest charms. So reading Crown of The Blood was a great, fantastic experience. The inspiration and influence is very much there and the world-building that it entails and effects was just the type of varied reading I wanted to do this year. Ullsaard, the protagonist, is also a great character. The narrative is focused on Ullsaard coming to terms with the realisation that he has ambitions, ambitions that will take him to the very throne of the Greater Askhos Empire, and shows how he takes his first steps into the world of politics and treachery.
Start to finish I had no problem in rooting for the guy because Gav portrays him so well and gives us ample reason to like himin the first place. Unlike Ullsaard, who is not of Askhan birth, he is a full-blooded Askhan and this adds a really nice dimension to their friendship and their relationship. Generally, I liked Noran, but I think he could have been slightly better since he is portrayed as somewhat too indecisive later on in the novel.
It made for a bit of an odd reading but in the main, as a proper Askhan noble, Noran is pulled off nicely. Jan 28, Christian Freed rated it liked it. As I said, this was a difficult book for me to get into. I think it was the odd names. They felt more from a time of Conan than a magical version of the Roman Empire. Aside from that, the action was well played out and the backstabbing politics was reminiscent of real events.
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Now I only need to find the next book and I should be good. Mar 22, Nathan rated it liked it Shelves: The whole punk thing should have probably stopped after cyber and steam though to be honest, I have also used bio-punk to describe something , but really in this case it works. Stupid stupid stupid, come on man do you expect everyone to get on Goodreads, scroll down, and find the review that coined the term? So ok, Ullsaard is a general for Greater Askhor Rome , a land ruled by a two hundred year old book that laid out the path for the entire empire to take.
When he is called home he intends to make his case to the king and instead gets caught up in politics of succession. Things go south and the real plot begins; armies go on the march, deals are made, providences are conquered. I was digging the first half of the book. I liked the faux-Roman feel. Ullsaard was interesting and not a prototypical hero. He was mostly likable, but not always; a hothead and a complete idiot in some areas. His entanglement into the political web should have been completely avoidable but he was so damn sure of himself that he walked right into trouble.
In short he felt like a realistic general who learned real fast what the Peter Principle is. The Empire itself was probably the highlight, following a specific path set up by a hero of fairly recent memory, enforced by a mysterious organization. The Brotherhood had a boring name, but was one of the better and more interesting examples of a mysterious organization I have found. They have a hidden side that is only explored a little in this first book; their more visible front provides the backbone of the clerical side of the empire.
Then his son joins up and provides the political smarts he was missing. And suddenly the second half goes, if not quite all bad, certainly in the wrong direction. Worst of all, everything moves way to fast. Ullsaard is able to take a single large city, next thing we know he is the biggest force around. There was no build up and everything was too easy. Fairly action packed and kinda stands on its own, but a decent ending sets up the rest of the series.
The mystical portions of the world were largely in the background, but obviously a part of the world. The ending made clear that they would be much more prevalent in the next book, which is good news because it means more of The Brotherhood.
The Crown of the Blood – Angry Robot
Not as good as I hoped it would be, or even thought it would be after the strong beginning. And as always when a carnivorous service animal is used by an army large felines as mounts this time , I wonder how the hell they feed them while on the march. But I enjoyed the book more than I disliked it, and since I already have the second one on my shelf I will give it a try in the near future. My copy of the book was received from the publisher. Dec 07, David Ledeboer rated it it was amazing. The setting for Crown of the Blood is my forte; I love this genre of epic fantasy: So for me this beginning was a tad slow.
It also takes a moment to gather in all of the characters and keep track of them and there is a ton of interesting individuals of all varying races and backgrounds. I enjoyed the mindset of Ullsaard, the ideals by which he rules, and how each of his three wives serves completely different purposes to him; it was a very foreign concept for my thought process to comprehend but very Askhan. Thorpe writes the majority of the novel from the view point of Ullsaard as he commands his vast legions across the hot and cold lands, orchestrating his masterful plans of conquest.
The grasp Thorpe has on this world is mindboggling, especially considering the enormity of everything that is encompassed story-wise within The Crown of the Blood. I was surprised at some of the depths to which he actually sunk and how quickly Ullsaard rid himself of a few of those around him I thought were potentially key players. Some of the graphic scenes with The Brotherhood left me with chills and I definitely want to see more of them in the next installment in the trilogy along with the inhuman Nemurians.
The final dual between Ullsaard and an unnamed individual is most assuredly my favorite along with the closing scene of the book. Aug 08, D. But wanted to remember how horrible this has been. I have fallen asleep after a few paragraphs more in this book than any I own. And I own and read a lot This is a sleeper. Characters that do not matter. Fantasy constructs hat do not matter.
Every person on stage has to be described with traits as soon as they arrive showing the author has not perfected how to write. But my first observation, in the morning after rested, in the afternoon, after working, at night when I want Full review coming. All had fallen before him. Now he longs for home. Narrated in third person with several POV's noted below, "The Crown of the Blood" is a trilogy debut that stands very well on its own though of course the story is to be continued. The legions and style of fighting resemble the Roman armies, but the Greater Askhos Empire 's provinces resemble oriental satrapies rather than Roman provinces as do customs like a special brand of polygamy - the high nobles marry all the sisters from another noble family, custom that is quite important in the structure of the novel.
The way the imperial power is structured resembles also the middle-Eastern experience as are the naming conventions. The main character is Ullsaard , a General of the Greater Askhos Empire who raised himself from the provincial ranks with the patronage of General Cosuas his current co-commander of the legions sent to subdue a desert people and of Aalun , younger son of the old king Lutaar. Aalun is more or less in charge of the empire nowadays at least as an executive leader with Lutaar taking only crucial strategic decisions; the thorny issue is that since its founding years ago by the legendary Askhos, the Empire's Crown of Blood - which may be linked to magic - has always passed to the oldest son, and the current elder prince is very sick, while his son who works as a staff officer for Ullsaard is both inexperienced and not really cut to be a leader.
Alluan sends Noran - a high noble of Askhos origin, friend of Ullsaard and "court herald" - to recall Ullsaard for "consultations"; Ullsaard has three sister wives which are quite different - beautiful, scheming, smart- and three grown sons, one from each: Minimal and descriptive is the method employed here and it works very well, a process that also seems very natural, the fantastic almost taken for granted.
This matter of fact style gives the book a more realistic edge than much high fantasy fare and you don't get diverted for a few chapters of waffling back story which gives more space for the characterisation, plot development and big, fierce, meaty battles ooh yes! Although set in this high fantasy world, the actual characterisation is both gritty and realistic, there are no real heroes and villains, just different personalities, each believing their cause is just. Neither does the author attempt to pass moral judgement on the characters, instead this is left entirely to the reader.
The Central protagonist is clearly no angel, but who could be when you job is to lead a bunch of war hungry warriors in constant search of their next battle and join in with the bloodthirsty fighting?. Although in a high position as a General, able to reside within the palace and have audience with the royal family, Ullsaard is always struggling to overcome his lowly birthright, only one of the descendants of Ashkor can have any real power and Ullsaard is forever hitting this glass ceiling.
Not being one of "the blood" makes his success all the more remarkable - 3 wives and 3 sons, a home in the palace and a considerable estate is a clear testiment to his battlefield abilities and tactical skills. Being outside of the circle of nobility has given Ullsaard a kind of Napoleonic Complex and his drive and ambition are unrelenting.