tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post8125981881616807765..comments2024-03-17T14:31:21.769-04:00Comments on Fantasy Book Critic: "The Born Queen" by Greg KeyesRoberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-1129886612746433082018-06-27T02:55:16.089-04:002018-06-27T02:55:16.089-04:00The first fantasy book i ever read was The Waterbo...The first fantasy book i ever read was The Waterborn by J. Gregory Keyes. Because the cover looked cool. I loved it so much i got the sequel, The Blackgod, and i was blown away. It was the funnest thing i ever read. So i found out about the Briar King and reluctantly got a copy. Because the cover looked dumb. And the title was weird. But i started reading it. <br /><br />And i am so glad. I love this series. I'm a fantasy rookie but i think these books are awesome. The Born Queen was a tiny bit unsatisfying at the end, but up to that point the series was so fun for me to read, it was worth a second reading. And a third. <br /><br />The first time i read the series i didn't know that Virgenya Dare was taken from Earth by the Skasloi and her people thought they were actually in Virginia in the United States (the "new world") but they got abducted to Crotheny instead. The Roanoke colony. Pretty cool tho. The Skasloi abducting slaves from different universes. Even our own. I just think thats a really cool twist that's not actually in the books. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-85887011315843496722008-03-18T20:31:00.000-04:002008-03-18T20:31:00.000-04:00Aidan, well I'm very jealous that you got a copy o...Aidan, well I'm very jealous that you got a copy of "Last Argument of Kings" so I guess we're even :) I hope you enjoy the book!<BR/><BR/>Steve I think I'm going to have to go back and re-read "The Briar King" because while I enjoyed it, I didn't think it was the strongest in the series, but it seems like a lot of people disagree :)<BR/><BR/>Tracy, thanks for the comment. Greg does a lot of things right, all of which you mentioned including the worldbuilding, creating mythology, delivering stylish action and of course the character interactions :) Anyways, I'm glad you're liking the series so far and hope you'll enjoy the rest of it!<BR/><BR/>Andrew, once again you're welcome and I can't wait for the sequel! Also, happy to hear your a Greg Keyes fan :DRoberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-11469124239691873472008-03-18T02:31:00.000-04:002008-03-18T02:31:00.000-04:00Two things: 1. Thank you for the kind review of On...Two things: <BR/><BR/>1. Thank you for the kind review of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy its sequel, on which I should be working right now.<BR/><BR/>2. I was so happy to see you reviewing The Born Queen. I haven't enjoyed a fantasy series as much as this one in quite a while (especially the first book). I'm rooting for Greg Keyes.Andrew Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07823950866129276285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-62852255443387788652008-03-18T01:05:00.000-04:002008-03-18T01:05:00.000-04:00I read the Briar King last summer and it stuck wit...I read the Briar King last summer and it stuck with me, so I just picked up the Charnel Prince last week and started reading it. I agree Keyes has fun and flair and lots of action. I feel his cultures and worldbuilding have great depth and nuance, especially with the folklore elements. He's nothing groundbreaking, but he delivers a good story with good characters, so I'm on board so far with this seires. To compliment Keyes, he's very good at setting scenes and setting up conflict and romantic/sexual tensions between some of the characters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-19595101433270473032008-03-17T16:26:00.000-04:002008-03-17T16:26:00.000-04:00The Briar King is one of my favourite fantasy nove...The Briar King is one of my favourite fantasy novels of recent years. In particular, I loved the strong feel of history and myth. The next two books, to my great dissapointment, seemed to lose this and become much more standard fare (albeit still good fun). Hopefully the fourth book will pick up a bit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-27119941903517800662008-03-17T13:36:00.000-04:002008-03-17T13:36:00.000-04:00I'll admit that I'm intensely jealous of you, Robe...I'll admit that I'm intensely jealous of you, Robert.<BR/><BR/>I'm one of the biggest fans of this series and I'm glad to see it getting its due here on your blog.<BR/><BR/>Can't wait to get my own hands on a copy!<BR/><BR/>~Aidan<BR/><A HREF="http://www.aidanmoher.com/blog" REL="nofollow">A Dribble of Ink</A>Aidan Moherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680602160285884082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-5724527956004844362008-03-17T11:42:00.000-04:002008-03-17T11:42:00.000-04:00I don't think "The Born Queen" is the strongest of...I don't think "The Born Queen" is the strongest of the four--personally "The Charnel Prince" is my favorite--but as a whole, the book does a good job of closing out the series and I would recommend checking it out Mark :)<BR/><BR/>David, Graeme, I don't think you'll be disappointed and look forward to your thoughts on the book :DRoberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-14435826677151142752008-03-17T10:42:00.000-04:002008-03-17T10:42:00.000-04:00This is one of my (if not 'the') most anticipated ...This is one of my (if not 'the') most anticipated titles of 2008. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the first three books and cannot wait to get stuck into this one!<BR/>Glad you enjoyed it ;o)Graeme Floryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15411505049326440010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-14151846711657822252008-03-17T09:17:00.000-04:002008-03-17T09:17:00.000-04:00Good to hear. I'm looking forward to this one!Good to hear. I'm looking forward to this one!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-74537484755606624342008-03-17T04:26:00.000-04:002008-03-17T04:26:00.000-04:00I've really enjoyed the first couple of books in t...I've really enjoyed the first couple of books in this series. Yes, the characters aren't groundbreaking, but that's not what it's meant to be. It's a well-told story, fun and intelligent. It's difficult to carve out such fun and interesting characters. The Briar King was the strongest. I think for me the third book lost it's way a little. Much of the charm went. But I might have to check out the final one to see how he's finished it off...Mark Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04829431641572291176noreply@blogger.com