Mass Market Paperback, 744 pages

English language

Published Sept. 1, 2008 by Orbit.

ISBN:
9780316008365
Goodreads:
3170225
2 stars (1 review)

The King of Ethrea is dying. His only surviving heir is the Princess Rhian. But if her enemies have their way, Ethrea will not be ruled by a woman.

Dexterity Jones is a toymaker. To protect Princess Rhian and his country, he must place his trust in an exile from Mijak. Yet, as Ethrea comes ever closer to civil war, a greater danger awaits.

Across the sea, an Empress has already slaughtered millions in the name of her god. And the war will not end -until the world kneels before her.

3 editions

Frustrating middle

2 stars

It reminds me of the truism that worldbuilding will never seem as interesting to the reader as it does to the writer who's invested too much into it. By the time the story has essentially resumed in the final third, the book is nearly over. And the cliffhanger—essentially a misunderstanding to be resolved early in the next—amounts to jangling keys. There is only so far good sentences can take a book. There's got to be a better theme on the other side.

Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Fantasy