Items related to The Briar King
552 pages. Book appears to have hardly been read and is in Fine condition throughout. In The Kingdom Of Crtheny,two Young Girls Are Playing In The Tangled Gardens Of Thr Sacred City Of The Dead When They Stumble Upon An Unknown Crypt....
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
The Briar King opens Greg Keyes' four-volume fantasy sequence "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone". Besides being highly readable, the novel offers an intriguingly tangled plot and back-story that rises well above the black-and-white simplicities of commercial fantasy.
Review:
A prelude of magical battle and hard-won victory over hated slave masters strikes a note of doom as it's suggested that the coming Golden Age is already poisoned by misuse of magic at its founding. Next, a much later historian's note records that "In the year 2,223 E, the age of Everon came to an abrupt and terrible end." This is the year in which the main narrative begins.
It's a time of late-medieval kingdoms, with credible political tension and devious diplomacy. In the kingdom of Crotheny, something is very wrong in the royal forest--signalled by the forest warden's sighting of a "greffyn". Both like and unlike the griffin of myth, this creature's mere presence poisons streams with a deadly contamination that lingers and can be passed on by touch.
Something is rotten in the Church, too, where a gifted novice monk finds himself translating ancient, unspeakable texts that should have been left in decent obscurity. Other kinds of wrongness fester at court, with shifting tensions among the mostly likeable members of a dysfunctional royal family, increasing political pressure from outside and genuinely shocking treason within. When a knight of the Queen's most trusted personal guard abruptly tries to kill her, there seems to be no safety anywhere. Not even in the well-defended "coven" or convent to which the youngest, most wilful princess is despatched to be trained as an assassin-nun.
As a variety of neatly-drawn characters pursue personal feuds, vendettas, love affairs, comic pratfalls, escape plans and paths to advancement, there are repeated hints that the land itself--defiled by sinister rituals of desecration--is dying. The greffyn and the appalling Briar King of prophecy seem to be symptoms rather than the real disease.
The Briar King is a strong start to what promises to be a gripping fantasy sequence. --David Langford
"A wonderful tale . . . It crackles with suspense and excitement from start to finish."--TERRY BROOKS "STARTS OFF WITH A BANG, spinning a snare of terse imagery and compelling characters that grips tightly and never lets up. . . .A graceful, artful tale from a master storyteller."--ELIZABETH HAYDON Bestselling author of "Prophecy: Child of Earth ""THE CHARACTERS IN "THE BRIAR KING" ABSOLUTELY BRIM WITH LIFE. . . . Keyes hooked me from the first page and I'll now be eagerly anticipating sitting down with each future volume of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series."--CHARLES DELINT Award-winning author of "Forests of the Heart "and "The Onion Girl ""A THRILL RIDE TO THE END, WITH PLENTY OF TREACHERY, REVELATION, AND EVEN A FEW BOMBSHELL SURPRISES."--"Monroe News-Star "(LA)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherTor
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 1405033525
- ISBN 13 9781405033527
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages560
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Briar King
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Damaged cover. The cover of is slightly damaged for instance a torn or bent corner. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Seller Inventory # CHL9455315
Buy Used
£ 2.88
Convert currency
Seller Image
The briar king - Greg Keyes
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Used: Good. Occasion - Bon Etat - Pliure - The briar king (2003) - Poche. Seller Inventory # 2222211
Buy Used
£ 12.10
Convert currency
Stock Image
THE BRIAR KING (Book One of the Kingdoms of Thorn and bone)
Published by
Tor, London
(2003)
ISBN 10: 1405033525
ISBN 13: 9781405033527
Used
Soft cover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Seller Inventory # 015372
Buy Used
£ 6.47
Convert currency
The Briar King - Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Series #1
Published by
Macmillan, Australia
(2003)
ISBN 10: 1405033525
ISBN 13: 9781405033527
Used
Trade Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Trade Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Trade Paperback. 552 pages. *** PUBLISHING DETAILS: Macmillan, Australia, 2003. *** CONDITION: This book is in very good condition. More specifically: Covers have light creasing. Spine has minimal reading creases. . Pages are reasonably tanned. *** ABOUT THIS BOOK: In the kingdom of Crotheny, two young girls play in the tangled gardens of the sacred city of the dead. Fleeing an imaginary attacker, the girls-one of whom is the reckless young daughter of the king-discover the unknown crypt of the legendary, ancestral queen, Virgenya Dare. In the wilds of the forest, while investigating the slaughter of an innocent family, king's holter Aspar White weaves his way through a maze of ancient willows-and comes face-to-face with a monstrous beast found only in folk tales and nightmares. Meanwhile, traveling the same road, a scholarly young priest begins an education in the nature of evil, found festering just beneath the surface of the seemingly peaceful land. The royal family itself comes under siege, facing betrayal that only sorcery could accomplish. Now-for three beautiful sisters, for a young man made suddenly into a knight, and for a woman in love with a roguish adventurer-a rising darkness appears, shattering what was once certain, familiar, and good. These destinies and more will be linked when malevolent forces walk the land. For Crotheny, the most powerful nation in the world, is shaken at its core. And the Briar King, harbinger of death, has awakened from his slumber. Imbuing his tale with richness, pathos, action, and passion, Greg Keyes begins an amazing new epic that takes fantasy fiction to a new level. At the heart of the story, Keyes has placed a remarkable young woman, Anne Dare, the youngest daughter of a royal family . . . and the one person upon whom the fate of this world may depend. *** Quantity Available: 1. Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy; ISBN: 1405033525. ISBN/EAN: 9781405033527. Inventory No: 22070087. Seller Inventory # 22070087
Buy Used
£ 9.97
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Briar King
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Book One of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone It has been two thousand years since the Born Queen defeated the last of the Skasloi lords. In doing so she freed the race of humans - once taken from their distant homes and forced to wear the bitter yoke of slavery. Thus begins an epic tale of war and virtue, sorcery and betrayal. . . In the kingdom of Crotheny, two young girls are playing in the tangled gardens of the sacred city of the dead when they stumble upon the unknown crypt of a legendary, ancestral queen. In the wilds of the forest, while investigating the slaughter of an innocent family, the king's holter, Aspar White, weaves his way through a maze of ancient willows - and comes face-to-face with a monstrous beast out of folk tales and nightmares. Meanwhile, travelling the same road, a scholarly young priest begins his education in the nature of an evil festering just beneath the surface of a seemingly peaceful land. The royal family itself is in peril, facing a betrayal that only sorcery could accomplish. Now - for three beautiful sisters, for a young man suddenly elevated to knighthood, for a reckless woman in love with a roguish adventurer - a dark malevolence emerges to shatter what once seemed familiar and good. For the Briar King, harbinger of death, has finally awakened from his slumber. Richly imbued with thrilling action and passion, here is an amazing adventure epic that carries fantasy to a new level. 2003. A trade paperback copy in very good condition. Seller Inventory # 16482512
Buy Used
£ 5.39
Convert currency
Seller Image
The Briar King: Book One of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone
Published by
Pan Macmillan Books, London
(2003)
ISBN 10: 1405033525
ISBN 13: 9781405033527
Used
Softcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Softcover. Condition: Fine. First Edition. First impression. Size: Octavo 8vo (standard book size). 553 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. No foxing in this copy. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. This BOOK IS IN STOCK and READY TO MAIL NOW. Your book when ordered will be securely packed and promptly dispatched by Great Southern Books. Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land, and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The king's woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber. At the heart of this many-layered tale is Anne Dare, youngest daughter of the royal family - upon whom the fate of her world may depend. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy; ISBN: 1405033525. ISBN/EAN: 9781405033527. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 3916. Seller Inventory # 3916
Buy Used
£ 6.44
Convert currency