Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: The King of the Crags

By Sandy Amazeen Feb 21, 2011, 16:01 GMT

Prince Jehal has murdered, poisioned and betrayed his way to the top. There is a new speaker for the realms, his opposition has been crushed, now he just has to enjoy the fruits of power. And yet ...He feels more for the wife he married for power than perhaps he should and his lover knows it. And out in the realms those loyal to the old regime are still plotting. ...more

Picking up the story shortly after The Adamantine Palace leaves off, this dark fantasy finds Prince Jehal’s plans falling neatly into place with one minor exception; he has been unable to locate Snow, the missing white dragon. The dragons, long kept under human control through the use of drugs and abusive discipline are about to be reawakened if Snow can reach them mentally. As Prince Jehal and Queen Zafir, now the new Speaker, begin turning on each other, Queen Shezira is on trial for an act of treason she didn’t commit while her daughter is married to the prince. Meanwhile, the exiled Princess Jaslyn and dragonmaster Hyrkallen plan an uprising aimed at toppling the current regime while rumors of a prophesy fulfilled begins sweeping the land.

This dark fantasy is filled to the brim with murder, revenge, double-dealings, politics and power grabs. The characters and battles are smoother then The Adamantine Palace though there is a tendency to get too detailed with the numerous machinations. The addition of a prophesy adds an additional layer to the complex story that promises an even stronger conclusion in the final book of the trilogy.