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Black Keep is a remote outpost of the country of Narida, a feudal country ruled by a class of dragon-riding knights. Black Keep is regularly raided by long ships from the Tjakorsha islands. So when the plague-decimated Black Keep is approached by 17 ships at once, several times the normal raiding force, the ruling family of dragon-knights think they're set to die in a futile defense of their home.
But the Brown Eagle clan haven't c ...more
Black Keep is a remote outpost of the country of Narida, a feudal country ruled by a class of dragon-riding knights. Black Keep is regularly raided by long ships from the Tjakorsha islands. So when the plague-decimated Black Keep is approached by 17 ships at once, several times the normal raiding force, the ruling family of dragon-knights think they're set to die in a futile defense of their home.
But the Brown Eagle clan haven't c ...more
The first book in The God-King Chronicles, and it’s a good one.
This is epic fantasy with a fresh feel, with much of the book dealing with the way two disparate cultural groups learn to trust each other. I loved Saana and Daimon and how they worked hard to become respectful allies, and even start down the path of actual friendship.
A fast paced start to what promises to be an intriguing trilogy.
This is epic fantasy with a fresh feel, with much of the book dealing with the way two disparate cultural groups learn to trust each other. I loved Saana and Daimon and how they worked hard to become respectful allies, and even start down the path of actual friendship.
A fast paced start to what promises to be an intriguing trilogy.
Epic Fantasy, dragons, a god-king, criminals, battles, thieves, rich and poor, feudal and tribal, straight, queer and everything else.
In terms of settings and society/cultures this is an interesting mix. We are somewhere in medieval times, reminiscent of the vikings raiding English shores. Not really, but based on names and early narrative it feels like that. A tribe of not-vikings/Icelanders are fleeing their home and want to settle on not-English-flatlands. The Flatlanders are understandably ...more
In terms of settings and society/cultures this is an interesting mix. We are somewhere in medieval times, reminiscent of the vikings raiding English shores. Not really, but based on names and early narrative it feels like that. A tribe of not-vikings/Icelanders are fleeing their home and want to settle on not-English-flatlands. The Flatlanders are understandably ...more
Bumping this up to 5 stars on reread.
4.5 stars.
A brilliant fantasy set in a world of kingdoms, raiders and dragons. The book’s opening has a brother and sister argue about heirs and ruling, and this argument alerted me to attitudes about gender and power that play out over the different storylines and characters in them. And made me laugh repeatedly.
This is a complex and smartly written story with many groups of people in conflict, as well as dragons, raised by people in Narida as war beasts.
With Raiders arriving on the coast, norm ...more
A brilliant fantasy set in a world of kingdoms, raiders and dragons. The book’s opening has a brother and sister argue about heirs and ruling, and this argument alerted me to attitudes about gender and power that play out over the different storylines and characters in them. And made me laugh repeatedly.
This is a complex and smartly written story with many groups of people in conflict, as well as dragons, raised by people in Narida as war beasts.
With Raiders arriving on the coast, norm ...more
Excellent book! Several parallel stories that come together nicely. Old tropes twisted around and well done plots that bring differences in language and traditions into a dialogue between traditional enemies. Looking forward to the sequel!
This book has been on my radar for a long time, and I finally got around to reading it. I'm so glad I did! I love when a fantasy combines great characters with an epic story.
When a group of raiders approaches remote Black Keep, the people living there feel doomed. However, the raiders came with the intent to settle, not to raid. The major part of this book focuses on how this works out, mostly from the point of view of the raider chief Saana Sattistutar and the knight-leader of Black Keep, Daimo ...more
When a group of raiders approaches remote Black Keep, the people living there feel doomed. However, the raiders came with the intent to settle, not to raid. The major part of this book focuses on how this works out, mostly from the point of view of the raider chief Saana Sattistutar and the knight-leader of Black Keep, Daimo ...more
A wonderful and fresh-feeling high fantasy story about a small town that finds itself at the confluence of several tensions in the lands around them, driven by former raiders trying to make a home there and the lord's son who betrays his father to keep his people safe.
I loved the gender and sexuality worldbuilding, I haven't seen much of that before and it worked so well. It only added to the already compelling themes of immigration, refuge, and culture shock.
I was less interested in the Splinte ...more
I loved the gender and sexuality worldbuilding, I haven't seen much of that before and it worked so well. It only added to the already compelling themes of immigration, refuge, and culture shock.
I was less interested in the Splinte ...more
Such a great read!
Feb 17, 2021
Gali
marked it as to-read
Aug 19, 2021
Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller
marked it as to-read
Shelves:
want-to-read-actual
Jan 09, 2022
DivaDiane SM
marked it as to-read
Apr 12, 2022
Leticia
marked it as to-read
Dec 21, 2023
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
