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The Baker's Boy (Book of Words #1)
by
J.V. Jones
The first novel in a brilliantly crafted trilogy. As the King of the Four Kingdoms lays dying, traitorous conspirators prepare a political marriage to ensure their control of the crown. But the young Melliandra refuses to betroth a sinister Prince and flees the castle in the company of a miracle-working kitchen apprentice.
Paperback, 528 pages
Published
June 1st 1995
by Aspect
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Apr 22, 2012
Chris
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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series-that-i-bailed-on
What we have here is an orphan boy raised as a servant for the noble folk of Midkemia err, the Six Duchies no, that's not it. Oh yes, the Four Kingdoms. Well, Pug soon finds out. Wait, no. Fitz soon learns that he's a...Dammit. Sorry. Ahem. Jack soon learns that he has an incredible power and he may be destined for shit that isn't baking bread.
Then we have Melli, the pampered noble princess that wants to be more. That is, she wants to have her very own personality. She doesn't want to marry the...more
Then we have Melli, the pampered noble princess that wants to be more. That is, she wants to have her very own personality. She doesn't want to marry the...more
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I went into this knowing that it was the first book in a trilogy, and that it would be mostly setup for the other two books in the series. I went into this knowing that it was very standard, crunchy granola fantasy. A coming of age story with a pretty girl met by chance on the road, stereotypical villains, a coming of age type quest, stuff like that. But... Come on. Nothing happened in this book! And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. Nothing was resolved...more
I went into this knowing that it was the first book in a trilogy, and that it would be mostly setup for the other two books in the series. I went into this knowing that it was very standard, crunchy granola fantasy. A coming of age story with a pretty girl met by chance on the road, stereotypical villains, a coming of age type quest, stuff like that. But... Come on. Nothing happened in this book! And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. Nothing was resolved...more
5 likes · like · see review
I noted a lot of people were "less than found of this series" I like it. Somewhat thought provoking considering it isn't really unusual fantasy fare. Good story, likable hero, other characters who are less so... try it yourself.
Jack a "lowly baker's boy" finds himself in the center of plots, danger and intrigue. You'll see some characters who look a bit familiar here (I really don't care for the word "trope")I think as you follow Jack and Melliandra aka Melli (a strong willed rebellious young wo...more
Jack a "lowly baker's boy" finds himself in the center of plots, danger and intrigue. You'll see some characters who look a bit familiar here (I really don't care for the word "trope")I think as you follow Jack and Melliandra aka Melli (a strong willed rebellious young wo...more
3 likes · like · see review
The Baker's Boy is determined in a growing, pseudo-medieval scene, in which Jack becomes aware that he has some type of magical strength, making him the adversary of the king's wicked wizard. Jack gets mixed up around a prediction right after he goes out accompanied by a noblewoman's little girl, whilst at the exact same time, a soldier is attempting to save himself for permitting his loved ones to pass away. In this saga, their pathways cross.
This book established an interesting dream world, w...more
This book established an interesting dream world, w...more
Unexpectedly good.
A review I read previously on another one of J.V. Jones' works mentioned it was boring and flat, so it was more an accident than anything that I ended up picking this book on my last trip to the library. And I'm glad, because this was rather a pleasant surprise.
Rather than flat, I found the characters quite interesting, with their own personalities, character traits and issues to deal with. Jones is obviously better at developing her villains; I found Baralis and Maybor (his be...more
A review I read previously on another one of J.V. Jones' works mentioned it was boring and flat, so it was more an accident than anything that I ended up picking this book on my last trip to the library. And I'm glad, because this was rather a pleasant surprise.
Rather than flat, I found the characters quite interesting, with their own personalities, character traits and issues to deal with. Jones is obviously better at developing her villains; I found Baralis and Maybor (his be...more
Maybe Robin Hobb has spoiled some tales for me. She's done them so well that when others try, all I can do is compare the writing, the characters, the world, the plot, and find them all wanting because they are never as well done as they are in her books. I found this a bit...empty of feeling. A bit...predictable. Baralis is a horrid creature, as you see soon into this book. Jack is clumsy and thoughtless, and there were times I wished someone would shake some sense into him, but soon realized n...more
I bought this book blindly, but was pleasantly surprised. I finished the entire trilogy in less than a month. It is a dark fantasy about with a large cast of token characters, including the fleeing princess, the boy who is unaware of his true power, the corrupt religious leader,the disgraced paladin, the annoying juvenile pickpocket, the evil throne-usurping sorcerer and many more. Each of whom are well meshed out and uniquely flavored by Jone's pen.
It would be tempting to dismiss this one as formula fantasy. Just the title itself alludes to the notion that this is going to be one of those "assistant pig keeper" types. You know, the type of fantasy novel that we've all read where an unknown orphan boy turns out to be the world's greatest sorcerer or heir to the kingdom...or both. And I will admit that this first novel by J.V. Jones has some of those tendencies. There is a young orphaned lad who works in the bakery and there is definitely so...more
Very different from her Sword of Shadows books, this world is populated by villains and innocents. She avoids complex characters, right up until the end of the book. The simplicity is sometimes in itself entertaining. The villains are mustache twirling plotters, the innocents are a maiden and a baker's boy, both running from home. With interjections of guards telling each other (mildly) dirty stories, and dropping hints about the intrigue between the villains, the book feels like a melodrama. Th...more
Having read J.V Jones' watcher of the dead series and found it a bit hit and miss I was wary of starting another of her works. I am glad to say that this book was all hit - definitely better than her later work.
The characters were all great, believable and more than anything interesting. They had all clearly defined personalities, and everything that happened seemed natural. Not forced, or coerced. As a result the story flowed really well and it was easy to get lost in the fictional world provid...more
The characters were all great, believable and more than anything interesting. They had all clearly defined personalities, and everything that happened seemed natural. Not forced, or coerced. As a result the story flowed really well and it was easy to get lost in the fictional world provid...more
The Baker's Boy is set in a thriving, pseudo-medieval world, where Jack realizes that he has some kind of magical power, making him the enemy of the king's evil magician. Jack gets caught up in a prophecy after he runs away with a noblewoman's daughter, while at the same time, a knight is trying to redeem himself for letting his family die. In this tale, their paths cross.
This book created an intriguing fantasy world, and there wasn't an over simplification (or over-use) of magic. The political...more
This book created an intriguing fantasy world, and there wasn't an over simplification (or over-use) of magic. The political...more
I first read Books 1 and 2 and most of 3 over ten years ago, twice, within a few years of each other and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't remember why I wasn't able to finish the third book. I think I became a dad the first time I tried and forgot about it and then started over with the series from the beginning again a few years later. I think I lost the third book halfway through and was unable to find a replacement. Over the years whenever I've been in a bookshop I almost always checked for the...more
The Baker’s Boy (Book of Words #1) by J V Jones
I finally got to the J V Jones bit of my to do pile, and it’s a nice
place to be! This book and series is exactly what I need right now:
old-school, proper, no-frills, standard, somewhat predictable, but
well-written fantasy. There is your usual card deck of characters,
lightly shuffled and well-presented. Namely a young Baker’s Boy
- orphaned and mistreated - who has strong powers that are
starting to emerge. A fallen Knight, still strong in honour, but
h...more
I finally got to the J V Jones bit of my to do pile, and it’s a nice
place to be! This book and series is exactly what I need right now:
old-school, proper, no-frills, standard, somewhat predictable, but
well-written fantasy. There is your usual card deck of characters,
lightly shuffled and well-presented. Namely a young Baker’s Boy
- orphaned and mistreated - who has strong powers that are
starting to emerge. A fallen Knight, still strong in honour, but
h...more
Murder, animal torute, sex, gluttony, rape, human torture, murder, sex, and greed. That seems to be the constant themes of this book. It is really hard to like any character in this book when they are constantly avoiding, commiting, or falling victim to one of the above acts.
I'd have to admit that I did find the plot line of Baralis and Maybor attempting to assassinate, humiliate, torment, and one up each other very amusing. I am excited to see how this side story plays out, though it really has...more
I'd have to admit that I did find the plot line of Baralis and Maybor attempting to assassinate, humiliate, torment, and one up each other very amusing. I am excited to see how this side story plays out, though it really has...more
J.V. Jones is a fantastic writer. And as her freshman achievement, this book would have been great ... had I not read her Cavern of Black Ice series first.
It has all the right elements of your archetypal fantasy novel: a knight, a young thief, a young and powerful reluctant sorcerer who may be the chosen one of prophecy, a runaway future Queen, an evil sorcerer, an evil priest-sorcerer, a benevolent wiseman...
But it's just that obsession with following the archetypes that makes the story fall...more
It has all the right elements of your archetypal fantasy novel: a knight, a young thief, a young and powerful reluctant sorcerer who may be the chosen one of prophecy, a runaway future Queen, an evil sorcerer, an evil priest-sorcerer, a benevolent wiseman...
But it's just that obsession with following the archetypes that makes the story fall...more
I can't for the life of me figure out what I liked about this when I first read it a long time ago. It's stuffed full of Snidely Whiplash villains twirling their mustaches at each other and couple of particularly inept Dudley Do-Rights. Combine that with a perplexing fascination for offal, a dogged commitment to promote the abuse of women and a puerile fascination with female sexuality and you have whatever the hell this was. I can remember eagerly awaiting the next book in the series and I have...more
i really was not a fan of this book. i wasn't invested in anyone's story, it took longer to read than i was in the mood for, and then it just ended with almost no resolution or even hint that the last page wasn't to be followed by yet another chapter. i'm aware this is the first in a trilogy, but don't just end your book where it seems like you ran out of paper.
granted, i liked much of the way things were written, i just wasn't invested or even particularly interested in the story, especially by...more
granted, i liked much of the way things were written, i just wasn't invested or even particularly interested in the story, especially by...more
Ok so this book was frustrating. I mean it had all the things you look for in fantasy, but the jumping around was too much sometimes.
The story with the main characters kept me interested, however all the swapping to minor characters was a little annoying. As soon as you get comfortable with a character the story stops and goes to another. I seriously hope the other books in this trilogy spend more times with the characters we care about and leave all the minor charcters out.
Other than that i li...more
The story with the main characters kept me interested, however all the swapping to minor characters was a little annoying. As soon as you get comfortable with a character the story stops and goes to another. I seriously hope the other books in this trilogy spend more times with the characters we care about and leave all the minor charcters out.
Other than that i li...more
This book suffers greatly from comparison if you have read Jones's Sword of Shadows serie. It was her first attempt and it shows.
Each chapter is divided among all protagonists, be it Tawl the knight, the chancelor Baralis, his enemy the Lord Maybor and his own daughter Melli, and then Jack the baker boy. To be honest I greatly prefer having one POV by chapter rather than switching characters every two pages. Baralis and Maybor are two devious and powerful lords that are at each other's throat tr...more
Each chapter is divided among all protagonists, be it Tawl the knight, the chancelor Baralis, his enemy the Lord Maybor and his own daughter Melli, and then Jack the baker boy. To be honest I greatly prefer having one POV by chapter rather than switching characters every two pages. Baralis and Maybor are two devious and powerful lords that are at each other's throat tr...more
I will not be reading the rest of this series. At all. It took me forever to get into the story - if I did at all - and took me forever to finish it. There's not even much of a story. The boy, Jack, accidentally burns bread and then accidentally uses the magic that he accidentally learned when he accidentally learned to read from scribing for Baralis to fix the burned bread. When the loaves are perfectly golden brown, Jack kind of knows what he has done and decides to run for it. Because that ma...more
I totally thought this was a young teenage/childrens book. Yet again I am wrong.
This book has like 5 different plot lines.
The bakers boy-Jack works for Barralis (or something like that) by writting scripts etc. then suddenly he has magical powers and is forced to run because socery is witchey and he would be burned or killed. When he escapes he bumps in to Melli which is a lady who is running away from being married to a wretched man, who happens to be secretly Barralis' son, anyway, Jack and h...more
This book has like 5 different plot lines.
The bakers boy-Jack works for Barralis (or something like that) by writting scripts etc. then suddenly he has magical powers and is forced to run because socery is witchey and he would be burned or killed. When he escapes he bumps in to Melli which is a lady who is running away from being married to a wretched man, who happens to be secretly Barralis' son, anyway, Jack and h...more
Having read four of the Sword of Shadows books (still being written), I saw this complete trilogy at a used book store and picked them up. This is an earlier work of J.V. Jones and you can see here style emerging as well as some 'early work' issues. In a nutshell, this is an enjoyable read. It isn't a book that I couldn't put down, but it was one I enjoyed picking back up again.
Some specifics.... I found it really funny that Jones was clearly trying to set up the classic fantasy journey in the f...more
Some specifics.... I found it really funny that Jones was clearly trying to set up the classic fantasy journey in the f...more
I read this after reading and fully enjoying Jones' later novel, The Barbed Coil. It was a good, but not outstanding book. Most of the characters were interesting, the political manueverings were many and the writing style easy to read.
The problems, for me, were in the two main characters, Jack (the baker's boy of the title) and Melli, the daughter of a Lord. They seemed a bit flat and one-dimensional: Jack was the lowly kitchen boy with an unknown and powerful talent he can't easily control, an...more
The problems, for me, were in the two main characters, Jack (the baker's boy of the title) and Melli, the daughter of a Lord. They seemed a bit flat and one-dimensional: Jack was the lowly kitchen boy with an unknown and powerful talent he can't easily control, an...more
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Has all the usual fantasy fare, but is just so well written. Perhaps well told, would be better, because that's what it is - a story well told.
I don't know if gender should be an issue but after I realised that J.V. was female I found myself, time and again, thinking - a man wouldn't have noticed that, or written about it that way.
Some beautifully cruel dark touches.
A refreshing view of a well trodden path.
I bought the second installment in short order.
I don't know if gender should be an issue but after I realised that J.V. was female I found myself, time and again, thinking - a man wouldn't have noticed that, or written about it that way.
Some beautifully cruel dark touches.
A refreshing view of a well trodden path.
I bought the second installment in short order.
I wanted to really like this book. There was a potential to it. There was a promise in lines that somewhere it will get better. Sadly it did not. Not saying it's a bad read. But it's not a great read either. Maybe because I was reading Robin Hobb before this, My expectations were high. Somehow I didn't connect with the characters. Something was missing from it. I wasn't able to invest in it that is, in my opinion, biggest flaw with this book.
I would read the next one, But not expecting anything...more
I would read the next one, But not expecting anything...more
Singularly the best science fantasy novel I have ever read, such a good start to the trilogy and a real indepth read where you feel you are in the story living it with the characters. Enough information to kepp you riveted and informed and living the book but not enough to bog you down. I absolutely love this book and would recomment it to anyone who asked.
I read this book many years ago and remembered enjoying it enormously. So, when it became available on Kindle I thought I would re-read it. I still enjoyed it but it has to be said that J V Jones has improved her writing style over the years. The Baker's Boy is a little fragmented and the characters rather formulaic but that said, it's still a good read and I'm glad I bought the Kindle version.
I picked this book up by accident and was pleasantly surprised. There are many plot layers which I found intriguing. It led me to get the second book in the series. There is just enough reminders of The Baker's Boy in Book 2 to remind the reader about connections yet make progress with the plot. Worth a read!
Wonderful story, but the story seems to drag for very long. Conspiracies within conspiracies.... I love the way the Baker's Boy - Jake relationship with Melli was turning out. It seems that there is a squeal to this book, I thought it would end within 552 pages.... now I am left hanging....
This book was fantastic. I highly recommend it. It is the first book of a trilogy and I haven't ever gone through a book quite as quickly. It was also the first time I had ever gone through a five-hundred page book and I went through all three rather quickly.
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Julie Victoria Jones was born in Liverpool, England. She has been writing for seven years, and is currently working on her sixth novel, which will be titled A Fortress of Grey Ice. She lives in San Diego, California.
All three books in The Book Of Words Trilogy are #1 national bestsellers, and have been bought for publication in England, Poland, Russia, Germany, France and Holland. Her fifth book,...more
More about J.V. Jones...
All three books in The Book Of Words Trilogy are #1 national bestsellers, and have been bought for publication in England, Poland, Russia, Germany, France and Holland. Her fifth book,...more
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Jan 30, 2013 12:22pm
Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb.
Jan 30, 2013 12:46pm