false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171239660m/91964.jpg 91964 12 <I>The Briar King</I>, Greg Keyes's latest elegant entry into the world of high fantasy, lays the groundwork for what promises to be a mesmerizing four-book series--the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. Keyes spins his tale in a meticulously crafted fantasy realm on the brink of apocalyptic change. The Briar King, a legend cobbled from children's stories and rural folklore, is waking from his slumber to an unknown but cataclysmic end. Dark agents are afoot in the land, stirring war and edging an ancient prophecy closer to fulfillment. In destiny's path are a king's woodsman, his headstrong lover, a bookworm priest, a cocksure swordsman, and the embattled (from within and without) kingdom of Crotheny. Keyes masterfully intertwines far-off courtly intrigue with the personal quest of the woodsman and his brave companions who seek to unravel the secret of the Briar King before all is lost. <p> Although <I>The Briar King</I> will suffer the inevitable comparison with George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, it should be said that Keyes's work is no mere rip-off. This is excellent world building, applied with a dark, powerful touch that should convince Martin fans to become Keyes fans, too. <I>--Jeremy Pugh</I> 2393607 book 2003 The Briar King (Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, #1) total:705|5:14|4:24|3:26|2:4|1:2| 705 2703 1134 111 5 0 false false Mon Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 11:58:35 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 12:02:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Sep 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 11:51:03 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 12:02:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 3 false false Wed Sep 09 10:05:11 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 10:21:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 14:56:45 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 12:26:06 -0700 2009 ...the Prelude was quite interesting, but the rest was hard for me to get into. I was reading this in short spurts and it was hard for me to get into as it jumps around from character to character and sometimes I felt like I wasn't quite understanding what wa...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 14:29:29 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 14:37:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Dec 18 17:37:13 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 17:37:13 -0800 2008 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Oct 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 09:42:42 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 10:04:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 09:41:53 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 12:19:02 -0700 2009
Not only does the story grow on you, but most of the ...more...]]> 2 3 false true Sun Sep 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 07:46:22 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 10:38:06 -0700 2009 2 The Briar King! No, instead of bad worldbuilding ruining good writing, Keyes' writing ruins his superb worldbuilding.

The Bria...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 20 12:22:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 06:33:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 12:26:29 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 16:24:23 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 13:15:15 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 14:37:14 -0700 2009
It ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 08:03:02 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 21:18:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 20:14:08 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 20:30:29 -0700 2009
I have to admit, at first I really struggled with this book. I picked it up and put it down for several days. ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Wed Sep 10 18:27:40 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 18:30:31 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Wed Aug 12 20:43:15 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 15:23:52 -0700 2009
Keyes does a great job of alternating menace...more...]]> 4 3 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 12:06:31 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 11:35:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 20:47:05 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 21:01:37 -0700 2009
One thing I thought was nicely done was how many of the different ch...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 14:13:42 -0700 2009 Fri Nov 27 06:54:57 -0800 2009
Greg...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 28 15:33:07 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 09 18:51:12 -0700 2008 A Game of Thrones. It is similarly presented as an ensemble story, with multiple characters alternately sharing the spotlight. Keyes has crafted an old world, filled with forgotten legends and crea...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=91964