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The Price of Freedom #1
The Last king´s Amulet
My name is Sumto, and everyone thinks I am a gambling, lazy, good-for-nothing drunk. Frankly, I think they have a point. Right now I may have to join the army and fight in a war I am frankly too corpulent to cope with.
Still, it looks like being a small, short war. So that's got to be as bad as things get. Am I right?
Trained in his youth for war and politics, Sumto is interested in neither. As the son of a Patron, he should gather clients, acquire wealth, learn magic, husband a political power base and take his place amongst the Assembly of Patrons, the rulers of the city. Sumto would rather gather friends, acquire books, learn history, husband a hangover and take his place at the gambling tables. That is not going to be an option for much longer.
Unknown to Sumto, everything is about to change. There is a war in the north and Sumto is about to become a very unwilling participant.
The first of four novels that follow the development of Sumto, a man unknowingly manipulated by someone determined to shape him for his own ends:
Book One: The Last King's Amulet
Book Two: The Key To The Grave
Book Three: The Invisible Hand
Book Four: All The King's Bastards
The four novels may be considered as one long novel.
Still, it looks like being a small, short war. So that's got to be as bad as things get. Am I right?
Trained in his youth for war and politics, Sumto is interested in neither. As the son of a Patron, he should gather clients, acquire wealth, learn magic, husband a political power base and take his place amongst the Assembly of Patrons, the rulers of the city. Sumto would rather gather friends, acquire books, learn history, husband a hangover and take his place at the gambling tables. That is not going to be an option for much longer.
Unknown to Sumto, everything is about to change. There is a war in the north and Sumto is about to become a very unwilling participant.
The first of four novels that follow the development of Sumto, a man unknowingly manipulated by someone determined to shape him for his own ends:
Book One: The Last King's Amulet
Book Two: The Key To The Grave
Book Three: The Invisible Hand
Book Four: All The King's Bastards
The four novels may be considered as one long novel.
276 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2008
21 people are currently reading
631 people want to read
About the author
Chris Northern
20 books24 followersChris Northern is European, a traveler by inclination, and an electrical engineer by education.
He is often to be found eying the horizon; shortly thereafter, he is often found to be gone.
Chris Northern writes Fantasy and Science Fiction.
The Price of Freedom (a Fantasy novel in four parts)
The Last King's Amulet
The Key To The Grave
The Invisible Hand
All The King's Bastards
Dancing with Darwin (A collection of related Science Fiction stories)
Rapture Ready
Headed Home
Evolving Environment
Dangerous Delusions
He is often to be found eying the horizon; shortly thereafter, he is often found to be gone.
Chris Northern writes Fantasy and Science Fiction.
The Price of Freedom (a Fantasy novel in four parts)
The Last King's Amulet
The Key To The Grave
The Invisible Hand
All The King's Bastards
Dancing with Darwin (A collection of related Science Fiction stories)
Rapture Ready
Headed Home
Evolving Environment
Dangerous Delusions
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 24, 2020
“It's a lucky commander who has good men.” “It's lucky men who have a good commander.”
Excellent war fantasy set in a Roman Republic analog with a side of political philosophy. Well written, though the protagonist is not initially attractive. A tease of romance and magic too. What’s not like?
“It is advantageous to take enemy supplies. The rule of thumb is an enemy wagon of supplies is worth twenty of your own. It hurts them that badly.”
A professional military logistician for most of my working life I’m prejudiced, but logistics really do win wars. As demonstrated in World War Two and the 1991 Gulf War. “Leaders win through logistics. Vision, sure. Strategy, yes. But when you go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place at the right time. In other words, you must win through superior logistics.” Tom Peters
“Spank them then give them a hug. Fighting men are like children.” “You were reading my mind.” “Actually I have been reading your books.
Northern lost a star because he ends rather than concludes this first chapter of his epic multi-volume opus. Not quite the Robert Jordan syndrome, but Jordan’s first book was good too. To sell the next book, one must deliver the goods in the current book.
“Self doubt is a cancer that can eat at you if you let it. What I needed, I realized, was to get on with it. To fight an enemy and kill him and be done. Still the thought made me sick inside. I had never killed anyone and to be completely honest I really had no desire to do so.”
Excellent war fantasy set in a Roman Republic analog with a side of political philosophy. Well written, though the protagonist is not initially attractive. A tease of romance and magic too. What’s not like?
“It is advantageous to take enemy supplies. The rule of thumb is an enemy wagon of supplies is worth twenty of your own. It hurts them that badly.”
A professional military logistician for most of my working life I’m prejudiced, but logistics really do win wars. As demonstrated in World War Two and the 1991 Gulf War. “Leaders win through logistics. Vision, sure. Strategy, yes. But when you go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place at the right time. In other words, you must win through superior logistics.” Tom Peters
“Spank them then give them a hug. Fighting men are like children.” “You were reading my mind.” “Actually I have been reading your books.
Northern lost a star because he ends rather than concludes this first chapter of his epic multi-volume opus. Not quite the Robert Jordan syndrome, but Jordan’s first book was good too. To sell the next book, one must deliver the goods in the current book.
“Self doubt is a cancer that can eat at you if you let it. What I needed, I realized, was to get on with it. To fight an enemy and kill him and be done. Still the thought made me sick inside. I had never killed anyone and to be completely honest I really had no desire to do so.”
August 12, 2011
NOTE: The basis of this review is limited. Although the author has forwarded me their complete manuscript, I personally retain the right to refrain from reading the book further at any time or reason. If the book lacks a particular element in its writing, then it’s not worth the read. All grades are based on honest evaluations and will be supplemented by a couple of examples to prove my point.
The Last King’s Amulet
By Christopher Northern
COLD HONEST TRUTH:
•If I died a Catholic, I want to be the patron saint of Creative Writing; you need one.
OVERALL STRUCTURE: B
I like the idea of having a reluctant anti-hero being forced to participate in a type of war, and that’s something worth reading since the book seems to offer that as an idea overall. However, I am not entirely sure what kind of time period or cultural society that Sumto lives in. The emphasis here is quite unclear; you might need to work on that.
CHARACTERIZATION: C
I am not entirely sure if I can relate to Sumto as much as I’d like to say. Your writing from the first person’s perspective is somewhat interesting but not entirely compelling enough to pull my interest as a reader. The main reason why I say this is because much of his personal thoughts about someone are either bland or non-specific. Although I would like to see more come out of the book, I personally think this is one of its downfalls (from the first five pages I’ve looked at).
Another problem I’m finding in your book is the introduction of terminology, histories, and people that are not so well described/fleshed out. For instance, you mention on the Yelian Shen on one hand but you don‘t say much about him other than the fact that Sumto treats him like family. Is there a particular reason why he considers him family? Another example is how you mention the Alendi and Tulian at the same time without mentioning the geographic location or the significance of these to Sumto. Normally, fantasy tales or any kind of work of fiction would mention the importance of these cities unless it’s obvious what these cities stand for (e.g. ‘Paris’ or ‘Berlin’).
COVER DESIGN: A+
Without any of those updates that you made on the cover, I would’ve said that your cover looks awful. In the original cover, the font was lousy and I wasn’t sure what the scene of that picture depicted exactly. Apart from that, let me discuss the new one with some detail. I like the fact that Sumto looks more age appropriate and that you’ve portrayed the amulet because it’s got something to do with the story. However, I would caution you to come up with a more realistic portrayal of the story. Anime cover titles are OK, but they are more appropriate with graphic novels and comic books. Still, that does not mean I don’t think the cover looks amateurish in any sense of the word.
FORMATTING: D
I’m greatly disappointed with the way you formatted your work: no chapter labels, cover and copyrights page, preface, and definitely NO PAGE NUMBERS! I don’t know if having no page numbers bother you, but how do you expect the reader to keep track while reading your work?
Another problem I’m finding in your work is that there are no spaces that makes your book attractive, especially when there’s no spaces between the lines you’re writing. I understand that you want the book to be single spaced, but there’s got to be a sufficient amount of space so that that reader does not feel like he or she’s reading some kind of fine print of a contract. I am not suggesting you’d format the book in ‘double space’, but somewhere in between.
One last thing I keep finding with a lot of well to do self-published authors such as yourself is that the formatting of the fonts aren’t all that attractive. I’m sure there are other standard formats of writing that make this work a bit more attractive other than Times New Roman.
BLURB: C
You might want to have a different start; there is confusion between first and third person which may or may not excite the reader when he or she looks at it for examination.
DIALOGUE: D
I was not impressed with the dialoguing overall; the speech was confusing and lacked speech tags. That’s probably one of the first rules that you should know whenever you’re writing a fiction novel, especially between two characters.
Apart from that I found several other major problems. First I noticed your comparisons are unrealistic. How exactly do Sharks ‘smile’? Are we on some Disney Pixar adventure like Toy Story or Finding Nemo? This analogy doesn’t even make sense. Second, there are no cues on when we’re going to encounter a conversation i.e., the direction of the story does not lead in that way. Third, while you continue to curse repeatedly in the text (which does not make your novel look any better than a Tom Clancy Novel gone wrong), I want to add that the speech dialogue needs some body language apart from the occasionally senseless ones that you sometimes use (e.g. Sumto giving a ‘filthy’ look at Meran).
Overall Grade:
C+
The Last King’s Amulet
By Christopher Northern
COLD HONEST TRUTH:
•If I died a Catholic, I want to be the patron saint of Creative Writing; you need one.
OVERALL STRUCTURE: B
I like the idea of having a reluctant anti-hero being forced to participate in a type of war, and that’s something worth reading since the book seems to offer that as an idea overall. However, I am not entirely sure what kind of time period or cultural society that Sumto lives in. The emphasis here is quite unclear; you might need to work on that.
CHARACTERIZATION: C
I am not entirely sure if I can relate to Sumto as much as I’d like to say. Your writing from the first person’s perspective is somewhat interesting but not entirely compelling enough to pull my interest as a reader. The main reason why I say this is because much of his personal thoughts about someone are either bland or non-specific. Although I would like to see more come out of the book, I personally think this is one of its downfalls (from the first five pages I’ve looked at).
Another problem I’m finding in your book is the introduction of terminology, histories, and people that are not so well described/fleshed out. For instance, you mention on the Yelian Shen on one hand but you don‘t say much about him other than the fact that Sumto treats him like family. Is there a particular reason why he considers him family? Another example is how you mention the Alendi and Tulian at the same time without mentioning the geographic location or the significance of these to Sumto. Normally, fantasy tales or any kind of work of fiction would mention the importance of these cities unless it’s obvious what these cities stand for (e.g. ‘Paris’ or ‘Berlin’).
COVER DESIGN: A+
Without any of those updates that you made on the cover, I would’ve said that your cover looks awful. In the original cover, the font was lousy and I wasn’t sure what the scene of that picture depicted exactly. Apart from that, let me discuss the new one with some detail. I like the fact that Sumto looks more age appropriate and that you’ve portrayed the amulet because it’s got something to do with the story. However, I would caution you to come up with a more realistic portrayal of the story. Anime cover titles are OK, but they are more appropriate with graphic novels and comic books. Still, that does not mean I don’t think the cover looks amateurish in any sense of the word.
FORMATTING: D
I’m greatly disappointed with the way you formatted your work: no chapter labels, cover and copyrights page, preface, and definitely NO PAGE NUMBERS! I don’t know if having no page numbers bother you, but how do you expect the reader to keep track while reading your work?
Another problem I’m finding in your work is that there are no spaces that makes your book attractive, especially when there’s no spaces between the lines you’re writing. I understand that you want the book to be single spaced, but there’s got to be a sufficient amount of space so that that reader does not feel like he or she’s reading some kind of fine print of a contract. I am not suggesting you’d format the book in ‘double space’, but somewhere in between.
One last thing I keep finding with a lot of well to do self-published authors such as yourself is that the formatting of the fonts aren’t all that attractive. I’m sure there are other standard formats of writing that make this work a bit more attractive other than Times New Roman.
BLURB: C
You might want to have a different start; there is confusion between first and third person which may or may not excite the reader when he or she looks at it for examination.
DIALOGUE: D
I was not impressed with the dialoguing overall; the speech was confusing and lacked speech tags. That’s probably one of the first rules that you should know whenever you’re writing a fiction novel, especially between two characters.
Apart from that I found several other major problems. First I noticed your comparisons are unrealistic. How exactly do Sharks ‘smile’? Are we on some Disney Pixar adventure like Toy Story or Finding Nemo? This analogy doesn’t even make sense. Second, there are no cues on when we’re going to encounter a conversation i.e., the direction of the story does not lead in that way. Third, while you continue to curse repeatedly in the text (which does not make your novel look any better than a Tom Clancy Novel gone wrong), I want to add that the speech dialogue needs some body language apart from the occasionally senseless ones that you sometimes use (e.g. Sumto giving a ‘filthy’ look at Meran).
Overall Grade:
C+
July 23, 2014
Another independent book that I discovered through a review query at FBC and the synopsis/sample intrigued me, so I got a Smashwords ebook and started reading; the book pulled me in so I finished it a day later and now I've just got the second novel in the series Key to the Grave that is one of my current reads.
The novel is set in a Roman-like world but with high magic; there are some little inconsistencies here and there - the leaders of the City are called in the beginning (temporary, elected) kings and then consuls, though the assembly of patrons is clear, but the novel flows well and is fun.
Sumto, a scion of the highest nobility likes books, good food and drink, women and generally intellectual discussions, while he dislikes politics and war; of course he is considered a wastrel in the martial/political society of the City, his father is almost ready to disinherit him, the creditors are circling like vultures..
Another day in his regular life, another trip to see his mother behind his father's back and scrounge some more cash... But now there is a difference - his sister was finally betrothed to an older noble who makes it clear to Sumto that his easy life is done; either Sumto accepts his heritage and goes on the current campaign against some troublesome Northern tribes, or he goes away forever, not necessarily alive.
As Sumto puts it, possible death in battle against certain death at the hands of his future-in-law retainers, no contest...
And so the adventure starts and the troubles begin; the question though is whose troubles, Sumto's or the nasty enemies that plot the City's downfall in what seems a run of the mill rebellion?
The novel has a bit too much high magic for my taste and occasionally degenerates into "my sorcery is bigger than yours" but it is fun, energetic and strongly recommended. I am really curious to see what's next...
The novel is set in a Roman-like world but with high magic; there are some little inconsistencies here and there - the leaders of the City are called in the beginning (temporary, elected) kings and then consuls, though the assembly of patrons is clear, but the novel flows well and is fun.
Sumto, a scion of the highest nobility likes books, good food and drink, women and generally intellectual discussions, while he dislikes politics and war; of course he is considered a wastrel in the martial/political society of the City, his father is almost ready to disinherit him, the creditors are circling like vultures..
Another day in his regular life, another trip to see his mother behind his father's back and scrounge some more cash... But now there is a difference - his sister was finally betrothed to an older noble who makes it clear to Sumto that his easy life is done; either Sumto accepts his heritage and goes on the current campaign against some troublesome Northern tribes, or he goes away forever, not necessarily alive.
As Sumto puts it, possible death in battle against certain death at the hands of his future-in-law retainers, no contest...
And so the adventure starts and the troubles begin; the question though is whose troubles, Sumto's or the nasty enemies that plot the City's downfall in what seems a run of the mill rebellion?
The novel has a bit too much high magic for my taste and occasionally degenerates into "my sorcery is bigger than yours" but it is fun, energetic and strongly recommended. I am really curious to see what's next...
January 27, 2016
2.5 stars
Where to start, this book was definitely not “my cuppa tea” I had this book as a freebie from Kindle for a couple of years…book has a cool cover and the blurb sounded interesting……. so when I saw the audio was available for review I thought cool, great time to give this one a shot….I really wished I had passed on it. Sumto, the main character describes himself as a gambling, lazy, good for nothing drunk….. and it is a quite accurate description, in fact it might be a bit to nice….personally I found him to be a completely useless person. I did not like him and could not for the life of me figure out why people kept saving his life. I was also extremely bored…..at about the 25% point I upped the reading speed on the app to 1.5x just to get through this. When I initially read the blurb this book sounded interesting but unfortunately it was not. Because I was bored and could not find it in myself to care about Sumto or any of the situations he found himself in my mind wandered a lot while listening and most of what I heard was forgettable.
The narrator Matt Franklin is the only reason this book received more than a 1 star rating. I would say his narration was solid 4 stars, he did an excellent job differentiating the voices of the characters, and I look forward to listening to other books that he narrates.
Audiobook provided by Author/Publisher via Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review
Where to start, this book was definitely not “my cuppa tea” I had this book as a freebie from Kindle for a couple of years…book has a cool cover and the blurb sounded interesting……. so when I saw the audio was available for review I thought cool, great time to give this one a shot….I really wished I had passed on it. Sumto, the main character describes himself as a gambling, lazy, good for nothing drunk….. and it is a quite accurate description, in fact it might be a bit to nice….personally I found him to be a completely useless person. I did not like him and could not for the life of me figure out why people kept saving his life. I was also extremely bored…..at about the 25% point I upped the reading speed on the app to 1.5x just to get through this. When I initially read the blurb this book sounded interesting but unfortunately it was not. Because I was bored and could not find it in myself to care about Sumto or any of the situations he found himself in my mind wandered a lot while listening and most of what I heard was forgettable.
The narrator Matt Franklin is the only reason this book received more than a 1 star rating. I would say his narration was solid 4 stars, he did an excellent job differentiating the voices of the characters, and I look forward to listening to other books that he narrates.
Audiobook provided by Author/Publisher via Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review
June 18, 2015
The author takes us on a journey through a fantasy war epic that borrows heavily from ancient Rome, if Rome had high fantasy style magic. I really enjoyed this book and planned on buying the next book, but after reading some reviews on the next two books, I skipped them. I'm okay with this book as a standalone novel. It does a pretty good job of "riding off to destiny in the sunset" style ending, which is where the next books pick up.
I liked the way the author controlled the politics, even if I felt that aspect was a bit light for my tastes, as it was woven well into the rest of the story. The main character comes into his own pretty well and I was especially enamored with the inner dialogue of the main character as he attempted to resolve the ancient Roman practice of rationalizing the taking of slaves and this new 'enemy of the mind' they were facing.
Thinking back on this now, I really want to read the next books, but the reviews of the following books give away some spoilers that I'm afraid will ruin this book and it's characters that I really liked, so for now I am staying away. Pick this one up, give it a read if you are into high fantasy or ancient Rome. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I liked the way the author controlled the politics, even if I felt that aspect was a bit light for my tastes, as it was woven well into the rest of the story. The main character comes into his own pretty well and I was especially enamored with the inner dialogue of the main character as he attempted to resolve the ancient Roman practice of rationalizing the taking of slaves and this new 'enemy of the mind' they were facing.
Thinking back on this now, I really want to read the next books, but the reviews of the following books give away some spoilers that I'm afraid will ruin this book and it's characters that I really liked, so for now I am staying away. Pick this one up, give it a read if you are into high fantasy or ancient Rome. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
May 3, 2016
I got this as a freebie from Amazon, and it was an actually very good read.
Set in what sounds like Rome and concerns Sumto and his life which has its ups and downs in so many ways.
There is the usual magic etc to keep you going and a generous helping of humour along the way as well.
A good read.
Set in what sounds like Rome and concerns Sumto and his life which has its ups and downs in so many ways.
There is the usual magic etc to keep you going and a generous helping of humour along the way as well.
A good read.
February 25, 2019
Great read !
I was surprised when I started this book it funny ,the main character was beautifully designed and the world put around him put everything together i couldn't put in down .I can't wait till the next one comes out .This book will is something special and unique in a way that it captivate you.
I was surprised when I started this book it funny ,the main character was beautifully designed and the world put around him put everything together i couldn't put in down .I can't wait till the next one comes out .This book will is something special and unique in a way that it captivate you.
May 19, 2019
OK story, but the narration was highspeed and with only the barest hints of voices. If I continue, it will be with the ebooks.
December 11, 2015
Rocky beginning but gets better fast.
I really enjoyed The Last King's Amulet; however, I almost put it down at several points in the first few sections. The beginning is rocky, there are small parts that feel like they were awkwardly shoved in there to make a point about someone or something, yet don't really fit into the narrative. For example, at one point Sumto has an internal monologue about how slavery in their culture is not bad because the slaves have rights and protections, food and shelter, and can even make money. This does add detail to the setting (and is very true to Roman culture, which is the basis of this fantasy setting), but it seemed very out of place. There was probably a better place/way to have this information disseminated to the reader. However, every time there was a mistake/poorly handled bit, there was something that convinced me to keep reading and give the story a chance to develope (mostly Sumto's entertaining narrative style).
And I am glad I did, once the setting moved to the army (which Sumto joined reluctantly), the writing smooths out. Sumto is still given to long internal monologues/mini essays, but he is a scholar, and they do tend to fit in with the plot/situations he finds himself in. These may irk some people, but as a scholary type myself (or so I like to pretend) I enjoyed them. I thought they added insight to the world, as well as being pretty spot on with how a roman citizen would think (with the addition of magic). Sumto is not exactly a spur of the moment guy, he usually thinks through his next actions. Mostly because he knows that he is out of his depth, and is trying very hard to remember everything he has read on the similiar situations.
Sumto starts the book as a lazy, entitled drunk who shirks any mention of responsiblity. Unfortunately for him, his sister's powerful fiance tells him to leave the city or die, so Sumto uncermoniously joins the military. It doesn't take long for Sumto to start acting responsibly and take proper control over the small unit that he is assigned. Of course his reasoning is that if he makes enough money (from the spoils) and distinguishes himself fairly well everyone will leave him alone and he can do whatever he pleases in the future. In truth, Sumto looks like he is about to surpass everyone's expectations and distinguish himself as a hero/genius strategist when everything goes horribly wrong. Luckily his has a few friends left who will help him save the day.
The setting of The Last King's Amulet is pretty interesting and fleshed out; strongly based off Roman culture with the addition of magic, with several more barbarian nations then I believe actually exsisted in Roman times. In specific the world is currently in a timeframe that parallels the Roman Repbulic (pre-Cesear). The politics of this world/the way the denizens look at it seem very true to my understanding of Roman culture. One instance in particular occurs when a Sumto and Rastrian (a foreigner) are discussing the empire (I don't believe it's actually called this in the book, but I also don't believe it is every actually named) and Sumto declares it to be the most powerful nation in the world, but that it is not the largest for "The city is only three miles square." This understandably confuses Rastrian, but makes sense for an early Roman Republic citizens view of the world and their place in it. In specific, those who lived in Rome/The City were full citizens, and those who lived in client states and allied territories were only granted a partial citizenship without the right to vote because they did not consider them actually be part of Rome. Attitudes towards slaves, women, war, foreigners and barbarians are in line with Roman views.
Although the other major characters are interesting (so are the important minor ones), I did have trouble with Jocasta's motivation. Hopefully this will be clarified in book two. There are some other minor issues, but this book is much better than some novels (put out by actual publishing companies) that I have read.
A lot happens during the book, but it is still a slow paced book, which may turn some people off. As I mentioned, Sumto tends to think things through before acting (although, not always with varying results). He also has a tendancy to go off into various internal debates, especially over the difference between the type of slavery the City practices and the "slavery" practiced by the villian. Sumto also still has a lot of character growth to go through when the book ends; still, he has come a long way from where he was. I am excited to read the next book.
I really enjoyed The Last King's Amulet; however, I almost put it down at several points in the first few sections. The beginning is rocky, there are small parts that feel like they were awkwardly shoved in there to make a point about someone or something, yet don't really fit into the narrative. For example, at one point Sumto has an internal monologue about how slavery in their culture is not bad because the slaves have rights and protections, food and shelter, and can even make money. This does add detail to the setting (and is very true to Roman culture, which is the basis of this fantasy setting), but it seemed very out of place. There was probably a better place/way to have this information disseminated to the reader. However, every time there was a mistake/poorly handled bit, there was something that convinced me to keep reading and give the story a chance to develope (mostly Sumto's entertaining narrative style).
And I am glad I did, once the setting moved to the army (which Sumto joined reluctantly), the writing smooths out. Sumto is still given to long internal monologues/mini essays, but he is a scholar, and they do tend to fit in with the plot/situations he finds himself in. These may irk some people, but as a scholary type myself (or so I like to pretend) I enjoyed them. I thought they added insight to the world, as well as being pretty spot on with how a roman citizen would think (with the addition of magic). Sumto is not exactly a spur of the moment guy, he usually thinks through his next actions. Mostly because he knows that he is out of his depth, and is trying very hard to remember everything he has read on the similiar situations.
Sumto starts the book as a lazy, entitled drunk who shirks any mention of responsiblity. Unfortunately for him, his sister's powerful fiance tells him to leave the city or die, so Sumto uncermoniously joins the military. It doesn't take long for Sumto to start acting responsibly and take proper control over the small unit that he is assigned. Of course his reasoning is that if he makes enough money (from the spoils) and distinguishes himself fairly well everyone will leave him alone and he can do whatever he pleases in the future. In truth, Sumto looks like he is about to surpass everyone's expectations and distinguish himself as a hero/genius strategist when everything goes horribly wrong. Luckily his has a few friends left who will help him save the day.
The setting of The Last King's Amulet is pretty interesting and fleshed out; strongly based off Roman culture with the addition of magic, with several more barbarian nations then I believe actually exsisted in Roman times. In specific the world is currently in a timeframe that parallels the Roman Repbulic (pre-Cesear). The politics of this world/the way the denizens look at it seem very true to my understanding of Roman culture. One instance in particular occurs when a Sumto and Rastrian (a foreigner) are discussing the empire (I don't believe it's actually called this in the book, but I also don't believe it is every actually named) and Sumto declares it to be the most powerful nation in the world, but that it is not the largest for "The city is only three miles square." This understandably confuses Rastrian, but makes sense for an early Roman Republic citizens view of the world and their place in it. In specific, those who lived in Rome/The City were full citizens, and those who lived in client states and allied territories were only granted a partial citizenship without the right to vote because they did not consider them actually be part of Rome. Attitudes towards slaves, women, war, foreigners and barbarians are in line with Roman views.
Although the other major characters are interesting (so are the important minor ones), I did have trouble with Jocasta's motivation. Hopefully this will be clarified in book two. There are some other minor issues, but this book is much better than some novels (put out by actual publishing companies) that I have read.
A lot happens during the book, but it is still a slow paced book, which may turn some people off. As I mentioned, Sumto tends to think things through before acting (although, not always with varying results). He also has a tendancy to go off into various internal debates, especially over the difference between the type of slavery the City practices and the "slavery" practiced by the villian. Sumto also still has a lot of character growth to go through when the book ends; still, he has come a long way from where he was. I am excited to read the next book.
May 5, 2014
The Last King's Amulet trails Sumto through a rather tumultuous time in his life. It sees an adventure of personal growth begin in a fantasized version of Ancient Rome and move through a war-ravaged countryside.
It explores a world of barbarians, battle mages and magical healers and mixes it with a healthy dose of political and economic strategy. Perhaps not for everyone...
Sumto was not a really likeable character. Lazy, fat and spoilt, he didn't really inspire much in the way of compassion. I'd like to say that changed in the book, but it didn't quite get there. His character development was certainly well conceived, but perhaps a little too slow, or with too much yo-yoing.
The supporting cast were wide and varied. Those that I had initially dismissed ended up playing pivotal roles and were key players in the way the story unfolded. Others who seemed to play important parts were brushed aside with little concern. It was a little unsettling.
If you like war strategy or books on war formations and the like, you might enjoy this one. I found the deeply intricate details were a touch too much and had begun to feel as if I were reading a non-fiction book on war in Ancient Rome.
Aside from Sumto's need to delve into internal dialogue fairly frequently, I found the story progressed along a reasonable storyline and timeframe.
All up, this book took me about a month to read, it was not because I didn't enjoy it. It is a great book, but it needs the reader to be in a certain frame of mind to really get into it.
A few things I noticed:
6% - ...at least no(t) immediately.
23% - I didn't not (del not) see fit...
59% - mare with (a) scar on her face.
69% - I left them all too (del too, add to)
72% - they had Turned (turned)
77% - ...to see those would (del would add who) would decide...
86% spry (spray)?
92% - ...try to Turn (turn) me...
97% - ...tugging (h)is burning robes...
**Note: I was provided with an electronic version of this book in return for an honest review.**
It explores a world of barbarians, battle mages and magical healers and mixes it with a healthy dose of political and economic strategy. Perhaps not for everyone...
Sumto was not a really likeable character. Lazy, fat and spoilt, he didn't really inspire much in the way of compassion. I'd like to say that changed in the book, but it didn't quite get there. His character development was certainly well conceived, but perhaps a little too slow, or with too much yo-yoing.
The supporting cast were wide and varied. Those that I had initially dismissed ended up playing pivotal roles and were key players in the way the story unfolded. Others who seemed to play important parts were brushed aside with little concern. It was a little unsettling.
If you like war strategy or books on war formations and the like, you might enjoy this one. I found the deeply intricate details were a touch too much and had begun to feel as if I were reading a non-fiction book on war in Ancient Rome.
Aside from Sumto's need to delve into internal dialogue fairly frequently, I found the story progressed along a reasonable storyline and timeframe.
All up, this book took me about a month to read, it was not because I didn't enjoy it. It is a great book, but it needs the reader to be in a certain frame of mind to really get into it.
A few things I noticed:
6% - ...at least no(t) immediately.
23% - I didn't not (del not) see fit...
59% - mare with (a) scar on her face.
69% - I left them all too (del too, add to)
72% - they had Turned (turned)
77% - ...to see those would (del would add who) would decide...
86% spry (spray)?
92% - ...try to Turn (turn) me...
97% - ...tugging (h)is burning robes...
**Note: I was provided with an electronic version of this book in return for an honest review.**
June 20, 2016
Themes: privilege, duty, war, politics, magic, zombies!
Strictly speaking, a fantasy. There's magic involved and zombies too. But it's more military fantasy, if that's a phrase, than anything else. Sumto is a wealthy aristocrat who has one career path - military service, the politics. He might be able to work around the politics, but the military service is a must. Trouble is, he's also a drunken hedonist who would like nothing better than to continue his chosen path of drinking, sleeping late, reading a book or two, and then drinking again. But his time is up - he's got to go to war.
This book, the first of three, is about how Sumto changes from a barfly to a military strategist. It's a great story too, with strong secondary characters and well developed setting. In fact, while wanted to see what happened to Sumto, it was the assassin/spy Sapphire that haunted my thoughts for days afterward.
I got this one as a free download from Amazon and downloaded the next one as soon as I finished the first. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved it. 5 stars.
Strictly speaking, a fantasy. There's magic involved and zombies too. But it's more military fantasy, if that's a phrase, than anything else. Sumto is a wealthy aristocrat who has one career path - military service, the politics. He might be able to work around the politics, but the military service is a must. Trouble is, he's also a drunken hedonist who would like nothing better than to continue his chosen path of drinking, sleeping late, reading a book or two, and then drinking again. But his time is up - he's got to go to war.
This book, the first of three, is about how Sumto changes from a barfly to a military strategist. It's a great story too, with strong secondary characters and well developed setting. In fact, while wanted to see what happened to Sumto, it was the assassin/spy Sapphire that haunted my thoughts for days afterward.
I got this one as a free download from Amazon and downloaded the next one as soon as I finished the first. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I really loved it. 5 stars.
December 19, 2012
Okay, this is self-published and I am notoriously vicious on books of that category. Yes, I did find some GLARING grammar mistakes/missing words, and yes they were jarring. Could the plot have used a bit of fine tuning? Of course it could have. Did it Goodkind out on me periodically, going into Galt-ish rants when all I wanted was some plot? Oh hells yes. Especially toward the end. Similarly named characters thrown in bunches at me? ...
However, having said all of that, I actually found myself interested. The premise is a bit unique, and I wanted to see where that would go. For being self-published, the prose was pretty good for the most part; it didn't feel like a fanfic. The shoehorned love interest wasn't all that big of a part, and not a terrible character herself. And Sapphire was just plain awesome.
Actually, that's what irritated me at the end of the book. The lack of said awesomeness. I really don't like self-published books, but I might be convinced to try the next book in the series.
However, having said all of that, I actually found myself interested. The premise is a bit unique, and I wanted to see where that would go. For being self-published, the prose was pretty good for the most part; it didn't feel like a fanfic. The shoehorned love interest wasn't all that big of a part, and not a terrible character herself. And Sapphire was just plain awesome.
Actually, that's what irritated me at the end of the book. The lack of said awesomeness. I really don't like self-published books, but I might be convinced to try the next book in the series.
July 22, 2012
The Last King's Amulet was, in short, a good book. I loved the setting -- very Ancient Rome with fantasy elements -- and the character development. The main character, Sumto, is more of an anti-hero than the bold figures usually depicted in fantasy novels, and his development throughout the book (if one can call it that) is both hilarious and tragic.
My only real criticism of the book (and the reason it received 4 stars rather than 5) is mainly due to my impatience with Sumto's philosophical and political musings. I understand the necessity as background, and the author worked them very well into the story. I just didn't have the patience to read through them!
A very good read! I am looking forward to the next book!
My only real criticism of the book (and the reason it received 4 stars rather than 5) is mainly due to my impatience with Sumto's philosophical and political musings. I understand the necessity as background, and the author worked them very well into the story. I just didn't have the patience to read through them!
A very good read! I am looking forward to the next book!
July 21, 2012
This was actually a free book of the day for Kindle and definitely a winner. A very enjoyable fantasy novel with a main character I did not start out liking but grew to as the story, and his character, progressed.
What I particularly liked was that Sumto is definitely very clever but all his schemes don't work and he suffers the consequences. I typically like the novels where the protagonist outsmarts everyone but this book avoided the pitfall of everything coming out perfectly.
While there is a satisfying conclusion to the main story, there is plenty left to tell and I'm looking forward to picking up book two, soon.
What I particularly liked was that Sumto is definitely very clever but all his schemes don't work and he suffers the consequences. I typically like the novels where the protagonist outsmarts everyone but this book avoided the pitfall of everything coming out perfectly.
While there is a satisfying conclusion to the main story, there is plenty left to tell and I'm looking forward to picking up book two, soon.
July 19, 2012
Decent. Gets a little politically introspective, though it manages to be interesting even there (at least if you're a geek like me) especially in that the main character has (fairly obvious) difficulties seeing the flaws in his own system.
The writing is decent, but not fantastic. Some of the time courses for bodily changes and learned skills are a little unbelievable and early in the book the main character seems a little magical girlish. But later that's contrasted with deep flaws in other areas so it balances out fairly well.
All in all, not bad. And I got it on sale, so totally worth it. May well pick up the next one to see how Sumto does.
The writing is decent, but not fantastic. Some of the time courses for bodily changes and learned skills are a little unbelievable and early in the book the main character seems a little magical girlish. But later that's contrasted with deep flaws in other areas so it balances out fairly well.
All in all, not bad. And I got it on sale, so totally worth it. May well pick up the next one to see how Sumto does.
December 18, 2012
I started the book expecting a typical story of the noble hero overcoming impossible odds and winning the kingdom and the girl. Boy was I surprised. While Sumto should have been named Murphy (whatever can go wrong will)and his initial motivation isn't that noble, he's a likeable almost comical character that will find out that life isn't as easy as he thought it would be. This first book hooked me and I've now read all that are currently available and hope for more. In my opinion Mr. Northern is an excellent author and has created a very good world full of interesting characters.
September 2, 2013
I received this through a GoodReads giveaway and I would like to thank them for sending me this copy as well as the author for signing it..
This book was very up & down for me. I found myself expecting more halfway thru the book. I kept telling myself it would get better but..... it received 3 stars from me. I feel as though books with series should leave you wanting more and I didn't feel that way after reading the book. The premise of the book is great but the overall story didn't quite cut it for me.
This book was very up & down for me. I found myself expecting more halfway thru the book. I kept telling myself it would get better but..... it received 3 stars from me. I feel as though books with series should leave you wanting more and I didn't feel that way after reading the book. The premise of the book is great but the overall story didn't quite cut it for me.
September 22, 2012
I'm not going to say this was a horrible book, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it like I have with other books. I liked the idea for the storyline, with there being magic and royalty and then having to go to war, but I just had a hard time getting through it. Maybe I'll have to try and re-read it in a few months and see if it goes any better. I do love the cover though, I think he looks like Bradley Cooper. :)
March 24, 2013
After 4 days I am only 37% through, normally I'd have 3-4 books done, the main character is not at all likeable, it is a slow moving story with mostly filler to take up space. I am going to finish it, but don't expect the rating to get much higher. Honestly if the book hadn't been free I'd probably give it less of a rating. took me a long time to finish it, I'm going to read the next book, but don't expect much more, the characters are growing on me, so I did add a 3rd star
February 27, 2015
The cover and plot seemed really cool so I decided to give it a go as I found it as free download on Amazon.
Sadly after a few chapters I couldn't continue anymore. The writing was ok and the characters had potential to become interesting but I couldn't like any of them and I started to get bored.
I may try reading it again some other time. For now I am giving priority to other books.
Sadly after a few chapters I couldn't continue anymore. The writing was ok and the characters had potential to become interesting but I couldn't like any of them and I started to get bored.
I may try reading it again some other time. For now I am giving priority to other books.
April 27, 2017
Thought the book was great, with the main character being amusing, interesting and fun to read about.
I love characters with a ridiculous amount of flaws who does not escape from these flaws too easily. The world is quite interesting, but this book is all about the main protagonist and not a lot else. If you don;t like him, you are not going to enjoy this book.
I love characters with a ridiculous amount of flaws who does not escape from these flaws too easily. The world is quite interesting, but this book is all about the main protagonist and not a lot else. If you don;t like him, you are not going to enjoy this book.
December 8, 2011
Fun read. This is a well played out fantasy from a self-published author. Great character development, believable society, solid conclusion made me want to start the second book in the series immediately.
October 7, 2014
I'm having a difficult time trying to get into this book. Most reviewers pretty much agree with this but say it does get better, so I'll stick with it for now.
I only got 28% read before I gave up. I just couldn't get interested in to it.
I only got 28% read before I gave up. I just couldn't get interested in to it.
October 5, 2021
great book a little slow in beginning but does be come better. fight scene could be better,
February 20, 2013
An imperfect man who finds himself acting noble. An enjoyable read.
May 25, 2015
More of a 2.5 but it was an entertaining "lite" fantasy which helped kill a boring day at work.
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