The Crown of the Conqueror

Crown of the Blood #2

by Gav Thorpe

ULLSAARD HAS THE CROWN.

But when he is confronted with a truth too shocking to contemplate, he has to choose between power and honor.

File Epic Fantasy [ Learning To Rule | A Vast Empire | A Shocking Truth | History Dictates ]

e-book 9780857661227

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

505 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[Kaora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review may contain spoilers for the first book.

"Happy? No", said Ullsaard. "You know that I do not enjoy senseless slaughter. Satisfied, perhaps, but not happy."

For one who doesn't enjoy senseless slaughter, he seems to partake of quite a lot with only two instances of guilt in the entire book over some of his lost soldiers. No real reaction though when slaughtering women and children fleeing from his legions, which makes me feel like those words are bullshit.

This book has a great world, but the characters don't make sense to me. I don't feel like adequate motivation is given for their decisions and attempts to make the main character seem likable failed with me. I'm not sure if it is intentional or not. Rarely does he show remorse for his actions about getting soldiers killed, once on his own and once when his friend confronts him, but in the heat of the moment there is not a glimpse of it, leading me to feel it was a bit forced and unbelievable. The motivation to become king came so suddenly and so strong, it seemed a little ridiculous. One minute he is happily leading legions, the next moment he is trying to conquer the world and become King.

My biggest issue with him, however, is that he is cruel to the two wives he doesn't really care for, and cheats on the one that he "does". This made me hope bad things would happen to him, but no luck.

Then there are the flat secondary characters that are given no backstory and very little personality. Strong women? You will find none of those here. The women are irrational and clique, moods swinging from one extreme to the other. I had to laugh when the author attempted to write from their POV, although his male POV wasn't much better.

If someone doesn't mind flat characters, the interesting world and great battle scenes may make up for it.

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Crown of the Conqueror by Gav Thorpe is the second book in the Crown of the Blood series, published by Angry Robot Books. It tells the tale of Ulsaard, a general-cum-emperor who is trying to solidify his rule and expand his kingdom amid opposition from foes both natural and supernatural.

Off to a shaky start
The novel opens with a very fascinating scene that really set the bar high for enjoyment of the story to come. Ulsaard has just taken control of the Empire when he makes an incredible discovery: the imperial crown houses the soul of the first emperor. What’s more, he’s been using the crown to possess each of his heirs to further his own goals for the empire. We discover that Ulsaard has enough royal blood that he sustains the soul of the emperor, but not enough for the emperor to possess him as he did the previous emperor. So we find our victorious general with a voice in his head trying to get him to do what it wants for the betterment of the empire. What a cool concept! I wonder how they’re going to resolve it! Oh… it’s resolved by having distance weaken the connection, causing Ulsaard to travel far away for 200 pages without a single interaction with the spirit of the old emperor. I guess that’s one way to set up a great premise and then ignore it.

At no point in the story does any of this really seem to come back into the limelight either. We do have some conversations between Ulsaard and the old Emperor; they’re both involved in what seems to become a more serious underarching plot involving the mysterious Brotherhood, a religious cult of priests and administrators who have designs far greater than those of the old Emperor. Given the emphasis placed on the old Emperor in the prologue, though, and how much Ulsaard dwells on it throughout the book, the basic abandonment of the concept really rubbed me the wrong way.

A man of action and… well… more action
Though all the reviews and press on the book claim Ulsaard as a thoughtful, fully developed character, he seems to me to be a fairly simple man. He is good at killing people, so he spends a lot of his time on the way to kill people, killing people, and then coming back from killing people. While he certainly has tactical skill, his response to pretty much every threat is “crush it,” which, while it makes perfect sense for a general and an emperor to feel that way, certainly doesn’t add all that much depth to his character. He reacts to threats against his friends, against his family, and against his empire with violence.

The problem with such an action-oriented protagonist is that after the fiftieth fight scene, it starts to get stale. There’s an action scene where in the course of one page, Ulsaard manages to “plunge into the fray,” “pitch into the fight” and “wade into the mass.” While any one of these on its own is a perfectly punchy action line, seeing them all in sequence is like he’s leaping from one carefully positioned crowd to another while they stand around and wait for him to make an entrance.

For people who like that sort of thing…
Don’t get me wrong; if what you’re looking for is action, violence, gore, brutality, and sex, this is a great book. It seems as though that’s about all that happens, but it’s dealt out in spades, and it’s not poorly written. However, there’s a quote on the cover of this book from sci-fi author Andy Remic which reads, “George R. R. Martin, you’d better guard your Throne because a new usurper has arrived.” This quote was both a large part of the motivation for my buying this book, and a large part of my abject disappointment in its failure to deliver. George R. R. Martin has nothing to worry about from Gav Thorpe, not because Thorpe is a bad writer, but for the same reason Martin Scorsese doesn’t have anything to worry about from Michael Bay: they aren’t doing the same kind of thing, and they aren’t doing it for the same audience. Even if both of them were at the absolute pinnacle of their styles (and I don’t think either of them are, personally) they really aren’t in competition with each other, so this sensational quote just seems misplaced.

Why should you read this book?
There’s blood, guts, and tits, and lots of ‘em all. The pacing is great, the action is everywhere, and the combat is gritty, realistic and engaging… provided you aren’t looking for much else. This is the kind of book that R. A. Salvatore fans get into before they discover Martin, Kay, or Jordan. There’s nothing wrong with that, and everybody needs escapsim now and then. However, it wasn’t what I was expecting, it wasn’t what was promised from the press, and I could have spent half the money renting Starship Troopers and had essentially the same experience.

[Gary Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024: excellent sandal-punk. 4.8/5


19th book read in 2012.

Number 57 out of 251 on my all time book list.

Follow the link below to see my video review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02CsNe...

[Guy Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The difficult second book in a trilogy is handled well by Gav. Another brilliant page turner.

[W E Wertenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed the first book in the series, the second surpasses it. No sophomore slump here. Thorpe’s world building is well thought out and grounded. If not for the fantastic elements, this could well be actual ancient history. The battle scenes are well handled and the dialogue throughout is believable. I particularly enjoyed the back and forth between church and state. The clash of differing agendas with a focus on a common goal, the stability of the empire. Highly recommended.

[Arizona Spartan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good 2nd book in the series which throws some nice twists into the mix.

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review over at my blog:

https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...

Shadowhawk reviews the second novel in Gav Thorpe’s swords-and-sandal fantasy series from Angry Robot Books.

“A solid and thrilling read from start to finish with lots of great twists and turns that builds on all the successes of the first book and none of the disappointments. This one is just as much a must read as The Crown of The Blood .” ~Shadowhawk, The Founding Fields

The Crown of the Blood, the first book in this swords-and-sandal series, ended on one of the most powerful and moving cliffhangers I’ve read in a novel to date. As should be the case with such an ending, it was completely shocking and completely unexpected, and set up a certain potential to be fulfilled that I was really hoping The Crown of The Conqueror would be able to fulfill. I’ve long been a fan of Gav’s work, and he is one of those few authors that I’d follow from series to series without question. I’ve already read one other novel from him this year, Legacy of Caliban #1: Ravenwing and that was a solid read so this book had to match the exhilarating experience provided by that one as well. Much to my delight, Gav doesn’t disappoint at all. He is true to form and delivers an exciting, action-packed second novel that plays up to his strengths as a superb world-builder and a writer who can really, really get into the heads of his characters.

In the last novel, we saw that Ullsaard had achieved his goal of becoming the ruler of the Askhan Empire, but as things stand now, his grip on the Empire is tenuous, and he has taken on more headaches than he can deal with, especially after banishing the Brotherhood from all over the Empire. Previously, we saw that the Brotherhood acted as administrators, quartermasters, priests of a sort, etc all in one. In the words of a certain dead king, the Brotherhood is the glue that held the Empire together, and with Ullsaard having taken that away, things are close to a breaking point. So the stage is set for another war of conquest, one where the new King has to solidify his power and bring all the recalcitrants to heel and secure his border.

Things are rarely, if ever, that easy. Especially for the hero, for whom life is a constant struggle. And that is as it should be yes, right?

Gav gives every character in the novel the fight of their life, whether literal or figurative. There are no easy scrapes to get out of, or simple solutions to complex problems. Each character has to fight to the death to win through, whether it is to simple safeguard their family or keep their ambitions and hopes alive. In that sense, Ullsaard gets the shortest end of the stick because he gets dealt the worst cards and yet he has to win through as if he is holding a royal flush. Gav plays to the character’s strengths as a tactician, a skilled fighter, and a man who would go to the ends of the world and back to keep his family safe. And when his family comes under threat, he is worse than a caged lion and his frustrations and his limitations shine through. He was a complex character in the previous novel and he is a complex character here as well. It would have been easy to portray him as the stubborn sort of hero who listens to none but himself and therefore appears limited in the character development department, but Gav steers clear of that simplicity and he shows throughout how Ullsaard keeps evolving. Violence is not the solution to every problem and this is a bitter lesson for him.

[Kate Sherrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unabashed about my glee at the offerings of the first book in Gav Thorpe's pulp fantasy sandalpunk series, Crown of the Blood, and so my expectations for this second foray into the world of Ullsaard, sometime legionnaire and general in the armies of the Rome-like empire of Askhor, who ended that first book seizing the empire's throne after learning he was the illegitimate son of its prior occupant, were pretty high.

I'm glad to say they were more than met. There is so much pulpy goodness in these books it's hard to know where to start. The lion-riding calvary (after reading this book, I'm inclined more to picture them riding smilodons; anyway, these cats are big and mean, so mean they spend most of their lives helmeted and blinkered lest they go into berserker frenzies!), and that when not riding cats some of the soldiers ride giant lizard-snake things? The endless rounds of betrayals and counter-betrayals in and out of court? The epic battles and dramatic single combats that would delight any military SF/fantasy buff's bloodthirsty little heart? All of that is still there, but wait, there's more.

There wasn't a great deal of magic in the first volume, but Crown of the Conqueror more than makes up for that lack, chiefly in the storyline of one Erlaan, legitimate grandson of the king Ullsaard deposed and killed, who wants the throne back and takes extreme measures to try doing so. The scenes in which he is transformed into a 10-12 foot tall monster with tough, leathery rune-etched skin (shades of Pete V. Brett's Warded Man, only carved instead of painted or tattooed, motherfolklore!) and bronze armor plating riveted directly to his body are among the most gruesome I've read in a long time, at least since the Aztec blood-magic stomach-turning that was Aliette de Bodard's Servant of the Underworld), and when this ensorcelled freak is then presented to a mob of desert tribes as their new king, and they start traveling over the mountains on the backs of giant herbivorous dinosaurs, well, it's hard not to chant "Mu'ad Dib meets Hannibal!" under one's breath as one reads. Which is awesome.

The desert tribes under their new freak king are far from Ullsaard's only trouble, though (just the most entertaining), for he is fighting off, in both a literalized and a figurative way, the restrictions and constrictions that come with kingship, with usurpation; let's just say the ancien regime really doesn't go away in this world. But despite this, he's going ahead with the plan mapped out by his ancestors, of conquering the rest of the known world, and the next in line, well, it sounds a lot like he's taking on the Franks and/or Teutons. You don't have to have read Julius Caesar's commentaries to enjoy this stuff, but I bet it's more fun if you have. Of course, I had just spent four hours listening to Dan Carlin's big ol audiobook/podcast hybrid "Thor's Angels", which is all about the post-Roman world of the Franks and Merovingians and Carolingians, so maybe I just had them on the brain. Anyway, worked for me.

My only regret now is that I have a good seven month wait before Crown of the Usurper comes out. Good thing I have some Conan stories left...

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel to Crown of the Blood; without too many spoilers, Crown Blood ended on a major twist and Crown Conqueror picks up from there and follows Ullsaard and the rest of the cast in their new roles; despite being a middle book, there is a lot of expansion of the universe and action galore with the story advancing dramatically, plot-lines ending and others beginning; the ending is another twist, though this time it is one that is foreshadowed somewhat so it comes as less of a shock; I am really eager to read the next installment and see where all goes. The author has another winner here.

I will have a full review from FBC later on as usual though that one will have major spoilers for the first volume since there is no way to talk meaningfully at more length about this one otherwise, so go get and read Crown of the Blood first!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off I'll say I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway that I entered before realizing it was the second book in a series. That being said I was dropped in and a little lost from the beginning. There are a lot of characters and a lot of stuff going on that I didn't have the proper background on which made it take a lot longer to get into.

This book has a truly epic feel, the world is huge, the characters are vivid, and the writing is well done. I honestly think that if you start at the beginning of the series more enjoyment can be had in this book than I was able to get. When I get my TBR list more under control I'll look into getting the series as a whole and seeing how I feel about it as a complete work instead of just having the second book.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads Firstreads

Great sequel to Crown of the Blood; without too many spoilers, Crown Blood ended on a major twist and Crown Conqueror picks up from there and follows Ullsaard and the rest of the cast in their new roles; despite being a middle book, there is a lot of expansion of the universe and action galore with the story advancing dramatically, plot-lines ending and others beginning; the ending is another twist, though this time it is one that is foreshadowed somewhat so it comes as less of a shock; I am really eager to read the next installment and see where all goes. The author has another winner here.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks, goodreads giveaways.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool story but I didn't read the first book in this series.

[Alaina Maxam · Rating 2 out of 5]

very dry reading. i had a hard time staying interested in this book. it moves too slow.