Knight or Knave

The Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan #2

by Andre Norton, Sasha Miller

Times are changing in Rendelsham. The old King is dead, and the foolish Prince Florian has assumed the throne. Florian's mother, Queen Ysa of the House of Oak, still controls the land from behind the scences, but her job grows more difficult every day. Her unworthy, headstrong son is harder to control than her husband was, and she must spend more time than ever masking her own movements. Her husband's illegitimate daughter Ashen, heir to the nearly dead House of Ash, still causes trouble by her very existence, and must never be given an opening to the throne. The barbarian Sea-Rover clan presents problems from the edge of the Bog, Ysa's newest magical ally has been exposed as a traitor, and nothing is going as Ysa had planned.And still the unknown yet encroaching threat from the North continues to grow.Through births and deaths, marriages and duels, love and betrayal, magic and force, the four Houses of Rendelsham can only survive by the strength of their unity--but is unity possible in such a court of intrigue as this one?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10
On the one hand, this book is a quick read with some interesting plot developments. On the other hand, it ended a bit abruptly, even for the second book in a series. I will read on because the overarching story is intriguing, but there are more than a few petty annoyances along the way.

[Sparkle32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book. It's prologue was interesting, and the story was complex. It had plenty of plots, and each seemed real. The characters seemed alive. The story was very fun to read. I enjoyed it a lot.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost this book in Hurricane Sandy. Was given this book on 10/1/13.Grinning right now cause I am so happy!

This was a very compelling read.World building is amazing just as it is in the other two books.Both of the authors weave a great tale.I kind of felt spellbound by the rhythm of the story.
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Spoiler
Note to Self:Rendelsham
Ashen Deathdaughter(House of Ash heir,illegitimate Kings daughter,widow,"Bog-Princess",half sis,pal) +Obern(Sea-Rover,son,dad,widower,died)&R(son,Sea-Rover,) +G(Count) =,
King Florian(son,half bro,died)
Queen Ysa of the House of Oak(widow,mother,),

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty much stand alone, tho it's its one in a series of three. Wade thru the Prologue and Chapter One, perhaps Chapter Two.

It's the Evil, Dowager Queen Ysa vs. the Beautiful Young Thing, Ashen. Ho Hum. But there are some twists, the book moves along, People die, are enchanted, etc., we are in the presence of royalty so no one does any work really. The flying things live in cages and are called out to spy on people then put away for years, and time passes. Finally, the book ends with a cliffhanger to get you to go to the library for the next book. Hope they have it. I think.

[Kristal · Rating 2 out of 5]

ugh, why did I waste my time on this book? Starts out good, but then half way through, i'm trying to figure out where the author(s) are going with the story. too much skipping around and not enough detail to make you want to relate to characters. and the sad thing is, I will eventually read the other books to see what happens...

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two of the series is decent. The world building is pretty amazing. Each character is created with great detail. It kind of reminds me of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in wonderland mixed with Snow White.

[Batsap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely compelling... Wish they'd made it more obvious that it was the second in a series though.

[P.J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading at page 100, the fated love triangle just pisses me off. Adultery is one of my pet peeves. Characters are still flat and boring.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Shardis]

Need book 1 first