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Title: The One Kingdom
Title: The One Kingdom
Series:
The Swan's War #1
Author:
Sean Russell
Rating:
5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Fantasy
Pages:
544
Format:
Digital Edition
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Synopsis:
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Magician's don't die. If they're powerful enough, they can exist without going through Death's Gate.
Hundreds of years ago, the children of
the most powerful magician the world had ever known were each given a
gift from their father. Their choices split the One Kingdom and
resulted in death and devastation.
Now, the families of the Renne's and
the Wills have their own feud that could tear apart the fragile peace
of the land. One of the Renne's is determined to make the peace last
while his family plots to assassinate him for such thoughts. The
Wills plot to strengthen themselves through marriage with an outside
family, the Innes. The Innes are being “guided” by a man who is
much more than he appears and much more dangerous than they know.
At the same time, 3 young men from the
Northern Vale take a trip down the river to buy horses. They come
across a man name Alain and their misfortunes/adventures start. They
come into contact with a Naga, the embodiment of the daughter of the
magician.
The Naga, Alain and the Guide are all
so much more than the people around them know. Can the land survive
the return of the Children?
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My Thoughts: |
I went into this really wondering if I was going to like it as much as I did back in '09. Thankfully, this lived up to my memories and my current expectations of a good book.
This
is a slow book. It meanders like the river that much of the story
takes place on. In many ways, the river itself is a character, at
times benevolent, at other times very malevolent.
Besides
being a slow book, it is also very character driven. The Valemen trio
start out as the main characters, but Russell deftly moves from group
to group, from individual to individual in such a way that I never
felt either bored or wanting something else. There is a lot of
description of landscapes and what surrounds the characters but for
whatever reason I didn't blow by it like I usually do in other books.
I was able to sit back and take it in.
Where
I have described Patricia McKillip's writings as “silk”,
Russell's writing is like a river. Some times meandering, some times
fast and furious, some times appearing calm, some times dragging you
along a current you don't even realize you are in. I felt like I was
sitting in a boat going down a river while reading this. Why I was
intrigued instead of bored, I do not know. But I loved this story.
I also
like how Russell portrays magic. It is something dangerous, subtle
and never good. It destroys those who use it and hurts those around
them. It is not flashy fireballs or the calling forth of demon lords.
It is influence, power, strength, persuaviness and the ability to
bend others to your will. It is scary.
So
another fantastic re-read. Definitely glad that I bought this in
hardcover.
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