Chernenko, Dan. The bastard king.(Book One of The Scepter scepter symbol of regal or imperial power and authority. [Western Culture: Misc.] See : Authority scepter denotes fairness and righteousness. [Heraldry: Halberts, 37] See : Justice of Mercy). Penguin Putnam, Roc. 431 p. c2003. 0-451-45914-8. $14.95 SA King Mergus of Avornis, past his prime and having gone through six wives without producing a male heir, marries his pregnant concubine CONCUBINE. A woman who cohabits with a man as his wife, without being married. . Local custom holds that if the god Olor only had six, no mere mortal should have more; his son Prince Lanius is labeled a "bastard bastard, person born out of wedlock whose legal status is illegitimacy. In civil law countries and in about half the states of the United States, the union of the parents in marriage after birth makes the child legitimate. ." Mergus dies when the child is young and a series of regents run the kingdom. It is beset be·set tr.v. be·set, be·set·ting, be·sets 1. To attack from all sides. 2. To trouble persistently; harass. See Synonyms at attack. 3. by various warring groups from the south and north, until Captain Grus of the navy steps up, crowning himself king. He does not kill young Lanius, but instead marries him to his own daughter. Toward the end of this first installment, the co-kings actually respect each other and are working together to thwart the Banished One, a fallen god who has taken over the lands to the south. His specialty is turning the peasants into "thralls," zombie-like workers who do his bidding but no longer have free will or spirit. With three-dimensional characters who display all-too-human foibles, solid plotting, and some nice twists, this will satisfy those who like epic fantasies with magical elements. You will need the next installment, because Grus and Lanius don't even decide until page 431 that the scepter of mercy is something worth recovering. Sherry S. Hoy Hoy, island, 13 mi (21 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide, off N Scotland, second largest of the Orkney Islands. It is located at the southwestern side of the Scapa Flow anchorage. , Media Spec., Tuscarora J.H.S., Mifflintown, PA |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion