Publisher : 47North (January 26, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 431 pages
ISBN-10 : 154202529X
ISBN-13 : 978-1542025294Praise for KNIGHT’S RANSOM
“Jeff Wheeler has always been one of our more dependable storytellers. Knight’s Ransom adds to his reputation. A fine page-turner.” —Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author.
“With this superlative epic fantasy…Wheeler does an expert job of reintroducing his fantasy world through the eyes of sympathetic characters that fans and new readers alike will root for. This is sure to be a hit.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Wheeler] adds elements of Arthurian legend to the start of the First Argentines series…along with splendid palace intrigues and battles.” —Booklist (starred review)
From Jeff Wheeler, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain novels, comes an epic new series of warring kingdoms, deadly family rivalries, and fearless loyalty.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. A brutal war of succession has plunged the court of Kingfountain into a power struggle between a charitable king who took the crown unlawfully and his ambitious rival, Devon Argentine. The balance of power between the two men hinges on the fate of a young boy ensnared in this courtly intrigue. A boy befittingly nicknamed Ransom.
When the Argentine family finally rules, Ransom must make his own way in the world. Opportunities open and shut before him as he journeys along the path to knighthood, blind to a shadowy conspiracy of jealousy and revenge. Securing his place will not be easy, nor will winning the affection of Lady Claire de Murrow, a fiery young heiress from an unpredictably mad kingdom.
Ransom interrupts an abduction plot targeting the Queen of Ceredigion and earns a position in service to her son, the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. But conflict and treachery threaten the family, and Ransom must also come to understand and hone his burgeoning powers—abilities that involve more than his mastery with a blade and that make him as much a target as his lord.
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MY REVIEW
I received a copy from the publisher for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone.
Originally used as a political bargaining tool, Ransom is a character with that altruistic chivalry feel, but has that self conscious part in him. He knows his ability and is affirmed by others, but there is still that little smidge where he doesn’t feel he is completely deserving. It might be because of the events of the first chapter. Which was a doozy.
Lady Claire is another great character. She is strong-willed and witty, but stuck in the confines of societal norms. At least, when she’s at her Fatherland or dealing with men from there.
What I love about the narrative, is that Wheeler weaves both stories together in an interesting way. Instead of having to separate narratives, Lady Clare is writing journals or letters in between chapters that deal with Ransom. It is an interesting way to do a dual pov without really breaking the world or story.
For me, Fantasy can be an exposition dump. Especially if you are going into a series set in a world from a previous one. The world of Kingfountain didn’t start with Knight’s Ransom. And, honestly, I haven’t read anything else set in this world. However, Wheeler doesn’t dump the details onto the reader. He doesn’t dumb you down or make you feel like you need to read the others to understand what is going on.
I know the world and the characters from their interactions, policy, and events. I do want to read Kingfountain, but not because I feel like I need to. The world in this book inspires me to see more of it.
Wheeler is quickly becoming a Fantasy favorite and I will be recommending him to my other Fantasy lovers.
Photo Content from Jeff Wheeler
Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 5 times (for The Thief’s Daughter, The King’s Traitor, The Hollow Crown, The Silent Shield, and Prism Cloud) and have sold more than 4 million copies. His novels have also been published or will be published in many languages: Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, Russian, and German.
He is also the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a quarterly e-zine featuring amazing short stories, novellas, and sample chapters.
You can usually find Jeff at Emerald City Comic Con, New York Comic Con or at writers conferences.
He welcomes hearing from readers: jgwheels /at/ gmail dot com
If you are interested in purchasing signed copies of his books for friends, family, or your own collection, please e-mail: WOJWbooks /at/ gmail dot com
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