A Pride of Princes is more or less three stories in one. It is the story of the three sons of Niall - Brennan, Hart and Corin, as they learn their duties and struggle with the Ihlini, who continue to try to destroy the prophecy.
Brennan is the classic good kid in most ways. He is determined to be worthy of his position of Prince of Homana, heir to his father's throne. He has weaknesses, however, mostly relating to his twin brother Hart. He tries to keep his brother out of trouble and gets into it himself. Hart is a compulsive gambler, unable to resist a bet and always "needing a game," no matter the consequences. He is Prince of Solinde, the country which had once conquered Homana, now a vassal. Corin resents his position as the third son. He wishes he could have his brother's position as Prince of Homana, despite being the Prince of Atvia. He is jealous, resentful and often sullen. Each is an important part of the Cheysuli prophecy, and the Ihlini sorcerer Strahan is determined to bend one or all to his service. One of the things that drives me nuts in this series occasionally is Jennifer Roberson's persistence in maiming characters. It amazes me how consistently she does serious, permanent bodily damage to one of her characters. All in all, however, the story is pretty good. Not great, and the entire series revolves around very similar plot lines, but Roberson does relatively well despite that. Illegal Aliens Need a break from serious science fiction? Illegal Aliens to the rescue! The aliens have landed, and the UN's First Contact Team is ready to handle it. Well, actually the Bloody Deckers take care of the problem, after being selected for testing by the aliens, then escaping to capture the ship. That's what you get for landing a spaceship in Central Park. However, the upshot of all that happens is that Earth is interdicted from space travel since they did not develop it on its own. The Great Golden Ones, guardians of the galaxy (can I use more words starting with 'G'?), are covering up their own mistakes in doing so. There's plenty of humor in this book, no serious science. I love taking a break from more serious science fiction and fantasy sometimes and letting my funny bone have the last laugh.
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AuthorBen Wilson is author of Edu Blog, where primarily we will discuss famous books and their authors. Ben studied at Stanford University. He is a teacher of History in High School. Ben also writes book review for ThePaperGuide Platform. ArchivesCategories |