Prince of Fools Review
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign, she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister — unseen by most and unspoken of by all.
The Red Queen’s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth — drinker, gambler, seducer of women — is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks it’s all a rumor — nothing that will affect him — but he is wrong.
Those whose greatest terror is being thought a coward are always brave.
It’s a great book. I really struggled to pick a rating for this one. It probably is the best book I have read and rated 4 stars. Kudos to Mark, yet another masterpiece and what I hope to be a great series. I have enjoyed all his books, and I’ve read 6 of them so far.
It runs parallel to the Broken Empire trilogy and follows the events of another Prince from a different corner of the Broken Empire. The world building, as always, is flawless and Mark has managed to sprinkle bits and pieces from the original trilogy which makes it even more enjoyable if you have read the previous series.
The characters are as strong as they come. Jalan is strong and he is hilarious. Mark has managed to bring bursts of laughter with Jalan’s dialogue. Snorri, the other main character is described in a great detail. But this is probably where the book let me down a bit. I would have liked more dialogue in Snorri’s words, especially, after he is described as someone who can almost hypnotize you with his storytelling.
A hero attacks in the moment; a good coward runs in it. The rest of the world waits for the next moment and ends up as crow food.
I usually write spoiler-free reviews, but I will make an exception this time. So you have been warned. TURN AWAY IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK YET.
STILL HERE? TURN AWAY, A (LIGHT) SPOILER. COMING. UP.
This book has a wonderful ending. It is intense, big fights that are very well described, but what won it for me was the final scene after the fight was over. Jalan made me laugh throughout the book. But he ended up making me cry, or at least, feeling really sad.
