Book review
Written by Stephen Deas
Gollancz hardback / paperback
Release date Out now

With Queen Zafir appointed the new speaker of the realms and Queen Shezira locked in a dungeon for a murder she didn’t commit, life couldn’t be better for the ambitious Prince Jehal. However, instead of revelling in his success, the Prince finds himself bored. So he decides to become embroiled in a volatile political situation that’s destined for only one thing – a dragon war...

Following directly on from Stephen Deas’s previous triumph The Adamantine Palace, The King of the Crags maintains much the same momentum and pace in a satisfying sequel that only just misses the mark of its predecessor.

Having graduated to the position of Speaker, Queen Zafir plays a more prominent role in this instalment, advocating Queen Shezira’s execution and planning ways to assassinate her lover’s pregnant wife. Though her tempestuous rule isn’t quite as captivating as Shezira’s turned out to be, her devious and conniving nature provides plenty of entertainment along the way.

Meanwhile, Prince Jehal remains true to himself, finding ways to abate the boredom now gripping him and turning on anyone who might provide a lively target. At times, Jehal finds himself in vastly unfamiliar territory and these sequences make for particularly delightful reading.

Nightwatchman Vale Tassan moves to the fore in The King of the Crags, as he battles between his duty and his conscience. It’s an enjoyable character study, and one that provides the tale with some welcome variation. The introduction of blood mage Kithyr adds an extra measure of mystery to the narrative as he dances in and out of the story, rupturing alliances and opening plenty of plotlines for the next instalment.

The other major characters here are Kemir and Snow. Kemir’s precipitous relationship with the most wanted dragon in the realms grows ever more volatile after Snow admits to eating his companion, Nadira, and to seeing all humans as nothing more than food. Kemir survives by proving his ‘usefulness’ to Snow and in doing so attempts to convince the beast that not all humans deserve to die. Their interaction is wrought with tension, and thanks to to the fate of several previous characters there really is no way of knowing whether Kemir will still be breathing by the time you turn the page.

Indeed, the tension that made The Adamantine Palace so addictive runs throughout this sequel. Every character is under threat at some point, and Deas constantly plays on our expectations, throwing in plenty of inventive and surprising plot twists.

The Dragon War that rages throughout the final stages of the book is simply superb. Deas once again brings the creatures to life with fast-paced descriptive sequences. The dragons themselves remain truly terrifying, not least because of Snow’s incomprehension as to the value of human life. Documenting both the mental and physical attributes of the creature allows the reader to appreciate Deas’s creations for more than just their impressive appearance.

There are a few minor shortcomings. For one, the threat of the Alchemist’s poison running out never feels entirely convincing as the consequences of such a catastrophic event aren't realised. The story would have perhaps benefited from a moment where a dragon, having ‘sobered up’ and realised it was being drugged for human use, turned on his rider. Snow’s recruitment of her own kind touches on this concept but doesn’t initiate any immediate cause for concern. Of course, there's the possibility this theme is to be explored in greater depth in the third instalment, but it still seems strange it is not given more emphasis here.

The overall style of The King of the Crags stays true to The Adamantine Palace, with the book broken up into a series of short chapters that focus on different characters. This instalment varies slightly by devoting more chapters to each character, which divides the book into larger chunks based around different individuals. Although the read isn’t significantly disrupted, it doesn’t flow quite as well as The Adamantine Palace, where the quick transition from character to character kept you constantly wondering what would happen next. Nevertheless, this is a strong sequel. Alice Wybrew

VERDICT: 8/10
An impressive sequel that boasts the same flare and excitement of its predecessor.