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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
”‘Why are they here?’ said Lucien quietly.
‘They’re criminals,’ replied Giancarlo. ‘It has been decided that they can go free if they face you in single combat.’
‘To first blood?’ said Lucien, feeling a chill in his veins.
‘To the death.’”
Lucien de Fontein has grown up an outsider; one of the Orfano, the deformed of the Kingdom of Landfall. He is lonely, tormented by his difference and a pawn in a political game. The reclusive king and his majordomo rule Landfall from the vast castle of Demesne, but the walls are no barrier to darkness from without. Or within.
Landfall is a harsh world of secrets and rivalries, where whispers are as lethal as blades, where control is fragile and the peace waits to be broken. Lucien will have to rely on more than just his blade to protect the ones he loves.
18 year old Lucien de Fontein is an Orfano – a deformed orphan left outside Demesne (a huge castle that houses the ruling families of Landfall) and made a ward of the king (who has not been seen for years and who lets his majordomo rule in his stead). Since the age of 8, Lucien has been taught and tested every year, ready to assume a position of responsibility within the Demesne. But Lucian knows that something’s rotten within the state of Landfall and he’s acquired a number of enemies, the most dangerous of which is Superiore Giancarlo who’ll be running Lucien’s last test and who’s just looking for an excuse to do him real harm ...
Den Patrick’s fantasy novel is a nicely written but slim tale of intrigue and discrimination in a claustrophobic castle where everyone is subject to the scrutiny and malice of their neighbours. The novel’s chapters alternate between Lucien’s final testing and its aftereffects and an account of his childhood, which gives the story an episodic feel. My main issue is that for someone highly educated and politically aware, Lucien charges headlong into trap after trap, reacting to events rather than driving them forward. Worse is the fact that he’s been aware for 4 years that something bad is happening to Landfall’s women and yet does absolutely nothing until the plot requires him to, which made it difficult for me to care about him. This is a shame because Patrick keeps the action moving and I enjoyed the Medieval Italian influences to his fantasy world, however while the book sets up a sequel I’m not that interested in reading on – although I would check out Patrick’s other books.
My favourite character in the book is actually the mysterious Anea, who always wears a veil in public and who communicates by writing notes to be read out by others. Intelligent and cautious, she’s the only character who really calls Lucien on his stupidity and who successfully navigates the dangers of the court. I would have preferred more scenes with her in the book than the under-developed Rafella, who’s signalled as a love interest far too early and whose attraction to the younger, brash Lucien was not something I really understood.
Ultimately, while this novel didn’t really do it for me I enjoyed Patrick’s writing style enough to want to read his other work – just not this series.
The Verdict:
Den Patrick’s fantasy novel is a nicely written but slim tale of intrigue and discrimination in a claustrophobic castle where everyone is subject to the scrutiny and malice of their neighbours. The novel’s chapters alternate between Lucien’s final testing and its aftereffects and an account of his childhood, which gives the story an episodic feel. My main issue is that for someone highly educated and politically aware, Lucien charges headlong into trap after trap, reacting to events rather than driving them forward. Worse is the fact that he’s been aware for 4 years that something bad is happening to Landfall’s women and yet does absolutely nothing until the plot requires him to, which made it difficult for me to care about him. This is a shame because Patrick keeps the action moving and I enjoyed the Medieval Italian influences to his fantasy world, however while the book sets up a sequel I’m not that interested in reading on – although I would check out Patrick’s other books.
THE BOY WITH THE PORCELAIN BLADE was released in the United Kingdom on 20th March 2014. Thanks to Gollancz for the review copy of this book.
‘They’re criminals,’ replied Giancarlo. ‘It has been decided that they can go free if they face you in single combat.’
‘To first blood?’ said Lucien, feeling a chill in his veins.
‘To the death.’”
Lucien de Fontein has grown up an outsider; one of the Orfano, the deformed of the Kingdom of Landfall. He is lonely, tormented by his difference and a pawn in a political game. The reclusive king and his majordomo rule Landfall from the vast castle of Demesne, but the walls are no barrier to darkness from without. Or within.
Landfall is a harsh world of secrets and rivalries, where whispers are as lethal as blades, where control is fragile and the peace waits to be broken. Lucien will have to rely on more than just his blade to protect the ones he loves.
18 year old Lucien de Fontein is an Orfano – a deformed orphan left outside Demesne (a huge castle that houses the ruling families of Landfall) and made a ward of the king (who has not been seen for years and who lets his majordomo rule in his stead). Since the age of 8, Lucien has been taught and tested every year, ready to assume a position of responsibility within the Demesne. But Lucian knows that something’s rotten within the state of Landfall and he’s acquired a number of enemies, the most dangerous of which is Superiore Giancarlo who’ll be running Lucien’s last test and who’s just looking for an excuse to do him real harm ...
Den Patrick’s fantasy novel is a nicely written but slim tale of intrigue and discrimination in a claustrophobic castle where everyone is subject to the scrutiny and malice of their neighbours. The novel’s chapters alternate between Lucien’s final testing and its aftereffects and an account of his childhood, which gives the story an episodic feel. My main issue is that for someone highly educated and politically aware, Lucien charges headlong into trap after trap, reacting to events rather than driving them forward. Worse is the fact that he’s been aware for 4 years that something bad is happening to Landfall’s women and yet does absolutely nothing until the plot requires him to, which made it difficult for me to care about him. This is a shame because Patrick keeps the action moving and I enjoyed the Medieval Italian influences to his fantasy world, however while the book sets up a sequel I’m not that interested in reading on – although I would check out Patrick’s other books.
My favourite character in the book is actually the mysterious Anea, who always wears a veil in public and who communicates by writing notes to be read out by others. Intelligent and cautious, she’s the only character who really calls Lucien on his stupidity and who successfully navigates the dangers of the court. I would have preferred more scenes with her in the book than the under-developed Rafella, who’s signalled as a love interest far too early and whose attraction to the younger, brash Lucien was not something I really understood.
Ultimately, while this novel didn’t really do it for me I enjoyed Patrick’s writing style enough to want to read his other work – just not this series.
The Verdict:
Den Patrick’s fantasy novel is a nicely written but slim tale of intrigue and discrimination in a claustrophobic castle where everyone is subject to the scrutiny and malice of their neighbours. The novel’s chapters alternate between Lucien’s final testing and its aftereffects and an account of his childhood, which gives the story an episodic feel. My main issue is that for someone highly educated and politically aware, Lucien charges headlong into trap after trap, reacting to events rather than driving them forward. Worse is the fact that he’s been aware for 4 years that something bad is happening to Landfall’s women and yet does absolutely nothing until the plot requires him to, which made it difficult for me to care about him. This is a shame because Patrick keeps the action moving and I enjoyed the Medieval Italian influences to his fantasy world, however while the book sets up a sequel I’m not that interested in reading on – although I would check out Patrick’s other books.
THE BOY WITH THE PORCELAIN BLADE was released in the United Kingdom on 20th March 2014. Thanks to Gollancz for the review copy of this book.
