What do you think?
Rate this book
Crown Colonies #2
Of Limited Loyalty
1767. In the three years since defeating the Tharyngians at Anvil Lake, The Crown Colonies of Mystria have prospered. Colonists, whether hunting for new land or the Promised Land of prophecy, have pushed beyond the bounds of charters granted by the Queen of Norisle. Some of these new communities have even had the temerity to tell the Crown they are no longer subject to its authorities. To survey the full extent of the western expansion, the Crown has sent Colonel Ian Rathfield to join Nathaniel Woods, Owen Strake, and Kamiskwa on an expedition into the Mystrian interior. They discover a land full of isolated and unique communities, each shaped in accord with the ideals of the founders. Conflicts abound among them, and old enemies show up at the least useful moments. Worse yet, lurking out there is a menace which the Twilight People only know from folklore as the Antedeluvians; and westward penetration stumbles into their lands and awakens them. Alerted to this threat by his men, Prince Vlad petitions the Crown to send troops and supplies to destroy this new and terrifying enemy. The Crown refuses, citing massive debts from the last war. They dismiss Vlad's claims as fantasy, and impose a series of taxes on Mystrian trade to finance their own recovery. Faced with fighting an inhuman foe in a land seething with resentment against the Crown, Vlad must unite the Colonies in a common cause, or preside over their complete destruction.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
469 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 4, 2012
Now my biggest issue with the first book in this series was that, basically, while it was good it wasn't very original or complex. Basically the Seven Years War (as we call it over here the French and Indian War) with zombies and a "not-dragon."
This book, however, is not only a more fully realized fantasy world based on that era instead of just being that era "plus," but the addition of a wholly non-human villain means that any ideological conflict has to happen within one side and within the characters. This is all for the better.
While there are definitely stirrings of a "Fantasy American Revolution" everywhere, with the "Sons of Liberty" writing leaflets and increasingly oppressive laws by Norisle, this books focus is on mysterious creatures coming from the west.
It starts with Ian Rathfield, a man from Norisle, being sent in to find not only colonists outside the chartered territories but specifically one Ezikiel Fire, a man who claims that the Good Book, their equivalent to the Bible, proves that Magick is not evil but, in fact, a gift from God and provides secret lessons for spells.
The thing is, he may have accidentally hit on a conspircay by Church and Nobility to keep the greater Magickal power in the hands of the few. So while Owen Strake, Kamiskwa and Nathaniel Woods guide the new man west, Prince Vlad has the twofold task of making sense of this potential new magick and training Mugwump, his dragon.
The characters have a lot more inner conflict, with Owen torn between the woman he has sworn to and the woman he loves, Rathfield hiding his own past, Vlad trying to balance family, study, duty and a corrupt bishop trying to blackmail him, among others.
It's all very good and I can't wait to read the inevitable next book.
This book, however, is not only a more fully realized fantasy world based on that era instead of just being that era "plus," but the addition of a wholly non-human villain means that any ideological conflict has to happen within one side and within the characters. This is all for the better.
While there are definitely stirrings of a "Fantasy American Revolution" everywhere, with the "Sons of Liberty" writing leaflets and increasingly oppressive laws by Norisle, this books focus is on mysterious creatures coming from the west.
It starts with Ian Rathfield, a man from Norisle, being sent in to find not only colonists outside the chartered territories but specifically one Ezikiel Fire, a man who claims that the Good Book, their equivalent to the Bible, proves that Magick is not evil but, in fact, a gift from God and provides secret lessons for spells.
The thing is, he may have accidentally hit on a conspircay by Church and Nobility to keep the greater Magickal power in the hands of the few. So while Owen Strake, Kamiskwa and Nathaniel Woods guide the new man west, Prince Vlad has the twofold task of making sense of this potential new magick and training Mugwump, his dragon.
The characters have a lot more inner conflict, with Owen torn between the woman he has sworn to and the woman he loves, Rathfield hiding his own past, Vlad trying to balance family, study, duty and a corrupt bishop trying to blackmail him, among others.
It's all very good and I can't wait to read the inevitable next book.
August 18, 2022
I found both books in this series at a library book sale. I was intrigued because the American Revolution is one of my favorite periods in history; adding in dragons (as evidenced by the cover) made them seem interesting enough to buy and bring home.
I have not quite completed book 2, but I know enough at this point to do a review of the series - mainly because there was supposed be a book 3 and it never came out. Based on the few pages that are left to be read, that clearly means book 2 will be ending with a lot of loose ends and very little in the way of resolution.
Overall these books are enjoyable, but they didn't sink their hooks into me like some fantasy series (i.e. GOT - you either love it or hate it). The characters are all a little vanilla in their personalities - the good guys are very obviously the good guys and that means being upstanding, stoic, quietly heroic, etc. etc. In book 2 we are introduced to a character who is much more along the lines of conflicted/damaged/questionably good/possibly bad/maybe both/always operating on their last nerve - which was a welcome touch of ambiguity.
As for the fantasy, the elements involved start out fairly simple, but become more complex as the series moves on. There is ultimately a great reliance on ley lines and there are also some outre' types of creatures - it reminded me of another series, Widdershins, which is wildly different in that it is a mm romance/paranormal, but has quite a bit in common with the "magical" environment the author creates here. Widdershins was a lot darker and quirkier and much more successful in creating an overarching atmosphere. (It is one of my favorites series, but don't take a chance unless you are OK with the mm aspect) In the Crown Colonies books, there are alot of explanations of how things work or of the physical landscape that quickly become meaningless to me because I simply can't recreate them in my mind (that's partially me, because I have NO spatial aptitude). Overall, I never got the sense of impending doom or urgency, which would really have enhanced the overall story.
One of the characters is very interesting to me - Nathaniel Woods. He's a take on the quintessential 1700's backwoods savant and while the cadence of his speech can get to be annoying, overall he comes across as smart, funny and very wise (despite the lack of book learnin' and all them grammer issues.) I would think that some folks would find the "downhome in the holler" argot to be a deal-breaker, especially as the character is very much present and involved throughout the entire series. Normally I would be in that group, but the author peppers the character with enough wit and heart to overcome the stereotypical "language barrier".
Oddly enough, some of the plotlines are very soap opera - cheating spouses, would-be lovers kept apart by fate, emotional blackmail, etc., etc. The only thing missing is a swapped baby although come to think of it, there's plenty of "who IS the real father?" bits. It comes across as awkward - I think the author wants to incorporate romance, but just doesn't know how to write it. Thus it comes across as really bland, predictable and unengaging.
In sum, these books are just not that compelling and thus feel way too long (which would not be an issue if they were compelling); however, if there were a book 3, I likely would have read it to 1) get the plot points tied up (there are some really obvious cliff hangers) and 2) see the characters who deserve it get their just desserts. It feels terrible that, as I understand it, the author was not given the opportunity to publish book #3 - terrible for the author and terrible for readers. It shows that small publishers are a double-edged sword - they allow for tons of amazingly creative new books and series, but they also run the risk of folding, or dropping an author or a series midway.
I'm giving this 3 stars rather than 2 for lost potential beyond the control of the author.
I have not quite completed book 2, but I know enough at this point to do a review of the series - mainly because there was supposed be a book 3 and it never came out. Based on the few pages that are left to be read, that clearly means book 2 will be ending with a lot of loose ends and very little in the way of resolution.
Overall these books are enjoyable, but they didn't sink their hooks into me like some fantasy series (i.e. GOT - you either love it or hate it). The characters are all a little vanilla in their personalities - the good guys are very obviously the good guys and that means being upstanding, stoic, quietly heroic, etc. etc. In book 2 we are introduced to a character who is much more along the lines of conflicted/damaged/questionably good/possibly bad/maybe both/always operating on their last nerve - which was a welcome touch of ambiguity.
As for the fantasy, the elements involved start out fairly simple, but become more complex as the series moves on. There is ultimately a great reliance on ley lines and there are also some outre' types of creatures - it reminded me of another series, Widdershins, which is wildly different in that it is a mm romance/paranormal, but has quite a bit in common with the "magical" environment the author creates here. Widdershins was a lot darker and quirkier and much more successful in creating an overarching atmosphere. (It is one of my favorites series, but don't take a chance unless you are OK with the mm aspect) In the Crown Colonies books, there are alot of explanations of how things work or of the physical landscape that quickly become meaningless to me because I simply can't recreate them in my mind (that's partially me, because I have NO spatial aptitude). Overall, I never got the sense of impending doom or urgency, which would really have enhanced the overall story.
One of the characters is very interesting to me - Nathaniel Woods. He's a take on the quintessential 1700's backwoods savant and while the cadence of his speech can get to be annoying, overall he comes across as smart, funny and very wise (despite the lack of book learnin' and all them grammer issues.) I would think that some folks would find the "downhome in the holler" argot to be a deal-breaker, especially as the character is very much present and involved throughout the entire series. Normally I would be in that group, but the author peppers the character with enough wit and heart to overcome the stereotypical "language barrier".
Oddly enough, some of the plotlines are very soap opera - cheating spouses, would-be lovers kept apart by fate, emotional blackmail, etc., etc. The only thing missing is a swapped baby although come to think of it, there's plenty of "who IS the real father?" bits. It comes across as awkward - I think the author wants to incorporate romance, but just doesn't know how to write it. Thus it comes across as really bland, predictable and unengaging.
In sum, these books are just not that compelling and thus feel way too long (which would not be an issue if they were compelling); however, if there were a book 3, I likely would have read it to 1) get the plot points tied up (there are some really obvious cliff hangers) and 2) see the characters who deserve it get their just desserts. It feels terrible that, as I understand it, the author was not given the opportunity to publish book #3 - terrible for the author and terrible for readers. It shows that small publishers are a double-edged sword - they allow for tons of amazingly creative new books and series, but they also run the risk of folding, or dropping an author or a series midway.
I'm giving this 3 stars rather than 2 for lost potential beyond the control of the author.
May 13, 2017
The story wasn't bad and continued the interesting world without being a repeat of the first one. It did get racy enough that I skipped over several parts. I've enjoyed his other books much more.
November 14, 2017
Worse than the first. I skimmed whole sections in the middle. Poorly written, poor plotting, illogical in places, definitely has boring passages. Not recommended.
March 16, 2017
Great second book in the series. I enjoyed the further exploration of Mystria and magick. I cannot wait till the next novel.
Read
July 19, 2016This is not one of Stackpole's best. It's filled with Telling, not showing, and the major action beats don't gel as strongly as they did in his other series (and even the first in this series). While the worldbuilding is fascinating (rebirth/rediscovery of magic in a fantasy colonial America), and the characters are interesting and sympathetic (if a little on the 'Mary Sue' side of competence), the story takes a long time to get where it's going, and it's a very meandering path. There are two big battle to make up the climax, and the first fails almost entirely for interest; the second one is better, but not enough to make up for the first.
That being said, it's Stackpole, so it's still good. And I am going to have to hunt down book three and finish the trilogy to see how things fall out. There's a lot of intrigue and politics that has yet to fall out, and promises to make the third book much more action oriented.
That being said, it's Stackpole, so it's still good. And I am going to have to hunt down book three and finish the trilogy to see how things fall out. There's a lot of intrigue and politics that has yet to fall out, and promises to make the third book much more action oriented.
November 18, 2013
An ok book but the constant God bothering, espeaically in the first two thirds of the book does let the book down because it gets in the way of the real story. I would have liked it better as well if the book had focused a bit more on character development instead of preaching. I do get the impression that it pokes fun at the Mormon church but even that doesn't make the God bothering easier to read. A fantasy which was less reliant on history might have worked better. If the author had been anyone but Michael A. Stackpole, I don't think that I would have got through it.
April 5, 2013
Another well done book. I'll admit for a bit early on in the book that I was worried that the author was turning Mystria into a completely unfamiliar fantasy world instead of colonial North America with a twist but it all comes back together in the later pages and I was very satisfied with the ending including a "Holy ___!" twist and a couple of unresolved strands leaving you eager for the next book... which Michael Stackpole needs to hurry up and produce!
August 19, 2012
A very enjoyable bit of fantasy. This second book takes the opportunity to make the world more unique, with far more departure from colonial history. Overall I greatly enjoyed this book, and found the ending to be very powerful.
July 25, 2012
A really fun ride. I thought the final battle would be a bit more involved, but it was very satisfying. I can't wait to see what's next for the people of Mystria, although I'm really feeling sorry for Owen Strake! Geez, guy can't catch a break.
October 19, 2015
Another excellent installment of the Crown Colonies series. Shame that there hasn't been another once since. Both the characters and the world were interesting and engaging, not to mention the story itself.
October 5, 2016
I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, and this one lives up to expectations. An interesting, quasi-our Earth / history to give you a good sense of place and time, but enough fantastical thrown in to make it thoroughly elsewhere / when.
February 7, 2012
Waiting the rest of the year for the third book is going to be hard.
May 8, 2012
If you liked the first book, you'll probably like this one.
June 30, 2014
Seriously - a great period piece. Easily as good as the Mrs. Quent series.
January 12, 2022
Book 2 of the Crown Colonies, probably the last one, even though there is much more of the story to tell... I really wish to read more.
April 3, 2017
Better than the first
I really enjoyed this story. It is a fun creative imagining of a colonial world where magic exists but is more for function than for mysticism. I like how the oppressive quality of the church is presented and is in conflict with the scientific method of study. The nod to the works of James Fenimore Cooper is a nice touch. I know there were to be at least two more novels in the series plus a short novella but sadly that's all been tied up in legal battles. I hope some day the series continues and we find out how the colonies win their independence
I really enjoyed this story. It is a fun creative imagining of a colonial world where magic exists but is more for function than for mysticism. I like how the oppressive quality of the church is presented and is in conflict with the scientific method of study. The nod to the works of James Fenimore Cooper is a nice touch. I know there were to be at least two more novels in the series plus a short novella but sadly that's all been tied up in legal battles. I hope some day the series continues and we find out how the colonies win their independence
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews