Seeds of Betrayal

Winds of the Forelands #2

by David B. Coe

The realms of the Forelands are in turmoil as a result of the machinations of a powerful conspiracy of sorcerers, members of a race called the Qirsi, pale-skinned folk feared by those in power. Though many refuse to acknowledge the possibility of a conspiracy, a handful of Qirsi and nobles realize that the time has come to take action, even at the cost of their loves, their honor, and even their lives.

But the rebels don't know of each other's actions, and the tenuous threads holding the realms together are starting to unravel. With the death of a king, nobles gather to choose a new leader, and deadly power springs from a most unexpected source. As new alliances form, former enemies become unlikely partners.

But who can be trusted in these new alliances, and who will be swayed by love, jealousy, or pride to betray their new allies? For more than the future of the realm is at stake. The future of the entire Forelands is in danger, and a 900-year-old grudge may lead to civil war. Those who wish to prevent it must place their hopes in a reluctant assassin, a few Qirsi and nobles, and the one man who may be able to defeat the leader of the conspiracy...if he can survive long enough to do it.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, High Fantasy

594 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

David B. Coe is an author of fantasy novels and short stories. He lives with his wife, Nancy Berner, and their two daughters on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Jorge Gálvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terminar este libro me deja con un sabor agridulce. Si bien no es tan extraordinario como el primero, este libro sigue manteniéndonos atentos a todo lo que pasa en los Promontorios, y está igual de bien narrado que el Primero (La Conspiración de los Qirsi).

Aun así, se nota a leguas que este libro es sólo un puente entre el primero y los que siguen; este es el libro en donde se explora a profundidad el verdadero tamaño gigantesco que tiene el mapa que el autor creó. Ya que en el primer libro todo sucede en un solo reino (Eibithar), el cual es tan grande como el mapa total de Juego de Tronos. Pero ahora, el autor nos transporta al reino de Aneira, al sur de Eibithar, y también tiene algunos capítulos nuevamente en Eibithar, y en el reino más poderos de los 7: Braedon, el cual es también conocido como un Imperio.

Y el hecho de que este libro sea un puente entre libros, donde la acción no sea tanta como en el primero y más bien quede relegada en pos de plantearnos una intriga mayor, y se integren múltiples personajes nuevos que enriquecen la trama, no es algo malo, de hecho a mí me pareció bastante entretenido. El problema de esto, y la razón del sabor agridulce que me dejó, es que los demás libros no existen en Español, la editorial que los editó me parece que quebró, así que la única opción que ahora me queda es leerlos en inglés. Lo cual no es del todo de mi agrado, ya que en ingles sólo puedo hacer una lectura superficial y no la lectura profunda que tanto me gusta hacer en novelas de este calibre y esta profundidad tan extraordinaria en sus tramas. (Aunque realmente hago lo de la lectura profunda con la mayoría de novelas que leo)

Esperé 10 años para leer esta novela, y aunque no fue una secuela directa como pensaba, (sí salen personajes importantes de la anterior, pero también el número de personajes nuevos es abrumadoramente mayor), me dejó un muy buen sabor de boca, y David B. Coe
vuelve a mostrarme que es uno de los mejores -sino es que el mejor-, exponentes de la Fantasía Épica de nuestra época, con su saga en donde las intrigas cortesanas nos mantienen en vilo, en donde la amenaza de una Guerra Civil pende siempre sobre el destino de los protagonistas, y donde los personajes levantan las espadas o blanden su magia de manera magistral.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying YMMV here. SoB picks up right were the last volume let off-- the kingdoms of the Forelands (7 in all) are at an uneasy peace, but we know there is a conspiracy lead by a 'weaver', a Qirsi master sage, to foment civil war and unrest. While many Qirsi have magical talents (fire, wind, 'shaping', beast talking, etc.), few have very many; a weaver has them all and further, can channel the magic of others around him/her as well. The invasion of the Forelands 900 years ago by the Qirsi was lead by 8 weavers and after it failed, a massive 'witch hunt' ensued to kill all the weavers. Nonetheless, they keep being born. Now, one weaver is the archminister to the most powerful of the 7 kingdoms and he is the weaver!

Most kings/dukes etc. have Qirsi advisors and it is these that the weaver has co-opted, hoping to breed rivalries and such among the kingdoms. In the last volume, he almost succeeded in starting a civil war in one kingdom and his plans continue. Coe switches focus a bit here and moves to another kingdom, drawing in another huge amount of characters. This series is at least as sprawling as the Game of Thrones regarding the cast to be sure, as well as the political machinations.

After I finished this, my first thought, however, was 'where's the beef'? Another 600 page doorstop and Coe spends the time basically moving from POV to POV all across the Forelands developing one intrigue after another. If you are into feudal intrigue with a little magic on the side, this series is for you. If you like your fantasy a little more action packed, you will be disappointed for sure. Very little actually happens here besides various alliances being forged, broken or attempted. Sure, more of the nobility is wary of the Qirsi and a few got exposed, but life basically goes on with various threats of war. I found it pretty boring, although I did like the magic system and the Qirsi as basically aliens (although they are human, just something like albinos, called 'white hairs' by 'normal' folk). 2.5 stars, rounding up because Coe can write.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his second novel, SEEDS continues with the massive conspiracy of a race of albino wizard like beings against the human nobility. At this point, some of the humans are on to the conspiracy but they are mostly in the dark. The tale, which focused on one set of duchies, has now mostly shifted to another set of duchies (there are several and many names to keep focused upon).

The best way to view the story is to imagine a lot of petty kingdoms with dukes as vassals to these kings. The first book focuses on several of the dukes of one kingdom as well as other characters who come into and out of the tale. There's also a race of albino type beings who have short life spans, practice magic and lost big time against the humans in a war from long ago.

I would say the character complexities are close to that of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series. Coe spends a lot of time developing such characters, and, like Martin, he's big on believable History of the realm.

PROS

(1) At heart this is a murder mystery and conspiracy tale, so, if you like such things, this is good.

(2) Complex characters;

(3) No long typical fantasy tale journeys where it gives the characters and excuse to bore us with the rules of magic or a long, boring tale of Historical stuff that could have been spread out in the novel.;

(4) He doesn't follow the typical fantasy archetype adventure which is refreshing.;

(5) Lots of interesting Historical detail which feels different and not a rehash of previous fantasy books; and

(6) Magic is low and not like some bad RPGing game.


CONS

(1) There are a ton of names and places to keep track of, but, if you hold out, it's worth it b/c it makes the story more complex than the simple tales. If you prefer the simple ones, and, that doesn't mean you're stupid by the way, then HARRY POTTER or ERAGON should do nicely. It's too bad the book doesn't have an appendix of names and places but this is probably more a decision of the publisher than the author.;

(2) If you want to spend all your time with only one main character, then, this is surely not the book for you.; and

(3) Not a ton of battles, although there are a few, so, if you need a lot, this isn't it. Think intrigue more than hack and slash/break the door down/charge style.

[Inès Liminet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un peu moins d’action mais je n’ai quand même pas pu le lâcher, on y découvre en plus de nouveaux personnages très attachants ! Je dirai que c’est plus un tome introductif à LA GUERRE de tous les côtés, hâte d’en lire plus.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeds of Betrayal by David B. Coe is book two in the Winds of the Forelands series. Truth be told, there aren't much book series where I immediately start the second book right after having read the first. There's obviously exceptions but in most cases, I'd take a break, read or do something else for a while and then come back to it. Well, I'm proud to say that the Winds of the Forelands series definitely made it to that exception list! I can also say with confidence that as soon as I'm done with this review, I'm off to starting the third book. I haven't felt this passionate for a fantasy series since having read the ASoIaF.

As I matured as a reader, I find myself no longer caring for stories that include a protagonist that has everything going his or her way only to have a happy ending at the end. No longer do I care for stories where a young farm boy leading an ordinary life all of a sudden becomes the hero with mysterious powers and is now the sole savoir of the world from a mysterious dark force. Now a days, I find myself wanting to read of an antagonist instead. In any case, this series got me excited again and as you can guess already, Seeds of Betrayal does not disappoint. Characters are ordinary but interesting enough to keep you from having to roll your eyes or skipping certain section when it comes to one of these people. One thing I did hope for was for a character to emerge that made me hate their guts. Usually in a political setting, there would always be that one or two character that would just make you want to resent them for their shrewdness and closed-door scheming plans. The duke of Kentigern comes close but I personally wanted one or two more characters to fill that role.

The author continues with his brilliant and smooth writing style. This was another example of a "page turner" although there's hardly any action at all. I wanted a series laden with court politics and I'm happy to say that I've got my fill here. Whereas in the first book we stayed in the kingdom of Ebithar, the second book introduces us to the major players in the other kingdom of Aneisse. We are introduced to some new characters and although it may be hard to keep track of them at certain times, especially with all the dukes and their ministers, veteran readers will adjust quickly. I especially loved how in the first book, we learned that although the two kingdoms hate each other, we only got the point of view from the Ebitharian side. Here, we get to see things more from the Aneissian side and that's what I loved best in epic fantasy series. The ability for the author to present all sides of the story and introducing a whole bunch of characters to make for an interesting read without having to always resort to action.

Seeds of Betrayal was another slow burner but one that was still surprisingly a joy to read, just like Rules of Ascension. If you didn't like the first, I doubt you would have continued anyways. I have a good feeling things will pick up in Bonds of Vengeance and I can't wait to start on it.

[Erin Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is 3.5 stars. I don’t think it’s as strong as the first book, but it did come through for me overall.

I love the slow, complicated political intrigue here. Coe has found his audience in me. That’s true for the first book, too. But the first book had a much better story arc of its own in Tavis’s predicament. If I had to pick out a story arc for this book, I think I’d have to say maybe Keziah’s change of role. But that’s very specific to her - it’s not something that impacts other stories in the book. Whereas Tavis’s plight in book one felt like the major focus for the whole book. I had been hoping that since book one had such a strong arc of its own, that the later books would do the same.

My other disappointment remains the characters. I see other reviewers praising Coe’s characterization, but I don’t see it. There are a few strong exceptions for me - at this point Tavis, Keziah, and Aindreas feel like they have some strengths and weaknesses, some personality (likable or not). I don’t add Grinsa to the list, despite his story importance, because he feels so generic Good Guy to me. There are a LOT of characters, and I think part of the problem with keeping track of it all is how much the nobles and ministers blur together. The series could really use more non-plotty conversations between characters so that we could get to know them better. Coe does do some GoT style character killing, but it doesn’t have the same impact when I barely remember who a character is.

However - the last 100 pages of the book felt strong and introduced some interesting new plot points. I also felt that multiple women characters got to come to the fore, and I didn’t feel frustrated by how they were written. I am currently shipping Gershon and Keziah, but feel I may be disappointed on that front. 😛

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one less than the first simply because all of the characters that I grew to love either weren’t mentioned at all or got very few pages. The last 100 pages were what I wanted from the whole book but I’m still very interested in continuing with the series.

[Xara Niouraki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seeds of Betrayal continues with the conspiracy of the Qirsi and their attempt to rise into power and claim the Forelands.

Many of the characters are the same but there are a lot of new ones, most of whom I liked. The book focuses on another kingdom this time but the backstabbings and the intrigue are there. Although, this was an thing I loved in the first book and I really enjoyed in this one, it was the reason of my 4 star rating (instead of a 5 star one). It seemed to me that the first and second book were the same, with similar plots and events happening but in different locations. I would have appreciated a more diverse plotline.

Having said that, I really liked the book and I still believe that more people should read this series. I really enjoy well written fantasy books with a lot of intrigue and conspiracies, but the reason I like this series so far isn't only that. My main reason is the characters. Coe avoids creating too perfect characters, who do everything right and are extremelly powerful for no reason. His characters are flawed like humans should be, they make mistakes which they pay dearly and all their actions and decisions are logical and rational. Their feelings and sufferings seem real and I can identify with them. Even when they are selfish or do something foolish, you can understand why.

A higly recommended series. I really hope more people will try it out.

[Barthélémy Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une suite toute aussi accrochante que le premier volume de l'intégrale l'était. Découverte plus approfondie d'un des autres royaumes de l'univers, avec une trame somme toute plus politique que le premier volume. À ce point-ci, on reste jusqu'à la fin ou en abandonne la lecture. Je continue promptement.

[Hildie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book picked up right where the last volume left off. Many of the characters are new, though old favorites (and not-so-favorite people), continue their journeys in this one. It was still slow at times, but the pace really picked up toward the end. I think the author needs a character list for the reader to keep track of who is all who, and in which country he/she is in.

As for the story: more Qirsi join the conspiracy in this one, though more stay true to their Lords and friends. The Qirsi are a magical people who have random skills (like wind, fire, healing, or "shaping"), though there are a few "Weavers" who have all of the magics. This is opposed to the humans, who have no magic at all, though they rule all of the kingdoms. I like the complexity of this series and how intricate the alliances are, and how enemies become partners and vice versa. It's intriguing enough for me to continue on to the next book!

[Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandonado en la página 200.
No está mal escrita, pero el problema que le veo es que repite la misma estructura (castillo, asesinato de noble, qirsi conspirador, etc...), y sumando distintos escenarios a los ya conocidos, lo que hace bastante complejo poder seguir la trama.
Posiblemente el autor oculta a los personajes más esperados para hacerlos estallar en algún momento, pero en el fondo eso ralentiza terriblemente la historia, y la sensación de hastío y desorientación se convierte en la tónica de la lectura.
Terrible duda. No sé si dejarlo una temporada, para volver a recuperarlo más adelante con más frescura, o lo dejo aquí definitivamente. Y que conste que creo que la primera parte es soberbia, de lo mejor que se ha escrito en fantasía épica en las últimas décadas.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line is still good as it was in the first book but the writing style has changed. It has become more confusing and hard to follow as it jumps from person to person and often retells the story or skips parts of the story then fills in later. Also, the names have gotten completely outlandish. Finally, the changes in various characters' personalities seem unrealistic and even tend to vary between two extremes that do not meld together.
Overall, I'm still reading because I want to know what happens to Travis.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a long slog. It was definitely a tale of political intrigue just like the previous book, but the scope has now widened and there are more characters and regions than were in the first book. It's a nice story, but man it's confusing keeping up with it (and there's even a few typos where it was clear the writer got some character names confusing). Light on physical descriptions, it's hard to know what anyone looks like.

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

My challenge with this book may be that I am unaccustomed to reading fantasy literature. I find the way the story switches chapter-by-chapter to different “kingdoms”, and with the odd location and character names, very difficult to follow. At times the story is excruciating tedious to read, but then the storyline picks up generating my interest and becomes enjoyable to read. After two books of this, I am deciding if I will invest the time in book 3.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I read a long time ago. I never finished the rest of the series, so I will be re-reading the first two at some point and then going on to the rest. I kind of forgot about this author, but I recently saw his name again and remembered I really liked these books. I will write a real review when I re-read this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent second installment of the series. The pacing was a bit slow, hampered by the many povs that were used in the telling of the story. However, all of the plot development was interesting as was the Weaver's maneuvering. I'm interested in seeing what comes next.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one kept the momentum up better than the first. Thoroughly enjoyed it

[Jeff S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Star · Rating 2 out of 5]

did not finish it :(

[Fran Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a bit to finish, but was it worth it!!! Excellent!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Otto Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Great sequel to the 1st one and I can't wait to start the 3rd book.

[Monica Ignat · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'aime bien l'histoire, c'est captivant et bien écrit

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this was a better known series - definitely worth more people reading!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed Rules of Ascension: Book One of Winds of the Forelands I was even more impressed with Seeds of Betrayal, the second volume in David Coe's Winds of the Forelands series.

This volume dramatically increases the political intrigue, which I tend to appreciate more after reading George R.R. Martin's brilliant Song of Ice and Fire series. The traditional sword and sorcery elements are still present, but they play a lesser role. Rules of Ascension showed readers a glimpse of the events and politics facing the Forelands, but Seeds of Betrayal kicked the door wide open. Coe introduces a host of new characters and courts, and shows us the threads that connect them all. Nothing happens in a vacuum. This volume illustrates how events in one kingdom play out in another, and how a carefully manipulated string of events can throw them all into turmoil.

I admire Coe's ambition, but hope he hasn't overreached. The characters from Rules of Ascension could have used more development prior to introducing a whole new group. Seeds of Betrayal also gives readers a much closer look at the Weaver behind the vast Qirsi conspiracy. Unfortunately he comes off as a bit one-dimensional. This is a character that would have been more effective had he remained more enigmatic.

Despite a few bumps in the road, Seeds of Betrayal is another fine chapter in a very engaging series that should appeal to most fantasy fiction fans. Expect to be entertained, and you will not be disappointed.

[Tim Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up right where the first book in the series (Rules of Ascension) left off, Seeds of Betrayal continues to develop the direction of the plot and, in addition to focusing on the realm of Eibithar as the first book does, it also begins introducing the realm of Aneira and various important characters within, including the main antagonist of the series.

While I thought this book improved upon the already excellent first book in the series, I feel that it was a bit slow paced, and ultimately, not a lot happens. Given that the viewpoint now focuses on several additional characters, you could argue that this is almost necessary--even though the book seems a bit slow paced I feel that almost all of the content is necessary without much filler, and given that this book is roughly the same length as the previous one (~600+ pages) I think the author picked a pretty good stopping point. To summarize this point, I would say that the book focuses less on story and more on character development.

One thing to note--though this book answers some questions posed in the first one, it creates more than it answers, and many of those new questions are not answered for another couple books. So, while this book is excellent, you will most likely find yourself immediately picking up the next book to keep reading to find out what happens next.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the conspiracy continues, it has yet to add much subtlety to its methods even if the goals are complex. Every plan seems to involve killing off someone to achieve a hidden goal. Most of the characters have in-depth personalities though oddly the one lacking one is Tavis, a principle. The story overall is fairly good but fails to really progress the series.

[Lydia]

Second book in the series and wonderful for a sequel--just as good if not better than the first. Fast paced yet the author is so great with all the details you really get to know the places and persons. Author does an excellent job weaving in what happened in the first book without being repetitive. Really getting to know the characters more and I am so excited to read the next book!

[Pablo]

Como segundo libro de una saga, un espera seguir con los protagonistas del primer volumen. Pero el autor sabe sorprendernos siguiendo la historia desde otros puntos de las forelands dandonos una perspectiva mayor de lo que la historia implica. Esta bastante bien, aunque tiene algunos situaciones demasiado evidentes. Recomendable para los que le gusta la fantasia.