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Tekumel #5
A Death of Kings
This novel continues the story of Hársan, as he voyages out to the Far Eastern coast of Salarvyá. The country is in chaos as various factions fight for power after the death of the '"Mad King," Griggatsétsa. Hársan and his companions struggle through the riot-torn streets of the capital, Tsatsayágga, and then on to distant Jækanta. On their voyage, they obtain new insights into the mysterious College at the End of Time, the Undying Wizards, and the Unstraightened City.
210 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
83 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 11, 2014
Finished re-reading this one last night, the last of Barker's published novels. I really like the setting, I've spent a lot of money on the materials that have been produced, and while I enjoyed the book, I'm still disappointed. I'll try and avoid spoilers in this review.
We get to follow familiar protagonists again, which is good. The characters are portrayed fairly thinly, mainly caricatures of their prior selves without any depth, and a few token attitudes to differentiate them. This was really disappointing, as the reader is theoretically looking to follow the adventures of old friends. Especially annoying is how foolishly one character behaves as the author tries to wrap up the story.
The story itself is another tour of strange lands and customs, something that is used in all of Barker's novels. The first had the least amount of travel in it, but the rest depend upon the locations flashing by for a good amount of the entertainment. I'm not convinced that's a good thing. A good story, and good characters, can all stay in the same room, and be just as entertaining for a reader (if not more so).
So in my opinion, not a lot happens. The party is sent on a mission, they go lots of places, they meet folks who basically seem untrustworthy, and yet they are swept along to the next place and we keep turning pages. Bits and bobs are presented as goals and items of importance to various characters, but these issues are all freely discarded by these supposedly-caring characters a few chapters later. Huh? Oh well, if the character doesn't care, then I guess I don't either.
Which makes for a disinterested reader.
MILD SPOILER
Especially annoying to me is the end of the book, where basically everything set up has been abandoned, and folks again act out of character.
Bottom line, it's interesting to see more of the planet Tekumel, and to hear bits about its background. It's nice to see old friends again, but the affection you feel is mostly projected onto shallow representations. By contrast with the first novel, Man of Gold, I have to say that the series never realized the promise I had hoped for. Nonetheless, as a fan, I am grateful to own the series.
We get to follow familiar protagonists again, which is good. The characters are portrayed fairly thinly, mainly caricatures of their prior selves without any depth, and a few token attitudes to differentiate them. This was really disappointing, as the reader is theoretically looking to follow the adventures of old friends. Especially annoying is how foolishly one character behaves as the author tries to wrap up the story.
The story itself is another tour of strange lands and customs, something that is used in all of Barker's novels. The first had the least amount of travel in it, but the rest depend upon the locations flashing by for a good amount of the entertainment. I'm not convinced that's a good thing. A good story, and good characters, can all stay in the same room, and be just as entertaining for a reader (if not more so).
So in my opinion, not a lot happens. The party is sent on a mission, they go lots of places, they meet folks who basically seem untrustworthy, and yet they are swept along to the next place and we keep turning pages. Bits and bobs are presented as goals and items of importance to various characters, but these issues are all freely discarded by these supposedly-caring characters a few chapters later. Huh? Oh well, if the character doesn't care, then I guess I don't either.
Which makes for a disinterested reader.
MILD SPOILER
Especially annoying to me is the end of the book, where basically everything set up has been abandoned, and folks again act out of character.
Bottom line, it's interesting to see more of the planet Tekumel, and to hear bits about its background. It's nice to see old friends again, but the affection you feel is mostly projected onto shallow representations. By contrast with the first novel, Man of Gold, I have to say that the series never realized the promise I had hoped for. Nonetheless, as a fan, I am grateful to own the series.
January 14, 2011
Entertaining if somewhat unsatisfying. It starts with a mission to return a deposed prince to power, in some politically-complex scheme to embed a Tsolyani colony in the midst of a foreign empire. The journey to do this devolves, as this sort of story is wont to do, into a strung-out shaggy dog tale of the expedition becoming thoroughly entangled in local affairs.
This in itself is good solid storymaking stuff, except that I was really wanting to read about the more outré aspects of the setting-- the hidden planetary machinery of the Ancients, the extraplanar beings, and nexus point travel to odd corners of the world and elsewhere--and also to catch glimmers of the underlying story of Tekumel. Why is the entire planetary system trapped in a giant extraspacial bubble? And so forth.
Some few answers appear to arrive some halfway through the book, but by the end the supposed big plot points feel unresolved. I'm not sure if there was a follow-on book intended, to wrap up the rather flapping-about loose ends. The implications to the setting were severe and rather profound, and provided hints as to answers to major questions.
Barker's writing is stodgy and academic. His characters are prone to breaking out into random dissertative conversations about various sociological or linguistic matters, and I'm convinced that he isn't explaining the characters or their motiviations clearly enough.
And for some reason, the bookish linguist/priest gets the girls.
This in itself is good solid storymaking stuff, except that I was really wanting to read about the more outré aspects of the setting-- the hidden planetary machinery of the Ancients, the extraplanar beings, and nexus point travel to odd corners of the world and elsewhere--and also to catch glimmers of the underlying story of Tekumel. Why is the entire planetary system trapped in a giant extraspacial bubble? And so forth.
Some few answers appear to arrive some halfway through the book, but by the end the supposed big plot points feel unresolved. I'm not sure if there was a follow-on book intended, to wrap up the rather flapping-about loose ends. The implications to the setting were severe and rather profound, and provided hints as to answers to major questions.
Barker's writing is stodgy and academic. His characters are prone to breaking out into random dissertative conversations about various sociological or linguistic matters, and I'm convinced that he isn't explaining the characters or their motiviations clearly enough.
And for some reason, the bookish linguist/priest gets the girls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2019
This novel delivers a fitting conclusion to the series.
A familiar cast of characters journey to the fifth of the 5 empires and once again find themselves in a struggle to survive in the face of events beyond their control.
This novel is not as good as the first three in the series. It is more pedestrian than the fourth book but without its disappointing conclusion. Barker explores more social and geo-political aspects of this fascinating and exotic world, and reveals a little more of the deeper mysteries upon which it is based.
It reads well, but I didn't find it particularly gripping. It is a must read (although difficult to obtain) for anyone has read the four previous novels and has a desire to learn more about Tekumel.
A familiar cast of characters journey to the fifth of the 5 empires and once again find themselves in a struggle to survive in the face of events beyond their control.
This novel is not as good as the first three in the series. It is more pedestrian than the fourth book but without its disappointing conclusion. Barker explores more social and geo-political aspects of this fascinating and exotic world, and reveals a little more of the deeper mysteries upon which it is based.
It reads well, but I didn't find it particularly gripping. It is a must read (although difficult to obtain) for anyone has read the four previous novels and has a desire to learn more about Tekumel.
Did Not Finish
December 1, 2021Oof. The 4th book was rough and then had a really bad turn at the end. This book is scattered from the very beginning, and I couldn't make it more than a chapter or two before giving up.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews