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The Lost and Founds #3
The Butterfly King
Terrance Altham doesn’t know why he’s been arrested. He’s committed no crime and the cops aren’t talking. Sadly, the man sharing his holding cell talks too much. Known only as Ghost, he is a young grifter, apparently familiar enough with this police station to convince Terrance a break out is possible, and pushy enough to leave Terrance no choice but to follow Ghost into the underbelly of New York City.
Terrified by the unjust imprisonment and the possibility of a life behind bars, Terrance searches for proof of his innocence while Ghost seeks the elusive Butterfly King. But neither man seems in control of the weekend’s direction and the consequences of mistakes are life-changing. As Ghost’s manipulations come to an explosive head, each man must decide amid danger and street violence what kind of man will triumph, lost or found?
Narrator Vin Vanbly (a.k.a Ghost) returns in the most revealing King Weekend yet, where he faces the dark side of his dangerous manipulations, and learns missteps can be deadly. Vin must confront sinister dealings from his past—and a future promising disaster—as he waltzes Terrance across Manhattan in spring, searching for the elusive and charismatic, Butterfly King.
Terrified by the unjust imprisonment and the possibility of a life behind bars, Terrance searches for proof of his innocence while Ghost seeks the elusive Butterfly King. But neither man seems in control of the weekend’s direction and the consequences of mistakes are life-changing. As Ghost’s manipulations come to an explosive head, each man must decide amid danger and street violence what kind of man will triumph, lost or found?
Narrator Vin Vanbly (a.k.a Ghost) returns in the most revealing King Weekend yet, where he faces the dark side of his dangerous manipulations, and learns missteps can be deadly. Vin must confront sinister dealings from his past—and a future promising disaster—as he waltzes Terrance across Manhattan in spring, searching for the elusive and charismatic, Butterfly King.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
165 people want to read
About the author
Edmond Manning
15 books166 followersEdmond Manning has always been fascinated by fiction: how ordinary words could be sculpted into heartfelt emotions, how heartfelt emotions could leave an imprint inside you stronger than the real world. Mr. Manning never felt worthy to seek publication until recently, when he accidentally stumbled into his own writer’s voice that fit perfectly, like his favorite skull-print, fuzzy jammies. He finally realized that he didn’t have to write like Charles Dickens or Armistead Maupin, two author heroes, and that perhaps his own fiction was juuuuuuust right, because it was his true voice, so he looked around the scrappy word kingdom that he created for himself and shouted, “I’M HOME!” He is now a writer.
In addition to fiction, Edmond enjoys writing non-fiction on his blog, www.edmondmanning.com. When not writing, he can be found either picking raspberries in the back yard or eating panang curry in an overstuffed chair upstairs, reading comic books.
In addition to fiction, Edmond enjoys writing non-fiction on his blog, www.edmondmanning.com. When not writing, he can be found either picking raspberries in the back yard or eating panang curry in an overstuffed chair upstairs, reading comic books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 2, 2014
If you aren't reading Edmond Manning's The Lost and Founds series, then you aren't experiencing the whole range of what M/M has to offer. This series is some of the most creative, out-of-the-box fiction that I've ever read. While these books aren't traditional romances, they are filled with so much love and emotion that you still feel awed and seduced by the end.
The Butterfly King is the latest in the series, and it takes place chronologically before the other two. Unlike the first book where Vin was enigmatic and confident, and the second where Vin was a little clumsy but practiced, the Vin in The Butterfly King seems barely in control. Though he is a man with a plan, this is a Vin that I haven't seen before. Everything is more at the surface with him. His feelings are more raw. His frustrations, his desires, his pain- this Vin is more accessible than ever before.
As always, I loved Edmond Manning's vision and his prose. You can tell that Edmond, like Vin, loves words and language. Edmond's word choices are sometimes unexpected, but they always work, and I can get lost in reading his stories. This book read beautifully, and I didn't want to put it down all day.
I also loved the setting. As an east-coaster, I appreciated the time and effort that Edmond took in getting the New York details correct. The story felt very New York; sort of rough around the edges, aggressive, and lovable in an in-your-face kind of way.
Now, this book also took some turns that were harder for me to adjust to. I think I missed some of the humor that was so present in the other two books. This book was a little more serious, more charged, and it didn't have as much lightness to balance out the tension. In addition, I had a harder time, emotionally, coping with this younger Vin. I felt myself sort of dreading finding out the details of Vin's past; what makes him so adverse to violence and how he lost his family. I also had a harder time adjusting to Terrance. He wasn't as vulnerable as the other main characters in the previous books, and I didn't feel like he cared for Vin as much as I would have hoped.
Also, in the first two books, I wasn't positive if the "kinging" was a real, magical thing (making this series low fantasy) or sort of "kinging" in the self-actualization sense. I was sort of hoping for the latter, but this book tipped it towards the former. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. So are all of these men really former Kings? I guess I'll have to read on to be sure.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed this story. I'm in it for the long haul, and so I'll be following Vin on all his past and future adventures. With Edmond's writing being consistently imaginative and unexpected, I'm sure it will be a bumpy and excellent ride.
**Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
The Butterfly King is the latest in the series, and it takes place chronologically before the other two. Unlike the first book where Vin was enigmatic and confident, and the second where Vin was a little clumsy but practiced, the Vin in The Butterfly King seems barely in control. Though he is a man with a plan, this is a Vin that I haven't seen before. Everything is more at the surface with him. His feelings are more raw. His frustrations, his desires, his pain- this Vin is more accessible than ever before.
As always, I loved Edmond Manning's vision and his prose. You can tell that Edmond, like Vin, loves words and language. Edmond's word choices are sometimes unexpected, but they always work, and I can get lost in reading his stories. This book read beautifully, and I didn't want to put it down all day.
I also loved the setting. As an east-coaster, I appreciated the time and effort that Edmond took in getting the New York details correct. The story felt very New York; sort of rough around the edges, aggressive, and lovable in an in-your-face kind of way.
Now, this book also took some turns that were harder for me to adjust to. I think I missed some of the humor that was so present in the other two books. This book was a little more serious, more charged, and it didn't have as much lightness to balance out the tension. In addition, I had a harder time, emotionally, coping with this younger Vin. I felt myself sort of dreading finding out the details of Vin's past; what makes him so adverse to violence and how he lost his family. I also had a harder time adjusting to Terrance. He wasn't as vulnerable as the other main characters in the previous books, and I didn't feel like he cared for Vin as much as I would have hoped.
Also, in the first two books, I wasn't positive if the "kinging" was a real, magical thing (making this series low fantasy) or sort of "kinging" in the self-actualization sense. I was sort of hoping for the latter, but this book tipped it towards the former. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. So are all of these men really former Kings? I guess I'll have to read on to be sure.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed this story. I'm in it for the long haul, and so I'll be following Vin on all his past and future adventures. With Edmond's writing being consistently imaginative and unexpected, I'm sure it will be a bumpy and excellent ride.
**Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**
September 21, 2014
If you haven't yet read the first book in this amazing series, King Perry, don't read this review. Go find a copy of Book 1 at your favorite book retailer and take the unexpected, dazzling, warm, strange, gorgeous ride that is Vin Vanbly at the height of his powers. Then read the other books as we move backward in time, to Vin's origins. This review may contain spoilers for the first two books in the series (And believe me, this is a series where you want to be surprised, baffled and stirred as well as shaken. Not spoilered.) The HEA is going to take at least six books to achieve, and I firmly believe it will be a glorious ride all the way there, and beyond.
Among the things author Edmond Manning has done uniquely with this series is to move backward in time as the books release. In King Perry we meet Vin as the confident showman, the magician whose slight of hand is perfected and aimed straight into the psychic gold of the man he's with. Perry's King weekend is a kaleidescope of experiences that drive him where his spirit needs to be. But although we get snippets and glimpses of Vin the man, it's mainly Vin the king-maker on display.
In King Mai we see an earlier, softer Vin. The setting for that book is simpler, the variables less complex. He has moments of doubt and there are times when his plans get overset, but still he has back-ups and a process in place. In his king-candidate Mai, we see a man who is almost able to become the love of Vin's life. This is a consented kinging, and the dynamic is different. The men are warmer together from the start, the emotions more about striving and less about conflict. The language is still as lovely and sensuous, the surprises still present but less sharp, the poignancy is greater. We begin to hear more about Vin's childhood, and finish with questions and concerns for the person behind Vin Vanbly and his perplexing and quasi-magical life work.
This third novel really begins to reveal the heart of Vin, set in an earlier time when he has not yet developed his polish. We see him as a man with a mission, still fumbling to figure out why he is called and how he can fulfill the imperative that drives him. We also are let slightly further into some magical basis for the Lost and Found Kings. Although the book never quite tumbles over the threshold of urban fantasy, it hovers on the brink, giving flashes of something larger than one man's illusions and another's psychological journey. We meet men whom Vin has already kinged. The myth gains hold on reality.
After the first book, I liked Vin but I didn't love him. I was dazzled, seduced by the language, stunned by the originality and the potential of the premise, and delighted by the ride. After the second book I was fond of Vin, worried about him, caught in the question of how real Vin's obsession is, and half in love with Mai. In this book, I fell hook, line and sinker for Vin.
We see him here as a man on a mission. We watch him expend not just time and money and planning, but sweat, tears, vomit and blood in service to his goal. We learn more about his teen years and childhood, about desperate times and bullying and loneliness, dropped into the story matter-of-factly. We see Vin in his doubts, in his fears and distractions. In this book, the man he seeks to king looms larger than Vin at times, stronger and more in control. Vin has moved backwards from puppet master, to partner, to a man trying to guide a force of nature into an optimum path. This king weekend is a desperately serious thing for Vin.
The use of language in this book is once more sublime. And that language is not just lovely and playful, but evocative. There are a lot of emotions in this book. I was amused, afraid, intrigued and at times in tears for Vin. He tries so hard, and cares so much, and hovers a line between doing good and doing real evil. He puts every ounce of himself into this process, while not having the confidence we see in earlier books that he will succeed, or at least that he will do more benefit than harm.
Terrance is an interesting character. He's stronger than Perry, harder than Mai. He's a man who has done the right thing, all his life, at great sacrifice to himself. He has resentment and fear to overcome. And he reacts in unexpected ways as Vin wrecks his life for a weekend. Terrance is like the positive spirit of New York, the good parts of that big, strong, dominant, alive city. He is such a force, that as a reader I wondered how Vin for all his quicksilver trickery would be able to move him far enough. It turned out that Vin had reserves he was willing to use that hurt to watch.
The story is seeped in the feel of New York City. This is one of the joys of the series too, that each book brings the setting into play as an additional character. We saw the shores and sights of San Francisco, and Midwestern cornfields in books 1 and 2. This is New York's story. Here everything from the amazing skyline to the rat-infested sewers to the bustling streets to the monumental buildings have a part in the story. This story would not have happened this same way in any other setting.
And then I came to the end. I wiped my eyes, sighed, read back a few favorite lines (cupcakes) and scenes (the Met) and reminded myself of the things I really, really want to know about Vin. I thought about just starting over reading from the beginning. But it understandably takes Edmond awhile to write and polish these stories to their final form, so I'll have a wait for the next book. I'd better save the rereads, and space them out a bit. I'll be watching the seven posted Chapters of "King Daniel" for another installment. And when the next novel does appear, it will go to the top of my reading list. I might even call in sick to work, in the certain knowledge that it will be worth it.
Among the things author Edmond Manning has done uniquely with this series is to move backward in time as the books release. In King Perry we meet Vin as the confident showman, the magician whose slight of hand is perfected and aimed straight into the psychic gold of the man he's with. Perry's King weekend is a kaleidescope of experiences that drive him where his spirit needs to be. But although we get snippets and glimpses of Vin the man, it's mainly Vin the king-maker on display.
In King Mai we see an earlier, softer Vin. The setting for that book is simpler, the variables less complex. He has moments of doubt and there are times when his plans get overset, but still he has back-ups and a process in place. In his king-candidate Mai, we see a man who is almost able to become the love of Vin's life. This is a consented kinging, and the dynamic is different. The men are warmer together from the start, the emotions more about striving and less about conflict. The language is still as lovely and sensuous, the surprises still present but less sharp, the poignancy is greater. We begin to hear more about Vin's childhood, and finish with questions and concerns for the person behind Vin Vanbly and his perplexing and quasi-magical life work.
This third novel really begins to reveal the heart of Vin, set in an earlier time when he has not yet developed his polish. We see him as a man with a mission, still fumbling to figure out why he is called and how he can fulfill the imperative that drives him. We also are let slightly further into some magical basis for the Lost and Found Kings. Although the book never quite tumbles over the threshold of urban fantasy, it hovers on the brink, giving flashes of something larger than one man's illusions and another's psychological journey. We meet men whom Vin has already kinged. The myth gains hold on reality.
After the first book, I liked Vin but I didn't love him. I was dazzled, seduced by the language, stunned by the originality and the potential of the premise, and delighted by the ride. After the second book I was fond of Vin, worried about him, caught in the question of how real Vin's obsession is, and half in love with Mai. In this book, I fell hook, line and sinker for Vin.
We see him here as a man on a mission. We watch him expend not just time and money and planning, but sweat, tears, vomit and blood in service to his goal. We learn more about his teen years and childhood, about desperate times and bullying and loneliness, dropped into the story matter-of-factly. We see Vin in his doubts, in his fears and distractions. In this book, the man he seeks to king looms larger than Vin at times, stronger and more in control. Vin has moved backwards from puppet master, to partner, to a man trying to guide a force of nature into an optimum path. This king weekend is a desperately serious thing for Vin.
The use of language in this book is once more sublime. And that language is not just lovely and playful, but evocative. There are a lot of emotions in this book. I was amused, afraid, intrigued and at times in tears for Vin. He tries so hard, and cares so much, and hovers a line between doing good and doing real evil. He puts every ounce of himself into this process, while not having the confidence we see in earlier books that he will succeed, or at least that he will do more benefit than harm.
Terrance is an interesting character. He's stronger than Perry, harder than Mai. He's a man who has done the right thing, all his life, at great sacrifice to himself. He has resentment and fear to overcome. And he reacts in unexpected ways as Vin wrecks his life for a weekend. Terrance is like the positive spirit of New York, the good parts of that big, strong, dominant, alive city. He is such a force, that as a reader I wondered how Vin for all his quicksilver trickery would be able to move him far enough. It turned out that Vin had reserves he was willing to use that hurt to watch.
The story is seeped in the feel of New York City. This is one of the joys of the series too, that each book brings the setting into play as an additional character. We saw the shores and sights of San Francisco, and Midwestern cornfields in books 1 and 2. This is New York's story. Here everything from the amazing skyline to the rat-infested sewers to the bustling streets to the monumental buildings have a part in the story. This story would not have happened this same way in any other setting.
And then I came to the end. I wiped my eyes, sighed, read back a few favorite lines (cupcakes) and scenes (the Met) and reminded myself of the things I really, really want to know about Vin. I thought about just starting over reading from the beginning. But it understandably takes Edmond awhile to write and polish these stories to their final form, so I'll have a wait for the next book. I'd better save the rereads, and space them out a bit. I'll be watching the seven posted Chapters of "King Daniel" for another installment. And when the next novel does appear, it will go to the top of my reading list. I might even call in sick to work, in the certain knowledge that it will be worth it.
October 7, 2014
Once more I dove into the world created by Manning’s words. A world full of love, emotions and feelings where I’m asked to share and feel along with the people in the book. More and more this series is becoming Vin’s story, oh I love Perry, Mai and the Butterfly King, but the main attraction for me is Vin, the complicated, damaged, little Kingmaker.
In this one we see Vin six years before we first met him in King Perry. A vulnerable, less in control Vin. Vin does not like himself and does not want people to know things about him, he is the ultimate controller, he needs control to feel safe. But the more control we have the more we set ourselves apart from others and here he totally lost his control so I came to know him a bit better yessss. I hurt for Vin seeing him so vulnerable and hurt, at the same time this made me closer to him.
Manning is also upping the stakes on the overall story of the Lost and Founds. Clues abound, I recognise some but I’m sure I lost many, still unsure where it’s going but I like that. I also feel an element of danger lurking, which I did not feel before and am afraid for Vin just as Malcolm is.
The Butterfly King kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading. It put aside the format I had become used to in Perry and Mai and changed completely how the story is built up and the usual finale. I loved the finale in this one and knowing more about the present Founds.
I can assure Edmond Manning that his hooks in me are firmly in place and I’m still captivated by this story, with my mind in a whirl, waiting for the next one and the surprises he will spring on me.
January 29, 2015
3,5 stars.
I browsed through all those exciting reviews recently and found the one that perfectly reflects my emotions and my feelings about the third book in the series.
So, if you want to know my opinion, just read Heather review.
She nailed it.
I agree with every word in it.
April 3, 2016
God, so lovely. This series is absolutely beautiful. I love how, going backwards in time, we get to see Vin learning to overcome the horrors of his life and grow into the sweet and nurturing character he is in the first book. He's such an interesting character, and Manning (damn him) just makes putting down the books so hard!
I especially enjoyed the way all the NYC scenes are written. EM really does a great job of evoking exactly how that freakin' subway smells, and the crowds in Times Square on a Saturday night, the food vendors lined up in front of the Met (which boasts Central Park as its back yard). Brilliant.
I just love the way Edmond Manning writes - poetic imagery, smooth sentences, creative characters and perfect pacing. Just, wow.
I especially enjoyed the way all the NYC scenes are written. EM really does a great job of evoking exactly how that freakin' subway smells, and the crowds in Times Square on a Saturday night, the food vendors lined up in front of the Met (which boasts Central Park as its back yard). Brilliant.
I just love the way Edmond Manning writes - poetic imagery, smooth sentences, creative characters and perfect pacing. Just, wow.
October 12, 2014
God I love Vin Vanbly. This book gives us more tantalizing hints about his life and previous kingings and we find out some stuff that's got me rethinking what this kinging business is all about. Apparently it's not just some kooky idea cooked up by the charmingly odd Vin. Hmmm. I can't wait to learn more about the first kinging that has Vin feeling like a monster and, of course, I'm really anxious for Vin to get his own happy ending.
As much as I love these books, I do find them kind of trying to read. I have to gear up for one, wait until I feel ready to dive in. In that way I feel a bit of the ordeal that the kingee goes through. Maybe that's intentional or maybe it's just me. But there's a lot of thought, a lot of philosophy and psychology involved, not the usual light-weight setup just to bring two guys together. These aren't even standard romances for that matter, although there's lots of love and some hot sex involved.
But above all, I remain incredibly impressed with the unique premise and the meticulous plotting that connects these books. I feel sure that Mr. Manning knows exactly where Vin/we are going; I feel very safe in his hands.
As much as I love these books, I do find them kind of trying to read. I have to gear up for one, wait until I feel ready to dive in. In that way I feel a bit of the ordeal that the kingee goes through. Maybe that's intentional or maybe it's just me. But there's a lot of thought, a lot of philosophy and psychology involved, not the usual light-weight setup just to bring two guys together. These aren't even standard romances for that matter, although there's lots of love and some hot sex involved.
But above all, I remain incredibly impressed with the unique premise and the meticulous plotting that connects these books. I feel sure that Mr. Manning knows exactly where Vin/we are going; I feel very safe in his hands.
September 21, 2014
Be prepared to be kicked in the heart over and over by Edmond Manning's words. With all of his love of course!
I found this book the most raw King Weekend account yet. Yes, if you can believe that. Looking back, I would say King Perry is the most beautiful account, King Mai is the most loving and this one the most raw. Not only on the emotions it conjures but the way the story and the weekend unfolds.
We keep walking back on Vin Vanbly's story of Kinging men. This story takes place three years prior King Mai's account. As a result we encounter a less experienced and self assured and more fallible Vin than in previous stories. That is of course part of this story. As these books are not solely about the Kings' journeys to being found but most importantly Vin's.
The peeks at King Daniel's book are freaking me out. Each of these books guts me and I want to be rewarded with Vin's HEA in the end. I hope for it but I fear I won't get it. Time will tell. So on that note can we get to the end already? *grin*
I found this book the most raw King Weekend account yet. Yes, if you can believe that. Looking back, I would say King Perry is the most beautiful account, King Mai is the most loving and this one the most raw. Not only on the emotions it conjures but the way the story and the weekend unfolds.
We keep walking back on Vin Vanbly's story of Kinging men. This story takes place three years prior King Mai's account. As a result we encounter a less experienced and self assured and more fallible Vin than in previous stories. That is of course part of this story. As these books are not solely about the Kings' journeys to being found but most importantly Vin's.
The peeks at King Daniel's book are freaking me out. Each of these books guts me and I want to be rewarded with Vin's HEA in the end. I hope for it but I fear I won't get it. Time will tell. So on that note can we get to the end already? *grin*
September 28, 2014
This is a tough book to review. Actually, all the books in this series are hard to review. Only if you’ve read them, will any of these reviews even make sense. I can guarantee you two things. They’re unlike anything you’ve ever read and they will forever change the way you look at life. I’m not a highlighter, but you’d never know it to look at my Kindle when I read Edmond’s books. I should just highlight passages that DON’T move me in some way.
As I sit here pondering what to write, it dawns on me that this review will be totally useless. Anyone who read King Perry (Book 1) never bothered wasting time reading reviews for King Mai or The Butterfly King. They just snatched them up the moment they went live and dove in as if they were a cool pool at the bottom of a waterfall on a hot, tropical day. Everyone else – the ones who have yet to discover the beauty, whimsy and heart wrenching words of Mr. Manning – will read the blurbs and reviews and probably think the same thing I did: “Eh. These don’t sound like anything I’d like.”
I don’t know how to impress upon those Lost Kings and Queens, that you NEED to read these. Even if you aren’t a M/M reader. These books are SO much more than a typical M/M romance. Yes, each book has a relationship between two men at their core, but it’s… so… very… much… more. Don’t read these reviews and try to figure out what the books are about. Don’t read them and try to figure out how other readers felt because, as I told you above, each book in this series will change your life in some way – for the better. I’m sure it’s a different journey for every person.
I guess here is where I should actually try and make some sense of this rambling review. So, here goes. I’ve grown to love Vin Vanbly, and, more than anything, I want him to find love. Okay, even that doesn’t make sense, because he’s found love in each book so far. I want him to find his One True Love - the one that stays. Even though this story takes place BEFORE the other two, we now know enough about Vin’s backstory that we know he has very little self-worth. He’s alone in the world and, while sometimes he makes us feel that’s the way he prefers it, every now and then, he shows us that the aloneness hurts.
“Ow. I told him to say something like that, something telling me to f*ck off, but wow, those words hurt, a truth like a bee sting. He’s right, nobody wants a call from me. Nobody. No foster family, no real family, no nobody.”
There’s a lot of ‘hurt’ in this book, but Vin still has fun playing with words and I’ve come to rejoice every time he does.
“Magnitude. What a great word, heavy and solid, like a brick you could throw through a window.”
“I’ll tell you what blossomed. … It’s a good word. It’s got some jolly o’s in it, two s’s which is seriously sweet, and it’s protected by a b and a d, two boisterous, broad bookends to keep everybody safe. Everybody’s safe in the word blossomed.”
“…threeples, fourples,…” (Describing groups of people)
“Fugsy. And faloopy. My brain is sooooo faloooooooopy.”
“I like the word cupcakes. It sounds like the baby version of cake, little cakes huddled together for strength and comfort, convincing themselves to be brave. Cupcake! Cupcake! Be brave, little cupcakes.” (On a personal note, this sentence gave me a laugh: “There will be no fun uses for cupcake frosting.”)
Edmond has a gift. He has this childlike way of animating the mundane and bringing inanimate objects to life. He did it with the corn in King Mai. In The Butterfly King, it’s window air conditioners, grains of sugar and a library:
“…I glance at all the air conditioning units in windows and remember my impression that they are robot heads peering down, fascinated by street life.”
“The sugar pours over the side of the spoon, lemmings rushing into the sea, all of them eager to dissolve into black nothingness.”
“The library watches us, dour and disapproving of this yelling, this unforgiveable drama. We don’t need librarians present to censure us. The scowling room, its thousands of book-witnesses makes its wishes known.
This brings me to: Fear. Ugh. I can quote a dozen or more astounding passages about fear, but I have no doubt whatsoever that they will be quoted over and over by everyone else who writes a review. If you read this book, they will jump right off the page and grab you and shake you by the shoulders and make you take stock of your own life. One in particular made me throw down my Kindle and immediately contact Mr. Manning and two other online friends that I’d thought of the moment I read it. I couldn’t wait to tell them how perfectly I thought it spoke to them.
The scene on the subway train where passengers simply say, “Sorry,” made me do the ugly cry and just thinking of it is making me want to bawl, yet it also makes me want to read it again, because I’m thinking maybe I missed the underlying meaning. Maybe it wasn’t just strangers telling Vin they were sorry, which, in the context of the story was heart wrenching enough – but were those passengers really a metaphor for humanity in general?
That’s the thing. You can read these books at face value and they are amazing. Confusing, funny, romantic, whimsical, profound… all that. But, it’s like those books you read in junior high that had all kinds of deeper meanings about life and love and our humanity.
I’m sitting here getting choked up thinking how deeply this entire series has touched me and how its changed the way I view: words, the alphabet, people, forgiveness, fear, my hometown, street thugs, sewers, window air conditioners, cornfields, ducks, pennies, and… butterflies.
All these words I’ve written here – almost twelve hundred - and I still haven’t managed to get across what I want to say. And, again, only those who have read these books will understand. I’m begging you all to read these.
Those of us in the M/M world, who know and love Edmond Manning and his beautiful words are such a fortunate few. We’ve become Found Kings by reading them. The M/M genre is small and, for the most part, unknown and undiscovered by the mainstream. I know, without a doubt, if this series gets discovered outside our little world, they will become international bestsellers. When that happens, we can all feel like Vin and cry at losing Edmond to our little world but smile as we lift him up to become what he has always been.
As I sit here pondering what to write, it dawns on me that this review will be totally useless. Anyone who read King Perry (Book 1) never bothered wasting time reading reviews for King Mai or The Butterfly King. They just snatched them up the moment they went live and dove in as if they were a cool pool at the bottom of a waterfall on a hot, tropical day. Everyone else – the ones who have yet to discover the beauty, whimsy and heart wrenching words of Mr. Manning – will read the blurbs and reviews and probably think the same thing I did: “Eh. These don’t sound like anything I’d like.”
I don’t know how to impress upon those Lost Kings and Queens, that you NEED to read these. Even if you aren’t a M/M reader. These books are SO much more than a typical M/M romance. Yes, each book has a relationship between two men at their core, but it’s… so… very… much… more. Don’t read these reviews and try to figure out what the books are about. Don’t read them and try to figure out how other readers felt because, as I told you above, each book in this series will change your life in some way – for the better. I’m sure it’s a different journey for every person.
I guess here is where I should actually try and make some sense of this rambling review. So, here goes. I’ve grown to love Vin Vanbly, and, more than anything, I want him to find love. Okay, even that doesn’t make sense, because he’s found love in each book so far. I want him to find his One True Love - the one that stays. Even though this story takes place BEFORE the other two, we now know enough about Vin’s backstory that we know he has very little self-worth. He’s alone in the world and, while sometimes he makes us feel that’s the way he prefers it, every now and then, he shows us that the aloneness hurts.
“Ow. I told him to say something like that, something telling me to f*ck off, but wow, those words hurt, a truth like a bee sting. He’s right, nobody wants a call from me. Nobody. No foster family, no real family, no nobody.”
There’s a lot of ‘hurt’ in this book, but Vin still has fun playing with words and I’ve come to rejoice every time he does.
“Magnitude. What a great word, heavy and solid, like a brick you could throw through a window.”
“I’ll tell you what blossomed. … It’s a good word. It’s got some jolly o’s in it, two s’s which is seriously sweet, and it’s protected by a b and a d, two boisterous, broad bookends to keep everybody safe. Everybody’s safe in the word blossomed.”
“…threeples, fourples,…” (Describing groups of people)
“Fugsy. And faloopy. My brain is sooooo faloooooooopy.”
“I like the word cupcakes. It sounds like the baby version of cake, little cakes huddled together for strength and comfort, convincing themselves to be brave. Cupcake! Cupcake! Be brave, little cupcakes.” (On a personal note, this sentence gave me a laugh: “There will be no fun uses for cupcake frosting.”)
Edmond has a gift. He has this childlike way of animating the mundane and bringing inanimate objects to life. He did it with the corn in King Mai. In The Butterfly King, it’s window air conditioners, grains of sugar and a library:
“…I glance at all the air conditioning units in windows and remember my impression that they are robot heads peering down, fascinated by street life.”
“The sugar pours over the side of the spoon, lemmings rushing into the sea, all of them eager to dissolve into black nothingness.”
“The library watches us, dour and disapproving of this yelling, this unforgiveable drama. We don’t need librarians present to censure us. The scowling room, its thousands of book-witnesses makes its wishes known.
This brings me to: Fear. Ugh. I can quote a dozen or more astounding passages about fear, but I have no doubt whatsoever that they will be quoted over and over by everyone else who writes a review. If you read this book, they will jump right off the page and grab you and shake you by the shoulders and make you take stock of your own life. One in particular made me throw down my Kindle and immediately contact Mr. Manning and two other online friends that I’d thought of the moment I read it. I couldn’t wait to tell them how perfectly I thought it spoke to them.
The scene on the subway train where passengers simply say, “Sorry,” made me do the ugly cry and just thinking of it is making me want to bawl, yet it also makes me want to read it again, because I’m thinking maybe I missed the underlying meaning. Maybe it wasn’t just strangers telling Vin they were sorry, which, in the context of the story was heart wrenching enough – but were those passengers really a metaphor for humanity in general?
That’s the thing. You can read these books at face value and they are amazing. Confusing, funny, romantic, whimsical, profound… all that. But, it’s like those books you read in junior high that had all kinds of deeper meanings about life and love and our humanity.
I’m sitting here getting choked up thinking how deeply this entire series has touched me and how its changed the way I view: words, the alphabet, people, forgiveness, fear, my hometown, street thugs, sewers, window air conditioners, cornfields, ducks, pennies, and… butterflies.
All these words I’ve written here – almost twelve hundred - and I still haven’t managed to get across what I want to say. And, again, only those who have read these books will understand. I’m begging you all to read these.
Those of us in the M/M world, who know and love Edmond Manning and his beautiful words are such a fortunate few. We’ve become Found Kings by reading them. The M/M genre is small and, for the most part, unknown and undiscovered by the mainstream. I know, without a doubt, if this series gets discovered outside our little world, they will become international bestsellers. When that happens, we can all feel like Vin and cry at losing Edmond to our little world but smile as we lift him up to become what he has always been.
January 4, 2015
“It’s a heavy burden, trying to love a world that doesn’t seem to love you back.”
I hope this review makes sense, I just finished reading and my heart is still racing.
So much to say about The Butterfly King, but here are my highlights:
*Fear and its power – I don’t think it’s possible to go through this book without asking yourself what am I afraid of, and, gosh, this is scary.
But if a man spends his life fighting fear, keeping it at bay with logic and rationalizations, he doesn’t notice fear exacting its toll, draining him, preventing his ability to access true power.
*The way Edmond Manning finds beauty in every single person and then wraps them with love – I wish I could see the world the way he does.
*Young Vin, a ghost, lost and frightened, so sure he is not worthy of love, but as tenacious as in the other books. A lot is revealed about him in The Butterfly King and there’s still a lot to learn. For the first time here I realized the effect these weekends have on Vin. I knew how hard it is for him to say goodbye to the men he loves, but I haven’t considered before that his own manipulations leave him in such dangerous place.
“What about you, Vin? Don’t you get close every time you have a King Weekend? Wouldn’t it also damage you to get close to your kingship and never cross over? What do you think about that?”
*Terrance with his power and authority, and his big heart and tears.
I feel every next book I read in this series is better than the previous one. Is it because I love Vin more with every book or because while reading I am on my Queen weekend and I am now approaching Saturday night? I don’t know and I don’t want to dig deeper. Not yet. I’ll just trust Edmond Manning to lead me to end of this journey with the magic of his words.
July 17, 2016
This was a tough King book to read especially in light of all the violence lately. It was also difficult for me to see Vin making so many mistakes during this king weekend. This was not the Vin that I have come to know and love. Being originally from the New York metropolitan area, I enjoyed the true New York that Mr. Manning showed me. I believe that the use of Peter Bryce's diary and severe prejudice was a wake up call to all people. Terrance jumped right to the conclusion that Bryce hated blacks when in fact Bryce hated the Irish. Every ethnic group in the United States has been despised and reviled at one time. The Found Kings learned from this. At first I was angry at Rance's pronouncement for Vin but I can to understand that our wonderful lost king needed to spread his wings and gain the confidence he needs to carry out his mission. New York was no longer new enough for Vin and what Rance did was out of pure love. A powerful story for the times even though it brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Edmond.
November 7, 2014
By Edmond Manning
Five stars
Book three in the “Lost and Found Kings” series drags us—some reluctantly, some avidly—once more into the strange inner world of Vin Vanbly, the pseudonymous anti-hero who unleashes the inner power of lost kings.
If that paragraph didn’t mean anything to you, you might not like this book.
For those of us who have fallen in love with Vin Vanbly, “The Butterfly King” was a revelation. Edmond Manning has created an emotionally exhausting tumble down a rabbit hole into the unseen worlds of ordinary lives. These worlds exist in both the physical and psychological interstices about which we all remain largely ignorant as we go about our ordinary business.
Vin is controlling in the extreme. The premise of every book is his calculated (or, as it happens, miscalculated) manipulation of a lost king in order to “king” him. For all the mystical aura that this process embodies, it is achieved through very real-world trickery. Vin is presented as a sort of bumbling genius, quick on his feet (except when he’s not), brilliant at researching and reading other people (except when he’s not). The seeming cruelty of what he does to his lost kings is always grounded in a deep love for them and in Vin’s quest to see them empowered with their kingship. This is what enables us to identify with Vin as well as with his targets. This is what allows us to love him.
It sounds hokey, but somehow it is captivating. Not one of the characters in any of his books has been remotely like me (other than being gay men); yet I have identified with each and every one, because Manning taps into primal stuff that resonates across class, race, ethnicity and geography.
This time, our lost king is Terrance Altham, a stoic, hard-working, upstanding black man on the young edge of middle age. Edmond Manning has taken a big chance, daring as a Midwestern white man to present the life of a New York City black man for our close inspection. But his love and respect (Vin’s love and respect) for Terrance makes it work. Terrence is a hugely powerful character. He is proud. He is strong. He is broken. Vin makes us care about him as if he was our brother.
Vin’s schemes are so cleverly worked out by the author that we are constantly kept at the same level of disorientation and confusion that both Terrance and Vin seem to be in throughout the action. Vin is not the wise, detached Gandalf or Dumbledore, casting his spells and watching the results. He screws up, forgets himself, gets distracted. He is, as we learn more and more with each book, damaged goods himself. Indeed, in “The Butterfly King” Vin has the tables turned on him for a while. It is both proof of his weakness, and a demonstration of his real power.
There is a sort of goofball humor that pervades the book, lightening its darker places and leavening the action with a sly madcap dizziness. There are places that punch you in the gut and bring on tears (if you’re so inclined). I found myself weeping on a subway in Manhattan, which is surely awkward, particularly since there is an amazing scene in the book that takes place on a subway in Manhattan. (I was at home for that one, and thus could weep in peace.)
As I’ve said before, Edmond Manning’s “Lost and Found Kings” books are very much men’s books. I know for a fact that women enjoy them, but they seem to be written by a gay man for other gay men, drawing on a shared pain (and shared joys) that are unique to us.
Actually, I think straight men would like these books, if they could get through the sex parts. Their problem, not mine.
Keep going, Edmond. Your gifts just get better.
September 22, 2014
The third book is as good as the first two of the series. Edmond Manning is managing well to keep up the quality. He also avoids repeating himself.
I love the economy of the writing, New York comes out alive from the book, but without long and useless descriptions (yes, I've just finished a book with long and useless descriptions ;-).
Vin is younger here, more full of doubts about what he is doing, still... it is the Vin we came to love through the other two books. I cannot not love him, his deep humanity, and the way he managed to leave his troubled past behind him or at least not to let this past control him.
Terrance is black. It is a just a coincidence that this release comes just now, after Ferguson, because the book was roughly plotted in 2010, as Edmond writes in the heartfelt «Author's Note». On the other side it is not a coincidence that the racism issue is addressed in the book, because it is a permanent feature of society (not only US society), which flares up now and then. Please notice that the issue is there, but this is not a preachy book.
There is a clever bonus read, the first seven chapters of the last of the series, King Daniel. And apparently some other chapters will be made available before the release of the next novel. Personally, I'm going to save them for when the abstinence phenomenon will manifest stronger ;-).
See also the enthusiastic review by Kaje Harper which I wholeheartedly endorse.
On a side note I'm grateful to Edmond for pointing out elsewhere a great blog entry What my bike has taught me about white privilege: a white father of non white children shares a clever analogy to help people to hear the word «white privilege» without automatically getting defensive.
I love the economy of the writing, New York comes out alive from the book, but without long and useless descriptions (yes, I've just finished a book with long and useless descriptions ;-).
Vin is younger here, more full of doubts about what he is doing, still... it is the Vin we came to love through the other two books. I cannot not love him, his deep humanity, and the way he managed to leave his troubled past behind him or at least not to let this past control him.
Terrance is black. It is a just a coincidence that this release comes just now, after Ferguson, because the book was roughly plotted in 2010, as Edmond writes in the heartfelt «Author's Note». On the other side it is not a coincidence that the racism issue is addressed in the book, because it is a permanent feature of society (not only US society), which flares up now and then. Please notice that the issue is there, but this is not a preachy book.
There is a clever bonus read, the first seven chapters of the last of the series, King Daniel. And apparently some other chapters will be made available before the release of the next novel. Personally, I'm going to save them for when the abstinence phenomenon will manifest stronger ;-).
See also the enthusiastic review by Kaje Harper which I wholeheartedly endorse.
On a side note I'm grateful to Edmond for pointing out elsewhere a great blog entry What my bike has taught me about white privilege: a white father of non white children shares a clever analogy to help people to hear the word «white privilege» without automatically getting defensive.
October 11, 2014
The beauty of this series is that when you start the book you have no idea where you're going to end up and it's never quite where you're expecting! I think that Vin Vanbly is better at breaking my heart than any other character I've ever come across. In this book we learn a lot more about Vin. We get glimpses into his past and come to know more about his hopes, dreams and fears. His vulnerabilities shine through in this story which just seems to make him appear more magical and mysterious. We also learn more about how a King Weekend happens - or, I should say, we learn about how Terrance's King Weekend happens as each one is a totally unique event based around the Lost King it is for.
This series gets better and better as it progresses. It is so different from anything else I have read and Vin always, always keeps me guessing. I'm glad there are many more books to come as I can't see myself ever getting bored of this series.
This series gets better and better as it progresses. It is so different from anything else I have read and Vin always, always keeps me guessing. I'm glad there are many more books to come as I can't see myself ever getting bored of this series.
September 21, 2014
Vin Vanbly is everybody. I often find myself wondering what king is he? This is book 3 in The Lost and Found Series and Vin still has me captivated. Interestingly it was one line in this book that truly tethered our personalities. It was his confusion on the use of Former and Latter. I too am always perplexed by it. And in that one sentence I realized. VIN IS ALL! He is not one person but an amalgamation of many. How do you king a person like that? I don't know how Edmond Manning will do it. As I followed Terrance (The Butterfly King) and a younger Vin Vanbly I was once again whisked away to a world I wish was real... I hope it is. Because believing in that, believing we are all lost yet to be found is such a hopeful thing. This story, like all the others, had me beyond emotional because it truly touches your heart and soul. It's more than written, it's felt. Edmond has once again blown my mind.
June 24, 2016
Devastating.
This is the most _______ Lost and Founds book. Excessive in nearly everything: violence, passion, emotional reactions; it's all on the brink of too much. The first time a King Weekend is out of control, Vin stumbles and things are precarious to say the least.
The origin story of the Butterfly tree is told, and it is bittersweet.
The most politically synchronized story to current events. It pushes the reader to the edge, to look and see. Issues of race, bias, internalized prejudice. This is not a man against himself story, though that is clearly the main focus, and while there were issues of racism in King Mai it wasn't vitriolic.
Pain. I cried the most during this story. I've got to say, Malcolm is right. And wow, talk about the secrets being told about Vin and the entirety of Kinging--it's here. The guidebook of sorts. It also brings up the question of Vin as a Lost King.
At the end of the story, I was vaguely dissatisfied. Terrence's behavior to Vin, what he said. I understand the ultimatum. Completely, I have felt Vin drifting further, so that wasn't the issue, but Terrence's decree as king to Vin was unsettling.
At the end of this series, I will need to go back and reread this because I feel like I'm missing some symbolism. I'll probably read the next book, King John much quicker because I need Vin to be in a better place than he was left here. I want to feel what this quote promises:
What would you risk to find a Lost King? And what if he doesn’t remember you?
This is the most _______ Lost and Founds book. Excessive in nearly everything: violence, passion, emotional reactions; it's all on the brink of too much. The first time a King Weekend is out of control, Vin stumbles and things are precarious to say the least.
The origin story of the Butterfly tree is told, and it is bittersweet.
The most politically synchronized story to current events. It pushes the reader to the edge, to look and see. Issues of race, bias, internalized prejudice. This is not a man against himself story, though that is clearly the main focus, and while there were issues of racism in King Mai it wasn't vitriolic.
Pain. I cried the most during this story. I've got to say, Malcolm is right. And wow, talk about the secrets being told about Vin and the entirety of Kinging--it's here. The guidebook of sorts. It also brings up the question of Vin as a Lost King.
At the end of the story, I was vaguely dissatisfied. Terrence's behavior to Vin, what he said. I understand the ultimatum. Completely, I have felt Vin drifting further, so that wasn't the issue, but Terrence's decree as king to Vin was unsettling.
At the end of this series, I will need to go back and reread this because I feel like I'm missing some symbolism. I'll probably read the next book, King John much quicker because I need Vin to be in a better place than he was left here. I want to feel what this quote promises:
A feeling, a foreign one, flits through me, a fiery red cardinal dashing from twig to twig in my brambled heart.
Hope.
September 24, 2014
I'm very behind on my reviews, so I'll try to keep this short-ish.
Edmond Manning, once again, brings us into his world of Lost and Found kings. While in most stories and series, we see a character evolve, in this series, we are seeing the opposite--or rather, we are seeing the evolution backwards, and only by seeing this trickster Vin, this early charlatan, can we truly appreciate the magician he has become by 1999, when he kings Perry.
For the first time, the king stories do not flow constantly throughout the book. Terrance does not want to hear them, so Vin does not tell them. Instead of being about the mythology, this book draws it's drama from Vin himself.
Vin's natural resourcefulness is more in evidence, albeit a little cruder, a little more raw, dare I say--feral? His inventiveness relies on crutches to which we've come to believe Vin would never stoop. But the reason we believed that was because we had so far only met the post-1993 Vin. This time, we get to see what happened to make him that way.
A fascinating character study, and true to it's name, a transformation. Both Vin and Terrance entered and emerged from the chrysalis during this King Weekend. I'm looking forward to meeting Vin as a caterpillar next.
So much for short-ish. read it!
Edmond Manning, once again, brings us into his world of Lost and Found kings. While in most stories and series, we see a character evolve, in this series, we are seeing the opposite--or rather, we are seeing the evolution backwards, and only by seeing this trickster Vin, this early charlatan, can we truly appreciate the magician he has become by 1999, when he kings Perry.
For the first time, the king stories do not flow constantly throughout the book. Terrance does not want to hear them, so Vin does not tell them. Instead of being about the mythology, this book draws it's drama from Vin himself.
Vin's natural resourcefulness is more in evidence, albeit a little cruder, a little more raw, dare I say--feral? His inventiveness relies on crutches to which we've come to believe Vin would never stoop. But the reason we believed that was because we had so far only met the post-1993 Vin. This time, we get to see what happened to make him that way.
A fascinating character study, and true to it's name, a transformation. Both Vin and Terrance entered and emerged from the chrysalis during this King Weekend. I'm looking forward to meeting Vin as a caterpillar next.
So much for short-ish. read it!
October 8, 2014
Book 3...... fantastic, wonderful...
How long did I sit staring at my screen trying to start my review? It was a very long time, because I had so many feels, so many thoughts, and I wanted to talk about all of them but knew I couldn’t actually do that in my review. I decided to start with this; does The Butterfly King fall into any particular tropes? Nope! Is this story in any way a traditional story? Not at all! Which puts this series in a class all by itself. It’s a journey. It’s a “life” ride with ups and downs, so buckle up, hold on and embrace it.
Full review at The Blogger Girls
http://thebloggergirls.com/2014/10/08...
How long did I sit staring at my screen trying to start my review? It was a very long time, because I had so many feels, so many thoughts, and I wanted to talk about all of them but knew I couldn’t actually do that in my review. I decided to start with this; does The Butterfly King fall into any particular tropes? Nope! Is this story in any way a traditional story? Not at all! Which puts this series in a class all by itself. It’s a journey. It’s a “life” ride with ups and downs, so buckle up, hold on and embrace it.
Full review at The Blogger Girls
http://thebloggergirls.com/2014/10/08...
September 29, 2014
Like it's prequels, The Butterfly King was a story that took my breath away, forced me to feel every single emotion available to me.
Edmond Manning's writing enthralls me. His stories give me so much to think about. They're filled with humanity in all its glory and faults and shine as a result.
I do not have the words to to honour this book they way it deserves to be. I know I can't show them but this is another solid six star read for me.
Edmond Manning's writing enthralls me. His stories give me so much to think about. They're filled with humanity in all its glory and faults and shine as a result.
I do not have the words to to honour this book they way it deserves to be. I know I can't show them but this is another solid six star read for me.
August 1, 2018
If you guys are not reading this series, you need to be. Every book, every pages is an emotional journey. But it's also a time of reflection. I can't really put myself in any of the characters shoes, because I'm not a guy, I'm not gay, and in this book, I'm not black. HOWEVER, I can take time to reflect on how my actions may affect these people in our lives. In other words, be a voice of love, not hate. We have seen black crimes, crimes of anyone of color, to be honest. And that's not to detract from the 'white’ crimes. Crimes are everywhere. And especially in the mindset of people like our *cough* Prez *cough* where it's a white minded majority, it makes it worse. Nobody stops to think about how it would feel to be in the other person's shoes. We turn away from hate and violence. And we have to stop hiding. And that's what I love in this book. It's about taking power back and turning it into good.
Terrance is on his way to the Waldorf Astoria for his King weekend when he is intercepted and arrested. And no one will tell him why. But guess who he meets in his cell. Mr. Vin himself. Only he's calling himself the 'Ghost’. (References are in book 1). Vin plays it off as they haven't processed him and they don't like him and he's had enough and escaping. He steals Terrence’s wallet as a way to make him follow. They run through the lower levels of the station and end up in the sewer…..in New York. Ewww. Terrance is freaking out. Vin is trying not to because of his past, but he stays strong for this weekend. He takes them to a place where they can shower and change, an set out to a bar. Where they see their name on the 'news’ as the police are looking for them. It's turns into one bad event after another in which Vin is horribly messing up. He almost loses getting Terrance to his King status when he thinks of a plan. He gets himself almost seriously killed in this plan, but the effect gets Terrance to his kingship. But Terrence is NOT happy. When Vin wakes up after a week of the hospital, Terrance lays into him and makes him face a deathly fear of his own. Vin doesn't like not being in control. But the Founds were not happy with the violence and things have to change. But for the better or worse is what Vin wonders.
I have borderline hated Vin mostly in these books. At least til I understand. Then I still kinda do because of how he manipulates. It's risky and dangerous. But the thing about Vin that is tearing down walls, is each book I'm learning a little more about him. And I'm losing my want of throat punching him. Instead I want to hug him. Love him. I know my parts wouldn't work lol. But still. Be a comfort. Each piece of Vin’s life is coming to the front and you are really starting to see how bad it really was and is for him. And in this book, things just would not go right for him. But Terrance was different from all he's had so far. Terrance has suffered hate, discrimination, and so much because of his skin color and his sexuality. So his weekend was learning to still be powerful in adversity. How to fight against it all without violence. And that folks is where WE must make a change.
It shouldn't matter the color, race, sexuality, religion, etc. We are ALL human. Made to be individuals. Made to be different. Love should be the norm, not hate. Tolerance, not intolerance. Acceptance. Peace. Comfort.
You really need to be reading these books. This series. If you let it, it can change your life. Your way of thinking.
http://lovebytesreviews.com
Terrance is on his way to the Waldorf Astoria for his King weekend when he is intercepted and arrested. And no one will tell him why. But guess who he meets in his cell. Mr. Vin himself. Only he's calling himself the 'Ghost’. (References are in book 1). Vin plays it off as they haven't processed him and they don't like him and he's had enough and escaping. He steals Terrence’s wallet as a way to make him follow. They run through the lower levels of the station and end up in the sewer…..in New York. Ewww. Terrance is freaking out. Vin is trying not to because of his past, but he stays strong for this weekend. He takes them to a place where they can shower and change, an set out to a bar. Where they see their name on the 'news’ as the police are looking for them. It's turns into one bad event after another in which Vin is horribly messing up. He almost loses getting Terrance to his King status when he thinks of a plan. He gets himself almost seriously killed in this plan, but the effect gets Terrance to his kingship. But Terrence is NOT happy. When Vin wakes up after a week of the hospital, Terrance lays into him and makes him face a deathly fear of his own. Vin doesn't like not being in control. But the Founds were not happy with the violence and things have to change. But for the better or worse is what Vin wonders.
I have borderline hated Vin mostly in these books. At least til I understand. Then I still kinda do because of how he manipulates. It's risky and dangerous. But the thing about Vin that is tearing down walls, is each book I'm learning a little more about him. And I'm losing my want of throat punching him. Instead I want to hug him. Love him. I know my parts wouldn't work lol. But still. Be a comfort. Each piece of Vin’s life is coming to the front and you are really starting to see how bad it really was and is for him. And in this book, things just would not go right for him. But Terrance was different from all he's had so far. Terrance has suffered hate, discrimination, and so much because of his skin color and his sexuality. So his weekend was learning to still be powerful in adversity. How to fight against it all without violence. And that folks is where WE must make a change.
It shouldn't matter the color, race, sexuality, religion, etc. We are ALL human. Made to be individuals. Made to be different. Love should be the norm, not hate. Tolerance, not intolerance. Acceptance. Peace. Comfort.
You really need to be reading these books. This series. If you let it, it can change your life. Your way of thinking.
http://lovebytesreviews.com
September 25, 2014
I actually rated this book 6 stars, it is that special
“It’s a heavy burden, trying to love a world that doesn’t seem to love you back.”
Before I say anything else I would like to point out this is the third title in an ongoing series. I can’t recommend reading these books in the right order enough.. While each book tells a wonderful tale of its own, the magnificence of this story only shines through in all its glory if you read the story as the author intended. And that includes reading the chapters of book six, King Daniel, as they are posted on Edmond Mannings website.
The King Daniel chapters are not random filler material. They remind us of what’s gone before and give us (probably crucial) hints of what’s still to come.
Chapters four to seven bring Daniel to New York where he hopes to find The Butterfly King. Given Daniel’s difficulty walking, New York is a bit of a nightmare for him. But as difficult as it is to get around and no matter how hopeless his quest appears at times, he cannot bring himself to give up. His need to find the Found Kings and discover if he too could be found, is far bigger than his anger against the world and his fear when he’s moving around.
***
Do you ever get pre-read anxiety? I was desperate to read The Butterfly King. But then, when I had the book as well as the time to read it, I found myself procrastinating. You can only read a book for the first time once. And I know there’s going to be a wait for book number four. If I didn’t start The Butterfly King now, that wait would be shorter. But I had the book and needed to know the next part of the story. But... You get my drift. In the end curiosity won out and I lost myself in another of Edmond Manning’s Lost and Founds tales.
The story of Vin’s seventh ‘kinging’ throws you straight into the action. A man called Ghost is waiting in a New York prison cell for his cellmate. Terrence, The Butterfly King, is about to start his King Weekend in prison.
I’m not going to say anything else about the story as such. It should be read, experienced even, without preconceptions and expectations. Edmond Manning has created characters and a world to lose yourself in. The dialogue and Vin’s thoughts draw you into the story. It is impossible not to feel Vin’s pain, his fear and the love he has for the man he’s spending a weekend with. I read whole sections of this story with tears in my eyes. Vin’s conviction that he’s unworthy of love and that those who think they love him would stop feeling that way the moment they found out what he has done in the past, was heartbreaking. Vin has such a huge capacity to love inside him and yet can’t believe that others, not even his Kings, might be as capable of unconditional love towards him.
I’ve slowly (far more slowly than I should have) come to the realisation this is a philosophical series of books as much as it is a work of fiction. These stories and Vin’s theories force you to think about things like curiosity, or, in this book, fear.
“But if a man spends his life fighting fear, keeping it at bay with logic and rationalizations, he doesn’t notice fear exacting its toll, draining him, preventing his ability to access true power. That’s the dark wizard’s greatest curse, not draining you enough to notice and fight back, but embedding fear so deeply, you forget to consider achieving your greatness.”
Reading the Lost and Founds books forces you to examine how you approach the world yourself. Are you living your life in the best way possible, are you allowing all your potential to emerge or is fear holding you back?
“Fear never collects enough love, enough money, enough power.”
Terrence, he who is destined to become the Butterfly King, has to come to terms with everything that happened to him in the past and to forgive those he’s blaming for the way his life got derailed, before he can live without fear holding him back.
“(...) Lost Kings have to let something die to become Found Kings again. They have to shed a comfortable burden to become a better version of themselves. Give up living on the sidelines. Give up feeling sorry for themselves. Stop blaming others. The price of power is a new burden. The gateway is often grief.”
The moment he decides to embrace life, despite all the obstacles, was glorious.
“I’m going to live Ghost. (...) No matter if my world crumbles around me. I’m going to live in these moments.”
We meet a different Vin Vanbly in this book. Since the story is set earlier than the two previous titles, he’s obviously younger. But it is more than that. This Vin isn’t nearly as sure of himself as he is in King Perry or KingMai. He’s making mistakes, doesn’t know the man he’s going to King as well as he should, and feels out of his depth at times. Vin is pushing Terence harder than he’s ever pushed anyone and wonders, on several occasions, if he’s gone too far.
As we get further into this series, the stories are less about the men Vin ‘kings’ and more about Vin himself. We get to know Vin through the men he picks. Perry, Mai and Terrence are like mirrors, showing Vin what he needs to learn, what is lacking in his life and what is possible. There are moments when Vin gets that message loud and clear but his dislike and distrust of himself are too big to allow him to take the message on board.
“I’m just like him. I also use fear to masquerade what I truly want, and in moments of clarity, I can admit the thing I want is always the same: to be loved.”
Those moments of clarity shatter my heart and make me want to dive into the book, find Vin, and wrap my arms around him while whispering that he’s more than good enough, that all he needs is the strength to forgive himself for what happened when he didn’t know any better. But Vin isn’t there yet. While he catches glimpses of the way forward, he is not yet able to walk down that path.
“(...) I missed an opportunity to practice being a Found One, to be open to feedback and truly listen without my shit getting in the way.” – Vin
And yet, every man Vin ‘kings’ brings him closer to the moment when he too will be able to embrace his greatness.
“Something old and broken is less broken.”
I have no idea exactly what it means and have got a feeling it may be a while before I find out, but I can’t help feeling the following quote will prove to be pivotal:
“Watch for the king whose initials are D.C. He will unmake you. He’s coming to destroy you. You could stop him, but if you do, the Great Remembering never happens.”
And my heart broke when Vin drew his, almost certainly wrong, conclusion from that prediction.
Now that I’ve finished The Butterfly King and its darker story, part of me wants to read the rest of it immediately. Another part of me isn’t sure it could endure Vin’s story before the events in this book. I’ve been shown glimpses of it from the start and know it will be brutal and heart-shattering and probably man-breaking. And I suspect it has to happen. Before you can King a man you have to break him after all.
I’ll end my ramblings with a quote that made my heart sing.
“A feeling, a foreign one, flits through me, a fiery red cardinal dashing from twig to twig in my brambled heart. Hope.”
“It’s a heavy burden, trying to love a world that doesn’t seem to love you back.”
Before I say anything else I would like to point out this is the third title in an ongoing series. I can’t recommend reading these books in the right order enough.. While each book tells a wonderful tale of its own, the magnificence of this story only shines through in all its glory if you read the story as the author intended. And that includes reading the chapters of book six, King Daniel, as they are posted on Edmond Mannings website.
The King Daniel chapters are not random filler material. They remind us of what’s gone before and give us (probably crucial) hints of what’s still to come.
Chapters four to seven bring Daniel to New York where he hopes to find The Butterfly King. Given Daniel’s difficulty walking, New York is a bit of a nightmare for him. But as difficult as it is to get around and no matter how hopeless his quest appears at times, he cannot bring himself to give up. His need to find the Found Kings and discover if he too could be found, is far bigger than his anger against the world and his fear when he’s moving around.
***
Do you ever get pre-read anxiety? I was desperate to read The Butterfly King. But then, when I had the book as well as the time to read it, I found myself procrastinating. You can only read a book for the first time once. And I know there’s going to be a wait for book number four. If I didn’t start The Butterfly King now, that wait would be shorter. But I had the book and needed to know the next part of the story. But... You get my drift. In the end curiosity won out and I lost myself in another of Edmond Manning’s Lost and Founds tales.
The story of Vin’s seventh ‘kinging’ throws you straight into the action. A man called Ghost is waiting in a New York prison cell for his cellmate. Terrence, The Butterfly King, is about to start his King Weekend in prison.
I’m not going to say anything else about the story as such. It should be read, experienced even, without preconceptions and expectations. Edmond Manning has created characters and a world to lose yourself in. The dialogue and Vin’s thoughts draw you into the story. It is impossible not to feel Vin’s pain, his fear and the love he has for the man he’s spending a weekend with. I read whole sections of this story with tears in my eyes. Vin’s conviction that he’s unworthy of love and that those who think they love him would stop feeling that way the moment they found out what he has done in the past, was heartbreaking. Vin has such a huge capacity to love inside him and yet can’t believe that others, not even his Kings, might be as capable of unconditional love towards him.
I’ve slowly (far more slowly than I should have) come to the realisation this is a philosophical series of books as much as it is a work of fiction. These stories and Vin’s theories force you to think about things like curiosity, or, in this book, fear.
“But if a man spends his life fighting fear, keeping it at bay with logic and rationalizations, he doesn’t notice fear exacting its toll, draining him, preventing his ability to access true power. That’s the dark wizard’s greatest curse, not draining you enough to notice and fight back, but embedding fear so deeply, you forget to consider achieving your greatness.”
Reading the Lost and Founds books forces you to examine how you approach the world yourself. Are you living your life in the best way possible, are you allowing all your potential to emerge or is fear holding you back?
“Fear never collects enough love, enough money, enough power.”
Terrence, he who is destined to become the Butterfly King, has to come to terms with everything that happened to him in the past and to forgive those he’s blaming for the way his life got derailed, before he can live without fear holding him back.
“(...) Lost Kings have to let something die to become Found Kings again. They have to shed a comfortable burden to become a better version of themselves. Give up living on the sidelines. Give up feeling sorry for themselves. Stop blaming others. The price of power is a new burden. The gateway is often grief.”
The moment he decides to embrace life, despite all the obstacles, was glorious.
“I’m going to live Ghost. (...) No matter if my world crumbles around me. I’m going to live in these moments.”
We meet a different Vin Vanbly in this book. Since the story is set earlier than the two previous titles, he’s obviously younger. But it is more than that. This Vin isn’t nearly as sure of himself as he is in King Perry or KingMai. He’s making mistakes, doesn’t know the man he’s going to King as well as he should, and feels out of his depth at times. Vin is pushing Terence harder than he’s ever pushed anyone and wonders, on several occasions, if he’s gone too far.
As we get further into this series, the stories are less about the men Vin ‘kings’ and more about Vin himself. We get to know Vin through the men he picks. Perry, Mai and Terrence are like mirrors, showing Vin what he needs to learn, what is lacking in his life and what is possible. There are moments when Vin gets that message loud and clear but his dislike and distrust of himself are too big to allow him to take the message on board.
“I’m just like him. I also use fear to masquerade what I truly want, and in moments of clarity, I can admit the thing I want is always the same: to be loved.”
Those moments of clarity shatter my heart and make me want to dive into the book, find Vin, and wrap my arms around him while whispering that he’s more than good enough, that all he needs is the strength to forgive himself for what happened when he didn’t know any better. But Vin isn’t there yet. While he catches glimpses of the way forward, he is not yet able to walk down that path.
“(...) I missed an opportunity to practice being a Found One, to be open to feedback and truly listen without my shit getting in the way.” – Vin
And yet, every man Vin ‘kings’ brings him closer to the moment when he too will be able to embrace his greatness.
“Something old and broken is less broken.”
I have no idea exactly what it means and have got a feeling it may be a while before I find out, but I can’t help feeling the following quote will prove to be pivotal:
“Watch for the king whose initials are D.C. He will unmake you. He’s coming to destroy you. You could stop him, but if you do, the Great Remembering never happens.”
And my heart broke when Vin drew his, almost certainly wrong, conclusion from that prediction.
Now that I’ve finished The Butterfly King and its darker story, part of me wants to read the rest of it immediately. Another part of me isn’t sure it could endure Vin’s story before the events in this book. I’ve been shown glimpses of it from the start and know it will be brutal and heart-shattering and probably man-breaking. And I suspect it has to happen. Before you can King a man you have to break him after all.
I’ll end my ramblings with a quote that made my heart sing.
“A feeling, a foreign one, flits through me, a fiery red cardinal dashing from twig to twig in my brambled heart. Hope.”
December 26, 2018
★★★★★ ~ 5 Stars ~ ★★★★★ ~ 5 Star Series ~ 1st 5 Star Series in 8 Years on GR ~
I accidentally started reading this book first and I was so confused and came back to GR to figure out what order the series was in so by the time I'd gotten through King Perry and King Mai, I was all-in, because seriously, if you get through KP and KM, you kinda know that you're in for a unique reading experience and BK delivers in this 1993 King Weekend and you're just along for the ride, wherever it takes you.
“Once there was a tribe of men,” I say in a strong voice, audible to none but him, “a tribe populated entirely of kings. Odd, you may think, and wonder how any work got done in such a society with everyone making rules. But these were not those kinds of kings.”
I accidentally started reading this book first and I was so confused and came back to GR to figure out what order the series was in so by the time I'd gotten through King Perry and King Mai, I was all-in, because seriously, if you get through KP and KM, you kinda know that you're in for a unique reading experience and BK delivers in this 1993 King Weekend and you're just along for the ride, wherever it takes you.
“Once there was a tribe of men,” I say in a strong voice, audible to none but him, “a tribe populated entirely of kings. Odd, you may think, and wonder how any work got done in such a society with everyone making rules. But these were not those kinds of kings.”
September 26, 2014
There aren't enough words to describe how powerful this series is. After King Perry and King Mai, I kind of thought I had a good grasp on a King Weekend, and Edmond Manning proved me wrong.
Edmond created a beautiful fairy tale that each one of us actually have a chance of living, and through his words and his characters and Vin Vanbly... you almost feel like you can touch the magic he writes about.
The Butterfly King is the third book of the Lost and Founds series, and we are so fortunate to meet Terrance, who is tricked into participating in his King Weekend. Since the books is set roughly six years before first book in the series, we get a great insight at Vin's maturation over the years. He's an utter mess in this book. While I certain saw glimpses of Vin's (SPOILER) "lost king" status in the previous two books, it is blatantly obvious in this one, which only makes his kingings so much more impressive and meaningful.
I can't say much without giving away the plot and no one wants that, but I want to praise the author for his writing as well. There were plenty of things that happened in this book that I did NOT like, but they needed to happen and Edmond handled them so well. Aside from his beautiful prose, I also love how Edmond unfolds this story for us and makes me feel so strongly without explicitly telling me what's happening. He's done such a beautiful job creating these characters, Vin in particular, that we know exactly how heartfelt and how much Vin means it when he says "I hate who I am" and it's gut wrenching in the best possible way.
I can't recommend this series enough. I would urge anyone picking up King Perry to read it with an open mind and not try to figure out what's going on. Trust Edmond to bring you through it and you'll be richly rewarded.
Edmond created a beautiful fairy tale that each one of us actually have a chance of living, and through his words and his characters and Vin Vanbly... you almost feel like you can touch the magic he writes about.
The Butterfly King is the third book of the Lost and Founds series, and we are so fortunate to meet Terrance, who is tricked into participating in his King Weekend. Since the books is set roughly six years before first book in the series, we get a great insight at Vin's maturation over the years. He's an utter mess in this book. While I certain saw glimpses of Vin's (SPOILER) "lost king" status in the previous two books, it is blatantly obvious in this one, which only makes his kingings so much more impressive and meaningful.
I can't say much without giving away the plot and no one wants that, but I want to praise the author for his writing as well. There were plenty of things that happened in this book that I did NOT like, but they needed to happen and Edmond handled them so well. Aside from his beautiful prose, I also love how Edmond unfolds this story for us and makes me feel so strongly without explicitly telling me what's happening. He's done such a beautiful job creating these characters, Vin in particular, that we know exactly how heartfelt and how much Vin means it when he says "I hate who I am" and it's gut wrenching in the best possible way.
I can't recommend this series enough. I would urge anyone picking up King Perry to read it with an open mind and not try to figure out what's going on. Trust Edmond to bring you through it and you'll be richly rewarded.
November 22, 2014
Magic realism or magical realism: a genre where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic (often mundane) environment.
=============
The setting is New York City--a place firmly rooted in reality but has an undeniable magic. There is dirt and cruelty and hard-scrabbling as well as lush hotels and beautiful sculptures and architecture.
These books are all about striving for better--for living and loving wholly, so the message is positive, but we also see why people must at least try for better, because there is a lot of pain and heartache out there.
Terrence is a strong and caring man, and yet ultimately unsatisfied and feels he has been kept from his full potential.
Vin Vanbly, a man who promises to make Lost Kings into Found Kings, intrigues him with his correspondence, so Terrence agrees to put himself in Vin's hands. And before they meet, he finds himself thrown into jail, for no reason but perhaps being a black man.
In the cell, Terrence meets Ghost who tempts and somewhat forces Terrance to risk it all and escape...
Thus begins the lies and often harrowing, but sometimes wonderful manipulations of a King Weekend.
There is no overt fantasy and magic in this tale. Is the tale of Lost and Found Kings reality or metaphor? Does it matter?
The magic is in the writing, which creates characters and events that are so real and moving that honest, heart-felt emotions are evoked.
Start with the first book, KING PERRY, then KING MAI. Although these books are being written going back in time, it still is better to read them in order of publication. Although I suppose it's possible to read them out of order or in reverse order... But all are worth reading. And if you're hooked by one, you will want to read the rest!
=============
The setting is New York City--a place firmly rooted in reality but has an undeniable magic. There is dirt and cruelty and hard-scrabbling as well as lush hotels and beautiful sculptures and architecture.
These books are all about striving for better--for living and loving wholly, so the message is positive, but we also see why people must at least try for better, because there is a lot of pain and heartache out there.
Terrence is a strong and caring man, and yet ultimately unsatisfied and feels he has been kept from his full potential.
Vin Vanbly, a man who promises to make Lost Kings into Found Kings, intrigues him with his correspondence, so Terrence agrees to put himself in Vin's hands. And before they meet, he finds himself thrown into jail, for no reason but perhaps being a black man.
In the cell, Terrence meets Ghost who tempts and somewhat forces Terrance to risk it all and escape...
Thus begins the lies and often harrowing, but sometimes wonderful manipulations of a King Weekend.
There is no overt fantasy and magic in this tale. Is the tale of Lost and Found Kings reality or metaphor? Does it matter?
The magic is in the writing, which creates characters and events that are so real and moving that honest, heart-felt emotions are evoked.
Start with the first book, KING PERRY, then KING MAI. Although these books are being written going back in time, it still is better to read them in order of publication. Although I suppose it's possible to read them out of order or in reverse order... But all are worth reading. And if you're hooked by one, you will want to read the rest!
June 24, 2016
This one kind of drove me crazy. There were some recognizable elements of a king weekend, but egads, this was off the rails. The few mysteries about kingships that were answered in this edition were overshadowed new ones.
The rats! This might gross out many folks, buy my kids had pet rats growing up. Rats were a more intelligent and sociable alternative to hamsters. They actually make good rodent pets (although I insisted on female rats because I drew the line at rat testicles). So, take it from me, dead rats mounted on your boots is pretty disgusting.
We know Vin has kinged some other men prior to Terrance (Rance?) and we know at least one other didn't go well. Most importantly, we know that Vin appears to need some kinging remediation. I also know that the next book skips ahead, post King Perry, so who knows how and when he actually gets his kinging groove.
The rats! This might gross out many folks, buy my kids had pet rats growing up. Rats were a more intelligent and sociable alternative to hamsters. They actually make good rodent pets (although I insisted on female rats because I drew the line at rat testicles). So, take it from me, dead rats mounted on your boots is pretty disgusting.
We know Vin has kinged some other men prior to Terrance (Rance?) and we know at least one other didn't go well. Most importantly, we know that Vin appears to need some kinging remediation. I also know that the next book skips ahead, post King Perry, so who knows how and when he actually gets his kinging groove.
September 2, 2015
2.5 stars - Oh where is the Vin Vanbly I've come to love? In his place was a sad, unsure and lost shadow of the man I've known in the first two books. I was disappointed in this installment. I understand an author wanting to shake things up a bit, so the stories aren't just copy-cat plots in a series, but this just wasn't what I was hoping for and I had to force myself to keep reading. The story left me feeling sad and diappointed.
September 27, 2014
Review to come. For now, I'm still basking and reeling with tears in my eyes. Pennies. For God's sake the pennies. Made me cry. This was a tough one. King Perry and King Mai felt lighter to me. This one was ... Different. You'll see. Read it. Its a must. Dammit. Pennies.
February 26, 2016
More to come soon. Very moving and revealing story.
March 23, 2021
Each books blows me away.
October 9, 2024
Read 5+ times
Don't read the blurb if you want to read this book. It deserves the full surprise.
This modern fairy tale is about fear, power and racism. Don't be discouraged if that doesn't appeal to you. It's one of the best in the series. The young Vin Vanbly is still an apprentice and his mistakes are delightful. He kind of steals the show and appears more loveable in this book than in the previous ones.
In a series of 6 books, this one is in my top 3.
****
My review for King Perry still stands for The Butterfly King:
This is not your usual romance. Don't expect this story to follow the usual development of standardized MM novels. Actually, you'll never guess what happens in the next pages. The narrator MC is also quite unusual, he's definitely not going to leave you indifferent.
This is a modern fairy tale. It takes you through every possible feelings in a crazy roller-coaster. However, as with a lot of old fairy tales there's a lot of love but also deep darkness sometimes.
For all these reasons, you're going to love or hate this book. I absolutely loved it.
I really liked everything in this book, but I especially enjoyed :
- the writing,
- the masculine touch of the writer,
- the way the dialogues ring true and bring the characters extremely close to me.
The 1st person present tense is not a big favorite of mine, but the story wouldn't work as well without it and I got used to it rather quickly.
This is an amazing book, but it's even better when you have already read the whole series. There's an evolution of the MC's personality and there are plenty of unseen details that make the whole work shine even more.
It's best to read these books in the published order for the first time.
What did I forget?
- If you're interested about the sexy parts, the whole series explores many fantasies,
- Once started I couldn't drop it,
- Read this book with an open mind and an open heart : it's only a fiction,
- On a personal note, each time I read this book I feel a bit healed.
Don't read the blurb if you want to read this book. It deserves the full surprise.
This modern fairy tale is about fear, power and racism. Don't be discouraged if that doesn't appeal to you. It's one of the best in the series. The young Vin Vanbly is still an apprentice and his mistakes are delightful. He kind of steals the show and appears more loveable in this book than in the previous ones.
In a series of 6 books, this one is in my top 3.
****
My review for King Perry still stands for The Butterfly King:
This is not your usual romance. Don't expect this story to follow the usual development of standardized MM novels. Actually, you'll never guess what happens in the next pages. The narrator MC is also quite unusual, he's definitely not going to leave you indifferent.
This is a modern fairy tale. It takes you through every possible feelings in a crazy roller-coaster. However, as with a lot of old fairy tales there's a lot of love but also deep darkness sometimes.
For all these reasons, you're going to love or hate this book. I absolutely loved it.
I really liked everything in this book, but I especially enjoyed :
- the writing,
- the masculine touch of the writer,
- the way the dialogues ring true and bring the characters extremely close to me.
The 1st person present tense is not a big favorite of mine, but the story wouldn't work as well without it and I got used to it rather quickly.
This is an amazing book, but it's even better when you have already read the whole series. There's an evolution of the MC's personality and there are plenty of unseen details that make the whole work shine even more.
It's best to read these books in the published order for the first time.
What did I forget?
- If you're interested about the sexy parts, the whole series explores many fantasies,
- Once started I couldn't drop it,
- Read this book with an open mind and an open heart : it's only a fiction,
- On a personal note, each time I read this book I feel a bit healed.
May 21, 2018
When I finished King Mai, I took a deep breath and held onto it for a full day before starting The Butterfly King. I couldn't imagine loving the next king as much as Mai, but Edmond Manning is a genius at ratcheting up each story, chapter by chapter, until the reader is as enthralled, curious, and moved as Vin by everything that happens. I love the way this story unfolded, with Vin so anxious about everything that goes wrong right off the bat, so unsure of himself. It's a great contrast to King Perry, where VV seems totally confident and in control of all the details. In TBK, we learn bits and pieces about Vin, too, like where he's most vulnerable and why. And then there's Rance. Sigh. Watching the almost-king become an actual king before our eyes is breathtaking, and I mean that literally. It helps that Vin is already in love with every king before they meet, a brilliant device by the author to bring us right into the deep end of emotions. The last few chapters of this book were my favorite, when we really get to experience Rance's strength and power and love. This series is lifting me up and making me see the world through new eyes. What more could anyone want from a book? Thank you, Mr. Manning! King John, here I come!
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