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The Orb #2
Child of the Knight
This is an alternate cover edition for isbn: 9781499540680
Akinos is dead, and the Wasting ended. For a year and a half all is well in the world.
Then terror arrives in Landomere. Mercenary raiders capture the infant children Orlos and Enna. Orlos, the son of Maret, is the only living spiridus. Without him the Great Spirit of Landomere will perish. Enna, the daughter of Hadde and Morin, is a rival to the throne of the Kingdom of Salador. It is a claim Queen Ilana would like to see ended.
Maret, captured with the children, struggles to keep them safe during the dangerous journey to Salador. Hadde will risk everything to save them.
To the north, a weary Champion Nidon returns from war to find a paranoid Queen Ilana plotting against threats real and imagined. To her eyes, Nidon is the greatest threat of all.
Far to the east, beyond the Dragon’s Gate, Cragor wields the Orb of Creation. And with every passing day, his mastery of the Orb grows and the date of the next great invasion draws closer.
Akinos is dead, and the Wasting ended. For a year and a half all is well in the world.
Then terror arrives in Landomere. Mercenary raiders capture the infant children Orlos and Enna. Orlos, the son of Maret, is the only living spiridus. Without him the Great Spirit of Landomere will perish. Enna, the daughter of Hadde and Morin, is a rival to the throne of the Kingdom of Salador. It is a claim Queen Ilana would like to see ended.
Maret, captured with the children, struggles to keep them safe during the dangerous journey to Salador. Hadde will risk everything to save them.
To the north, a weary Champion Nidon returns from war to find a paranoid Queen Ilana plotting against threats real and imagined. To her eyes, Nidon is the greatest threat of all.
Far to the east, beyond the Dragon’s Gate, Cragor wields the Orb of Creation. And with every passing day, his mastery of the Orb grows and the date of the next great invasion draws closer.
- GenresFantasy
312 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2014
6 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Matt Heppe
10 books41 followersMatt Heppe and his wife live in suburban Philadelphia. They are the parents of a wonderful daughter who has flown the coop. Matt is a former US Army officer and Economics teacher who now works full-time as an author.
In his free time, Matt is addicted to cycling, Dungeons & Dragons, and spending time with his wife. He dabbles as an amateur bowyer and potato farmer.
In his free time, Matt is addicted to cycling, Dungeons & Dragons, and spending time with his wife. He dabbles as an amateur bowyer and potato farmer.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 3, 2017
A very good second book! It opens with intensity and doesn't let up.
There is more character development and some less predictability, which were my main issues with the prequel. Finally Nidon gets more stage time, I was just a bit put off by his sudden interest in a certain woman, but ok I guess.
There are not many plot points, but I expected that from a middle book and I was happy to see the author upped the ante, never let the plot drag or sprawl and introduced new characters naturally, adding to the worldbuilding with a careful hand. The action scenes didn't disappoint either, I just loved the siege! Again, the author is very good at military stuff, mindful of the details, and he never gets too graphical.
My first impression stands, this isn't a groundbreaking story but it's absolutely worth the investment and it's getting better and better.
I liked the way this one ended (again, no cliffhanger!) and I hope the next book will deliver too. Recommended!
“To be a killer of men is not something to aspire to. It is not something to be proud of. It is something to cry over.”
There is more character development and some less predictability, which were my main issues with the prequel. Finally Nidon gets more stage time, I was just a bit put off by his sudden interest in a certain woman, but ok I guess.
There are not many plot points, but I expected that from a middle book and I was happy to see the author upped the ante, never let the plot drag or sprawl and introduced new characters naturally, adding to the worldbuilding with a careful hand. The action scenes didn't disappoint either, I just loved the siege! Again, the author is very good at military stuff, mindful of the details, and he never gets too graphical.
My first impression stands, this isn't a groundbreaking story but it's absolutely worth the investment and it's getting better and better.
I liked the way this one ended (again, no cliffhanger!) and I hope the next book will deliver too. Recommended!
“To be a killer of men is not something to aspire to. It is not something to be proud of. It is something to cry over.”
June 8, 2014
It was worth the wait.
One of my favorite things about epic fantasy is seeing characters develop over time, and seeing world-scale events progress. The lifting of the Wasting in book 1 is an important backdrop through the sequel, but the significance of the children is even more important. Heppe continues with that delightfully subtle magic. The magic in this world isn’t overblown, world-rending spells and powers, but its rarity and limitations make it all that much more significant for the characters and the plot. And the gritty realism continues from book 1. This is not a world where injuries mysteriously heal in the next chapter or the good guys are perfect in every regard. Heppe’s knowledge of history and ancient weapons shines through. And on top of that, the writing is better, the plot moves faster, and the events are somehow more personal and “local”. Pay attention to the little details, like the scene with the lioness at the beginning and Hadde’s scavenging of a bow… it all matters in the end!
One of my favorite things about epic fantasy is seeing characters develop over time, and seeing world-scale events progress. The lifting of the Wasting in book 1 is an important backdrop through the sequel, but the significance of the children is even more important. Heppe continues with that delightfully subtle magic. The magic in this world isn’t overblown, world-rending spells and powers, but its rarity and limitations make it all that much more significant for the characters and the plot. And the gritty realism continues from book 1. This is not a world where injuries mysteriously heal in the next chapter or the good guys are perfect in every regard. Heppe’s knowledge of history and ancient weapons shines through. And on top of that, the writing is better, the plot moves faster, and the events are somehow more personal and “local”. Pay attention to the little details, like the scene with the lioness at the beginning and Hadde’s scavenging of a bow… it all matters in the end!
June 11, 2014
Wow! a great sequel to Eternal Knight, in which the main character Hadde the Huntress, the master archer from the forest cummunity Landomere, ultimately ends the evil of the wasting of the land by slaying the Orb of Creation wielder Akinos. All ends well, Hadde the Huntress, protector of the forest, has saved her world, her people, and everybody else. Part two shows that evil does not come from some magical device crafted by the gods,, but from the people themselves, the people she just saved in part 1. In the game of thrones of the Saladorian Kingdom, a male dominated class society that bears strong similarities to a feudal late medieval kingdom, the queen and her clique of barons have taken over, and think they can easily dispose of the heros of the day in book 1: Hadde the Huntress, The Kings Champion Sir Nidor, and prince Morin, who has turned into an eternal knight, subject to the powers of the Orb, and he roams the land as an outcast..
When her own daughther is abducted together with the child that is imbued with the spirit of Landomere, Orlos, -which both have blood ties to the throne of Salador-, Hadde the lioness awakens, takes up her bow, and makes it perfectly clear that it was a big mistake to mess with her and the forest.
The fierce fight doesn't come without great losses though, as the cover picture of this novel with the broken bow already indicates, but in the end there is hope and Landomere yet lives again.
I cannot wait for the sequel to this novel. Get to it Matt!
When her own daughther is abducted together with the child that is imbued with the spirit of Landomere, Orlos, -which both have blood ties to the throne of Salador-, Hadde the lioness awakens, takes up her bow, and makes it perfectly clear that it was a big mistake to mess with her and the forest.
The fierce fight doesn't come without great losses though, as the cover picture of this novel with the broken bow already indicates, but in the end there is hope and Landomere yet lives again.
I cannot wait for the sequel to this novel. Get to it Matt!
June 25, 2014
Matt Heppe's "Child of the knight" is book 2 of "The Orb" series, and is the sequel to "Eternal Knight" published in 2011. As a sequel, it picks up after some time has past since the ending of the first book, but unlike the longer time frame of the first novel, the action in CotK takes place over a matter of days. Heppe tells the story through 3 characters, Hadde, Maret and Nidon, all returning from the first novel, but all very different points of view. There are plots, counter plots, and consequences for all.
It all makes for a gripping read, the story dragging the reader along toward a truly emotional climax; I haven't rooted for characters like this in a novel in a very long time.
Buy it. Read it, and pester the author so that volume 3 doesn't take so long to get published.
It all makes for a gripping read, the story dragging the reader along toward a truly emotional climax; I haven't rooted for characters like this in a novel in a very long time.
Buy it. Read it, and pester the author so that volume 3 doesn't take so long to get published.
June 26, 2014
Oh, please, please, please let there be a third one....Liked it better than the first book. Still a very good solid story and I enjoyed it a lot.
October 26, 2024
There was a moment when I feared that this book would be as dominated by what I call typical human filth as the previous one, but that is not the case, the occasional moments when it rears its ugly head quickly giving way to action. And action is what Child of the Knight is all about, the characters, and the reader, hardly being allowed a moment’s rest, with the antagonists having every advantage and victory tending to take the form of an escape and a brief respite, usually at a great cost. And it should also be noted that the combat is presented well, the author displaying his familiarity with the techniques and equipment.
However, this is also the book’s problem, stringing together action scenes being pretty much all there is to it. There’s hardly any room for depth and very little worldbuilding or character development, the possible exception, if you’re feeling generous, being Kael and Maret. No bits of wisdom, no brilliant plans, no complex and possibly relatable characters; if something’s not an action scene, it’s only there because it’s required for one that will quickly follow. In addition, despite the hardships and all of the advantages held by the antagonists, or perhaps just because of that, all too often hero’s luck is the plot device that allows wrenching that questionable victory from the jaws of defeat. And while this does make for thrilling reading and a reasonably pleasant way to pass some time, after a while it gets to be too much and, despite being so fast-paced and much shorter than a proper fantasy book should be, the feeling that it’s overstaying its welcome may appear before reaching the end. Plus that I was obviously very bothered by the fact that it’s centered around babies and motherhood.
However, this is also the book’s problem, stringing together action scenes being pretty much all there is to it. There’s hardly any room for depth and very little worldbuilding or character development, the possible exception, if you’re feeling generous, being Kael and Maret. No bits of wisdom, no brilliant plans, no complex and possibly relatable characters; if something’s not an action scene, it’s only there because it’s required for one that will quickly follow. In addition, despite the hardships and all of the advantages held by the antagonists, or perhaps just because of that, all too often hero’s luck is the plot device that allows wrenching that questionable victory from the jaws of defeat. And while this does make for thrilling reading and a reasonably pleasant way to pass some time, after a while it gets to be too much and, despite being so fast-paced and much shorter than a proper fantasy book should be, the feeling that it’s overstaying its welcome may appear before reaching the end. Plus that I was obviously very bothered by the fact that it’s centered around babies and motherhood.
May 28, 2018
Having a deeper understanding of and relationship with the characters as well as the setting and conflicts made me like Child of the Knight better. It has two separate story lines going on in the beginning and they finally merge at the end of the book which was very interesting. There is action almost right off the bat and the characters are thrown into conflict with both of the separate viewpoints.
July 1, 2014
I had been eagerly awaiting this sequel to Eternal Knight, and I was not disappointed. Like the first, it's an action-packed, fast-paced adventure with a good blend of fantasy and realism (the author knows his stuff about arms and armour). The writing style is more confident and perhaps more fluid than the first, which you would expect. The plot is not 'epic' in the traditional sense--which I liked--instead focusing on personal struggles (which happen to have broader import as well). There are some killer twists and turns which keep you reading right up until the end--and wanting more!
Quite often self-pub books are plagued by bad prose, spelling and grammar mistakes, and just general genericness. This is a huge step above most of those, and miles better than some traditionally published stuff. He certainly doesn't over-burden the reader with wordy prose (though I think the balance is better than the first, which was truly sparse). The only thing that I can criticise is that a few times characters did or planned things that later seemed pointless. Now, this could well happen in real life, but just once or twice it seemed like the author had changed his mind without smoothing out what he'd written. Maybe that's just me.
Seriously, though, these books are worth reading for their action, their characters (especially Hadde: strong female lead alert!) and that touch of realism. If I sound like a cheerleader, it's because I think these deserve a wider audience, and are a great example of the gems you can find in the self-pub world.
Quite often self-pub books are plagued by bad prose, spelling and grammar mistakes, and just general genericness. This is a huge step above most of those, and miles better than some traditionally published stuff. He certainly doesn't over-burden the reader with wordy prose (though I think the balance is better than the first, which was truly sparse). The only thing that I can criticise is that a few times characters did or planned things that later seemed pointless. Now, this could well happen in real life, but just once or twice it seemed like the author had changed his mind without smoothing out what he'd written. Maybe that's just me.
Seriously, though, these books are worth reading for their action, their characters (especially Hadde: strong female lead alert!) and that touch of realism. If I sound like a cheerleader, it's because I think these deserve a wider audience, and are a great example of the gems you can find in the self-pub world.
July 18, 2014
I read the first book quite a while ago, and while there isn’t much of a recap, it was easy to follow and enjoy this book on its own. Part of this enjoyment stemmed from the fact that there seem to be no lull in action for the entire book. My heart seemed to pound with excitement through the whole read, and I didn’t want to put it down in case I missed something.
This book really centres on family and children, and how the well being of each is really connected. This is made physical through the ties between Landomere and Orlos, but it’s also seem in Hadde’s actions and the lengths she is willing to go to for her child.
I was impressed that even though I couldn’t remember all the details of the first book while reading this one, I was left with a feeling that I knew the characters, and happily rooted for them. The action was exciting and thrilling, and I hope the next book comes with less wait.
This book really centres on family and children, and how the well being of each is really connected. This is made physical through the ties between Landomere and Orlos, but it’s also seem in Hadde’s actions and the lengths she is willing to go to for her child.
I was impressed that even though I couldn’t remember all the details of the first book while reading this one, I was left with a feeling that I knew the characters, and happily rooted for them. The action was exciting and thrilling, and I hope the next book comes with less wait.
March 21, 2016
I enjoyed this story a lot despite not generally loving alternating characters. I think part of why I enjoyed that perspective in this book is that none of the stories go quite where you expect them to. This story isn't usual for fantasy and invites relatively few comparisons to other fantasy novels. It deviates a lot from the path you expect books to follow, but I think it's in a very positive way. I can't say much more without spoiling anything, but I definitely suggest reading this series.
July 12, 2014
Matt Heppe continues to amaze in his sophomore effort. He obviously has been thinking about his fully realized Fantasy world with its complex social, religious, political (& magical) issues for quite some time. The combat action is very well done & since this book features a siege, there is a lot of it. Can't wait for the next one!
April 18, 2016
Great 2nd book to the series the battle scenes could have been a little more detailed as they were complicated enough to be confusing. The author was brave enough to kill off a main character or maybe 2. Have to see how that play's out in the 3rd book since it's a fine line on how much back stabbing intrigue you can have in series before it's just repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews