What do you think?
Rate this book
The River of Kings
Two brothers travel a storied river’s past and present in search of the truth about their father’s death in the second novel by the acclaimed author of Fallen Land.
The Altamaha River, Georgia’s “Little Amazon,” has been named one of the 75 “Last Great Places in the World.” Crossed by roads only five times in its 137-mile length, the blackwater river is home to thousand-year-old virgin cypress, descendants of 18th-century Highland warriors, and a motley cast of rare and endangered species. The Altamaha has even been rumored to harbor its own river monster, as well as traces of the most ancient European fort in North America.
Brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins set off to kayak the river, bearing their father’s ashes toward the sea. Hunter is a college student, Lawton a Navy SEAL on leave; both young men were raised by an angry, enigmatic shrimper who loved the river, and whose death remains a mystery that his sons hope to resolve. As the brothers proceed downriver, their story is interwoven with that of Jacques Le Moyne, an artist who accompanied the 1564 expedition to found a French settlement at the river’s mouth, which began as a search for riches and ended in a bloody confrontation with Spanish conquistadors and native tribes, leaving the fort in ruins and a few survivors fleeing for their lives.
In The River of Kings, SIBA-bestselling author Taylor Brown artfully weaves three narrative strands—the brothers’ journey, their father’s past, and the dramatic history of the river’s earliest people—to evoke a legendary place and its powerful hold on the human imagination.
The Altamaha River, Georgia’s “Little Amazon,” has been named one of the 75 “Last Great Places in the World.” Crossed by roads only five times in its 137-mile length, the blackwater river is home to thousand-year-old virgin cypress, descendants of 18th-century Highland warriors, and a motley cast of rare and endangered species. The Altamaha has even been rumored to harbor its own river monster, as well as traces of the most ancient European fort in North America.
Brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins set off to kayak the river, bearing their father’s ashes toward the sea. Hunter is a college student, Lawton a Navy SEAL on leave; both young men were raised by an angry, enigmatic shrimper who loved the river, and whose death remains a mystery that his sons hope to resolve. As the brothers proceed downriver, their story is interwoven with that of Jacques Le Moyne, an artist who accompanied the 1564 expedition to found a French settlement at the river’s mouth, which began as a search for riches and ended in a bloody confrontation with Spanish conquistadors and native tribes, leaving the fort in ruins and a few survivors fleeing for their lives.
In The River of Kings, SIBA-bestselling author Taylor Brown artfully weaves three narrative strands—the brothers’ journey, their father’s past, and the dramatic history of the river’s earliest people—to evoke a legendary place and its powerful hold on the human imagination.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2017
160 people are currently reading
3092 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Brown
12 books753 followersTaylor Brown is the award-winning author of the novels Fallen Land (2016), The River of Kings (2017), Gods of Howl Mountain (2018), Pride of Eden (2020), Wingwalkers (2022), and Rednecks (2024), as well as a short story collection, In the Season of Blood and Gold (2014). He's a recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction and his first three novels were all finalists for the Southern Book Prize. He lives in Savannah, Georgia, where he is the founder and editor-in-chief of BikeBound, one of the world's leading custom motorcycle publications. His website is taylorbrownfiction.com. You can follow him on Twitter (@taybrown), Instagram (@taylorbrown82) and Facebook (@Taylor.Brown.Fiction).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
December 27, 2016
Having just spent time playing with the manatees - Kayaking, snorkeling, at Crystal River in Florida, recently....I found this historical fiction story to be an exciting adventure.
Also about a week ago, I was chatting with a friend about how I'd like to visit Savannah...take in all the history and the towns charm. Well, given that 'The Altamaha River" isn't too far from Savannah...( just south of it), sounds like a day on the river would be part of the get-a-way plan also.
Taylor Brown's writing talents are extraordinary. Beautiful prose to savor.....gorgeous language makes this adventure mystery story heartfelt - wondrous and wise.
A sample excerpt:
"It was the marsh burning, the green-brown plains and the islands of brush. The flames spread so fast birds burst from their roosts in ragged parabola, tumbling scorched and blackened from the air, and white clouds of egrets churned under dark boulders of smoke. Deer leapt from burning islands of scrub, darting in panic, some flinging themselves into the river. And alligator pulled under a splashing fawn. It burn for three days, a smoke so rich it stung the eyes. They wore rags and strips of fabric tied over their faces like brigands, yet many fell ill, hacking and coughing a black filth from their lungs. Those who ventured downriver found the waters strewn thousands of dead fish, their bellies risen like boils upon the rivers skin, and the alligators cruised in the middle of the channels where it was coolest. A strench fell over everything, that of death proceeding in the sun. It reeked like evil in the land, and Le Moyne saw a fear in the eyes of many, such as he had not seen in this new country".
By the time you get to the end of Taylor's novel, you might feel a little exhausted - ragged over - water logged -but your heart will have melted for brothers Hunter and Lawton.
Great adventure- healing and understanding of the brothers past about their father - and a memorable appreciation for the history of the River Altamaha.
Elegant....and.....haunting!!!
.......a lovely tribute to our river waters. With half of the world's major rivers being seriously polluted and or depleted.... and a list of endless water problems, between my own enjoyment on the river last week for a couple of days and this story, I'm reminded that there is hope. The brothers came together in this story...
and when we do the same to restore and protect our waters -- we can achieve some good results.
Thank You St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Taylor Brown
Also about a week ago, I was chatting with a friend about how I'd like to visit Savannah...take in all the history and the towns charm. Well, given that 'The Altamaha River" isn't too far from Savannah...( just south of it), sounds like a day on the river would be part of the get-a-way plan also.
Taylor Brown's writing talents are extraordinary. Beautiful prose to savor.....gorgeous language makes this adventure mystery story heartfelt - wondrous and wise.
A sample excerpt:
"It was the marsh burning, the green-brown plains and the islands of brush. The flames spread so fast birds burst from their roosts in ragged parabola, tumbling scorched and blackened from the air, and white clouds of egrets churned under dark boulders of smoke. Deer leapt from burning islands of scrub, darting in panic, some flinging themselves into the river. And alligator pulled under a splashing fawn. It burn for three days, a smoke so rich it stung the eyes. They wore rags and strips of fabric tied over their faces like brigands, yet many fell ill, hacking and coughing a black filth from their lungs. Those who ventured downriver found the waters strewn thousands of dead fish, their bellies risen like boils upon the rivers skin, and the alligators cruised in the middle of the channels where it was coolest. A strench fell over everything, that of death proceeding in the sun. It reeked like evil in the land, and Le Moyne saw a fear in the eyes of many, such as he had not seen in this new country".
By the time you get to the end of Taylor's novel, you might feel a little exhausted - ragged over - water logged -but your heart will have melted for brothers Hunter and Lawton.
Great adventure- healing and understanding of the brothers past about their father - and a memorable appreciation for the history of the River Altamaha.
Elegant....and.....haunting!!!
.......a lovely tribute to our river waters. With half of the world's major rivers being seriously polluted and or depleted.... and a list of endless water problems, between my own enjoyment on the river last week for a couple of days and this story, I'm reminded that there is hope. The brothers came together in this story...
and when we do the same to restore and protect our waters -- we can achieve some good results.
Thank You St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Taylor Brown
February 6, 2017
Hiram was a hard man, a tough man and he made the Altamaha River his home, knew every nook and cranny, every island and offshoot, yet his quest to make a living from the river, failed time and time again. He was a hard father, sometimes cruel, but he taught his two sons to love the river, taught them all he could, showed them all he could. When he is killed, said to be by a sturgeon strike, his two sons, Lawton, a navy seal and Hunter a college student undertake a journey by two skiffs to where the river meets the ocean and there scatter their father's ashes. Lawton though, thinks there is more to the story of his father's death and is determined to find the truth.
Three separate strands, the son's journey alternating with Hiram's life story on the river and the third, historically taken back to 1546 and the French's attempt to build and hold Fort Caroline, narrated by Le Moyne, an artist along on the journey to document this accomplishment.
I have a very visual memory, when I read I form pictures, like snapshots in my mind, this is how I remember or try to remember the books I read. The descriptions in this book are outstanding, one feels as if they were there, right along with the characters. A very character driven novel, an adventure story, a father, son story, an environmental story and very much a story of man vs. Nature. The river of course being one of the main characters, surviving, changing for hundreds of years. Well rounded, thought out characters, exquisite prose, often gritty but as you can see from my rating all three threads of this story pulled me in, because although a change in focus they all added to the mystique of the river and of man's quest to find their place and live within nature.
Reminded me a little of To The Bright Edge of the World, the journey the men undertook in that story. Taylor Brown is an author who can definitely write, and write exceedingly well.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes March 21st from St. Martin's Press.
Three separate strands, the son's journey alternating with Hiram's life story on the river and the third, historically taken back to 1546 and the French's attempt to build and hold Fort Caroline, narrated by Le Moyne, an artist along on the journey to document this accomplishment.
I have a very visual memory, when I read I form pictures, like snapshots in my mind, this is how I remember or try to remember the books I read. The descriptions in this book are outstanding, one feels as if they were there, right along with the characters. A very character driven novel, an adventure story, a father, son story, an environmental story and very much a story of man vs. Nature. The river of course being one of the main characters, surviving, changing for hundreds of years. Well rounded, thought out characters, exquisite prose, often gritty but as you can see from my rating all three threads of this story pulled me in, because although a change in focus they all added to the mystique of the river and of man's quest to find their place and live within nature.
Reminded me a little of To The Bright Edge of the World, the journey the men undertook in that story. Taylor Brown is an author who can definitely write, and write exceedingly well.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes March 21st from St. Martin's Press.
February 7, 2017
It's a story of the south, gritty, and the writing in many places is as beautifully descriptive as it was in Taylor Brown's first novel, Fallen Land. The descriptions here are so precisely beautiful that I felt as if I was on that river, the Altamaha in Georgia, with these two brothers in their kayaks as they travel with their father's ashes seeking the truth of his death . This is the first of several alternating narratives and takes place in the present as we are introduced to Hunter Loggins who is in college and his older brother Lawton, a Navy Seal. It's clear that these brothers love each other in spite of their differences and fights along their journey. Their father, Hiram Loggins, hardened by his time in Vietnam, his life on the river trying to make a living is portrayed as heavy handed and verbally harsh to his sons, but yet they believed he loved them .
In another timeline, Hiram's earlier life is depicted and the story of his long obsession with a woman who is not his wife and his dealings on the river. There is a third narrative focusing on the very early history of this river and place in 1654 and capturing the story of the French expedition with a focus on Jaques LeMoyne. I had mixed feelings about this part of the story. It didn't hold my interest as I had hoped, and I found myself rushing through these sections to get back to the brothers and their intriguing adventure to discover their father's history and how he died . I can't quite give this 5 stars since the historical part just didn't grab me. Having said that, reading Taylor Brown's lovely prose and moving story of this family is worthy of 4 high stars . I definitely look forward to what this talented writer will give us in the future.
(Reading ebooks doesn't afford one the opportunity to look at the cover of book as often as when reading the actual book , but this cover is so gorgeous, I found myself going to it on Goodreads just to see it again.)
I received an advanced copy of this from St. Martin's Press through NetGally.
In another timeline, Hiram's earlier life is depicted and the story of his long obsession with a woman who is not his wife and his dealings on the river. There is a third narrative focusing on the very early history of this river and place in 1654 and capturing the story of the French expedition with a focus on Jaques LeMoyne. I had mixed feelings about this part of the story. It didn't hold my interest as I had hoped, and I found myself rushing through these sections to get back to the brothers and their intriguing adventure to discover their father's history and how he died . I can't quite give this 5 stars since the historical part just didn't grab me. Having said that, reading Taylor Brown's lovely prose and moving story of this family is worthy of 4 high stars . I definitely look forward to what this talented writer will give us in the future.
(Reading ebooks doesn't afford one the opportunity to look at the cover of book as often as when reading the actual book , but this cover is so gorgeous, I found myself going to it on Goodreads just to see it again.)
I received an advanced copy of this from St. Martin's Press through NetGally.
July 14, 2017
In Georgia, there is a river known as the Altamaha, that stretches 137 miles. Much life surrounds it as does history AND a whole lotta testosterone to boot!
Three narratives are entwined. One dating back to the 16th century when the French landed there. Their interactions -both violent and non - with the natives and the Spanish.
The main narrative is of 2 brothers travelling it in kayaks in the 21st century to shed their father's ashes and learn more of how he came to die on the river. The third is the story of their father and how he lived upon it.
Rich with descriptions of the river and its hidden secrets; the cypress trees and the lives of both animal and men who live along it -whom fight for it and die for it. The interesting drawings that accompany it and let's not forget that awesome cover! 4 ⭐️
Three narratives are entwined. One dating back to the 16th century when the French landed there. Their interactions -both violent and non - with the natives and the Spanish.
The main narrative is of 2 brothers travelling it in kayaks in the 21st century to shed their father's ashes and learn more of how he came to die on the river. The third is the story of their father and how he lived upon it.
Rich with descriptions of the river and its hidden secrets; the cypress trees and the lives of both animal and men who live along it -whom fight for it and die for it. The interesting drawings that accompany it and let's not forget that awesome cover! 4 ⭐️
November 1, 2017
!! NOW AVAILABLE !!
Taylor Brown has transported me to another place and time yet again. In Fallen Land, set in the final year of the Civil War, I journeyed beside Callum and Ava in their passage from war-torn lands to safety, as they journeyed from the Appalachians to the Georgia coast.
In The River of Kings he’s brought me back to another time and place once again through the voices of these men who called the banks of the Altamaha home.
As the story begins, brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins, sons of Hiram, are journeying down the Altamaha River in two skiffs and tied to one of them is what remains of their father.
The spring rains charge down the dark swales of the Appalachian foothills, rumbling in wider and deeper confluence, birthing rivers that sliver for the sea.
The Altamaha was used once upon a time by riverboats as a main transportation route to the towns and Plantations founded along the river. These days there are fewer significant towns along its path, an area considered sparsely populated.
When Jacques Le Moyne de Morgue left Le Havre, France on 22 April 1564, aboard the Ysabeau, he was one of 300 colonists aboard three ships, most fleeing the sharp, murderous blades of the Catholics. Le Moyne was commissioned by the King as an artist to sketch this new land, the land the King called land the King called La Nouvelle France, and those that dwelled there. New France. After landing initially in the land of the Saturiwa, they journey slightly north in search of a river large enough for their ships, finding the Altamaha. It is then they spot a monstrously large Serpent, with skin like those giant lizards on the banks. But this, this one is the size of a cypress tree.
The Altamaha-ha. A legendary creature that continues to haunt the Altamaha river since the beginning of time, through the days of Hiram Loggins, the days or his sons Hunter, a college student, and Lawton, a Navy Seal. The Altamaha River and the Altamaha-ha both are so much a part of this story, almost as though they were characters - if additional, silent, characters in the narrative. As intrinsically woven into the tapestry of the soul of this place, these people, as the generations of people who came before them.
Hiram Loggins wasn’t a perfect father, or a perfect husband. His sons journey to return him to the place he loved, his final merging, becoming one with the soil and shadowy waters of the Altamaha River where it meets the sea, a returning to dwell forever in the place that formed him.
Conveyed in rich, gorgeous prose, Taylor Brown continues to create such stunning imagery; I could see this place, these people. Each character’s story individually shared, connected as though links in a preciously exquisite chain. Seemingly fluid in movement, breathtakingly lovely.
Recommended
Pub Date: 21 Mar 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press!
Taylor Brown has transported me to another place and time yet again. In Fallen Land, set in the final year of the Civil War, I journeyed beside Callum and Ava in their passage from war-torn lands to safety, as they journeyed from the Appalachians to the Georgia coast.
In The River of Kings he’s brought me back to another time and place once again through the voices of these men who called the banks of the Altamaha home.
As the story begins, brothers Hunter and Lawton Loggins, sons of Hiram, are journeying down the Altamaha River in two skiffs and tied to one of them is what remains of their father.
The spring rains charge down the dark swales of the Appalachian foothills, rumbling in wider and deeper confluence, birthing rivers that sliver for the sea.
The Altamaha was used once upon a time by riverboats as a main transportation route to the towns and Plantations founded along the river. These days there are fewer significant towns along its path, an area considered sparsely populated.
When Jacques Le Moyne de Morgue left Le Havre, France on 22 April 1564, aboard the Ysabeau, he was one of 300 colonists aboard three ships, most fleeing the sharp, murderous blades of the Catholics. Le Moyne was commissioned by the King as an artist to sketch this new land, the land the King called land the King called La Nouvelle France, and those that dwelled there. New France. After landing initially in the land of the Saturiwa, they journey slightly north in search of a river large enough for their ships, finding the Altamaha. It is then they spot a monstrously large Serpent, with skin like those giant lizards on the banks. But this, this one is the size of a cypress tree.
The Altamaha-ha. A legendary creature that continues to haunt the Altamaha river since the beginning of time, through the days of Hiram Loggins, the days or his sons Hunter, a college student, and Lawton, a Navy Seal. The Altamaha River and the Altamaha-ha both are so much a part of this story, almost as though they were characters - if additional, silent, characters in the narrative. As intrinsically woven into the tapestry of the soul of this place, these people, as the generations of people who came before them.
Hiram Loggins wasn’t a perfect father, or a perfect husband. His sons journey to return him to the place he loved, his final merging, becoming one with the soil and shadowy waters of the Altamaha River where it meets the sea, a returning to dwell forever in the place that formed him.
Conveyed in rich, gorgeous prose, Taylor Brown continues to create such stunning imagery; I could see this place, these people. Each character’s story individually shared, connected as though links in a preciously exquisite chain. Seemingly fluid in movement, breathtakingly lovely.
Recommended
Pub Date: 21 Mar 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press!
February 6, 2017
3.5 Stars
THE RIVER OF KINGS alternates three interesting and deadly tales of adventure. In one, we meet the Loggins' brothers who set out by kayak, along a river they know so well, to bury the ashes of their stern and sometimes brutish (but loved) father still questioning the circumstances of his death. The second story belongs to father Hiram himself and his tumultuous, secretive and cursed life as a fisherman; and in the third story, Taylor Brown takes us back to the year 1564 following painter Jacques Le Moyne as he travels along on a dangerous and bloody expedition to establish a French settlement in Georgia.
While each story is filled with its own wonderfully descriptive challenges of life on and along the Altamaha River, I did have a bit of difficulty staying focused here and there requiring chapter re-reads along the way, and am left with the urge to revisit the 1564 narrative in its entirety independent of the Loggins' story.
Overall, an entertaining novel, but Fallen Land retains first place as my favorite TB READ!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 7, 2017
I'm totally at fault on this one. I didn't realize that this book was written by the same guy that wrote Fallen Land (another book that everyone else loved and I read wrong). I'm going to admit that maybe this author just is not for me now.
I will admit to liking this one the most of the two books.
Two brothers Hunter and Lawton are on a river trip to take their father's ashes to the place that he spent most of his time, the Altamaha River. Dad wasn't the best father to these boys, he smacked them around, cheated on their mother with a woman he was obsessed with, and was just an all around butt hole.
The story splits off in three branches: one with the boy's trip (best), another telling about their father's life on the river and then one that followed an artist in 1564 that completely bored me out of my mind and I totally admit to skimming those sections.
I'm just not rating a book high when I skimmed parts of it even though some parts were really good. It is not who I am. (not judging anyone either..I'm a hateful heifer remember?)
I also will say that the author does an amazing job of descriptions and bringing the story to life in your head. His writing is done in a way that you smell and see what he is talking about in that moment in a way that few authors have the gift to accomplish.
A couple of lines that I highlighted for some reason that escapes my old lady brain are:
The are cans of peaches and sausages and Spam. Along one wall a deep freezer freckled with rust, perfect for the storage of bodies, and along the other a fog-windowed cooler housing a range of Coca-Cola products, some of them with labels not seen in years. Next to this a screened trough for live bait.
And
"You're a real bad mother, ain't you? What you got under that counter, baggies of crystal and a sawed-down twelve?"
"Try me and find out."
"What happened to our daddy?"
"He was a son of a bitch, and he had him some son-of-a-bitch sons."
*These totally may get changed because I had an advance copy of this book but I hope not*
I'm done. I have no clue on this book. I didn't really have a great time with it but it has tons of four and five stars and I HAVE so been wrong before.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
I will admit to liking this one the most of the two books.
Two brothers Hunter and Lawton are on a river trip to take their father's ashes to the place that he spent most of his time, the Altamaha River. Dad wasn't the best father to these boys, he smacked them around, cheated on their mother with a woman he was obsessed with, and was just an all around butt hole.
The story splits off in three branches: one with the boy's trip (best), another telling about their father's life on the river and then one that followed an artist in 1564 that completely bored me out of my mind and I totally admit to skimming those sections.
I'm just not rating a book high when I skimmed parts of it even though some parts were really good. It is not who I am. (not judging anyone either..I'm a hateful heifer remember?)
I also will say that the author does an amazing job of descriptions and bringing the story to life in your head. His writing is done in a way that you smell and see what he is talking about in that moment in a way that few authors have the gift to accomplish.
A couple of lines that I highlighted for some reason that escapes my old lady brain are:
The are cans of peaches and sausages and Spam. Along one wall a deep freezer freckled with rust, perfect for the storage of bodies, and along the other a fog-windowed cooler housing a range of Coca-Cola products, some of them with labels not seen in years. Next to this a screened trough for live bait.
And
"You're a real bad mother, ain't you? What you got under that counter, baggies of crystal and a sawed-down twelve?"
"Try me and find out."
"What happened to our daddy?"
"He was a son of a bitch, and he had him some son-of-a-bitch sons."
*These totally may get changed because I had an advance copy of this book but I hope not*
I'm done. I have no clue on this book. I didn't really have a great time with it but it has tons of four and five stars and I HAVE so been wrong before.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
May 15, 2017
"A swampland cathedral, roofed in leaves and plumbed with creeks, columned with cypress and gum. We knew its sights and secrets, its hidden sloughs. In showing us the river -- his river-- I believe he let us into his heart, at least some part of it. And that's how I knew we were loved."
But Hiram Loggins was a hard man and, most times, a hard man to love. He lived and breathed in the essence of what was and is the Altamaha River in Georgia. Hiram knew every cranie and every curve of this great river tinged with the fossils and relics of both a prehistoric era and combined with the deep draw of the here and the now.
Hiram travels this river no longer. His sons, Hunter and Lawton, carry his ashes in their kayaks with a mission to leave him in the river's own final resting place. The sons reveal casings of their own relationship and that of a father whose daunting shadow still hangs heavily over them. What exactly happened to Hiram? Will they ever have an answer that will satisfy them both?
Taylor Brown invites you into his particularly well-honed storyline that reaches and extends farther than just a father/sons relationship. Brown artfully segments his story into three strands that encompass the early explorations of the area by the French, Hiram's life on the river in 1996, and the sons and their quest to find answers hidden in the overgrowth of a river densely layered with whispered secrets and the cold reality of truth.
Brown exhibits an uncanny talent for developing characters who are complicated, multi-layered, questionable, and exist on the fringes of hate and devious behavior. Being honorable and forthright may come with ragged edges at times. Brown presents this aspect both in The River of Kings and in his stellar novel, Fallen Land. He knows how to weave a tale that emphasizes the complexity of the individual under circumstances both simple and those heavily evident in the dark night of one's soul. A very worthy read, indeed, Taylor Brown.
I received a copy of The River of Kings through Goodreads Giveaways. My thanks to Taylor Brown and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity.
But Hiram Loggins was a hard man and, most times, a hard man to love. He lived and breathed in the essence of what was and is the Altamaha River in Georgia. Hiram knew every cranie and every curve of this great river tinged with the fossils and relics of both a prehistoric era and combined with the deep draw of the here and the now.
Hiram travels this river no longer. His sons, Hunter and Lawton, carry his ashes in their kayaks with a mission to leave him in the river's own final resting place. The sons reveal casings of their own relationship and that of a father whose daunting shadow still hangs heavily over them. What exactly happened to Hiram? Will they ever have an answer that will satisfy them both?
Taylor Brown invites you into his particularly well-honed storyline that reaches and extends farther than just a father/sons relationship. Brown artfully segments his story into three strands that encompass the early explorations of the area by the French, Hiram's life on the river in 1996, and the sons and their quest to find answers hidden in the overgrowth of a river densely layered with whispered secrets and the cold reality of truth.
Brown exhibits an uncanny talent for developing characters who are complicated, multi-layered, questionable, and exist on the fringes of hate and devious behavior. Being honorable and forthright may come with ragged edges at times. Brown presents this aspect both in The River of Kings and in his stellar novel, Fallen Land. He knows how to weave a tale that emphasizes the complexity of the individual under circumstances both simple and those heavily evident in the dark night of one's soul. A very worthy read, indeed, Taylor Brown.
I received a copy of The River of Kings through Goodreads Giveaways. My thanks to Taylor Brown and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity.
March 1, 2017
3.75★
In Taylor Brown’s sophomore novel the reader travels along on a fictional and perilous kayak journey down the real life river Altamaha in the USA state of Georgia. Combining history, myth, and the beauty of nature caught up in the stranglehold of man’s greed and pollution there will be no soft place to land except in the author’s lush prose. This is graphic and violent man-lit in the tradition of novels like Fourth of July Creek, Deliverance, and Bull Mountain. I’m always fascinated with dark and ugly tales like these told with such beautiful and seductive language. I’m also a sure fan when a great story can entertain and co-exist with a nod to environmental politics in the likes of Ron Rash or novels such as The Secret Wisdom of the Earth.
Brothers Lawton and Hunter are on a quest to discover the truth behind their father’s supposed accidental death and lay his ashes to rest. That knowledge will be complicated, difficult, and hard to take, just like the man Hiram Loggins was and will redefine their relationship. Hiram’s story will be one of three narrative strands as the story goes back and forth in the brother’s present, a father’s past, and then farther back to 1564 as French explorers arrive on their own expedition to establish a settlement in the new world while grappling with the natives and Spanish conquistadors among the virgin cypress. Surprisingly, for a lover of history like myself, that third and ancient narrative did not engage me and I found it distracting and unwelcome. Told on its own would have suited me better. That said, I would like to backtrack and pick up the author’s debut Fallen Land because he’s a fine writer and storyteller.
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
In Taylor Brown’s sophomore novel the reader travels along on a fictional and perilous kayak journey down the real life river Altamaha in the USA state of Georgia. Combining history, myth, and the beauty of nature caught up in the stranglehold of man’s greed and pollution there will be no soft place to land except in the author’s lush prose. This is graphic and violent man-lit in the tradition of novels like Fourth of July Creek, Deliverance, and Bull Mountain. I’m always fascinated with dark and ugly tales like these told with such beautiful and seductive language. I’m also a sure fan when a great story can entertain and co-exist with a nod to environmental politics in the likes of Ron Rash or novels such as The Secret Wisdom of the Earth.
Brothers Lawton and Hunter are on a quest to discover the truth behind their father’s supposed accidental death and lay his ashes to rest. That knowledge will be complicated, difficult, and hard to take, just like the man Hiram Loggins was and will redefine their relationship. Hiram’s story will be one of three narrative strands as the story goes back and forth in the brother’s present, a father’s past, and then farther back to 1564 as French explorers arrive on their own expedition to establish a settlement in the new world while grappling with the natives and Spanish conquistadors among the virgin cypress. Surprisingly, for a lover of history like myself, that third and ancient narrative did not engage me and I found it distracting and unwelcome. Told on its own would have suited me better. That said, I would like to backtrack and pick up the author’s debut Fallen Land because he’s a fine writer and storyteller.
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
January 7, 2017
This book is filled with rich, dense wording that provokes such vivid imagery of the Altamaha River, both in modern day and in the year 1564.
Taylor Brown masterfully crafted his work to perfection, smoothly transitioning between the two alternating stories in the novel. His command of both types of languages is simply wonderful; you can't ask for more. The only other time I've seen this done so well is with Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell.
Brown's careful weaving between the modern day story and Le Moyne's fateful trip down the same river run parallel to each other in more ways than one. It's man against nature, man against his enemies.
This is a hearty, masculine-style book that is sure to captivate readers of both historical fiction and southern grit lit. It took me a bit to get used to the style since it's such a rarity, but persistence more than paid off. The book deserves a bit of patience; hang in there, because it's worth it.
Thanks to netgalley.
Taylor Brown masterfully crafted his work to perfection, smoothly transitioning between the two alternating stories in the novel. His command of both types of languages is simply wonderful; you can't ask for more. The only other time I've seen this done so well is with Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell.
Brown's careful weaving between the modern day story and Le Moyne's fateful trip down the same river run parallel to each other in more ways than one. It's man against nature, man against his enemies.
This is a hearty, masculine-style book that is sure to captivate readers of both historical fiction and southern grit lit. It took me a bit to get used to the style since it's such a rarity, but persistence more than paid off. The book deserves a bit of patience; hang in there, because it's worth it.
Thanks to netgalley.
September 30, 2020
“Our father, he was a hard man. He didn’t speak his love. But there were things he did hold close. There was the river, for one, more a father to him than any flesh and blood. On his days off, he’d take us upstream, have us sitting scrubbed and solemn in the bow like we were going to church. Maybe we were. His church. A swampland cathedral, roofed in leaves and plumbed with creeks, columned with cypress and gum. We knew its sights and secrets, its hidden sloughs. In showing us the river-his river-I believe he let us into his heart, at least a part of it. And that's how I knew we were loved.”
**ARC supplied by St Martin’s Press in exchange for an unbiased review.**
River of Kings is a narrative of three stories. Brothers Lawton, a Navy SEAL, and Hunter, a college history major, are on a mission down the Altamaha River in Georgia to disperse the ashes of father Hiram, at its mouth. Questions surround Hiram’s death.
The brothers’ journey along the dangerous curves of the “Little Amazon” introduces us then to the New France expedition of 1564–a challenging and awe-inducing experience seen through the eyes of Jacques LeMoyne de Morgue. Le Moyne’s commission by the King of France to map the land and sketch the people and nature encountered gives us his perspective of the competition by the French, Spanish, and the native peoples for settlement along the Altamaha River.
The timelines of the brothers and LeMoyne also shifts to Hiram to life on the river. Each story contains the undercurrent of brutality both witnessed and experienced while on each life's path.
Every chapter is a move between a different story line like the up and down of a yo-yo. This device makes it easy to disengage from the read, thus taking a longer time to complete the book.
While I enjoyed the ultimate story, for the most part, I was left disappointed at the end of each chapter when I then had to move to a different period in time.
I also enjoyed the expansive use of nature and man’s impact upon it within the story. I was enlightened about many of these aspects in the book.
I do recommend River of Kings to be included on one’s reading list. However, if you do not like the time-shifting device used—be patient and persistent.
**ARC supplied by St Martin’s Press in exchange for an unbiased review.**
River of Kings is a narrative of three stories. Brothers Lawton, a Navy SEAL, and Hunter, a college history major, are on a mission down the Altamaha River in Georgia to disperse the ashes of father Hiram, at its mouth. Questions surround Hiram’s death.
The brothers’ journey along the dangerous curves of the “Little Amazon” introduces us then to the New France expedition of 1564–a challenging and awe-inducing experience seen through the eyes of Jacques LeMoyne de Morgue. Le Moyne’s commission by the King of France to map the land and sketch the people and nature encountered gives us his perspective of the competition by the French, Spanish, and the native peoples for settlement along the Altamaha River.
The timelines of the brothers and LeMoyne also shifts to Hiram to life on the river. Each story contains the undercurrent of brutality both witnessed and experienced while on each life's path.
Every chapter is a move between a different story line like the up and down of a yo-yo. This device makes it easy to disengage from the read, thus taking a longer time to complete the book.
While I enjoyed the ultimate story, for the most part, I was left disappointed at the end of each chapter when I then had to move to a different period in time.
I also enjoyed the expansive use of nature and man’s impact upon it within the story. I was enlightened about many of these aspects in the book.
I do recommend River of Kings to be included on one’s reading list. However, if you do not like the time-shifting device used—be patient and persistent.
August 6, 2017
I didn't like this one as much as "Fallen Land", Brown's first novel, but he certainly hasn't lost his touch. This falls somewhere in the realm of action/adventure, mystery, history, and nature writing, emphasis on the beautiful descriptions of the Altamaha River in Georgia. Dividing the story between 3 separate timelines, he never loses the thread in any of them.
I'm not sure who choses the artwork for his covers, but they are absolutely beautiful, and very evocative of the story between the pages.
I'm not sure who choses the artwork for his covers, but they are absolutely beautiful, and very evocative of the story between the pages.
April 18, 2017
Three tales intertwined over five centuries concerning the mythic Altamaha River in Georgia. From Europeans' first contact and attempt to build a permanent fort, two son's wanting to release their father's ashes, and the father who attempts to make his life along the river make sense; these are stories of damnation and redemption. A southern specialty.
What can I say? Those Damn Southerners sure can write.
A pair of tough gritty characters in each story. A French artist-who's work has survived and his best friend; two young boys who attempt to run away on the river from abusive homes only to meet more abuse and who then grow up vastly different but with a secret bond; and two brothers bound by history and love who attempt to break their painful bonds by keeping faith with one who may not have deserved it.
And the river. Oh that river. Southerners could possibly fail in every aspect of writing a novel, but I don't think a Southern writer could ever fail at sense of place. Every pair of red eyes at night peeping just above the surface, every slough, every cypress knee, every snake keeping you company, and worst of all the immense gaps where old growth cypress has been cut down-probably for your garden mulch- will add a bit to your experience of the Altamaha. What I just just described has been my experiences on southern waterways, but doesn't come close to the author poetry in describing the Altamaha.
The story of the French and the first Indians they encountered-a story of trust, broken promises, famine and war is a little known episode in the exploration of this country. The illustrations of that ill-fated trip, by Jacques Le Moyne have survived and are shared in this book.
Beware the Altamaha-ha.
What can I say? Those Damn Southerners sure can write.
A pair of tough gritty characters in each story. A French artist-who's work has survived and his best friend; two young boys who attempt to run away on the river from abusive homes only to meet more abuse and who then grow up vastly different but with a secret bond; and two brothers bound by history and love who attempt to break their painful bonds by keeping faith with one who may not have deserved it.
And the river. Oh that river. Southerners could possibly fail in every aspect of writing a novel, but I don't think a Southern writer could ever fail at sense of place. Every pair of red eyes at night peeping just above the surface, every slough, every cypress knee, every snake keeping you company, and worst of all the immense gaps where old growth cypress has been cut down-probably for your garden mulch- will add a bit to your experience of the Altamaha. What I just just described has been my experiences on southern waterways, but doesn't come close to the author poetry in describing the Altamaha.
The story of the French and the first Indians they encountered-a story of trust, broken promises, famine and war is a little known episode in the exploration of this country. The illustrations of that ill-fated trip, by Jacques Le Moyne have survived and are shared in this book.
Beware the Altamaha-ha.
August 8, 2017
Wow! What a fascinating book written with absolutely gorgeous, transporting prose.
I tend to enjoy dual-period books, but this one actually is a rare treat in that it weaves a third period into the storyline, and does so expertly. The novel follows the stories of two brothers on a quest to take their father’s ashes to sea (no spoilers here – jacket copy says as much); the story of their father’s troubled past (a Vietnam vet); and the story of an artist on a 1500s French expedition in Georgia.
It’s no small feat for an author to be able to connect three stories in a cohesive manner, but Brown does so with ease; the stories never feel forced and always have a connection subtle or pronounced. I think one of the biggest strengths of the book lies in Brown’s ability to create realistic characters with authentic action and dialogue. I was really struck by the brothers’ banter, their physical reactions to one another – and while they didn’t actually say much during their journey, their actions spoke volumes. This is “show” (don’t tell) at its best.
I also enjoy fiction with environmental themes, and Brown doesn’t shy away from the impact of man’s ‘industrialization’ on Georgia’s riverways. These kinds of books are more important than ever today, I think, in helping the public view the good Earth, its resources, and its wildlife for the treasures they are – not just as expendable ‘commodities.’ The author presents these realities without a heavy hand, but they are so critically important to introduce into public consciousness. I learned a great deal about the fishing and timber industries as a result of reading this book, and quite a bit about Navy SEALs (and French insults during the 1500s!).
If you love books rich in setting, this one will not disappoint. I was transported along the shores and marshes of Georgia’s coast and felt like I was physically there. Brown has a way of creating visual images that jump off the page.
This is a story of family, failure, faith, love of land, man’s ambition, resilience, and history. There are some wonderful magical/supernatural elements in the book as well that are sure to entertain and pose questions about possibility/the unknown/the sacred.
I also loved the author’s debut, Fallen Land (Civil War-era); I am definitely looking forward to what he writes next. With gorgeous literary prose, he’s fast becoming a favorite author.
I tend to enjoy dual-period books, but this one actually is a rare treat in that it weaves a third period into the storyline, and does so expertly. The novel follows the stories of two brothers on a quest to take their father’s ashes to sea (no spoilers here – jacket copy says as much); the story of their father’s troubled past (a Vietnam vet); and the story of an artist on a 1500s French expedition in Georgia.
It’s no small feat for an author to be able to connect three stories in a cohesive manner, but Brown does so with ease; the stories never feel forced and always have a connection subtle or pronounced. I think one of the biggest strengths of the book lies in Brown’s ability to create realistic characters with authentic action and dialogue. I was really struck by the brothers’ banter, their physical reactions to one another – and while they didn’t actually say much during their journey, their actions spoke volumes. This is “show” (don’t tell) at its best.
I also enjoy fiction with environmental themes, and Brown doesn’t shy away from the impact of man’s ‘industrialization’ on Georgia’s riverways. These kinds of books are more important than ever today, I think, in helping the public view the good Earth, its resources, and its wildlife for the treasures they are – not just as expendable ‘commodities.’ The author presents these realities without a heavy hand, but they are so critically important to introduce into public consciousness. I learned a great deal about the fishing and timber industries as a result of reading this book, and quite a bit about Navy SEALs (and French insults during the 1500s!).
If you love books rich in setting, this one will not disappoint. I was transported along the shores and marshes of Georgia’s coast and felt like I was physically there. Brown has a way of creating visual images that jump off the page.
This is a story of family, failure, faith, love of land, man’s ambition, resilience, and history. There are some wonderful magical/supernatural elements in the book as well that are sure to entertain and pose questions about possibility/the unknown/the sacred.
I also loved the author’s debut, Fallen Land (Civil War-era); I am definitely looking forward to what he writes next. With gorgeous literary prose, he’s fast becoming a favorite author.
February 9, 2017
I was fortunate enough to receive a copy from the publisher before the actual release date to read and review. I'm a total Taylor Brown fan after reading his novel Fallen Land. This one is more poetic and descriptive. It has a slow build up that is so worth the time. I loved the three story lines that are represented. The research the author put into this book is impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and appreciated how different it was from his first novel. No cookie cutter version of Fallen Land, a totally unique story. I highly recommend and would urge you to take your time reading this book with all its beautiful, descriptive words.
March 20, 2025
The River of Kings is Taylor Brown’s second book and it’s obvious he has improved over the years. This book has his trademark beautiful prose, but it’s more disjointed than his later works. Set around the Altamaha River in Georgia, it tells three distinct stories. In the present day, two brothers set off to kayak the river, taking their father’s ashes along. Their father’s death was supposedly caused by a sturgeon hit, but the brothers find it suspicious. There are also sections about the father’s life, a bitter man who took out his anger on his sons. But he was a man who deeply loved the river. The earliest story dates to 1564, when a French artist was part of an expedition to create a settlement on the river and look for riches, while trying to handle two rival Indian tribes and the Spaniards to the south. All three sections also focus on the Altamaha-ha, a legendary creature along the lines of the Loch Ness monster. I was surprised to find that this “myth” is not a creation of Brown’s imagination.
The characters were richly drawn. The two brothers, for all their differences, are definitely a part of their environment. The river is a character in its own right, along with the Altamaha-ha.
None of Brown’s books are light, but this one seemed especially gruesome and dark. In each story, there’s betrayal, anger and violence.
I listened to this and it might have been a book better read due to the different storylines. Although Mark Bramhall was a wonderful narrator and captured the different characters perfectly.
I appreciated that Brown wrote an Author’s Note given there was a historic element to the story.
The characters were richly drawn. The two brothers, for all their differences, are definitely a part of their environment. The river is a character in its own right, along with the Altamaha-ha.
None of Brown’s books are light, but this one seemed especially gruesome and dark. In each story, there’s betrayal, anger and violence.
I listened to this and it might have been a book better read due to the different storylines. Although Mark Bramhall was a wonderful narrator and captured the different characters perfectly.
I appreciated that Brown wrote an Author’s Note given there was a historic element to the story.
October 12, 2016
With language as rich as floodplain soil, The River of Kings is a stunning Southern epic of tremendous heart and scope. Taylor Brown takes risks few other writers would chance and somehow manages to traverse those waters with an astounding grace and beauty.
March 30, 2017
This incredible book I finished 3 days ago- and yet waited this long to review it. For a couple of reasons. First, was that I wanted time to talk myself out of giving it 5 stars. That failed. Secondly, because I was rather amazed at how it ended and I needed some time to digest the plot ending for the brothers and to consider the book, in that ending light, as a whole.
Taylor Brown is a fantastic writer. Are there some sentences that could give Faulkner a word count marathon competition? Oh yes, there certainly are numbers of those sentences. Run on sentences that I could absolutely love to hate. But some of these became so embedded in river mud and swirl that I couldn't hate them. Or phrase them out literally to make more sense of them either! Some didn't make sense after I had read them twice. But they just stroked a feeling. Or a mood. This was especially true in the 1562-65 segments of our exploring French sailors and soldiers.
Others have detailed the form. Three different time periods and switching between them frequently. Another aspect that almost entirely takes me out of plot tension. But not this time. It did break my high interest only in one of the three story lines; Hiram Loggins' time period during the 1990's didn't have the umph peaking toward compelling need to know outcome as the others did. Perhaps it is because that is my own generation and event referencing and reaction? Vietnam War, lots of jobs, following the dream but never achieving anything in the process- kind of "same old tale" those of us who have been there, done that- know all so well.
Yet on the whole that 3rd and less worded partial of this novel was a necessity. Because it places the river in some of its most "interesting" times and gives his sons myriads of creeks to investigate.
The Fort Caroline crew was my favorite section. From the first time it appeared, until the ending.
But without the other time sections, it would not have been visuals VISIBLE and raw danger as thoroughly as it was.
This is one of those places, this Altamaha River, that deserves this masterpiece. I will say no more about the Georgia Coast or the maps, or the 16th century history. Read this book and take the kayak yourself. Along with Hunter and Lawton, LeMoyne and Laudonniere, Hiram and Annabelle.
It's violent. It's tooth and claw. It is dialect at points. Some of the men are evil, some are kind and slain quick and as mercilessly as if they were a lamb. None of the women have more than a centimeter of center stage. Maybe I am wrong, but an underlying point of this investigation is about a man being a man. Not any apologizing for actions or tendencies either. In how wide or narrow the field for those actions? Men being. Doing. Not explaining, not discussing emotive purposes.
Fallen Land was good. This is superb, masterpiece level of writing.
It's a difficult read, dense and murky. And then brilliant in turns. The ending tended to absolve. But is their absolution?
"He was a man who fought every day of his life. He didn't always fight the right things, or for the right reasons, or in ways that fell within the laws of man or God or even, I suspect, his own heart. I can't say that I understood him. I'm not even sure I really knew him. But I knew he'd never give up his dreams, I knew he'd die with his teeth in their throat."
"He says every eye wishes to see the serpent, as every belly wishes bread. He says his own god has ripened the crop. He says to tell our commander that his people will now deliver all the corn we may desire."
These are NOT Zinn's natives or those who attended the First Thanksgiving either. Be aware. Also watch for snakes, they hang from the vines in descending commas.
Taylor Brown is a fantastic writer. Are there some sentences that could give Faulkner a word count marathon competition? Oh yes, there certainly are numbers of those sentences. Run on sentences that I could absolutely love to hate. But some of these became so embedded in river mud and swirl that I couldn't hate them. Or phrase them out literally to make more sense of them either! Some didn't make sense after I had read them twice. But they just stroked a feeling. Or a mood. This was especially true in the 1562-65 segments of our exploring French sailors and soldiers.
Others have detailed the form. Three different time periods and switching between them frequently. Another aspect that almost entirely takes me out of plot tension. But not this time. It did break my high interest only in one of the three story lines; Hiram Loggins' time period during the 1990's didn't have the umph peaking toward compelling need to know outcome as the others did. Perhaps it is because that is my own generation and event referencing and reaction? Vietnam War, lots of jobs, following the dream but never achieving anything in the process- kind of "same old tale" those of us who have been there, done that- know all so well.
Yet on the whole that 3rd and less worded partial of this novel was a necessity. Because it places the river in some of its most "interesting" times and gives his sons myriads of creeks to investigate.
The Fort Caroline crew was my favorite section. From the first time it appeared, until the ending.
But without the other time sections, it would not have been visuals VISIBLE and raw danger as thoroughly as it was.
This is one of those places, this Altamaha River, that deserves this masterpiece. I will say no more about the Georgia Coast or the maps, or the 16th century history. Read this book and take the kayak yourself. Along with Hunter and Lawton, LeMoyne and Laudonniere, Hiram and Annabelle.
It's violent. It's tooth and claw. It is dialect at points. Some of the men are evil, some are kind and slain quick and as mercilessly as if they were a lamb. None of the women have more than a centimeter of center stage. Maybe I am wrong, but an underlying point of this investigation is about a man being a man. Not any apologizing for actions or tendencies either. In how wide or narrow the field for those actions? Men being. Doing. Not explaining, not discussing emotive purposes.
Fallen Land was good. This is superb, masterpiece level of writing.
It's a difficult read, dense and murky. And then brilliant in turns. The ending tended to absolve. But is their absolution?
"He was a man who fought every day of his life. He didn't always fight the right things, or for the right reasons, or in ways that fell within the laws of man or God or even, I suspect, his own heart. I can't say that I understood him. I'm not even sure I really knew him. But I knew he'd never give up his dreams, I knew he'd die with his teeth in their throat."
"He says every eye wishes to see the serpent, as every belly wishes bread. He says his own god has ripened the crop. He says to tell our commander that his people will now deliver all the corn we may desire."
These are NOT Zinn's natives or those who attended the First Thanksgiving either. Be aware. Also watch for snakes, they hang from the vines in descending commas.
July 29, 2017
Taylor Brown, whose last novel, Fallen Land, quickly became a bestseller, is in love with a river. At least, that’s what anyone who reads this unabashed love letter to Georgia’s Altamaha River would assume.
I must admit that before reading this book I had no idea where the Altamaha River was or even that it existed. Even when I did look into it, I wasn’t immediately impressed. I’ve spent the majority of my life where a 137-mile river would be hard-pressed to reach the next county, let alone make it onto a map. Fortunately, Taylor Brown has made it a goal of his to educate poor ignorant fools like me about one of the few remaining untamed waterways in America. It even has its own version of the Loch Ness Monster, if some witnesses are to be believed.
The River of Kings tells three stories in alternating chapters covering a timespan of over 450 years beginning in June, 1564 when a party of French adventurers landed near the mouth of the Altamaha and built a fort that they named Fort Caroline. This settlement, which predated the landing at Plymouth Rock by more than half a century, was the first fort built by Europeans on what would eventually become the United States. It’s no surprise that few people nowadays know of this fort as a contemporary of theirs, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, could have easily been referring to its existence when he penned the phrase "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". One of these ill-fated Frenchmen was Jacque Le Moyne de Morgue, an illustrator who joined the expeditions in order to provide an accurate portrayal of the native and animals that inhabited the newly discovered lands to the west. Included in the chapters are copies of several of his illustrations that portray graphically the hardships faced by Le Moyne and his companions.
The next section begins in 1975 when readers meet Hiram Loggins moments before he jumps off his shrimp trawler a few steps ahead of the DEA and local sheriff’s department. His escape takes him up the Altamaha to a new life, one that imbues in him a great appreciation of the river that saved him. In the years that follow, Hiram marries and has two sons, Hunter and Lawton, whose story comprises the third story line of the book. The time is now and the two brothers have met near the source of the river to kayak down it. Two reasons for this journey have been stated: to scatter their father’s ashes and to discover what caused their father’s death. On their journey, they learn much about themselves and also about the river that their father had raised them to appreciate; its wildlife and old growth forests, its wetlands and everchanging waterways.
It has been said of Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa and a geologist by training, that his writing has the ability to bring stones to life and to turn people to stone. I fear that Taylor Brown suffers from a similar debility. I read Fallen Land over a year ago and still can picture clearly the landscape the couple in it traveled through but I remember very little about them themselves. It is when the author leaves behind the world of men and enters the green-shaded corridors of Georgia wetlands that his voice really comes to life. I was totally enthralled by the descriptions of the river, the trees, the grasslands through which the characters journeyed.
This is the kind of magic one refers to when they say an author can teleport readers to distant lands. The characters, though, did not really impress me. My favorite was Hiram but his story was the least told of the three. I would love to get inside his head and find out what he thought about and why he did the things he did.
Bottom line: Taylor Brown has an amazing way with prose. He can make me see the places and events he is describing. Where he falls short, though, is his ability to introduce his readers to his characters in such a way that they really get to know them, to learn what motivates them, and above all, to make those characters matter to the reader.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
I must admit that before reading this book I had no idea where the Altamaha River was or even that it existed. Even when I did look into it, I wasn’t immediately impressed. I’ve spent the majority of my life where a 137-mile river would be hard-pressed to reach the next county, let alone make it onto a map. Fortunately, Taylor Brown has made it a goal of his to educate poor ignorant fools like me about one of the few remaining untamed waterways in America. It even has its own version of the Loch Ness Monster, if some witnesses are to be believed.
The River of Kings tells three stories in alternating chapters covering a timespan of over 450 years beginning in June, 1564 when a party of French adventurers landed near the mouth of the Altamaha and built a fort that they named Fort Caroline. This settlement, which predated the landing at Plymouth Rock by more than half a century, was the first fort built by Europeans on what would eventually become the United States. It’s no surprise that few people nowadays know of this fort as a contemporary of theirs, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, could have easily been referring to its existence when he penned the phrase "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". One of these ill-fated Frenchmen was Jacque Le Moyne de Morgue, an illustrator who joined the expeditions in order to provide an accurate portrayal of the native and animals that inhabited the newly discovered lands to the west. Included in the chapters are copies of several of his illustrations that portray graphically the hardships faced by Le Moyne and his companions.
The next section begins in 1975 when readers meet Hiram Loggins moments before he jumps off his shrimp trawler a few steps ahead of the DEA and local sheriff’s department. His escape takes him up the Altamaha to a new life, one that imbues in him a great appreciation of the river that saved him. In the years that follow, Hiram marries and has two sons, Hunter and Lawton, whose story comprises the third story line of the book. The time is now and the two brothers have met near the source of the river to kayak down it. Two reasons for this journey have been stated: to scatter their father’s ashes and to discover what caused their father’s death. On their journey, they learn much about themselves and also about the river that their father had raised them to appreciate; its wildlife and old growth forests, its wetlands and everchanging waterways.
It has been said of Simon Winchester, author of Krakatoa and a geologist by training, that his writing has the ability to bring stones to life and to turn people to stone. I fear that Taylor Brown suffers from a similar debility. I read Fallen Land over a year ago and still can picture clearly the landscape the couple in it traveled through but I remember very little about them themselves. It is when the author leaves behind the world of men and enters the green-shaded corridors of Georgia wetlands that his voice really comes to life. I was totally enthralled by the descriptions of the river, the trees, the grasslands through which the characters journeyed.
This is the kind of magic one refers to when they say an author can teleport readers to distant lands. The characters, though, did not really impress me. My favorite was Hiram but his story was the least told of the three. I would love to get inside his head and find out what he thought about and why he did the things he did.
Bottom line: Taylor Brown has an amazing way with prose. He can make me see the places and events he is describing. Where he falls short, though, is his ability to introduce his readers to his characters in such a way that they really get to know them, to learn what motivates them, and above all, to make those characters matter to the reader.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
April 6, 2017
What can I say? The River of Kings is gorgeous, powerful, and ultimately stunning. With intertwining storylines spanning over 300 years, multiple characters and multiple points of view, Brown weaves an absorbing adventure story all balanced perfectly around the Altamaha River. I especially enjoyed the rich historical storyline and Brown's attention to detail in recounting and reshaping the past for readers. And above all, of course, is Brown's master of language. Each paragraph is a gem, but Brown also manages to avoid pretention or affectation so that his use of such lyrical language seems natural and relevant. Highly recommended for readers of both literary and Southern fiction and readers of historical non-fiction. And anyone who loved Brown's debut Fallen Land will be happy to know that Brown's sophomore novel not only lives up to the high expectations, but surpasses them.
May 2, 2017
Thanks to Goodreads.com for the opportunity to read this terrific novel that includes 3 narratives and to top it all this book was free. Hoowa.
It took me a bit to figure out what was going on since the story had 3 narratives. Once I got comfortable dealing with the narratives the story became alive.
Two brothers were trying to scatter their father's ashes in the river that he seemed to own and he knew every bend, crook, and cranny. Their father was a roughie and hard. So, they wonder how did he die? Was he murdered and if so who did it.
In the father's narrative, he does come across as a river rat and a roughie. He is called a lot of unflattering names by all that knew him.
The 1564 period the same Altamaha river is explored by some Frenchmen and at times the Spaniards who are the enemies of the French explorers. It's not a pretty picture back then. Taking on the Indians, Spaniards and the Altamaha river is more than the Frenchmen can handle.
So, the story begins.
It took me a bit to figure out what was going on since the story had 3 narratives. Once I got comfortable dealing with the narratives the story became alive.
Two brothers were trying to scatter their father's ashes in the river that he seemed to own and he knew every bend, crook, and cranny. Their father was a roughie and hard. So, they wonder how did he die? Was he murdered and if so who did it.
In the father's narrative, he does come across as a river rat and a roughie. He is called a lot of unflattering names by all that knew him.
The 1564 period the same Altamaha river is explored by some Frenchmen and at times the Spaniards who are the enemies of the French explorers. It's not a pretty picture back then. Taking on the Indians, Spaniards and the Altamaha river is more than the Frenchmen can handle.
So, the story begins.
April 15, 2017
Great page turner.
October 29, 2024
This historical fiction covers 450 years of life on the Altamaha River in Georgia. Legend has it that it is inhabited by an age-old river monster. It tells three stories in alternating chapters. The first takes place in 1564. A group of French explorers disembark near the mouth of the Altamaha and build Fort Caroline, where they suffer many privations. Jacque Le Moyne had joined the expedition as an illustrator interested in accurately drawing the plants and animals of the newly discovered lands. The second is set in 1975. Vietnam Veteran Hiram Loggins jumps off his shrimp trawler into the river to escape law enforcement. His escape enables him to establish a new life upriver. The third is set years later, after Hiram’s death. His two sons, Hunter and Lawton, are kayaking down the river to dispose of their father’s ashes and figure out why he died.
I am not sure how this book ended up on my list. It is a very “manly” book. There are many violent segments, references to bodily functions, and vulgar references to women. The strength is the author’s ability to place the reader on the river, describing its plants, wildlife, forests, wetlands, and the ebbs and flows of its channels. The modern characters are southern stereotypes. My favorite part was learning of the leaping sturgeon. It is way too gruesome, brutal, and crude for my taste, and gets even more so at the end. I rather wish I had not finished it.
I am not sure how this book ended up on my list. It is a very “manly” book. There are many violent segments, references to bodily functions, and vulgar references to women. The strength is the author’s ability to place the reader on the river, describing its plants, wildlife, forests, wetlands, and the ebbs and flows of its channels. The modern characters are southern stereotypes. My favorite part was learning of the leaping sturgeon. It is way too gruesome, brutal, and crude for my taste, and gets even more so at the end. I rather wish I had not finished it.
March 30, 2017
Taylor Brown’s debut novel, “Fallen Land” was remarkable, and with his second novel, “The River of Kings,” he proves he is no one-hit wonder. Brown expertly intertwines two stories separated by centuries, but joined by location. The first story involves a canoe trip down Georgia’s Altamaha River taken by brothers Lawton and Hunter Loggins to deliver their father’s ashes to the sea. While on that journey they also hope to discover the secrets of his mysterious death. The second story is set in the 1500’s and follows Jacques Le Moyne de Morgue, who accompanies a group of French explorers down the Altamaha and is tasked with mapping the area and recording the plants and animals living there. In both tales Brown strikingly describes the encounters the Loggins brothers and Le Moyne’s group have with dwellers along the river. In fact, the river itself becomes a main character and ties together those who journey and those who stay. There are so many reasons to read this fine work of literary fiction - for Brown’s effectiveness in combining two separate stories, separated by centuries; for the lyrical language and lush and evocative descriptions of the Altamaha; for the drama, adventure, and revelation of family secrets; and because it’s a damn good story. A further bonus included in the book are actual black-and-white reproductions of Le Moyne’s drawings. An unforgettable journey down the Altamaha River, and another splendid book by Taylor Brown.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
November 19, 2021
Three stories in one, all centering around the Altamaha River in Georgia. Story one, a present day kayak trip of two brothers. Story two, a look back at the brother's father, and his relationship with the river. And story three, a look at a French exploration of the area almost 500 years ago. Taylor Brown is a very good writer, his prose and descriptions are engaging. They make you feel like you are actually present during each story. And the manner in which he interwove the stories was flawless. Could have easily been a five star review, except for the fact that the ending seemed a bit rushed. A very good, enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 28, 2017
5-stars
I generally despise the past-present form of storytelling employed in THE RIVER OF KINGS, because so often it just seems like filler, but that is NOT the case here. What we have here is a book that is absolutely, 100 percent, Pulitzer Prize worthy. I’m about certain I’ve read my fiction book of the year here for 2017. Superb.
I generally despise the past-present form of storytelling employed in THE RIVER OF KINGS, because so often it just seems like filler, but that is NOT the case here. What we have here is a book that is absolutely, 100 percent, Pulitzer Prize worthy. I’m about certain I’ve read my fiction book of the year here for 2017. Superb.
January 27, 2018
Great book for me. Great characters, plot, history, adventure, and even a touch of folklore.
March 30, 2017
I received a digital arc of this book from NetGalley/publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The River of Kings is a story telling three different perspectives. In modern day, two brother - Hunter and Lawton - are going on an adventure down the Altamaha river to say a final goodbye to their father and spread his ashes. In 1564, French artist Le Moyne is sharing his life at Fort Caroline - an early French settlement in what would become the United States. And through it all, we also see chapters told from Hunter and Lawton's fathers point of view. Through it all, the reader is told of a strange monster believed to inhabit the river - the Altamaha-ha.
This is one of those kind of books where I did enjoy it but I don't have a whole load to say about it. I thought Taylor Brown's writing was very beautiful and descriptive and the way he wrote really brought the sights, sounds and smells of the river alive.
I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. I don't know a whole lot about the early days of the United States and thought it all rather fascinated. I was interested to see the intense rivalry between the French and Spanish, as well as the explorers need for the natives and the terrible way they often treated them even though they needed them to survive.
Lawton and Hunter were both interesting character and quite different to one another. I liked the bond they clearly had and the easy camaraderie they shared. I also loved the conversation they had at one point where Hunter expresses his concerns over his weight and tells Lawton about the guys in college who are extremely bulked up. It was brief but honest and refreshing and it was nice to see two 'manly' men talk about weight and looks like this.
There was a brief moment in this book that contained a scene of child sexual abuse. It was a bit graphic for me and really repulsed me - I hadn't really seen it coming and felt it very random. While I understood it was there to reinforce a bond two characters had, I just feel it could have been something different
The River of Kings is a story telling three different perspectives. In modern day, two brother - Hunter and Lawton - are going on an adventure down the Altamaha river to say a final goodbye to their father and spread his ashes. In 1564, French artist Le Moyne is sharing his life at Fort Caroline - an early French settlement in what would become the United States. And through it all, we also see chapters told from Hunter and Lawton's fathers point of view. Through it all, the reader is told of a strange monster believed to inhabit the river - the Altamaha-ha.
This is one of those kind of books where I did enjoy it but I don't have a whole load to say about it. I thought Taylor Brown's writing was very beautiful and descriptive and the way he wrote really brought the sights, sounds and smells of the river alive.
I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. I don't know a whole lot about the early days of the United States and thought it all rather fascinated. I was interested to see the intense rivalry between the French and Spanish, as well as the explorers need for the natives and the terrible way they often treated them even though they needed them to survive.
Lawton and Hunter were both interesting character and quite different to one another. I liked the bond they clearly had and the easy camaraderie they shared. I also loved the conversation they had at one point where Hunter expresses his concerns over his weight and tells Lawton about the guys in college who are extremely bulked up. It was brief but honest and refreshing and it was nice to see two 'manly' men talk about weight and looks like this.
There was a brief moment in this book that contained a scene of child sexual abuse. It was a bit graphic for me and really repulsed me - I hadn't really seen it coming and felt it very random. While I understood it was there to reinforce a bond two characters had, I just feel it could have been something different
March 25, 2017
3.5 stars
Based upon the reviews I'd read by trusted GR friends I expected to be more enraptured with the The River of Kings by Taylor Brown than I was. Not for one moment however was I disappointed with the writing. There were many passages I had to re-read in awe of the perfectly chosen words.
Descriptive and evocative, it was easy to imagine myself there on the Altamaha river with brothers Hunter and Lawton. Theirs was one of three story threads. Together the brothers undertook a five day kayaking trip along the Altamaha river to scatter their fathers ashes. As they paddled they chatted, disagreed and at times came to blows but it was clear these brothers shared an unbreakable love. Lawton was fixated on uncovering what had really caused his fathers death and in so doing they got more than they bargained for. The second story thread was that of Hiram, their father. A hard man who had lived a rough and luckless life. He had raised his boys to be tough and inspired in them a genuine love of the river. He was a difficult character to like and yet there was something in his story that captivated me each time he returned. The third strand of this story was set in the 1560's and provided a historical view of the first European settlement at Fort Caroline on the Altamaha river. Le Moyne was the French artist who had been commissioned to capture the story of the colonisation and through him we learnt of the hardships experienced on the river in those earliest of days.
Although my interest piqued as the three story threads built toward action filled conclusions, in the early stages I found it's slow pace challenging. In all honesty this wasn't the sort of book I like. I was originally attracted by the family element but it was gritty and spoke to greed where I tend to gravitate towards goodness. That said, it was one I'll remember for its impact and the historical factor. 3.5 stars from me.
Many thanks to the author, St Martins Press and Netgalley for this digital copy of The River of Kings in exchange for an honest review.
Based upon the reviews I'd read by trusted GR friends I expected to be more enraptured with the The River of Kings by Taylor Brown than I was. Not for one moment however was I disappointed with the writing. There were many passages I had to re-read in awe of the perfectly chosen words.
Descriptive and evocative, it was easy to imagine myself there on the Altamaha river with brothers Hunter and Lawton. Theirs was one of three story threads. Together the brothers undertook a five day kayaking trip along the Altamaha river to scatter their fathers ashes. As they paddled they chatted, disagreed and at times came to blows but it was clear these brothers shared an unbreakable love. Lawton was fixated on uncovering what had really caused his fathers death and in so doing they got more than they bargained for. The second story thread was that of Hiram, their father. A hard man who had lived a rough and luckless life. He had raised his boys to be tough and inspired in them a genuine love of the river. He was a difficult character to like and yet there was something in his story that captivated me each time he returned. The third strand of this story was set in the 1560's and provided a historical view of the first European settlement at Fort Caroline on the Altamaha river. Le Moyne was the French artist who had been commissioned to capture the story of the colonisation and through him we learnt of the hardships experienced on the river in those earliest of days.
Although my interest piqued as the three story threads built toward action filled conclusions, in the early stages I found it's slow pace challenging. In all honesty this wasn't the sort of book I like. I was originally attracted by the family element but it was gritty and spoke to greed where I tend to gravitate towards goodness. That said, it was one I'll remember for its impact and the historical factor. 3.5 stars from me.
Many thanks to the author, St Martins Press and Netgalley for this digital copy of The River of Kings in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews