The Soldier King

Dhulyn and Parno #2

by Violette Malan

A new novel of high fantasy and adventure featuring martial arts masters Dhulyn and Parno.

Fulfilling their Mercenary contract, Dhulyn and Parno have accepted the surrender of Prince Edmir, heir to the Tegriani Realm. The Common Rule of the Mercenary Brothers states that prisoners taken by them go free and unharmed. But when the War Commander who hired them refuses to honor this agreement, the duo break their contract and escape with the prince. And thus they take the first step along a path that might lead Dhulyn to the truth about her past?or bring them to a magical trap from which there may be no escape.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Sword and Sorcery, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Canada

384 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2008

About the author

Violette Malan lives in a nineteenth-century limestone farmhouse in southeastern Ontario with her husband. Born in Canada, Violette’s cultural background is half Spanish and half Polish, which makes it interesting at meal times. She has worked as a teacher of creative writing, English as a second language, Spanish, beginner’s French, and choreography for strippers. On occasion she’s been an administrative assistant and a carpenter’s helper. Her most unusual job was translating letters between lovers, one of whom spoke only English, the other only Spanish. She can be found at violettemalan.com.

Reviews

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a definite step up from the last book. While the last book was a little clunky in terms of mapping out the world and the characters, this one moved smoothly and jumped right into a story and plot that sucked you in.

More court intrigue is in this one. When Dhulyn and Parno spare Prince Edmir as part of their Common Rule and therefore supersedes anything that the War Commander that they are fighting for says; it all goes downhill from here.

It begins with lies and betrayals and both the Prince (who is actually a pretty nice guy who really would be a sucky King because he's so nice) and the Partners are put to the test. When word gets out that Edmir is dead and two mercenary brothers have kidnapped and then killed him, the three of them have to go into hiding and what better way to do it than hiding in plain sight?

It gets even better from here and let's just say that even Dhulyn and Parno aren't spared from the heartbreak, confusion and tests of loyalty that are smattered across the book.

Also, this book has the best/worst villain so far and the most heartbreaking scene between Dhulyn and Parno.

This book is the grown-up cousin of Moira J Moore's "Heroes" series and some of the same plot points in this book can be found in "Heroes Adrift" however the two books, though they may share the same "lineage" are two completely different books. I recommend both series.

[Revka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It looked and sounded interesting, but the story delivered much more than "interesting."

Many stories start slowly, which is understandable because characters are introduced, scenes are set, and the like. This story jumps right into the action, but it does so in such a way that doesn't leave you feeling lost or as though you're missing something.

I really enjoyed the characters and felt they were well developed. Even the minor characters had personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

I'm going to finish reading this series, and I look forward to many enjoyable hours spent with Parno and Dhulyn.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine adventure with Dhulyn & Parno; this time they find themselves, through circumstances, traveling as a troupe of players and caught up in royal intrigues.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a breezier read. With both Dhulyn and Parno well-established into their roles with warts and all, there was also less need for ruminations and inevitable procrastinations. Instead, the novel concentrated on derring do, conspiracy, magic and Dhulyn's mysterious people. Action came in rapid bursts. The romance and associated word-play were also added incentives to help one rush through the pages.
Recommended.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sword and sorcery. With book two we dug a bit more into Dhulyn's past, which was cool. I liked how the pretending-to-be-actors subplot fed into the main plot. Some nice twists and turns, especially toward the end, with a powerful villain opponent.

[A.A. Jankiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The action is written in such a way that it keeps your fingers itching to turn to the next page.

[Kaycee Looney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't fall into the "book 2" syndrome of being a filler book or rehashing old issues from book one until the author could bring up the new problem that will be resolved in book 3. It came to a satisfying ending, but still left me eager to read the next book in the series.

Dhulyn and Parno begin the book on a battlefield, just after the forces they have joined have won. Dhulyn, a Seer, knew it would be so - however, what she doesn't know is why. The opposing army should be under the protection of the powerful Blue Mage. So, what went wrong? When they find the crown prince shot in the leg with one of his own army's arrows, they take him under their protection. As mercenaries they have no imposed loyalty to anyone but each other. The more they learn about the prince and his kingdom, the more convinced they are that the Blue Mage must be stopped before his power grows too great. However, stopping the Blue Mage has consequences of its own.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good followup book to The Sleeping God, this explored more of the world, more of Dhulyn's past (the first concentrated on Parno) and was a good fleshing out of the series. I'm interested in finding out what happens next, as the only Red Horseman of the Tribes (and the history we're given in here) makes it seem very unlikely there's more out there. In fact, the last page of the book itself is pretty much a question I cannot reveal without spoilers, and is a thought I had myself. An unanswered question. I look forward to book #3 in the hopes of getting some answers. (same as Dhulyn herself!)

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

No matter where they go, mercenaries Dhullyn and Parno manage to attract trouble. This second book is wonderful - the twists and turns keep you guessing as to what could possibly happen next. Although there are some predictable sections, there always seems to be a twist that you're not expecting. The characters are believable and the writing makes you want to meet them.
Must find more books by this great Canadian author!

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picks up right as the first one ends, so the two books really make one story, that ties up neatly at the end, but still leaves plenty of room to keep the series going. I really liked the characters in this one - not a lot of angst, but a good deal of doing the right thing and choosing to help people. My kind of fantasy.

[Mark Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I was drawn by the cover, for one. And the relationship between these two people is a very interesting one. But there just wasn't enough excitement to really pull me in. Just wasn't that interesting, so I abandoned it about halfway through.

[Shama Bole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how competent these two were in the beginning and then suddenly the story switched to the usual omnipotent bad guy.. so was a bit baffling/frustrating. Going to give this series another shot, though - has potential

[Lynn Calvin]

Amazon preorder

[Karen Dales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Okay...I love the author too!:)

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't find my copy of this one day, so I went out and bought a new one. Somehow, I have ended up with three copies of this book. Dhulyn and Parno are worth three copies.

[Sabrina Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that each book is a new adventure starring the same characters I've grown to love.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid fantasy that takes the two mercenary brothers into a different direction than they would have ever imagined.