Queen's Peril

The Pawn Stratagem #2

by Darin Kennedy

THE GAME CONTINUES in the thrilling sequel to Pawn's Gambit, from the author of Fugue & Fable! SURVIVING THE GAMBIT PROVED ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE… Now the Black King has dispersed Steven Bauer and his friends through time. The gathered White have spent weeks delivering innocents across North America from the destructive forces of the latest universal correction, all the while waiting for the inevitable moment when the Game summons them all to a checkered battlefield to fight for their lives. Powerless and scattered across the centuries with no way to return to their own time, they wrestle with their Steven and Niklaus, banished to the Florida coast of 1945 as a deadly hurricane threatens to tear the state apart. Archie and Emilio, struggling to survive the bitter winter and flying bullets of 1890 Wyoming. Audrey and Lena, entangled in the mob violence of 1930s Chicago as a specter from the past makes an ominous return. In every time and at every turn, a familiar face, some friendly, others not. And where is Grey, the immortal wizard who wears the White crown?

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2019

About the author

Darin Kennedy, born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After completing family medicine residency in the mountains of Virginia, he served eight years as a United States Army physician and wrote his first novel in 2003 in the sands of northern Iraq. His debut novel, The Mussorgsky Riddle, was born from a fusion of two of his lifelong loves—classical music and world mythology— and is slated for publication by Curiosity Quills Press in Fall/Winter 2014. His short stories can be found in various publications, as well as two short story compilations available on Amazon, and he is currently hard at work on his next novel. Doctor by day and novelist by night, he writes and practices medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina. When not engaged in either of the above activities, he has been known strum the guitar, enjoy a bite of sushi, and rumor has it he even sleeps on occasion. He is represented by Stacey Donaghy at Donaghy Literary Group. Find him online at darinkennedy.com.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come after my bookclub discussion.

[Wayne Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen’s Peril by Darin Kennedy is the sequel to his thrilling debut book, Pawn’s Gambit. It does not disappoint. Having honed his craft, Dr. Kennedy’s new book is more polished. He deftly continues the adventures of the volunteer chess pieces, drawing you deeper into their characters and motivations. You can read it without reading the first book, but I do not recommend it as you will have a deeper understanding of the story if you know the previous history of the characters.

In this continuation, the white pieces are scattered back through time and separated by the black king. They have to find their way back to each other. While they do they encounter supporting characters from the previous book at prior times and different places. By these other meetings, the back stories of the characters are fleshed out and their previously hidden motivations are revealed. The only complaint I have is the third book is not ready yet.

Both books also contain comparatively lengthier authors notes. I enjoyed these as they described the development of the books.

[Susan Ragsdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darin Kennedy’s sequel was one of the best sequels I’ve read. It lost nothing in pacing, action, or character development. In the Big Game of all time, the different chess pieces found themselves challenged and tested as they worked to get back in the game.

I love Kennedy’s imaginative plot and the characters - so much so that I had to buy this one on Kindle to keep reading. I didn’t want to wait. I don’t like reading electronically so THIS was a big deal. Darin pushed me into the e-world just because I wanted to know what would happen next.

Well written and a joy to read, I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle books of trilogies are often dry, expository works written just to convey necessary information that connects the beginning and ending of the story that the author is telling.
This book is full of action packed side quests where the reader accompanies the main characters as they travel both out of their own time and their comfort zones to gain the experience and knowledge needed to prepare them for the ultimate high stakes game of chess in which they must participate.
I am eagerly awaiting the publication of the third and final volume of this series.

[Lucy Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never saw the seismic plot switch in this one coming, and I won’t spoil it here. Suffice to say the characters are tested (and we get to know and like them way better) and the stakes are raised in this chess game to save the world. A great set-up for book 3.

[Gregory Fergerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting read to reveal what Steve Bauer and friends are fighting for travelling through the past, how the players of the Game come together, and new revelations.