What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sallow Scourge
On the cusp of becoming maidens, twin Queens Allison and Joie Wynpenny have spent the past year trapped inside their castle. The Sallow Scourge has their kingdom in its grip. Whether curse or contagion, the wisemen do not yet know. What is known is that it causes the afflicted to commit severe bodily harm, while disrupting the balance of magic throughout the realm.
Both queens decide that something drastic must be done, though each has a very different solution. Allison vows to seek out the culprit, be that witch, wizard or madman. Her sister Joie, always rebellious, would rather stir chaos. As the kingdom cracks in two, the Sallow Scourge may wind up the sole victor.
Both queens decide that something drastic must be done, though each has a very different solution. Allison vows to seek out the culprit, be that witch, wizard or madman. Her sister Joie, always rebellious, would rather stir chaos. As the kingdom cracks in two, the Sallow Scourge may wind up the sole victor.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2021
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
E. Stuart Marlowe
12 books8 followersE. Stuart Marlowe is the Amazon bestselling author of Menagerie and Call of the Kaiju. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, who has directed two features, Blood Rush and Horror House. Splatter is loosely based on his experiences producing these films. His third feature, Abruptio, stars Robert Englund, James Marsters, Sid Haig and Jordan Peele. He resides in Southern California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2021
I got a copy of this book via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
The Sallow Scourge is the sequel to The Pauper King and for me was an improvement - and that's saying something, because I enjoyed its predecessor quite a bit. The issues I had with the original are still there but somewhat tempered, and the tale is very timely (and timeless) indeed.
The story is set roughly ten years after the events of The Pauper King. Johannes and Fenn are peripheral characters in this one, the events focusing on the erstwhile king's twin granddaughters, Allison and Joie, who are about to become co-rulers of the land on their eighteenth birthday. Their reign is about to begin during a turbulent time, as the Sallow Scourge has affected the populace over the past year. What happens to those who contract it? They tend to descend into madness, assaulting themselves violently until they cease to exist, sometimes within the course of 24 hours. Throughout all this, the two queens-to-be, who are extremely close yet very different in personality (Allison is down-to-earth, respectful of others, and wary of magic; Joie is quick to anger, cynical, and seems to gravitate towards sorcery) have to endure the three trials that all kings and queens must pass in order to ascend to the throne. Will the heretofore protected princesses have to deal with the fallout of the scourge? Or will it tear their bond asunder as it has done for many in the land already?
Let's get one thing out of the way straight off. Like many great works of literature, this tale is a reflection of the times we live in. It's easier to make a point and create parallels by transporting current events to another time and place. E. Stuart Marlowe has done just this, and quite brilliantly. Some might say it's obvious, but I think that's the whole point. The Sallow Scourge represents COVID-19, the coronavirus that has laid waste to our planet over the past year and a half, infecting almost 200 million people, killing over four million (the entire metropolitan population of either Rome or Montreal, to put it in perspective). The populace of the tale's kingdom has been advised to stay in their houses so as not to contract the scourge, as was the case throughout the world last year. Most powerful of all are the reactions of various personages towards the scourge - there are some in the book who claim it doesn't exist, is simply a way for royalty to control the peasants through fear, or isn't as bad as people say it is. And when, at a certain point, we see a whole town riled up and coerced to come out of hiding, the results are horrifying - and not the least bit surprising, as obvious parallels can be drawn towards certain parts of the world (I thought of certain sections of the United States in particular).
Marlowe isn't content to just flat out transport current events to a fairy tale setting and let things rest. Oh, no! Mixed in with all this is a study on what true leadership entails. Sometimes what someone may assume to be their best asset could be a hindrance, and vice versa; in other words, play to your strengths. This is shown not just through the trials Allison and Joie must endure, but also in other parts of the story as well.
While it saddened me a little to see Johannes and Fenn reduced to minor roles in this tale, such is life. While we are the stars of our own lives, we are mere bit players in the lives of others. It wasn't a huge loss, however, as Allison and Joie are such wonderfully drawn and dichotomous characters with their own distinct yet engaging personalities that were a pleasure to follow over the 900 or so pages. Marlowe still sometimes falls into the trap of preternatural verbosity, but it's less jarring than it was in the previous book.
All told, I thoroughly enjoyed The Sallow Scourge. It's a tad shorter than The Pauper King, flows a bit better (many of the chapters bounce back and forth between Allison and Joie when they are separated, making it quite easy to follow), and as stated earlier is quite timely.
9 pestilential peasants out of 10.
The Sallow Scourge is the sequel to The Pauper King and for me was an improvement - and that's saying something, because I enjoyed its predecessor quite a bit. The issues I had with the original are still there but somewhat tempered, and the tale is very timely (and timeless) indeed.
The story is set roughly ten years after the events of The Pauper King. Johannes and Fenn are peripheral characters in this one, the events focusing on the erstwhile king's twin granddaughters, Allison and Joie, who are about to become co-rulers of the land on their eighteenth birthday. Their reign is about to begin during a turbulent time, as the Sallow Scourge has affected the populace over the past year. What happens to those who contract it? They tend to descend into madness, assaulting themselves violently until they cease to exist, sometimes within the course of 24 hours. Throughout all this, the two queens-to-be, who are extremely close yet very different in personality (Allison is down-to-earth, respectful of others, and wary of magic; Joie is quick to anger, cynical, and seems to gravitate towards sorcery) have to endure the three trials that all kings and queens must pass in order to ascend to the throne. Will the heretofore protected princesses have to deal with the fallout of the scourge? Or will it tear their bond asunder as it has done for many in the land already?
Let's get one thing out of the way straight off. Like many great works of literature, this tale is a reflection of the times we live in. It's easier to make a point and create parallels by transporting current events to another time and place. E. Stuart Marlowe has done just this, and quite brilliantly. Some might say it's obvious, but I think that's the whole point. The Sallow Scourge represents COVID-19, the coronavirus that has laid waste to our planet over the past year and a half, infecting almost 200 million people, killing over four million (the entire metropolitan population of either Rome or Montreal, to put it in perspective). The populace of the tale's kingdom has been advised to stay in their houses so as not to contract the scourge, as was the case throughout the world last year. Most powerful of all are the reactions of various personages towards the scourge - there are some in the book who claim it doesn't exist, is simply a way for royalty to control the peasants through fear, or isn't as bad as people say it is. And when, at a certain point, we see a whole town riled up and coerced to come out of hiding, the results are horrifying - and not the least bit surprising, as obvious parallels can be drawn towards certain parts of the world (I thought of certain sections of the United States in particular).
Marlowe isn't content to just flat out transport current events to a fairy tale setting and let things rest. Oh, no! Mixed in with all this is a study on what true leadership entails. Sometimes what someone may assume to be their best asset could be a hindrance, and vice versa; in other words, play to your strengths. This is shown not just through the trials Allison and Joie must endure, but also in other parts of the story as well.
While it saddened me a little to see Johannes and Fenn reduced to minor roles in this tale, such is life. While we are the stars of our own lives, we are mere bit players in the lives of others. It wasn't a huge loss, however, as Allison and Joie are such wonderfully drawn and dichotomous characters with their own distinct yet engaging personalities that were a pleasure to follow over the 900 or so pages. Marlowe still sometimes falls into the trap of preternatural verbosity, but it's less jarring than it was in the previous book.
All told, I thoroughly enjoyed The Sallow Scourge. It's a tad shorter than The Pauper King, flows a bit better (many of the chapters bounce back and forth between Allison and Joie when they are separated, making it quite easy to follow), and as stated earlier is quite timely.
9 pestilential peasants out of 10.
July 29, 2021
As the journey of this kingdom continues, it turns its focus to the twin queens who are now coming of age. While the setting is in a magical land, Marlowe weaves in many relatable elements such as going stir crazy after a global pandemic causes everyone to be isolated for a year! Yes, I can imagine how easy it might be for stressed-out townspeople to erupt upon the slightest provocation. The characters I loved from the Pauper King have matured into new roles, and the new protagonists are colorful and unique. The clever story was fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable!
September 22, 2021
Thank you "Voracious Readers Only" for my advanced copy of this book
In this novel I have read, entitled “The Sallow Scourge” we again, get this style of fantastical writing. Exposition that does not feel like it is droning on. Exposition that has been carefully crafted into the story in order to give the reader an experience of story, character and themes all at the same time without having the reader confused or losing interest. It is a very difficult thing to achieve properly, but I think that this book has really done it. Let’s take a look at what it is about, without giving any spoilers away…
The opening paragraph gives us our characters: Allison and Joie - who become rulers of a vast kingdom. Then we are introduced to the ‘Sallow Scourge’ - a ‘curse’ or ‘pestilence’ that confided the queens to their castle more and more. Immediately, we are met with what this story is going to be about and yet, the story is also moving along, introducing dialogue to us and showing us exactly how different these two queens really are. One is more rebellious, whilst the other focuses on being a good and obedient queen.
As the story continues, we get even more of this. Small paragraphs of some description and explanation and then, the characters enact the scene. It is really quite engrossing to read as the characters of the two queens seem to be drifting further and further away from each other in terms of personality. It is not immediately handed to us that they are so different, only stating that they are different as the ‘sun and the moon’, but we get this breakdown of the relationship between the two sisters whilst we are getting deep into the story as well. The two work concurrently to create huge amounts of tension in the book.
I would like to mention another thing I really enjoyed about this novel: the language and writing style. The book is set in this somewhat dark and Medieval period and so, the characters speak like they are part of the Medieval court with references to archaic language. Never once does this falter throughout the whole book and because making this kind of language consistent through the text is difficult as hell, I would like to commend the author for their efforts. It really brought the whole text to life without going through masses of explanation. The language style of the queens and their court really brings the reader into the story, taking them to this Medieval-styled realm with its dark-ages-esque plague mixed with fantasy and horror.
Read my whole review on my vocal page: https://vocal.media/geeks/book-review...
In this novel I have read, entitled “The Sallow Scourge” we again, get this style of fantastical writing. Exposition that does not feel like it is droning on. Exposition that has been carefully crafted into the story in order to give the reader an experience of story, character and themes all at the same time without having the reader confused or losing interest. It is a very difficult thing to achieve properly, but I think that this book has really done it. Let’s take a look at what it is about, without giving any spoilers away…
The opening paragraph gives us our characters: Allison and Joie - who become rulers of a vast kingdom. Then we are introduced to the ‘Sallow Scourge’ - a ‘curse’ or ‘pestilence’ that confided the queens to their castle more and more. Immediately, we are met with what this story is going to be about and yet, the story is also moving along, introducing dialogue to us and showing us exactly how different these two queens really are. One is more rebellious, whilst the other focuses on being a good and obedient queen.
As the story continues, we get even more of this. Small paragraphs of some description and explanation and then, the characters enact the scene. It is really quite engrossing to read as the characters of the two queens seem to be drifting further and further away from each other in terms of personality. It is not immediately handed to us that they are so different, only stating that they are different as the ‘sun and the moon’, but we get this breakdown of the relationship between the two sisters whilst we are getting deep into the story as well. The two work concurrently to create huge amounts of tension in the book.
I would like to mention another thing I really enjoyed about this novel: the language and writing style. The book is set in this somewhat dark and Medieval period and so, the characters speak like they are part of the Medieval court with references to archaic language. Never once does this falter throughout the whole book and because making this kind of language consistent through the text is difficult as hell, I would like to commend the author for their efforts. It really brought the whole text to life without going through masses of explanation. The language style of the queens and their court really brings the reader into the story, taking them to this Medieval-styled realm with its dark-ages-esque plague mixed with fantasy and horror.
Read my whole review on my vocal page: https://vocal.media/geeks/book-review...
January 13, 2022
I found I had difficulty getting into this book but I’m pleased I persevered as it turned out to be a good read. Well written and interesting. The idea off swapping to see different parts off the story from the point of view of the two main characters worked well as you will find if you read it yourself. I am reluctant to say anymore as I do not wish to give any spoilers. But I would recommend this book to younger readers with an interest in this genre
I received. Free copy of this book from the author and am leaving this review of my own violation
I received. Free copy of this book from the author and am leaving this review of my own violation
August 2, 2021
An interesting read! A YA coming of age story, in a fairy tale style about two sisters & their differing regards of the world & problem solving. Something a little different!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews