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Twenty Palaces #0
Twenty Palaces
When Ray Lilly was 13 years old, a handgun accident landed his best friend, Jon Burrows, in a wheelchair and turned Ray into a runaway and petty criminal. Fifteen years later, Ray returns home after a stint in prison; he’s determined to go straight, but he knows he can’t do that without making peace with his old friend.
What Ray doesn’t expect is to discover that Jon has just received a mysterious cure–not only is he out of his wheelchair, he seems stronger and faster than… well, pretty much anyone. Worse, his cure has drawn the attention of all sorts of attention: the media are camped out on his block, the police are investigating him for insurance fraud, and weird shadowy figures have begun to draw closer, figures who clearly do not mean to do Jon any good.
Can Ray atone for the biggest mistake of his life by protecting his oldest friend? And what terrible price will the world have to pay if he succeeds?
What Ray doesn’t expect is to discover that Jon has just received a mysterious cure–not only is he out of his wheelchair, he seems stronger and faster than… well, pretty much anyone. Worse, his cure has drawn the attention of all sorts of attention: the media are camped out on his block, the police are investigating him for insurance fraud, and weird shadowy figures have begun to draw closer, figures who clearly do not mean to do Jon any good.
Can Ray atone for the biggest mistake of his life by protecting his oldest friend? And what terrible price will the world have to pay if he succeeds?
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First published November 24, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
August 8, 2025
While not a great read it wasn't a bad read. Some interesting ideas and twists to the Urban Fantasy setting. I'll try the next book in the series to see if it hooks me into reading the rest. Recommended
April 15, 2019
I'm not sure of the order written, but I think this prequel to Connolly's Twenty Palaces series is better done than the first published book, Child of Fire.
Standard for UF, it's first person from a single POV. Ray Lilly, just released from prison and gone to stay with his aunt and uncle (a cop), pretty much immediately gets into magical trouble when he runs into his closest childhood friend, who despite being in a wheelchair since Ray accidentally shot him when they were kids, is suddenly "cured" and walking around again.
I thought the relationships worked well and had more context than Child of Fire. His behavior and actions have more immediate causes and thus feel more natural. There's enough pressure on Ray plotwise that it felt plausible to skip the whole disbelief in magic phase.
It's not entirely problem free though, and as in Child of Fire, my main issue comes down to first-person is not as easy as you think, author. In my review of Child of Fire I said,
The same applies here. Occasionally Ray just randomly goes all "my precious", with regards to power, and I have no clue if Connolly means for that to be seen as inherent to Ray's personality, or some addictive nature of the magic, but either way he fails to really integrate it and it feels incongruous.
That said, I enjoyed it and plan to continue with the series sooner or later.
Standard for UF, it's first person from a single POV. Ray Lilly, just released from prison and gone to stay with his aunt and uncle (a cop), pretty much immediately gets into magical trouble when he runs into his closest childhood friend, who despite being in a wheelchair since Ray accidentally shot him when they were kids, is suddenly "cured" and walking around again.
I thought the relationships worked well and had more context than Child of Fire. His behavior and actions have more immediate causes and thus feel more natural. There's enough pressure on Ray plotwise that it felt plausible to skip the whole disbelief in magic phase.
It's not entirely problem free though, and as in Child of Fire, my main issue comes down to first-person is not as easy as you think, author. In my review of Child of Fire I said,
A couple times he expresses some sort of hunger for/attraction to power, but there's something generic and incomplete about it and it seemed like the author just sticking it in there for some reason rather than truly emerging from or consistent with the character.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The same applies here. Occasionally Ray just randomly goes all "my precious", with regards to power, and I have no clue if Connolly means for that to be seen as inherent to Ray's personality, or some addictive nature of the magic, but either way he fails to really integrate it and it feels incongruous.
That said, I enjoyed it and plan to continue with the series sooner or later.
August 6, 2018
I read Child of Fire (Twenty Palaces, #1) (my review) and thought the series had merit. It reminded me of a
Jack Reacher -esque
urban fantasy. However, a peculiarity of that first-book-in-the-series was that it wasn’t. This Prequel is the
real
first book in the series. It’s better than Child of Fire .
Child of Fire (Twenty Palaces, #1) was published in 2009. This book (Twenty Palaces, #0.5) was published in 2011. A peculiarity of Child of Fire was the amount of detailed backstory in that first-in-the-series book. Child of Fire might properly have been considered Book #2 in the series. This book contains that backstory, fleshed-out in detail and with additional long-term plotlines properly laid-out.
In my previous review, I commented on the rough-edges in the author’s prose. Two years later, I can see they’re being polished-off. The prose is technically better than the previous book. Lilly working magic and crafting his famous ghost knife were particularly well done. In addition, at a slim 250-pages the author shows a promising economy with his storytelling. Although, I realize the scant page count is the absence of the dead weight of backstory that authors of series' are compelled either psychotically [sic] or by their editors to include.
There is violence in this story, but no sex. You would think a man fresh out of prison would be interested in getting some? Violence is moderately detailed. It’s, edged weapons, firearms and physical. Most of the physical violence is Horror-related (cannibalism included). Body count is moderately high. I see this is becoming a signature for the author.
The protagonist Ray Lilly gets a deeper development than earlier. His twin motivations of loyalty and avoidance of criminality are well handled. Annalise Powliss is shown to be more than a magical Terminator. Unfortunately, the author misses on developing the motive for her enmity for Lilly. Jon Burrows an important character in the story is somewhat mishandled. For some reason, he’s the least possessed of the possessed. There are a number of minor characters. The vampiric sorcerer Callin was the most interesting supporting character to me. There is also Wally, a spell distributing loose cannon. He shows-up in later stories. Neither of these characters were mentioned in Child of Fire. There are also the requisite number of NPCs. With such a high body count, you can never have enough.
Plotting was good. It rests on the Throwing Off the Disability and Guilt tropes. Unfortunately, Burrow’s unlikely, modest degree of possession used to pluck Lilly’s heartstrings doesn’t work. What does work is Lilly’s unintentional double-cross of Callin. Finally, this book felt more Lovecraftian than the earlier book.
World building adds just a little more than found in the previous book. However, the more the better.
This is a better book than Child of Fire (Twenty Palaces, #1). The writing is better and the plotting is twistier. The author is better at the shorter, novella format than the longer 350-page book length. I'd still like the author to tone down the gratuitous slaughter. That this ‘prequel’ story came out about the same time as Book #3 in the series is a great failing of the: author, his agent and his editor. Anyone thinking about starting or reading only one-book in this series needs to start with this one. I didn’t. I should have.
I’ll likely be reading the second (really the third book in the series: Game of Cages.
Readers who are interested in this type of story and haven’t read it already should checkout: Sandman Slim.
Child of Fire (Twenty Palaces, #1) was published in 2009. This book (Twenty Palaces, #0.5) was published in 2011. A peculiarity of Child of Fire was the amount of detailed backstory in that first-in-the-series book. Child of Fire might properly have been considered Book #2 in the series. This book contains that backstory, fleshed-out in detail and with additional long-term plotlines properly laid-out.
In my previous review, I commented on the rough-edges in the author’s prose. Two years later, I can see they’re being polished-off. The prose is technically better than the previous book. Lilly working magic and crafting his famous ghost knife were particularly well done. In addition, at a slim 250-pages the author shows a promising economy with his storytelling. Although, I realize the scant page count is the absence of the dead weight of backstory that authors of series' are compelled either psychotically [sic] or by their editors to include.
There is violence in this story, but no sex. You would think a man fresh out of prison would be interested in getting some? Violence is moderately detailed. It’s, edged weapons, firearms and physical. Most of the physical violence is Horror-related (cannibalism included). Body count is moderately high. I see this is becoming a signature for the author.
The protagonist Ray Lilly gets a deeper development than earlier. His twin motivations of loyalty and avoidance of criminality are well handled. Annalise Powliss is shown to be more than a magical Terminator. Unfortunately, the author misses on developing the motive for her enmity for Lilly. Jon Burrows an important character in the story is somewhat mishandled. For some reason, he’s the least possessed of the possessed. There are a number of minor characters. The vampiric sorcerer Callin was the most interesting supporting character to me. There is also Wally, a spell distributing loose cannon. He shows-up in later stories. Neither of these characters were mentioned in Child of Fire. There are also the requisite number of NPCs. With such a high body count, you can never have enough.
Plotting was good. It rests on the Throwing Off the Disability and Guilt tropes. Unfortunately, Burrow’s unlikely, modest degree of possession used to pluck Lilly’s heartstrings doesn’t work. What does work is Lilly’s unintentional double-cross of Callin. Finally, this book felt more Lovecraftian than the earlier book.
World building adds just a little more than found in the previous book. However, the more the better.
This is a better book than Child of Fire (Twenty Palaces, #1). The writing is better and the plotting is twistier. The author is better at the shorter, novella format than the longer 350-page book length. I'd still like the author to tone down the gratuitous slaughter. That this ‘prequel’ story came out about the same time as Book #3 in the series is a great failing of the: author, his agent and his editor. Anyone thinking about starting or reading only one-book in this series needs to start with this one. I didn’t. I should have.
I’ll likely be reading the second (really the third book in the series: Game of Cages.
Readers who are interested in this type of story and haven’t read it already should checkout: Sandman Slim.
March 27, 2023
Наясно съм, че след "Кръг от врагове" писах колко съм доволен, че Конъли е сложил точка на серията си за Дървения човек, обаче като разбрах, че лани е пуснал не един, а цели два романа в света на Двадесетте Двореца си ударих дирника в тавана от кеф. Това ми припомни и, че има ретроспективна книжка по въпроса. Нарочно избягвах да я прочета, защото миналото на Рей помагаше доста за ноарната атмосфера в книгите, но след като в третата разбрахме какво е вършил в Елей, мистериите останаха малко.
За момент да се престорим, че не сме чели трилогията и това е първата ни среща с Реймънд Лили. На 26-26 години, току що излязъл от затвора след три годишна присъда, Рей се връща в родния си град, от който няма особено добри спомени. ТОй е решил да се рехабилитира и да спре с незаконното. За да го направи ще трябва да се сблъска с най-болезнения момент в миналото си - случайното осакатяване на най-добрия му приятел, когато са били на по 13. За негова изненада Йон не само не му се сърди, но и е проходил по чудодеен начин. И не само, той и приятелите му са по-силни, по-бързи и по-издържливи от нормалните хора. Това привлича вниманието на медиите, неизлечимо болните, застрахователните компании, полицията и други. Една от тези други е Анализа, която е решена на всичко да убие Йон, като твърди, че той вече не е човек и е опасен за цялата планета. Рей ще направи всичко възможно да върне дълга към приятеля си и да го спаси този път. Тази му категоричност ще го отведе по трънлив и самоубийствен път, където ще разбере, че света е много повече от това, което вижда. Престъпното му подсъзнание ще забленува новата за него сила - магията. И той ще се хвърли с главата напред в място, чиито правила не са му известни. През това време приятелите му стават все по-диви и все по-гладни за човешко месо и се опитват да вкарат все повече и повече от своите "братвчеди" в света ни, а противниците им изглеждат все повече и все по-могъщи. Ще успее ли Рей да спаси първите от самите тях и да надиграе вторите?
ТУк виждаме как се запознава с Анализа и систематана Двадесетте Двореца, от кой открадва първата си книга с магии, как прави Призрачния си нож и най-важното - защо Рей е такъв какъвто е, какео насочва моралния му компас и защо има проблеми с доверието и подчинението на институциите, както и до някъде, от къдев черпи този совй нюх към нещата, който прави книгите ноарно удоволствие.
За момент да се престорим, че не сме чели трилогията и това е първата ни среща с Реймънд Лили. На 26-26 години, току що излязъл от затвора след три годишна присъда, Рей се връща в родния си град, от който няма особено добри спомени. ТОй е решил да се рехабилитира и да спре с незаконното. За да го направи ще трябва да се сблъска с най-болезнения момент в миналото си - случайното осакатяване на най-добрия му приятел, когато са били на по 13. За негова изненада Йон не само не му се сърди, но и е проходил по чудодеен начин. И не само, той и приятелите му са по-силни, по-бързи и по-издържливи от нормалните хора. Това привлича вниманието на медиите, неизлечимо болните, застрахователните компании, полицията и други. Една от тези други е Анализа, която е решена на всичко да убие Йон, като твърди, че той вече не е човек и е опасен за цялата планета. Рей ще направи всичко възможно да върне дълга към приятеля си и да го спаси този път. Тази му категоричност ще го отведе по трънлив и самоубийствен път, където ще разбере, че света е много повече от това, което вижда. Престъпното му подсъзнание ще забленува новата за него сила - магията. И той ще се хвърли с главата напред в място, чиито правила не са му известни. През това време приятелите му стават все по-диви и все по-гладни за човешко месо и се опитват да вкарат все повече и повече от своите "братвчеди" в света ни, а противниците им изглеждат все повече и все по-могъщи. Ще успее ли Рей да спаси първите от самите тях и да надиграе вторите?
ТУк виждаме как се запознава с Анализа и систематана Двадесетте Двореца, от кой открадва първата си книга с магии, как прави Призрачния си нож и най-важното - защо Рей е такъв какъвто е, какео насочва моралния му компас и защо има проблеми с доверието и подчинението на институциите, както и до някъде, от къдев черпи този совй нюх към нещата, който прави книгите ноарно удоволствие.
February 12, 2013
Book zero in the series, of which we got three primary books and a regretful sigh from the author. The author has self-published the prequel (see his web site, or your favorite e-book store).
If you never read any of these, *or* if you tried the first one but bounced off the in-medias introduction, you should try _Twenty Palaces_. Ray Lilly got into trouble as a boy, got into more trouble as a young man, and then got into jail. Now he's out. He would like to avoid more trouble, please. His trouble-free period lasts about two hours.
The good news is, there's magic. The bad news is, I lied: magic is bad news. You can do magic the hard way, which hurts like hell and costs outrageously; or you can do it the easy way, by summoning demons that want to devour all life on the planet. I'd say "don't make a mistake if you choose the easy way," but it's pretty obvious what the mistake is there.
Anyhow, Ray attempts to free some of his friends from their mistakes. He runs into the inimitable Annalise Powliss, a hard-way sorcerer, who also attempting to repair these mistakes -- scorched-earth style. Ray objects to this; unfortunately, it's hard to argue with Annalise's logic. Mostly because if you get in her way, she sets you on fire. Ray manages to avoid this, helps deal with the demon infestation, casts one (1) spell -- okay, two, but the second one is short-term -- and (spoiler) winds up as Annalise's "assistant". (No benefits, no salary, no life expectancy.) Thus we are set up for _Child of Fire_.
This is a pretty good book. The action is tense, the monsters are *damn* creepy, and the characters are reasonably interesting considering that they're just being introduced (and a lot of them wind up rapidly dead). If it were the first book I ran into, I'd say I'd try the next one and see if the series is solid. As it is, I can say that the series *is* solid; the books get stronger as you go (and we learn more about the characters and the setting). The prequel-plus-trilogy comes to a decent arc-conclusion, so you don't have to fear being left in mid-leap.
Yes, I am pushing this one. I would like people to read it, so that the author makes some money and continues writing and eventually strikes it rich and then comes back to the series. Sheesh his blog is depressing.
If you never read any of these, *or* if you tried the first one but bounced off the in-medias introduction, you should try _Twenty Palaces_. Ray Lilly got into trouble as a boy, got into more trouble as a young man, and then got into jail. Now he's out. He would like to avoid more trouble, please. His trouble-free period lasts about two hours.
The good news is, there's magic. The bad news is, I lied: magic is bad news. You can do magic the hard way, which hurts like hell and costs outrageously; or you can do it the easy way, by summoning demons that want to devour all life on the planet. I'd say "don't make a mistake if you choose the easy way," but it's pretty obvious what the mistake is there.
Anyhow, Ray attempts to free some of his friends from their mistakes. He runs into the inimitable Annalise Powliss, a hard-way sorcerer, who also attempting to repair these mistakes -- scorched-earth style. Ray objects to this; unfortunately, it's hard to argue with Annalise's logic. Mostly because if you get in her way, she sets you on fire. Ray manages to avoid this, helps deal with the demon infestation, casts one (1) spell -- okay, two, but the second one is short-term -- and (spoiler) winds up as Annalise's "assistant". (No benefits, no salary, no life expectancy.) Thus we are set up for _Child of Fire_.
This is a pretty good book. The action is tense, the monsters are *damn* creepy, and the characters are reasonably interesting considering that they're just being introduced (and a lot of them wind up rapidly dead). If it were the first book I ran into, I'd say I'd try the next one and see if the series is solid. As it is, I can say that the series *is* solid; the books get stronger as you go (and we learn more about the characters and the setting). The prequel-plus-trilogy comes to a decent arc-conclusion, so you don't have to fear being left in mid-leap.
Yes, I am pushing this one. I would like people to read it, so that the author makes some money and continues writing and eventually strikes it rich and then comes back to the series. Sheesh his blog is depressing.
October 16, 2012
Since Harry Connolly’s first book in the TWENTY PALACES series came out, I’ve been a fan. After reading his second book GAME OF CAGES --- which was easily one of the best books I read that year -- he became one of my favorite authors.
When I sat down to type in a rating for the TWENTY PALACE prequel that Harry Connolly had put out, I followed a link to his blog that said he had no immediate plans to write any more TWENTY PALACES novels. This is a huge, huge loss for the urban fantasy genre.
His protagonist, Ray, is a rare male voice in a crowded genre. Even among existing male protags, Ray is a rare character --- he’s tough without being a cariacture antihero; serious and loyal instead of constantly firing off one-liners and quips; and, well, kind of hot. Not to mention, the world-building is masterful; the plots are always filled with adrenaline and sincerely human dilemmas; and the shadowy agency, the Twenty Palaces, always stays intriguingly blurred in the story background, which has helped keep the mystery and mythology of them fresh.
This novel in particular -- a prequel to the series -- was a story filled with lots of momentum, lots of moral choices, and an ever-tightening spiral of “oh shit” moments. I read it in two sittings and stayed up way past my bedtime both nights. This is a great, great, 5-star story -- whether you read it first or last in the series. If you’re a fan of Dresden or Castor or Sandman Slim, you should try this.
I hope something happens to force another Twenty Palaces novel to be written -- maybe the stars will align, fans will picket, or the publisher will get its head out of its arse. This is an exceptional series from a talented writer.
When I sat down to type in a rating for the TWENTY PALACE prequel that Harry Connolly had put out, I followed a link to his blog that said he had no immediate plans to write any more TWENTY PALACES novels. This is a huge, huge loss for the urban fantasy genre.
His protagonist, Ray, is a rare male voice in a crowded genre. Even among existing male protags, Ray is a rare character --- he’s tough without being a cariacture antihero; serious and loyal instead of constantly firing off one-liners and quips; and, well, kind of hot. Not to mention, the world-building is masterful; the plots are always filled with adrenaline and sincerely human dilemmas; and the shadowy agency, the Twenty Palaces, always stays intriguingly blurred in the story background, which has helped keep the mystery and mythology of them fresh.
This novel in particular -- a prequel to the series -- was a story filled with lots of momentum, lots of moral choices, and an ever-tightening spiral of “oh shit” moments. I read it in two sittings and stayed up way past my bedtime both nights. This is a great, great, 5-star story -- whether you read it first or last in the series. If you’re a fan of Dresden or Castor or Sandman Slim, you should try this.
I hope something happens to force another Twenty Palaces novel to be written -- maybe the stars will align, fans will picket, or the publisher will get its head out of its arse. This is an exceptional series from a talented writer.
January 13, 2017
You might know Harry Connolly's Twenty Palaces novels. If so, good for you! If not, damn you to hell! You're the reason something great died ("indefinite hiatus" counts for good as dead).
Though the Twenty Palaces series has been cancelled owing to low and declining readership (stupid marketplace), it's still some of the best urban fantasy to be produced in recent years. It's not quite as reader-friendly as some - the setting isn't just gritty, it verges into the bleak and brutal on a semi-regular basis. If you cab deal with it though, you're going to find something of really excellent quality.
The protagonist, Ray Lilly, is a decided break from the usual run of heroes in this genre, for one thing. He's not a player who is supposed to be able to shape events - he barely even gets informed about what it is he's supposed to be doing. In fact, he's basically seen by the good guys ("good" in the sense that they aren't as bad as the bad guys - sweetness and light they ain't) as none-too-glorified cannon fodder. He's in way over his head, and he knows it.
One of the major thrills of the series, then, is watching him figure out how to win anyway (though often at terrible cost, to himself and to the innocents he wants to protect - remember the bleak part?). His underdog victories feel both impressive and earned - no gimmicks or deus ex magica (a wizard did it!) here, just a guy working his ass off trying to make the best of the extremely limited resources at his disposal.
This book falls into the series as a kind of prequel to the first published book. That book opened on a sort of "in media res" situation, with Ray already jammed up into serving the Twenty Palaces Society. This book, on the other hand, offers a jumping-on point that's right at the beginning of things, when Ray is first encountering (and too often blundering his way through) the strange and frightening new world of magic that he'll wind up enmeshed in. And Connolly doesn't slack off here - he puts enough into this story that I feel comfortable in saying it's an equally valid place to start as the first book, which I thought was great.
You want a conclusion? Here: Buy this already. Read it. Smack yourself in the head for not coming to this sooner if appropriate. There - concluded.
Though the Twenty Palaces series has been cancelled owing to low and declining readership (stupid marketplace), it's still some of the best urban fantasy to be produced in recent years. It's not quite as reader-friendly as some - the setting isn't just gritty, it verges into the bleak and brutal on a semi-regular basis. If you cab deal with it though, you're going to find something of really excellent quality.
The protagonist, Ray Lilly, is a decided break from the usual run of heroes in this genre, for one thing. He's not a player who is supposed to be able to shape events - he barely even gets informed about what it is he's supposed to be doing. In fact, he's basically seen by the good guys ("good" in the sense that they aren't as bad as the bad guys - sweetness and light they ain't) as none-too-glorified cannon fodder. He's in way over his head, and he knows it.
One of the major thrills of the series, then, is watching him figure out how to win anyway (though often at terrible cost, to himself and to the innocents he wants to protect - remember the bleak part?). His underdog victories feel both impressive and earned - no gimmicks or deus ex magica (a wizard did it!) here, just a guy working his ass off trying to make the best of the extremely limited resources at his disposal.
This book falls into the series as a kind of prequel to the first published book. That book opened on a sort of "in media res" situation, with Ray already jammed up into serving the Twenty Palaces Society. This book, on the other hand, offers a jumping-on point that's right at the beginning of things, when Ray is first encountering (and too often blundering his way through) the strange and frightening new world of magic that he'll wind up enmeshed in. And Connolly doesn't slack off here - he puts enough into this story that I feel comfortable in saying it's an equally valid place to start as the first book, which I thought was great.
You want a conclusion? Here: Buy this already. Read it. Smack yourself in the head for not coming to this sooner if appropriate. There - concluded.
June 15, 2022
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. Which is mostly due to *my taste*, not the book itself..
I read the author's other (not urban) fantasy, and really enjoyed it, so I was really looking forward to this!
While it's a solid 3 star book I don't regret reading, it just isn't written for me.
My first problem was the style of the story - it's Urban Fantasy, and so I expected something like Harry Dresden or Hellequin. It's more like a Lovecraft meets Urban Style though, with some sort of creatures trying to get a hold on earth. That's not bad, it's just not my personal cup of tea.
The next thing that made it hard for me is the main character just getting out of prison. He wants to start a good normal life now. So far so good! I quite enjoyed the slight mystery of his backstory, and learning slowly what happened between him and his former best friend. However, the (luckily few!) moments when he thinks about female main characters looks, or if they want to kiss him annoyed me. Yes it might be very realistic that he is starved of human interaction and especially "romantic" moments. Another review even complains about it being unrealistic how little he thinks about this, and there not being any actual sex scenes. So it's not necessarily bad writing, I just can't stand it, again, personally.
Aside from these gripes, the book was well written and managed to keep me interested all the way through.
I read the author's other (not urban) fantasy, and really enjoyed it, so I was really looking forward to this!
While it's a solid 3 star book I don't regret reading, it just isn't written for me.
My first problem was the style of the story - it's Urban Fantasy, and so I expected something like Harry Dresden or Hellequin. It's more like a Lovecraft meets Urban Style though, with some sort of creatures trying to get a hold on earth. That's not bad, it's just not my personal cup of tea.
The next thing that made it hard for me is the main character just getting out of prison. He wants to start a good normal life now. So far so good! I quite enjoyed the slight mystery of his backstory, and learning slowly what happened between him and his former best friend. However, the (luckily few!) moments when he thinks about female main characters looks, or if they want to kiss him annoyed me. Yes it might be very realistic that he is starved of human interaction and especially "romantic" moments. Another review even complains about it being unrealistic how little he thinks about this, and there not being any actual sex scenes. So it's not necessarily bad writing, I just can't stand it, again, personally.
Aside from these gripes, the book was well written and managed to keep me interested all the way through.
September 1, 2022
Do not read this book before you've read Child of Fire. It is somewhat confusing. Otherwise, a good entry in a great series. In this novel, Harry explicates the background information referenced in the first book. I've numbered this one as Palace Society series 00.
May 10, 2013
This is the author's self-published prequel to a series I really like. I found this book had a slower start than the others in the series, but once it got going, it was just as action-packed and enjoyable as I've come to expect.
The main character comes across as younger and more emotional in this one, which was nice to see because he seems to have nerves of steel in the later books! This novel does have one of the flaws I associate with self-published books--it has more typos than it should. However, I only noticed perhaps seven of these in total over the course of the book, so it wasn't distracting. (And I've read at least one traditionally-published book that was at least that bad.)
If you enjoy the Twenty Palaces series, this is worth getting too. With the exception of the slow start, it's just as good as the rest of the books.
The main character comes across as younger and more emotional in this one, which was nice to see because he seems to have nerves of steel in the later books! This novel does have one of the flaws I associate with self-published books--it has more typos than it should. However, I only noticed perhaps seven of these in total over the course of the book, so it wasn't distracting. (And I've read at least one traditionally-published book that was at least that bad.)
If you enjoy the Twenty Palaces series, this is worth getting too. With the exception of the slow start, it's just as good as the rest of the books.
May 2, 2019
Twenty Palaces is the prequel book in the Twenty Palaces series written by Harry Connolly and centered on Ray Lilly, a would-be wooden man, which is a decoy expected to die to allow a sorcerer to deal with a predator or enemy sorcerer.
Fresh out of prison, all Ray Lilly wants to do is to find a legitimate job and rebuild his life. His uncle Karl, a cop, warns Ray that his future won't be as straightforward as Ray hopes. Ray may think he's paid his debt to society but society doesn't agree. As it turns out, American unfamiliarity with mercy is the least of his problems. Some of Ray's old friends have picked up a very interesting hobby – magic.
It is through an investigating his friends' involvement with magic that would eventually lead him to Annalise Powliss, one of the Twenty Palace Society's adepts. She has a much clearer idea about the source from which Jon is drawing his new abilities and how he became a "wooden man" to her.
Twenty Palaces is written rather well. It is a wonderful backstory on how Ray Lily, an ex-con, would meet Annalise Powliss, an adept to the Twenty Palace Society and how he became a wooden man for her. It fleshed out their backstories rather well and gives a deeper insight to their relationship during the core series.
All in all, Twenty Palaces is written rather well and gives a wonderful backstories to two of the main characters of the core series – Ray Lilly and Annalise Powliss.
Fresh out of prison, all Ray Lilly wants to do is to find a legitimate job and rebuild his life. His uncle Karl, a cop, warns Ray that his future won't be as straightforward as Ray hopes. Ray may think he's paid his debt to society but society doesn't agree. As it turns out, American unfamiliarity with mercy is the least of his problems. Some of Ray's old friends have picked up a very interesting hobby – magic.
It is through an investigating his friends' involvement with magic that would eventually lead him to Annalise Powliss, one of the Twenty Palace Society's adepts. She has a much clearer idea about the source from which Jon is drawing his new abilities and how he became a "wooden man" to her.
Twenty Palaces is written rather well. It is a wonderful backstory on how Ray Lily, an ex-con, would meet Annalise Powliss, an adept to the Twenty Palace Society and how he became a wooden man for her. It fleshed out their backstories rather well and gives a deeper insight to their relationship during the core series.
All in all, Twenty Palaces is written rather well and gives a wonderful backstories to two of the main characters of the core series – Ray Lilly and Annalise Powliss.
March 17, 2023
I read the original 3 books back when they first came out. I’m finally going through the series again, but in event chronological order this time, while also getting the other stories I haven’t read yet. Child of Fire is a great book, and a fine first book to the series. This is a wonderful first book to the series. It gives a good understanding of Ray and how we see him in Child of Fire.
I also feel like prequels are difficult to manage. Generally, not initially being part of the series, they are typically just used for set up, the stakes are lower, and they open up the door for continuity errors. While this is used for set up, it does answer the question of how Ray got involved with the Society, and the answer isn’t boring. While we know that Ray is going to ultimately survive this book, it doesn’t feel like the stakes are any lower than the other books. I still had the feeling of, “Oh crap, how is Ray going to get out of this one!?” As for continuity errors, I don’t know yet. It’s been a long time since I read the first 3, that I’d need to go through them again to actually remember (I have already started Child of Fire, so I may update this eventually).
I don’t think I’m going to consider this a prequel anymore. This is the series’ first book - it just took a little longer to get written.
I also feel like prequels are difficult to manage. Generally, not initially being part of the series, they are typically just used for set up, the stakes are lower, and they open up the door for continuity errors. While this is used for set up, it does answer the question of how Ray got involved with the Society, and the answer isn’t boring. While we know that Ray is going to ultimately survive this book, it doesn’t feel like the stakes are any lower than the other books. I still had the feeling of, “Oh crap, how is Ray going to get out of this one!?” As for continuity errors, I don’t know yet. It’s been a long time since I read the first 3, that I’d need to go through them again to actually remember (I have already started Child of Fire, so I may update this eventually).
I don’t think I’m going to consider this a prequel anymore. This is the series’ first book - it just took a little longer to get written.
February 19, 2023
Our perspective character, Ray, is even *more* freshly out of jail in this prequel, and even more confused. He comes home to lead the quiet life of an ex-con whose policeman uncle informs him that he may think he's paid his debt to society, but he's just started. The uncle character is not a font of joy. But hey, Ray's best friend whom he accidentally put in a wheelchair has miraculously recovered and seems even better than before. Despite this, Ray is still mired in guilt, and guesses this is just another case where he hasn't paid his debt yet.
Then things start to get creepy. Our homicidal friend Anneliese is back, and as brutally efficient as always. There are *really* bad guys trying to get into town from the spaces beyond this universe, and it's her job to keep them in check. There's a rogue sorcerer in town making incredibly bad decisions and just wait until you meet 'the cousins'.
Then things start to get creepy. Our homicidal friend Anneliese is back, and as brutally efficient as always. There are *really* bad guys trying to get into town from the spaces beyond this universe, and it's her job to keep them in check. There's a rogue sorcerer in town making incredibly bad decisions and just wait until you meet 'the cousins'.
June 18, 2017
This is a prequel to an utterly brilliant series that was sadly canceled due to poor sales. A big part of why it never took off the way it should have is because the first book in the series Child of Fire, went too far in terms of starting in media res, to the point where readers were confused as to what was going on because they knew almost none of the backstory. This is unfortunate and is probably the reason why this prequel was written. It does an admirable job of filling that gap and if you start with this book and keep reading you will get an amazing modern fantasy experience. I recommend it in the strongest possible terms.
September 18, 2018
If only this book had been released as the first book in the series! I ended up reading it before books 1-3 and was crushed to find the series had been cancelled... after realizing this book was released AFTER the others I understand why people may have been confused and lost interest because almost all of the relevant backstory is explained here and left out in book 1... oh well. Sad it had to be this way because this series had so much potential!
March 24, 2020
I think I would have liked this book a lot better if I read it first. I read it after the third book in the series, so as a result I knew what was going to happen for most of the book. It made the book feel really slow. I'll definitely recommend the series to others, and I'll probably recommend they start with this book, just in case.
May 30, 2020
I wish I'd read this book before the first book. It would've made more sense. In this prequel, you find out what happened to Ray's friends and how he came to be Annalise's "wooden man". There was still some mystery (like how Ray was responsible for his friend's paralysis), but it was wrapped up well. I look forward to continuing the series.
August 22, 2024
Excellent urban fantasy. The creepy world, interesting magic use (will it hurt you, drive you nutty, just copy it and you are good to go) and good lead character made it fun. Ray's loyalty/futile hope he could help his friend seemed over the top, but the rest of it shone. Not sure if this was the best place to start the series. I'll continue.
January 5, 2018
So that's what happened!
This prequel fills in the backstory that the original trilogy hints at. I would still recommend reading the trilogy first. I love this series. The writing is excellent, and the story is just plain fun.
This prequel fills in the backstory that the original trilogy hints at. I would still recommend reading the trilogy first. I love this series. The writing is excellent, and the story is just plain fun.
September 23, 2021
If this prequel is better than the first book in the series, I don't think I will bother with the rest. I had trouble caring what happened to any of the characters, so it's probably just me and not the book.
January 5, 2022
I so loved Twenty Palaces series and am putting my rating here in hopes others will read the series so someday more Twenty Palaces books will come forth. Such wonderful UF. It has been my favorite for a decade, ever since I discovered it. Gotta love Harry Connolly!
November 20, 2024
I am surprised I got to halfway because this is terrible, not necessarily a bad idea but poorly written wordy and slow. Plus illogical jumps in the story. I think most of these could have been sorted in editing but they weren't.
January 22, 2025
If you like gritty crime novels with disreputable heroes, this is the book for you.
If you like punchy action, this is the book for you.
If you like urban fantasy on the seedier side, boy is this the book for you.
I can't wait to read more of this series.
If you like punchy action, this is the book for you.
If you like urban fantasy on the seedier side, boy is this the book for you.
I can't wait to read more of this series.
April 7, 2018
Ray Lilly's previously hinted at background is explored in this fantastic novella. Learn how he first became aware of the hidden world, met Annalise and ruined his life all in one fell swoop!
August 20, 2018
Mon 24Nov14 Wed 03Dec14
Great book about how Ray got into the 20 palaces, makes me wish there were more of these books to read right now!
Great book about how Ray got into the 20 palaces, makes me wish there were more of these books to read right now!
October 1, 2020
The backstory was certainly interesting and not exactly what I expected would be the story from the hints that had been dropped in the first two books. But I enjoyed knowing what the real story was.
September 8, 2021
Good prequel, fills in some gaps. Sure would love to see a new installment of this series.
January 1, 2023
Never disappoint.
June 4, 2023
Good stuff
Mr Connolly can't write these stories fast enough. Lots of action, lots of sarcasm - what's not to like? Always an excellent read.
Mr Connolly can't write these stories fast enough. Lots of action, lots of sarcasm - what's not to like? Always an excellent read.
September 11, 2019
Unexpectedly Exciting!
This was a book given to me by an acquaintance, and I was extremely pleased with how well written the story and the characters were. The book is action packed and exciting. I read it through in about six hours. I immediately purchased the next book in the series. I've got a new series addiction.
This was a book given to me by an acquaintance, and I was extremely pleased with how well written the story and the characters were. The book is action packed and exciting. I read it through in about six hours. I immediately purchased the next book in the series. I've got a new series addiction.
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