Kingship and friendship

A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner

This is the fourth book in Megan Whalen Turner's excellent "Thief" series, and the last published so far.  I was almost reluctant to read this book, because when I finished it I would have none left to look forward to.

There will be spoilers here for the earlier books, and possibly for this one as well.

The series is set in three kingdoms, Attolia, Sounis and Eddis, in a land that combines ancient Greece with elements of Byzantium.  Conflict is constantly breaking out between the three countries, and sometimes within each, often at the instigation of an outside power, the Medes, who would like to absorb the kingdoms into their empire.  The central character of the stories is Eugenides, the cousin of the Queen of Eddis, who holds the almost mythical position of "Thief of Eddis" at her court, but he gives that up to marry the Queen of Attolia and rule as her king.  Who Eugenides is, his true character, his capabilities, his heart and mind, are revealed gradually over the course of the stories.  As I mentioned in my review of the third book, The King of Attolia, he reminds me of Dorothy Dunnett's great heroes, Francis Crawford of Lymond and Nicholas de Fleury.

I had forgotten that, at the end of The King of Attolia, someone says of Eugenides: "That one will rule more than just Attolia before he is done. He is an Annux, a king of kings."  In this book, we see this prophecy begin to come to fulfilment.  At the center is Sounis, torn by civil war and rebellion against its king.  Rebel barons kidnap the king's nephew and heir Sophos (whom we met in the first book) to use him as a pawn.  Through the adventures that follow, Sophos constantly accuses himself of weakness and cowardice, but as with Eugenides we see his true character, his strength and courage, revealed.  When the king dies unexpectedly, Sophos suddenly finds himself the new Sounis.  He must secure his throne not just against his barons but also the Medes, who are angling to seize the country from a new, weak king caught in the chaos of civil war.  Sounis turns for help to his friend Eugenides.  His friend is now Attolis, though, and his help has a price: Sounis will become a vassal state.  There is also a different kind of alliance under discussion, with Eddis and its Queen (one of my favorite characters).

Though some readers have complained this book has too much Sophos and too little Eugenides, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I like Sophos, and I hope to see him again in the later books (and I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next one). I dote on Eugenides though. I want to see him vanquish his enemies,  particularly those evil Medes, and triumph as Annux.  And I can't wait to see him as a father.

Long live the king!

The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner

This is the third book in Megan Whalen Turner's excellent "Thief" series.  I posted about the second, The Queen of Attolia, back in February (only my third post and wow, just one paragraph on the book - I was still stretching my blogging wings at that point).  Fair warning, there will be spoilers here for anyone who hasn't read the earlier books.

The series is set in a land that bears some resemblance to ancient Greece, though Turner has added elements of Byzantium as well.  The stories move between three kingdoms, Sounis, Attolia, and Eddis. The rulers face not only threats from each other, but also from the powerhouse Medes, who constantly threaten invasion.  I thought that the first two books were really good, primarily because the central character, Eugenides, is such a fascinating, twisty one, and I could see why they came so highly recommended, especially from members of the Dorothy Dunnett listservs I belong to.  But this is the book where I really fell for him.

At the end of The Queen of Attolia, Eugenides the former Thief of Eddis has won the heart and hand of the Queen of the title, a rather unlikely match given that, well, he is The Thief and Eddisian (though a member of the royal house), and she had his right hand cut off, for thieving among other things.  I had my doubts about this couple.  In this book, we get glimpses of their marriage, hints of their relationship, which we initially have to put together and puzzle out.

By this point in the stories, we know who Eugenides is and just what he is capable of. The Attolians have no idea; they disdain their new king as the "goatfoot" whom they believe forced their Queen into marriage.  Part of the great fun of this book is watching them completely and utterly underestimate Eugenides.  He plays to their ignorance, giving them plenty of rope.  In this he reminds me very much of Dorothy Dunnett's Nicholas, hilariously playing the knave while putting his elaborate, byzantine schemes into play.  We watch, waiting for him to strike, and to triumph.

This isn't just for Eugenides' entertainment, and it isn't just a game.  There is a very serious issue at stake.  Due to internal divisions, Attolia needs a king to unite the barons and lesser lords.  Eugenides doesn't want to rule, but he must, or the country could fall to civil war or invasion.  Here, the struggle is with himself, to accept his destiny.  In this (and in his sometimes lashing tongue), he reminds me also of Dunnett's Francis Crawford.  At the same time, he must force the court, and especially the Queen's Guard, to accept him, and respect him, if he is to rule.

There is one further book in this series (so far), but I'm going to save it for a while.  This one was so completely satisfying, and I don't want to rush on to the next one, especially since it's the last one!  (so far.)