The Cracked Throne

by Joshua Palmatier

Book Overview

She was a child of the slums skilled in the art of survival...Could she harness that talent to save the city from a fiery doom?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756404037
• ISBN13: 9780756404031
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 436 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Engaging!

I loved this book! The setting and scenery around Varis changes drastically in this second book. The magic and fantasy comes to the forefront while Varis as a person, as a character, maintains her sense of self and her values. The writing is phenomenal and the story line is engaging. Read "The Skewed Throne" first, then be prepared for this book to ramp up the adventure, fantasy and imagery to a whole new level. As soon as I turned the last page, I ordered the next and (presumably?) final book in this series- "The Vacant Throne". I can't wait.....

Fantastic Fantasy

Varis continues to be strong and a heroine in the second book of the Throne sequel. The book is a page turner and the description of Amenkor so vivid and alive. Varis and the people of Amenkor protect the city and the Throne with all they have. Reading it I found myself holding my breath waiting to see how it ended. Very intriguing book and I look forward to the third book in the series, The Vacant Throne. The author once again keeps the pages turning.

Book 2 tops Book 1!

This sequel to The Skewed Throne takes the story in both expected and unexpected directions. Former "gutterscum" thief-girl Varis, now Mistress of Amenkor, has all the usual hurdles to clear in adjusting to her new role - not least of which is that her predecessor, having unexpectedly survived Varis's accession to the Skewed Throne, is still hanging about the palace, and whether she is friend or foe is still anyone's guess. Varis's main challenge, in the aftermath of a summer of strange decisions from the throne and double-dealing by many of the Amenkor's merchants, is to feed her city for the winter. This seems like enough to be going on with - particularly given her insistence on providing for the myriad denizens of the city's slums as well as for its more well-heeled citizens; but it soon becomes clear that something much, much worse is coming, and even Varis's uneasy alliance with the Throne may not be enough to save Amenkor from this new (and old) threat. The Cracked Throne is a terrific read, full of surprises both amusing and gut-punching. The villains of the piece are satisfyingly horrible, and the ending is both inevitable and shocking.

Woah

The Cracked Throne is an ambitious continuation of The Skewed Throne. I am happy to say that it improves. Following the events of the last book, Varis is now in a position of greater power. I liked that Palmatier shows Varis and her faults and her working through some of them. For instance, he takes time to acknowledge the fact that she can't read. He addresses that. It makes Varis more rounded. We see her heroics but we also see the mundane. Palmatier did a very good job of creating a history for the Skewed Throne. Very interesting indeed. His enemy, the Chorl, isn't simply a threat to be feared. I found myself sympathetic to them because they aren't just faceless and simply a malevolent force. They also happend to have a reason for what they are doing. I think this added element makes them a better enemy. Makes them a better challenge. I cannot wait for the third book.

Great book!

Great book! The Cracked Throne continues the hard-edged and intriguing story of The Skewed Throne with our heroine Varis, once gutterscum, but now the Mistress of Amenkor. The first chapter is a shocker and the book keeps your interest along the way as Varis learns how difficult it is to sit on the Skewed Throne. The last 150 pages of The Cracked Throne are so tense and filled with danger that I couldn't stop reading. I find so few books that really grab me and this is one of them. I simply could not put the book down and had to find out what happened at the end no matter that it was way past my bedtime. The twists and turns make it all worth while. I loved the first person point of view, and with Varis able to get into other character's heads and experience what they are experiencing made it even cooler. Joshua Palmatier has created an extremely compelling main character, Varis, and put her into a fascinating storyline. Her hard-edged mentality and survival instincts make her an unforgettable character.