The King

by David Feintuch

Book Overview

David Feintuch branched out into the world of magic and adventure with his critically acclaimed novel, The Still. It introduced Rodrigo, the brash young prince of Caledon. Now, his story continues...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441010377
• ISBN13: 9780441010370
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 592 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

At times joyous, at times it brings you to tears

I'm a man and this story simply brought tears out of my eyes at many times during the book, and the ending was incredibly moving and brought me to tears on and off for minutes. i dont cry often. this book is simply that good. however, if you want to read this, it's imperitive that you first read The Still (by the same author).

The King! Another Riveting Book By a Master Writer

Once again, David Feintuch has proven to be one of the better speculative authors today. I'll admit I was disappointed that he was switching genres from science fiction to fantasy, but his brand new fantasy series is not disappointing at all. The King is beautifully written. He has the knack for painting his scenes in a way that the reader is drawn into his imaginary worlds. This same talent is there in his Seafort Saga as well. I strongly recommend The King by David Feintuch.Carol Kluz, author of The Prophecy Unfolds

Roddy is back!

This book held all the promises "The still" made.It is full of surprising twistes, and I especially liked one where Feintuch uses a well-known literal device, but in an extremely different way."The king" is less about politics and plotting, and more about fighting against an overwhelming enemy. The battle scenes were just great. Some of them left me breathless, just like "Children of hope".There are some characters I barely noticed in "The still", who wonderfully came to life in this book, f.ex. Groenfil and Tantroth, but also Tresa.I think the way the relationship between Roddy and Rustin developed was very good and satisfying. You could not really say who was the stronger one.What I especially appreciated was that we found out much more about the still and its usage. That is not the boring magic you have in too many fantasy novels.This book also made clear how extremely different Feintuch's difficult two heroes are. Not once did Roddy really remind me of Nick, and sometimes I even forgot that they share the same creator.And finally, the end. Oh my, how extremely cruel it is! But, should that surprise anyone who at least read "Patriarch's hope"? It also is done greatly how the end could be really seen as ending and final, but still leaves loving readers hope (Reader's hope?) for a third book. Please?

A Genuine Pageturner!

I read The Still as soon as it came out on paperback. Although I wanted to put it down halfway through because of Roddy's character, I continued... and I'm very glad I did. I became extremely attached to Rustin's character.The King continues the story of Roddy's quest to become a man, conquer his foes, and conquer himself. It is not as easy to follow as The Still was because of all the battle scenes (some of the layouts confused me). But, the story is very strong and makes the reader not want to put it down. Very suspenseful, and it really draws you into it! I laughed, cried, despaired, and hope! Few books attach the reader to them so greatly!Although the book seems to go from battle to battle, it has so many other things going on that it doesn't seem overdrawn or dragging... and the ending is quick and like a smash into the wall, but it is satisfying. It isn't like being dragged out forever and then suddenly hitting the end... it's very satisfying how it is paced! Plus, it closes things better than The Still did, but still leaves things open for another book.All that being said... I loved the book, but I was seriously displeased with the changes Feintuch bestowed on Rustin. Instead of a comforting, mature friend that rejoices with Roddy as well as shows his displeasure at Roddy's negative qualities, Rustin becomes more like a nagging mother, never being pleased. I didn't like it at all. Feintuch didn't seem to give him the strength that he was given in The Still. Since he was my favorite character, I was unhappy to have him reduced as much. But, I guess Roddy is the king and focus of the book, not Rustin...It is also pretty dismal with so many deaths! It reminded me of Shakespeare's tragedies.

Long Live Rodrigo!

Another great book by Feintuch. Really glad to finally learn more about Rodrigo ever since first reading The Still a few years back. Hope to see more stories in the world of Rodrigo of Caledon soon as I read this one in less than a day.