The Saints of the Sword: Book Three of Tyrants and Kings

by John Marco

Book Overview

John Marco presents the riveting conclusion to his sweeping fantasy saga -- in which three unlikely allies stand united against a terrifying crisis that threatens to devastate a world. Biagio, Emperor... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B002C4A0MA
• ISBN13: 9780553580327
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 720 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

No more drugs for Biagio.... Nar at war

Sad to say that it is probably the last of it ever...... or maybe not, but this book makes John Marco in the highest rank of fantasy writers.I know that the Tyrants and Kings trilogy is dedicated to Tolkien and all the good fantasy writer of last century, but it is an original book nonetheless, made with engineering and some 'magic'.This book would be, since the begining of the trilogy, centered over Biagio, so says the author.We do not know many things about Biagio for a start, even if he is spymaster in the other books, so whoever that has any bad comments about the new fate of Biagio is only a incoherent stupid child that as not read the book carefully.SO, if you think that Richius will be the main character of the book, well, it's bad for you, because he isn't.And there is a new character as well. Alazrian, a young man of 16 years old, who as the gift to heal people and blablabla. My intentions aren't to tell you the whole story of the book, so i will make myself short.As usual, John Marco as made a good plot in this book, one that you couldn't even begin to imagine with the two other books...Biagio has stop to drink that juicy drug, so he isn't crazy anymore, so he ask Alazrian a great request, to prevent a world war. And there is Nicabar that is, as usual, angry against the Lissens and want to butcher them all, but he has another fate too.....There is Richius that is staying with Lucyler and his wife to defend Falindar against Praxtin-Tar who wants to conquer it to see the gods again (second book, with Tharn). And then there is Tassis Gayle that plans to wage war over the whole world to conquer Nar and kill that once-a-mad-man Renato Biagio...As usual there is a lot of the story that goes with boat and sailing and engineers, but that makes the book even better and completeAnd there is the Saints of the sword that does not do many thing in the book so shame on the title!Anyway, it's as good as the two other and that one truly demonstrate that Marco is as good as jordan, goodkind, martin etc.And since he is at is third book ever written, and critics put him at a really high level.... we'll see what's next, even if that trilogy is at an end

Sad to See This One Go

Well, after thoroughly enjoying both the first and second books in Marco's series, I must say the third one was no disappointment. The world in which Tyrants and Kings takes place is lavish with detail. From the island of Crote to the halls of Lucel-Lor, Marco's attention to detail paints a wonderful picture in the reader's mind. I still vividly recall images of a seige fom the earlier books.Some of our old friends are here, some are gone, and some new friends have joined the fray. Marco deftly sorts these many storylines into one cohesive plot without any confusion as to who's doing what and, most importantly, without compromising the characters themselves.I'll admit this series isn't for everyone, but it's worth a look. I'm personally looking forward to reading future works by John Marco, and while he says he is through with Nar, I also hope he'll come back one day (and perhaps give us something more with Lucyler, whose depressed presence left a good bit of concern in my mind).

Conclusion cements Marco's status in Fantasy

John Marco should be very proud of himself. The concluding volume of his TYRANTS AND KINGS trilogy was a wonderful read and satisfying conclusion to one of the finest sequences in recent fantasy literature. THE SAINTS OF THE SWORD maintained the high quality of the previous two novels in the series. The action of the battles and interactions of the characters were superbly drawn. One of the themes that came up in this concluding volume was the notion that people can change; redeem themselves. The Emperor Biagio was cast as one of the main villains in the previous two novels, but throughout The Saints of the Sword, Biaigio constantly tried to prove that he was a changed man. He made apologies for his previous dastardly acts and was truthful in Saints, something he was not in previous volumes. Biaigo is a reformed drug user, something that touches upon one of the problems of society today. Herein, Mr. Marco has tied a notion in the fantastic setting with a real world issue, lending credence and believability to his characters and their story.The character or Richius Vantran, who was the primary character in the previous books takes a step back as a secondary, yet very important character. The series began with Richius?s tale, and while not as primary a character in this novel, the story ends with the resolution of his initial struggle. The perspective change of Richius as primary character from the earlier volumes and almost a living legend in this volume was enjoyable.The cast of characters was sizeable, but not overwhelming, there were new characters playing big parts such as Alazarian and returning characters such as Jelena. Mr. Marco balance everything expertly, the drama, the passion and the war. Occasional bits of humor helped to highlight Mr. Marco?s deftness at showing the humanity in a fantastic story of magic, war and fantasy.John Marco has told a compelling, plausible tale with sparkles of magic and wonderful battle scenes. He is one of a new group of superb writers of Speculative Fiction that should be read and held up as the best of the genre.

Very Impressive!

You could probably name this novel redemption of Biagio because this epic conclusion to Marco's impressive fantasy saga is about how Biagio, the sometimes cruel and Mad emperor of Nar tries to change his evil ways and save his empire from invasion BUT he needs the help from some unlikely sources:a boy who is the son and the grandson of the men who are trying to overthrow him and who has magical powers to heal;a group of rebels lead by a charismatic priest and Biagio's nemesis, Richius Vantran, aka the Jackal. Biagio must also betray his old friend Admiral Nicabar by using the Lissans and a Naren sea captain who once idolized Nicabar.Marco's themes of war,revenge and redemption echo through this novel and his world-building skills are still above-average and descriptions of battles on the sea and land are a wonder to behold.I hope he returns to world of empire of Nar! It was quite a journey.

A fitting finale to this epic fantasy series

Nar Emperor Biago vows he wants peace, but all rational thinking person knows the monarch's reputation as a brutal lunatic and nobody believes one word of it. Rather than wait for the expected Biago invasion, one of his governors Elrad of Aramoor joins forces with neighboring King Gayle of Talistan intending to throw Biago off the throne.Although he seeks peace, Biago remains a Machiavellian strategist tossing a "Hail Mary" pass to save his position and his nation. He persuades Elrad's "son," teenager Alazrian, to go on a quest to find the legendary outlawed SAINTS OF THE SWORD so that the sect can locate the exiled ruler of Aramoor and the Triin in a united battle to save Nar from the invaders. The odds of success are decimally close to zero, as each step appears impossible to achieve.The third and final novel in John Marco's "Tyrant and Kings" trilogy is fantasy at its sword and magical best. The story line is fast-paced and filled with intrigue due to the machinations of the leaders who make republicans and democrats look like elementary school children (then again, many politicos do that quite nicely on their own). Alazrian makes this novel work as he brings youthful innocence and compassion to a realm led by treachery and cynicism. Revenge still remains a key theme as it did in the previous tales. Bottom line is that this entire series (see THE JACKAL OF NAR and THE GRAND DEIGN) is some of the best the genre has offered over the past few years.Harriet Klausner