King's Dragon by Kate ElliottMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really loved this book. It was one of those rare ones that I took my time to savor without thinking about what I was going to be reading next. As with many books that I've loved, it's hard to explain why. I really just love Kate Elliott's writing. Her world is so vivid and real, with a deep sense of history and of hidden things that will be revealed. At the same time, she also makes me care about and fear for the characters so effortlessly, and because of the characters, the world feels very immediate rather than overwhelmingly epic.
I honestly had no idea where the story was headed for much of the time - this isn't a quest-type fantasy with a stated goal. It takes place in an alternate medieval kingdom teeming with heresy, hypocrisy, treachery, and violence. Kingdom politics and inhuman coastal raiders. Ancient magic, forbidden knowledge, reverence for learning, true piety, and evil sorcery. The feeling of the world is amazingly real with both awe and danger. I loved the sense of place. This was really great historical fantasy, both recognizable and foreign to our own medieval time.
Some people might find the plot slow, but I didn't find it dull. I enjoyed both of the main viewpoints. Two young, unrelated characters find themselves caught in the middle of affairs they don't understand. Both start out in very humble circumstances and have much to learn and sometimes much to suffer. Although they are important to events, they are not instantly transformed into saviors of the world. They have their parts to play, but they don't grow too far beyond themselves and their beginnings. I am really looking forward to seeing where this is going and what they grow into, and to having more of the world revealed. I have six more books to savor, and I plan to take my time.
I highly recommend this to fans of both historical fiction and fantasy - it's a fantastic blend of both.
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