Authors K

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Darkest Road, The (Review 2/22/94)
The last of the Fianovar Tapestry trilogy. In this book, we find out: does Darien choose Light or Dark? How will Rakoth Maugrim be defeated? Will Arthur, Guinivere, and Lancelot end up same as always? Will the Earth people make it home?
A good ending for the trilogy. The series itself is good, but I still don't think it was as good as Tigana. I give it a B+.

Lions of Al-Rassan, The (Review 8/13/96)
A story of holy and secular war in lands reminiscent of the Middle East and Spain. Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan are two of the most able fighters and strategists around, and each of a different faith; Jehane bet Ishak is the physician who loves them both, and is of a third faith reviled by the faiths of the other two.
Somewhat predictable story, but the characters are more engaging than the ones in the Fionavar Tapestry. Tigana still shines above them, but it was an enjoyable read. I give it a B.

Song for Arbonne, A (Review 6/3/94)
Arbonne is a woman-ruled country where the finer things are appreciated: music, love, etc. Gorhaut is a northern country, where warfare and politics -- and oppressed women -- are the way of life. After the new, debased king of Gorhaut signs a treaty selling a portion of Gorhaut that the old king died fighting to keep, Blaise goes to Arbonne to show his displeasure and defy his father. Eventually, the army of Gorhaut follows the High Elder of the god Corannos to Arbonne to scourge (read rape and burn) the country of the priestesses of the goddess, Rian.
Very well written, and very moving. I give it an A.

Summer Tree, The (Review 1/29/94)
Paul, Kim, Dave, Kevin, and Jennifer are taken to the world of Fionavar by Loren Silvercloak and his source, Matt. There, all five are changed in some way -- some physically as well as mentally and emotionally.
Not as good as Tigana, but interesting nonetheless. The biggest problem I had with it is that these five accepted the possibility of magic and other worlds far too easily and without real reason. Although they were all supposed to meet their destinies on this other world, and so may have had a "genetic pre-disposition" to acceptance, it still rang a little hollow. Not bad overall, but not the work of genius Tigana was. I give it a B.

Tigana (Review 11/3/93)
Brandin, the Sorceror King of Ygrath and invader of the Western Palm, loses his son in a battle with the people of the province of Tigana. He imposes the magical revenge of non-identity: no one that is neither a wizard nor born in Tigana before Stevan's death can understand or remember the name. A group of people maneuver to rid the Palm-both East and West-of the Tyrants Brandin of Ygrath and Alberico of Barbadior. Led by Alessan, the last Prince of Tigana, the final battle approaches...
Incredible. Amazing plot twists and details, wonderful (if occasionally cardboard) characters. Philosophical in the effects of memory and history, and the lengths people will go to when faced with difficult decisions. Intimidating length (670 pages), but easy to get into. Highly recommended. I give it an A.

Wandering Fire, The (Review 2/8/94)
The second of the Fionavar trilogy. The five go back to Fionavar, and Kevin and Jennifer find their places in the Tapestry. An unnatural winter has hit the land, and they must not only find out how and who, but stop it.
Better than the first. I give it a B+.

Dolores Claiborne (Review 8/93)
Dolores is accused of killing her employer. She claims innocence, but admits to killing her husband long ago. The entire book is her confession to two police and a stenographer -- with no breaks (i.e. chapters).
Better than Gerald's Game, but not as good as most of his stuff. On par with Eyes of the Dragon, I'd say. Not recommended, but also not one must avoid at all costs.

Four Before Midnight (Review 1/14/91)
Four short stories of the horror genre.
"The Langoliers" is about a group of people who fly through a rift in time/space -- somewhat intense, a little cheesy at parts, but a real good ending.
"Secret Window, Secret Garden" is about an author who is haunted by past plagiarism. Predictable, but still suspenseful.
"The Library Policeman" is about an alien fear vampire that is trying to come out of hibernation, and tries to take a host through his childhood fears. Sort of gross at parts, relies on the old SK stand-by of childhood memories. Mysterious.
"The Sun Dog" is about a camera that only takes pictures of a dog -- and the dog wants out of the picture. Intense, chilling. Good SK.
Overall, a good collection of novellas -- not his best, but far from his worst.

Gerald's Game (Review 3/93)
My first thoughts on reading the last word: "Thank God it's over."
Jessie Burlingame is handcuffed to the bed by her husband, and to make a long story short, he dies and she has to get herself loose.
This has to be the worst Stephen King I've ever read -- and it's not much compared to other authors, either. Suspenseful? No. Boring. It dragged. He had to add two unconnected subplots to keep it from getting too boring, but it didn't quite work. It wasn't scary, or interesting, or inspiring/inspired. It was simply bad. I hope Dolores Claiborne is better, or I've quit reading King.

Needful Things (Review 2/10/91)
The devil comes to Castle Rock, and he's selling people what they think are their dreams. In return, they agree to play "harmless" tricks on their neighbors -- tricks designed to inflame already sore relations. Needless to say, things get ugly quickly, and people die (body count at least 10 individuals, plus others lost in the shuffle). Once again, the ultimate weapons are simple, insignificant things that are actually staples of the people to whom they belong; the late Todd Pangborn's can of nuts, and father Alan's hand shadows and magic tricks.
Not his best work, but involving nonetheless. Lots of neat references to the other Castle Rock books and stories (Cujo, Dead Zone, "The Body", "The Sun Dog", and so on). Mediocre for Stephen King, but still good.

Bad Place, The (Review 4/93)
Frank wakes up with no memory and a being with strange powers trying to kill him. Then he sleeps again, and awakes with blood on his shirt -- or black sand, or an insectoid creature that doesn't seem to be from this planet. Not to mention money. He hires Bobby and Julie, PI's, to help him, but none of them know that Julie's brother (with Down's Syndrome) is also aware of the Bad Thing, and he knows it's coming to do harm.
Riveting. Gruesome at times, chilling quite often, but never boring. Recommended for horror fans. The writing style doesn't flow quite as well as Stephen King, but has a genuine bizarreness all its own.

Lightning (Review 8/93)
Laura's life is changed more than once by a time-traveler who appears with the lightning. But another man calls him traitor, which he is.
The time-travelling aspects -- and issues regarding paradox -- are handled well. The way he melds the past/present together works quite well, and he keeps secrets hidden wonderfully. An exceptional book. Highly recommended.

Midnight (Review 4/17/94)
The citizens of Moonlight Cove are being changed-but are they being turned into the New People that some of them secretly believe they are, or the "regressive" beasts that seem to be killing people. Will Tess (the obligatory strong-willed female), Sam (the obligatory strong male, accepting and supportive of the female and her perfect compliment), Christy (the daughter of a changed couple), and Howard (a disabled 'Nam veteran and owner of Moose, the obligatory intelligent animal) survive? Well, of course, but it still makes for a good story.
Predictable on one level, but not bad. B if you've read other Koontz, A- if not.

Shadowfires (Review 9/93)
Rachel Leben is divorcing her geneticist husband, but as he storms away from her, he's struck by a truck. He's dead... but not for long.
Not one of his better ones. The main characters are about like all of his other main characters, and the plot isn't as intriguing as Lightning. Still, a good book.

Watchers (Review 8/93)
A government experiment results in two escaped animals-an intelligent golden retriever, and the part baboon, part ? that hates him and is out to kill him. Travis and Nora work together to save him from the beast, the government, and the assassin who wants to sell him to the Russians-or the highest bidder.
Great! Highly recommended.

Book of Laughter and Forgetting, The (Review 8/12/2001)
I'm not going to try to summarize the plot, partly because it's been a while since I actually read (most of) it and partly because there's no point in trying. The book is part fiction, part autobiography, and very disjointed. Thinking of each chapter as a short story might help, but trying to make a connection between them all was too much for me to manage. I didn't care for it, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Adept, The (Review 8/93)
with Deborah Turner Harris
Adam Sinclair is a psychiatrist and a sorcerer. Peregrine is a young artist who has a psychic "vision" that he cannot yet control, partially because he believes he is going crazy. When the "Fairy Flag", a talisman given to the Clan McLeod by the fairies, is stolen, Adam and Peregrine get with Noel MacLeod to find the evil perpetrator.
Quite good. Rather different from Katherine's Deryni books (the DTH influence, I suppose), which is actually good (although I love the Deryni books...) I will definitely be reading the other two (Lodge of the Lynx and Templar Treasure).

Bastard Prince, The (Review 1/23/96)
Six years after Javan's death, Rhys Michael is still a pawn of the council. But when Miklos of Torenth takes a castle in Gwynedd and threatens to christen Mark Festil's son in it, the council has no choice but to let him meet the prince. Suddenly, Rhysem finds a number of allies where before he knew none....
Well written, with a satisfying ending. Not as emotionally charged -- or as gruesome -- as the previous two, but a decent ending to the trilogy. B+.

Harrowing of Gwynedd, The (Review 6/93)
Evaine and company attempt to bring Camber back to life, as other Deryni use a religious cult to pull their brethren underground.
I had forgotten why I liked her books so much. The first time I tried to read this I was going through an emotional time of my own and the images were a little too vivid (and gruesome) for me. This time, I got past the gruesomeness and enjoyed the story. Exceptional.

King Javan's Year (Review 1/19/96)
Alroy dies, and Javan leaves the priesthood he never wanted, in order to become king -- much to the dismay of Alroy's former regents. When he becomes too independent, the ex-regents decided they have to do something to fix the situation.
As usual, an emotional tale of loyalty and betrayal. Much better than the second book for most trilogies. A.

King Kelson's Bride (Review 8/12/2001)
Liam-Lajos, the young king of Torenth, has reached the age of his majority and must return to Torenth to be king. Because of this, and the 200 year history of enmity between Torenth and Gwynedd, Kelson (king of Gwynedd) is under supreme pressure to find a bride, since his first died and the love of his life refuses to marry him.
Yet another tale of loyalty and betrayal, but well-told, as usual. I don't know if I'm getting more discerning, though -- I found several places where I wondered why certain paragraphs (or sentences) hadn't been edited out. A good read, and a nice "chapter" in Kelson's life for those who have read the earlier novels and want to know what happens next. I'm a little intrigued to see what happens next, despite myself.... I give it a B, especially for loyal fans of Ms. Kurtz.

Legacy of Lehr, The (Review 7/25/95)
Wallis and Mather have gone to the planet B-Gem and captured 4 of the blue Lehr cats. When the murders begin aboard the luxury liner they're using to transport the cats, they enlist the help of the ship's doctor to find out if the cats are capable of more than they thought, or is there a person with supernatural abilities aboard?
Not bad, but she should stick to fantasy.

Lodge of the Lynx, The (Adept #2) (Review 12/7/93)
with Deborah Turner Harris
Adam Sinclair has his hands full. The Lodge of the Lynx is killing Freemasons, and he must get his band together to find them, and stop them. Along the way, Gillian Talbot (aka Michael Scot) must be restored to health before Peregrine can be admitted to the Hunting Lodge. Add a love interest (Ximena) and an army (!) and it gets a bit interesting.
Not as good as the last one, I think, but an entertaining read. I give it a C+.

Templar Treasure, The (Adept #3) (Review 12/93)
with Deborah Turner Harris
Adam, Noel, and Peregrine are at it again. This time, an old friend of Adam's is killed by two men who have stolen what may be the Seal of Solomon. The Seal can be used to open a casket that imprisons two demons -- and the Huntsmen must stop the theives before they do it.
Lots of history regarding the Templar Knights and Bonnie Dundee. Entertaining. This one gets a B.

Swordspoint (Review 12/1/94)
Richard St Vier is the best swordsman, hired by nobles to "challenge" (usually to the death) those who have wounded their honor; Alec is his lover with a mysterious past. When St Vier refuses a potential contract, Alec is abducted -- but St Vier's revenge is fraught with more risks than one might think.
Excellent book. At first I thought I wouldn't like her writing style, but it became very easy and pleasant. Court intrigues and politics abound, with characters that certainly aren't two-dimensional (they don't exactly "come alive", but they are more complex than they could be). A-.

Thomas the Rhymer (Review 5/2/95)
This is the story of True Thomas, a harper of great skill, and the story of the people in his life -- Meg and Gavin, who become his "foster parents", of a sort, and the girl (and later woman) Elspeth. When Thomas disappears for seven years, he is changed in ways that are hard to believe.
Very good. Once again, I thought I would have a problem with the language and style, but it was actually very easy to get into. I give it an A.

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©2001 Eric E. Karnowski, All Rights Reserved.