Wein, Elizabeth E. - The Mark of Solomon: The Lion Hunter
I just babbled endlessly about the first Telemakos book, The Sunbird, and now I will babble endlessly about this book!
Sadly, it is actually half of a book; from Wein's Amazon blog, it seems like the editor wanted more to the original, but then decided to split the book in two, as it was getting a little long for YA. As such, a lot of this book is build-up to what will conclude in the second book, but honestly, it didn't bug me as much as I would have thought.
Much of this is because what happens in the set up is so fascinating, thanks to Wein's clear prose and impeccable eye for character. What I remember isn't how Telemakos and his new sister Athena end up traveling to Himyar to live with the ruler, Abreha. What I remember is how the book is about the aftermath of The Sunbird, from Telemakos' own attempts to deal with the trauma, to how his mother and father and aunt and grandfather deal, to how the events of The Sunbird affect national politics.
I think reading any reviews will spoil you for what happens in the first chapter (much like the first chapter of Queen of Attolia). But I will just say that I love how the aftermath of the first chapter intertwines with the aftermath of The Sunbird, and I absolutely adore Telemakos' new sister Athena and the bond between the two.
Anyway, I am dying to get my hands on the next book, and happy to see that Wein seems to be writing a third Telemakos book (if you count Mark of Solomon as the second). I adore Telemakos and his world and while The Winter Prince is amazing and intense, I also love the slightly gentler but still harsh and real web of relationships in the Telemakos books, particularly Telemakos' family.
I cannot rec these enough! Read them if you want a good story with political intrigue, or a good story with a clever protagonist, or a good story with deep and complex relationships, or a good story set in sixth-century Africa. Actually, just go read them!
Links:
- coffeeandink's review
Sadly, it is actually half of a book; from Wein's Amazon blog, it seems like the editor wanted more to the original, but then decided to split the book in two, as it was getting a little long for YA. As such, a lot of this book is build-up to what will conclude in the second book, but honestly, it didn't bug me as much as I would have thought.
Much of this is because what happens in the set up is so fascinating, thanks to Wein's clear prose and impeccable eye for character. What I remember isn't how Telemakos and his new sister Athena end up traveling to Himyar to live with the ruler, Abreha. What I remember is how the book is about the aftermath of The Sunbird, from Telemakos' own attempts to deal with the trauma, to how his mother and father and aunt and grandfather deal, to how the events of The Sunbird affect national politics.
I think reading any reviews will spoil you for what happens in the first chapter (much like the first chapter of Queen of Attolia). But I will just say that I love how the aftermath of the first chapter intertwines with the aftermath of The Sunbird, and I absolutely adore Telemakos' new sister Athena and the bond between the two.
Anyway, I am dying to get my hands on the next book, and happy to see that Wein seems to be writing a third Telemakos book (if you count Mark of Solomon as the second). I adore Telemakos and his world and while The Winter Prince is amazing and intense, I also love the slightly gentler but still harsh and real web of relationships in the Telemakos books, particularly Telemakos' family.
I cannot rec these enough! Read them if you want a good story with political intrigue, or a good story with a clever protagonist, or a good story with deep and complex relationships, or a good story set in sixth-century Africa. Actually, just go read them!
Links:
- coffeeandink's review