A Conspiracy of Kings
by Megan Whalen Turner
Greenwillow Books
March 2010
A Conspiracy of Kings is the fourth installment in the popular Queen's Thief series. I have to say, particularly with the popularity of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, The Thief is an easy sell for me. Once I mention that it's set in a fantasy world that is loosely based on Ancient Greece, it's usually game-over and the kid I'm recommending it to will check it out that very day. The only thing that I've ever found frustrating about this series is the four or five year wait in-between volumes!
In a lot of ways, A Conspiracy of Kings feels like the anti-thesis of The Thief. Where The Thief is about Eugenides, a clever and determined spy who has used his finely-honed abilities to scrabble out of of poverty and into the queen's favor, this story features Sophos, a young noble and heir apparent to the throne of the kingdom of Sounis who is thrown into poverty and slavery as he makes his escape from assassins who attempt to slaughter his family for political gain. There's quite a bit of travel in this book, which is another feature I usually enjoy in fantasy. Sophos gradually makes his way across the continent (having been assumed lost or dead) gathering intelligence that will stop the kingdom of Mede (loosely based on the Turkish Empire?) from making their play for control over their neighbors.
I was a little surprised that Gen is such a minor character in this book. Reportedly, Turner is working on a fifth book in the series, but details about the next book are hazy. If her current pattern holds up, I'd put my money on another book coming out in 2015.
I borrowed this book from the library.
I love this series so much. But...Sophos is not my favorite character. I missed Gen in this installment.
ReplyDeleteI heard two more books! Which means a really long wait.