In The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, Greg Keyes has crafted a brilliant saga of magic, adventure, and love set against a backdrop of clashing empires and an ancient, reawakened evil. Now, with The Born Queen, Keyes brings his epic to a masterly close, gathering the strands of plot and character into a stunning climax that both completes and transcends all that has gone before. The Briar King is dead, and the world itself follows him to ruin. Aspar White, wounded and tired, must embark on one last quest to save the forest and the people he loves, but he has little hope of success. Anne Dare at last sits on the throne of Crotheny, but for how long? The Church, now led by the corrupt and powerful Marche Hespero, has declared a holy war against her, giving the king of Hansa the pretext he needs to unleash his vast might on the young queen and her unready army. But Hansa is the least of Anne's worries. The Hellrune, war seer of Hansa, strikes at her through vision and prophecy. The Kept-last of the elder Skasloi lords-weaves his own dark webs. Anne's teacher and ally in the sedos world might also be her worst enemy, and Anne's own mounting strength compels her toward madness. Surviving these dangers and mastering her eldritch abilities are merely prelude to the real struggle. There are many-some with power matching or even exceeding Anne's own-who are willing to kill in order to seize control. For whoever sits upon the throne will have the ultimate command to bring about the world's salvation-or its apocalypse.
"From the Hardcover edition."
Reviews
Praise for Greg Keyes and his novels of The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone The Blood Knight "[A] sophisticated and intelligent high fantasy epic." -Publishers Weekly "Enthralling." -Locus The Charnel Prince "There is adventure and intrigue, swordplay and dark sorcery aplenty." -Realms of Fantasy "Strong world building and superior storytelling." -Library Journal The Briar King "A wonderful tale . . . It crackles with suspense and excitement from start to finish." -Terry Brooks "A graceful, artful tale from a master storyteller . . . [The novel] starts off with a bang, spinning a snare of terse imagery and compelling characters that grips tightly and never lets up." -Elizabeth Haydon, bestselling author of Prophecy: Child of Earth
