The Kingdom of Liars: A Novel
by Nick Martell is the author's debut book and stars Michael Kingsman. That
matters because he is the son of David Kingsman, the murderer of the King's nine-year-old
son. Dad is dead and considered by nearly everyone to be a murderer and a
traitor to the Hollows (a city state in this fictional world). The nobility
that rules the Hollows are at war with each other as well as the Rebels who
seek to overthrow the nobility and usurp the King. Not only has the King done a
terrible job of leading his country, the death has set off a battle with the
remaining children who want the throne as well as other members of royal families
who believe they now have an opportunity to claim it. The King’s most likely
heir is commonly called the Corrupt Prince for his hedonistic and sadistic
behavior. The common folk, as they are everywhere, are stuck between all these
warring factions who do not care about who they hurt, maim, and kill.
In this world, magic is a rare gift that is tightly
controlled by the nobility. To use it, you will lose something of your memory. It
might be a little memory or it might be your own name. The nobility uses magic as
a weapon as the people do not have access to magic. Magic is great until
somebody puts a bullet in your head and the people have plenty of guns.
Michael Kingsman is determined to protect his family
and uncover the truth about his father's crimes. Did he really kill the king's
son or was he framed? To find out, he needs to work his way into the ranks of
the nobility to have any chance of finding out anything. He has to try, despite
the fact they all hate him for apparently good reason, as well as the fact that
he has gaps in his memory going back to events in his childhood. Those gaps
could hold clues to what really happened. If his mind was altered, how can he
trust himself or figure out what the truth is?
The supporting cast in The Kingdom of Liars: A
Novel by Nick Martell is very diverse and different. Everyone has realistic
motivations and evolves throughout the novel. Michael Kingsman is complicated
and makes clever decisions at times and at other times makes decisions based on
emotion that may or may not be the right one.
One of the more entertaining characters is an all
and friend, Kia. A blind noble who offers a lot of funny commentary. One of
which is, “I can't tell where we are going, but I never can tell where we are
going.”
While the author does tend to lean into cliches at points, overall, this debut novel is very good. This very good read is followed by The Two-Faced Queen. That came out earlier this year and remains on order by the Dallas Public Library System. I have a hold for a copy when it finally arrives.
The Kingdom of Liars: A
Novel
Nick Martell
Saga Press (Simon &
Schuster, Inc.)
June 2020
ISBN#: 978-1-5344-3778-4
Hardback
608 Pages
My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2021
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment