The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller
Orbit, 2014. ISBN: 9781841499598
(Age: 16+) Recommended. The Falcon Throne is a high fantasy
novel which successfully follows the lives of a multitude of
characters across three bordering countries, Clemen, Arden and
Harcia.
The novel shows the escalating antagonism between Clemen and Harcia
after Clemen's Duke, Harald, was overthrown by his bastard cousin,
Roric. The seizing of Harald's duchy was unnecessarily bloody
and Roric, who is nothing like his cousin, grieved the loss of his
infant nephew for many years after the supposed slaughter. Roric had
intended only to be a caretaker duke until Liam came of age. Soon
after becoming Duke Roric showed his independent streak to the
duplicitous lords of counsel and unintentionally offended Arden and
Harcia, as well as the Prince Regents. While Roric becomes entangled
in politics, years pass and Liam grows in secret. He was spirited
away the night of the coup by his wet nurse, Ellen. She found
shelter in a Marcher pup called The Pig Whistle and whispered his
story to him each night, encouraging Liam's sense of entitlement and
determination to take back Clemen from the bastard Roric. Living in
the Marches Liam bears witness to the animosity between Harcia's
heir, Balfor, and Clemen's Marcher lords and is forced to choose a
side when his home is destroyed. It soon becomes apparent to Liam
that Harcia is preparing for war with Clemen and he is just where he
wants to be.
With witches, jousting, hunting and court drama, this medieval
fantasy is full of colour, description and believable characters. I
would highly recommend to lovers of fantasy above the age of
sixteen. One of the things which I loved about this book is that it
is has a very distinct feel of Shakespearean drama. Similar to Game
of Thrones it is a massive story which follows more than ten
characters across three different countries, yet it does deter the
reader, only enthral him/her more. I cannot wait to read the next
instalment in The Tarnished Crown Series.
Kayla Gaskell