This sequel started off strong, with the former friends now grown apart, somewhat disillusioned with their lives, and on different sides of the politiThis sequel started off strong, with the former friends now grown apart, somewhat disillusioned with their lives, and on different sides of the political conflicts of the day. It promised to be a deeper, more intense work than The Three Musketeers. Sadly, it just turned into a series of episodic adventures that were only loosely linked together. Every time the action would pick up I would think: finally! Now the plot starts! But then the action would stall, or be quickly resolved, and there'd be couple chapters of filler before the next adventure started. ...more
**spoiler alert** So much of this book was a fascinating look at what life was like in Kaboul under the Taliban, and the spiritual and emotional impac**spoiler alert** So much of this book was a fascinating look at what life was like in Kaboul under the Taliban, and the spiritual and emotional impact it had on the inhabitants of the city. I was impressed that a male author was able to empathize so much with what women's lives were like under fundamentalism.
I'd give most of the book four stars .... but when one of the women sacrificed her life so that her husband might be happy with another woman, I lost all respect for the author. It was so unrealistic. Imagine if, at the end of The Handmaids Tale, one of the handmaids sacrificed herself so that the rulers of Gilead would be happy. It was that bad.
This was more of the same stuff we got in the first book - though this time the story is starting to wear thin. The warriors are all gruff and manly, This was more of the same stuff we got in the first book - though this time the story is starting to wear thin. The warriors are all gruff and manly, the priests are all whiny and useless (except for one who is gruff and manly), the battle scenes are all lovingly described, and Alfred keeps making bad decisions and has to be rescued over and over by Uhtred.
There's also a queen who knows magic. It's starting to feel more like a fantasy series than a historical novel.
Fans of the battle scenes from the first book will be pleased. I'm not sure there's much here for those of us who were hoping Cornwell would develop deeper or more complex characters. ...more
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