I haven't yet read this book, the fourth and final in Greg Keyes' fantasy series The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone.  In fact, I haven't read the second and third books, but I fully intend to. The first book, The Briar King, was impressive, and my sons agree that the series gets even better as it goes along.  Maybe I shouldn't be reviewing a book second hand, but I wanted to pass along Sean's observations.  He loved The Born Queen, and his comments about the book struck me as something writers might want to ponder. 

He observed that with some of the series he's liked--for example, Orson Scott Card's Ender and Bean books--his reaction upon finishing a book was anticipation for the next installment. With this book, however, he was content to let the story end, because it was perfect.  

Wow.  Imagine a story so satisfying that readers who are deeply invested in the tale and the characters--fantasy readers, no less, who have come to expect an endless string of sequels--are that deeply moved by the rightness of the tale and the skill of the storytelling.  That's a goal worth striving for.

Tags: book reviews

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