Book 2 of the Dagger and the Coin - The King's Blood

I eagerly await the next book in the series, which is presumably when the plot starts.

Seriously, WAY too much Geder the sociopathic manchild in this one. Somehow the first book made me care about a bank location, but this one just shrugs and moves on to...yeah, I dunno. Between casual sex with repugnant men that she can later turn to her advantage and preying on widows because of possible future dividends, Cithrin is becoming as unlikable as real bankers. Hooray for verisimilitude, I guess.

Kit and Wester may yet redeem the series, though. I can hope.

A well-detailed story in the genre of GoT. Daniel Abraham creates a very believable world with well-defined characters. Much of the story including book two follows a series of characters. Cathrin bel Secour is one of the strong female leads in the story which revolves around a young women growing in power and influence. The male characters are equally well-defined. There's real heroes and villains and some in between. It's hard to comment on Book 2 since there's really no story unless you finish all five. Each book ends in a cliff hanger and you really must read the series. My only criticism is something which happens on a lot of the these multi-part, padding. Each chapter starts with extensive descriptive prose talking about the room, the dress, the weather, etc., etc. At some point I start scanning this filler and get to the dialog and the plot. With that said, I gave it a high rating because the plot and characters are really good.

Overall Rating = 4 & 1/2 Stars

Daniel Abraham's debut series had a lot of readers and critics praising his original premise and that did get fans excited for his next series which was a move back to the favored pseudo-European setting. This series was also going to be an amalgam of some classic literature as well as genre favorites. The first book in the series really gave the readers a nice look into the world created by the author wherein dragons ruled a long time ago and created the thirteen races. The main characters were introduced and enough intrigue was created.

With the King's Blood, we are once again swept in to the world of the Dragons. Cithrin has been successful with her moves and in setting up a front for the Medean bank in costal city of Porte Olivia what she didn't bargain for, are the chains the bank would set on her in the form of a clerk who cross-checks her each and every move. Geder Palliako never thought his star would ever rise so high but as the royal regent he now holds the most powerful court position and enjoys a good comfort level with his ward prince Aster. He however does not know that his ascent has only begun and further events will propel him into the limelight unsuited for him. Dawson and Clara Killiam are further faced with trials as they weave familial and political situations and try to do the right thing. Lastly there's Master Kit who remembers his past life and decides that the time has come for him to step back in his earlier life and accomplish what he first set out to do.

Thus begins the second chronicle of the Dagger and the Coin, the author has raised the stakes in this book by further evolving the characters from the roles that they were assigned or deemed to follow. Characterization has always been Daniel Abraham's forte and he absolutely shines in this book as well. Geder, Cithrin, Dawson, Clara and Marcus are all rounded individuals however the author completely immerses the reader in their thoughts and actions and fleshes them out to such an extent that it becomes harder to differentiate between their good and bad sides. Particularly Geder and Dawson, these two characters are ones whose actions can particularly viewed in a horrific light however the author manages to make the reader connect with them and particularly create doubt in the reader's minds.

This book's theme is about the folly of certainty and the actions based on it. There are a few lines in the book that highlight it well:
"Truth and lies, doubt and certainty. I haven't found them to be what I thought they were. I dislike certainty because it feels like the truth, but it isn't. If justice is based on certainty, but certainty is not the truth, atrocities become possible. We're seeing the first of them now. More will come".

The author very conveniently plays with this theme and it is largely prevalent in the lives of Geder and Dawson, both of whom have the most upheavals in this book. Cithrin and Marcus however are not entirely exempt from this but their journey is more of an introspective one that makes them realize what they wish to do with their lives from this point forward. The POV count is also kept the same however the next book might see the introduction of a new character or two. In this regard the author has learnt a thing or two from his mentor and friend George R.R. Martin, namely the pitfalls in introducing more and more POV characters thereby complicating the story threads. The author keeps a tight rein on the storyline and keeps it focused with the help of the limited number of POVs.

Lastly the pacing of this book is much smoother than the first one and also with the addition of the taxonomy of the races, the classification seem to help the readers in understanding the differences in the races prevalent. The only negative for me in this book would be that this book lacks the EPIC feel that this series is supposed to be about, as right now it's more focused on the action of the few that will lead to repercussions for the many. Perhaps the author intends to change this in the last three books but I would like the epic part of the story to begin as well so we can truly get to see this story come alive and discover more about the dragons and other mysteries of this world. The magic as well as the world setting if further explored will add to awesomeness of the series.

CONCLUSION: Daniel Abraham has crafted a worthy sequel and perhaps a better book in terms of plot, characters and pace. All in all The King's Blood was the first 2012 fantasy that satisfied my expectations and will figure in my year end lists for sure.

Daniel Abraham's beautiful descriptions and complex character development combined with a great story-line take his books from being good stories to being true literature. While several of the main characters are generally admirable, other characters are simultaneously portrayed as being admirable, repulsive and sympathetic. So while the story line is excellent and the environment well illustrated it is the character development that is so often lacking in science fiction and fantasy books that takes center stage and make his books exceptional.

The King's Blood continues where the Dragon's Path leaves off and if anything is even more compelling.

You will not regret the time you invest in reading the books of Daniel Abraham's "Dagger and Coin" series!

Abraham has created an intriguing world, and does a good job in creating characters that are neither wholly good nor evil (which, unfortunately, does make it a little harder to root for individuals or to hate them).

Sadly, Abraham spends a fair amount of time on soap-opera-like conversations and social interactions, rather than pursuing the very intriguing ideas and concepts that underly his world. The book has bouts of brilliance and bouts of inanity. Like so many authors these days, he's stretching things out to make multiple volumes, rather than crafting what could have been an iconic work. I'm particularly minded of what happened to David Weber's Safehold series, which also started out with an intriguing premise and got very bogged down. Fortunately, Abraham hasn't fallen so low, and his boring interludes can be skimmed to find the real gems. Honestly, it's almost as if there are two authors ... Daniel and Danielle.

I will buy the third book because of the promise of bringing things to a rousing, interesting conclusion. However, I suspect we are not nearly ready for a conclusion, so only time will tell.

Fantastic. Literally couldn't put the second half of this book down. Abraham is an excellent storyteller. The series is very streamlined, focusing on the major characters and relevant events. It makes the book shorter and a faster read, but is no way shortcuts the characterizations. Can't wait for the next book!

Imperial Antea, the greatest nation in the world, is on the rise. Thanks to the hitherto-unexpected skills of Geder Palliako, a young nobleman, a conspiracy to murder the heir to the Antean throne has been exposed and defeated. Now the Anteans are pursuing the roots of the conspiracy into neighbouring Asterilhold, an investigation which threatens to explode into full-scale war. Baron Dawson Kalliam is summoned to serve his country, but as he works with Geder he discovers the shadowy roots of Geder's new political skills and is left with a critical decision to make.

Across the continent, Cithrin Bel Sarcour's position as the face of the new Medean Bank in Porte Olivia is undermined by the arrival of a new notary determined to stop Cithring doing her job. Furious, Cithrin undertakes a journey to Carse to convince the leaders of the bank that she can do the job. This fateful decision will lead her into the heart of the growing storm that threatens to plunge the known world into chaos and war.

The King's Blood is the second novel in The Dagger and the Coin and the sequel to last year's promising opening volume in the sequence, The Dragon's Path. With this series Daniel Abraham has moved away from the Asian-tinged fantasy of his debut Long Price Quartet in favour of tackling a more traditional, Western European-based fantasy. Whilst he's moved the date to one later than normal (Renaissance Europe rather than the traditional medieval period, with a banking institution modelled on the Medici), he's still swimming in more familiar waters.

However, this move has not dented his enthusiasm or writing skills. The Dragon's Path was a very solid opening novel, but The King's Blood eclipses it on almost every level. The writing is more confident and assured. The characterisation is richer, both of the established cast (Cithrin develops into a more layered character than before; Marcus Wester's psychological state becomes clearer; Geder becomes a lot more disturbing) and of relative newcomers. Clara Kalliam had a subplot in The Dragon's Path but in this novel develops into a key protagonist as she deals with a minor scandal in her family and then has to engage with the developing political crisis. There is more action, including a skirmish with pirates and several sieges and battles, but also more introspection as the characters evolve into more fully-realised figures. Particularly fascinating are Yardem and Marcus, a fine fantasy double-act who provide a great deal of the book's humour but are also potentially storing up tragedy between them.

The worldbuilding is also improved upon from The Dragon's Path, where the differences between the various kingdoms and the thirteen distinct races of mankind were not very well-established. This is immensely improved upon in The King's Blood (and not just by the addition of a glossary), with the world becoming more convincing and the distinctions between the races better-established. An area that requires more work, however, is the political landscape in Antea, which still feels somewhat under-developed. This wasn't so much a problem in the first novel, but risks becoming an issue in The King's Blood, particularly in the concluding section of the novel which suffers a little from a lack of scope due to the very narrow focus.

The book unfolds at a fairly swift pace, which results in the pages flying by so fast that the book's end, and the resulting year-long wait for Book 3, comes upon the reader unexpectedly. The book's excellence overcomes the occasional resorting to epic fantasy contrivance (journeys are either major undertakings or are completely skipped over depending on plot needs) or its inspirations being worn a little too openly on the sleeve (the Geder plotline's parallels to the Londo Mollari storyline in Babylon 5 risk it becoming predictable until it starts to swerve away from that structure late in the novel).

The King's Blood (*****) has a few minor flaws but overall is a very fine epic fantasy novel, a huge improvement over the already-fine Dragon's Path, and notable for its focus on finely-judged characterisation as much as the more traditional furniture of the genre. It's also a fast, addictive read that elevates The Dagger and the Coin into the position of one of the finest in-progress fantasy series around at the moment. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

This is an awesome story. it keeps you rivitted even though it has comparatively fewer battle scenes than is typical. Yet there is both action and political intrigue andgreat plot twists. I highly recommend this series. I can't wait for the next one to come out.