Turner, Megan Whalen - A Conspiracy of Kings

[oyceter]

This is the fourth book in the series, the prior three being The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia.

As I think I've noted in all my write ups, you don't want to be spoiled for these books, and moreover, the jacket cover for each subsequent book tends to spoil the previous one.

Massive spoilers

I'm not even going to bother with plot description, since I'm guessing everyone reading this has already read the book.

Sadly, I was disappointed in it.

The beginning was promising, and although I did not find Sophos as interesting a character as Gen, the return to first-person POV, as well as Sophos' main memories of Gen being that of the grubby thief, reminded me a great deal of The Thief. I especially like how much Sophos is an anti-Gen: poor at swordsmanship, no guile to speak of, and a large tolerance for being humiliated. I love how Sophos is a terrible slave and how he paradoxically finds freedom in slavery: no one to disappoint, no expectations to fail. (Of course, he gets away with more than most too.)

I also find it interesting that all three times there is first-person narration in the series, it is a narration for Eddis. Gen's is written instead of spoken, but also at her prompting. That said, the first person worked much better for me in the first section; I don't feel Sophos is sneaky enough to be hiding parts of his narrative, especially when he's relating them to Eddis. As both Turner and Gen point out, everything Sophos thinks is reflected on his face, as such, his trying to misdirect or leave out pieces of information feels rather out of character.

My favorite part was the middle of the book, with Sophos in the Attolian court. Most of this is because much as I liked Sophos, my heart belongs with Gen and Irene. I loved Gen's revelation on when he fell in love with Irene, even though I'm not quite sure it works out in the timeline. I feel like his seeing her dancing in her garden was pre-Thief, since that seems like behavior Irene trained herself out of either early on in her reign or before her reign began. Does anyone know? I loved how much of a brat Gen still is and how everyone, Turner included, realizes this. I love Irene making Gen laugh by implying he would be dead the second she wanted it. I love Irene holding Helen's hand when Sophos goes off. I love Gen smashing his goblet in a temper and siccing tailors on Sophos as a form of affection. But even though the book is about Sophos, who is more a friend to Gen than Costis is, the entire book felt so much more distant than King did.

And then came the next part, which I very much disliked. The explanation that rulers must commit violence in order to keep the peace feels too close to the superhero comics explanation of how a few peacekeepers must have the license to use violence to protect the masses, which is never something I've bought. I don't like that both Gen, who hates killing so, and Sophos, who doesn't seem prone to violence himself, couldn't find a way out. And although I love that Attolia is cold and scary and terrifying, I also don't think she's right.

Finally, I'm still not reconciled with Gen becoming annux. I just... he hates it so! Also, I wish we saw more of the two queens ruling, as opposed to getting the detailed story of how two boys become men and kings, even as one of those boys ends up ruling over everyone. I was desperately hoping Turner would think of something else—a treaty, marrying everyone's offspring together, who knows—but it is still Gen as annux. I am not sure I will like the direction the next few books go in if they are like this. I wanted more of Sophos, Gen, Irene, and Helen all plotting together instead of having it seem mostly like Gen.

I am also so sad that the country of Eddis looks like it's about to be destroyed. Especially because I remember Gen and Helen talking about their dream of the volcano in Queen, and I thought Helen assured Gen that it wouldn't happen in their lifetime. As it were, it feels like a bit of a retcon to have Eddis swear fealty to Attolis, because while I can see why Sounis would, Eddis never seemed to have a good reason to, especially after Gen's marriage.

Side question: Why is Attolia the country called "Attolia" and not "Attolis"? It doesn't seem as though the name of the country changes depending on the ruler (Attolia seemed to be called "Attolia" even when Irene's father was king).

Links:
Given the way these books work, assume all reviews are spoilery.
- sartorias' review
- yasaman's review
- rachelmanija's review

Comments

[meganbmoore]

Yeah, I don't like the whole "Gen takes over the world and hates it" aspect here. I don't know that I completely agreed with the reasoning given for it in King, but I don't mind his ruling Attolia even though he doesn't like it so he can be with Irene, but it almost feels like "well, one of them is going to take over the world, so it might as well be Gen." And the way it's playing out, it's turning from Gen's Tale (which is fine) to omething more along the lines of The Great Tales of Men (which I sigh at).

[kate_nepveu]

Oh good, I'm not the only one.

[lnhammer]

*scrunching eyes closed to avoid teh spoilers because janni only JUST finished the book last night so I haven't had the chance to start reading*

*eyes still closed how's my typicg?*

[jadelennox]

I thought it was more good than enjoyable, if that makes sense. Like you, my heart belongs with Gen and Irene, and I couldn't connect as much with Sophos. And it hurts me to see them all moving into a situation in which none of them wants: Eddis about to be destroyed, Gen having to be a ruler instead of a friend, all of them having to be the kind of people they don't want to be. But on the other hand, I think it's a really good construction, and really unexpected. It's not what I've come to expect from fantasy constructions of divinely-destined royalty, and I like that.

(I think the Attolia thing -- as well as the fact that Helen is not called "Eddia" -- are left over from the fact that she didn't have the series in mind when she wrote book 1.)

[starlady]

There was a short story that explained that the gods told Helen to call herself Eddis, because she would be the last, but I think you're right about the inital explanation for that and for 'Attolia.'

[starlady]

I don't like that both Gen, who hates killing so, and Sophos, who doesn't seem prone to violence himself, couldn't find a way out. And although I love that Attolia is cold and scary and terrifying, I also don't think she's right.

See, I think that was the point, that there was literally nothing to be done, that even Gen couldn't think of an alternative. And I don't think Attolia is right either, necessarily, and I don't think even she thinks that she's morally right, but politically speaking, she was certainly correct.

I had far fewer problems with this book than you, evidently, though I did wish it hadn't been so short. But--I don't know, I like Gen as annux. He evidently is so well suited for it, even if he doesn't like it (and I think that eventually he will grow to get used to it, if not actively like it)--and again I sort of see that as the point. He and Sophos do have a lot in common in that respect, that they both made a conscious choice to take their thrones--but then so do Sophos and Attolia, even. And I'd agree that the book still felt more distant than King, though I thought that was less of a problem towards the very end. But clearly the gods have maneuvered Gen to be annux to save Attolis, Sounis and Eddis from the Mede, and I can't help but think that in the next books all four of them--Gen, and the three monarchs who have given them their sovereignty--will really come into their own as a group. I hope so, anyway! The four of them together are so ridiculously awesome, it's just amazing.

And just the ending, with Gen and Sophos and Gen realizing that Sophos hadn't known there were going to be reinforcements at Onea--what can someone as smart as Gen do with loyalty like that, from all three of them? Anything he wants. I'm excited.

[yasaman]

I agree that the book was a little disappointing: I wanted more of Irene and Gen, though I did like Sophos. Also, in retrospect, it's very much an in-between, setting-stuff-up kind of book.

But I actually did like that Sophos had to resort to violence, because I wouldn't have bought anything else. Plotwise, Sophos didn't have the blackmail, leverage, or influence to be able to ascend to his throne and keep the Medes at bay bloodlessly. And as a history major, I really appreciate that Turner shows that these transfers of power are far from easy, and that political problems can't just be dealt with with a stirring speech and the loyalty of a few trusted retainers. For a fantasy series, the Attolia series does really well with the politics: they always seem believable and grounded in history to me.

Anyway, back to Sophos, one of the running themes of the books is how people become rulers, and how they learn to negotiate the conflict between personal desires and moralities and the necessities of king/queenship, and I just love that Turner has them make the hard choices in that conflict. So Sophos resorting to violence made me sad for Sophos, but I would have liked the book rather less if he managed to pull some miraculous non-violent solution off. It just wouldn't have rung true.

As far as Gen as annux goes...I'm reserving judgment on that until the next book. I'm not thrilled with it, but doubtless it will be interesting!

[jinian.livejournal.com]

I have decided that the countries are stably called after the first ruler of each. No idea whether this is Turner's chosen rationale. :) I'd reread for evidence but don't actually own the first two.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I would be much less wary about it if it didn't feel like "Great Tales of Men," especially when there are two very awesome queens around! I am just worried they will always be in the background as the two new kings find their feet.

[oyceter]

Definitely not just you! I got to that point and just went, "Bzuh?"

[oyceter]

Pretty good all things considered! Have you gotten a chance to read it yet?

[oyceter]

I did actually enjoy a lot of the book, at least until the ending, since I was fascinated enough with Sophos as anti-Gen in the beginning to like that, and of course I loved all the scenes in Attolia. I just... the ending really does not sit right with me.

(Haha, I totally agree with you on the names of the countries being retconned!)

[oyceter]

It just seems so unlike the series for him not to think of an alternative! I think one of the reasons I liked the previous books so much were because Gen was working to avoid as much violence as possible, and more often than not, his solution was just as difficult as the violent one (i.e. all of having to become king). I don't think I would have minded the violence for smaller things, but after seeing him steal Hamiathes' Gift for Eddis and steal Attolia for peace and even destroy the House of Erondites without slaughtering people, I wanted something more.

[starlady]

I tend to think, too, that part of the point is that Sounis giving over his sovereignty to Attolis isn't going to solve all of his problems--Gen can help Sophos with external issues, but he had to take care of his domestic problems himself. Attolis did, in the end, intervene to help Sounis against the Mede, just like the compact said (just like a proper suzerain).

[lnhammer]

*not yet too buzy this weekend starting it tonight*

[oyceter]

Hrm. I think my thing about the violent solution is that it almost felt like the easy solution to me. One of the things I like most about the first three books is that Gen does try to come up with non-violent solutions, and his solutions are frequently not easy as well (esp. marrying Attolia!). Like, I think I would have bought it more if it had been Sophos who had been unable to come up with another solution, or Sophos being convinced violence was best, but it seems so out of character for Gen in a way, particularly given how he's solved all his other problems in the past. I think Turner's good enough that she could have come up with a non-violent situation that was just as difficult for Sophos and Gen, if not more so.

Some of it's also because I'm so sick of superhero comics going on and on about violence being the "hard" choice and how superheroes/rulers/people in charge have to shoulder that choice to protect people. A lot of it is also because it's disturbing to see how much of that rhetoric was echoed in the Bush years and how the willingness to commit violence is used as a measuring stick for how good a leader is.

[oyceter]

That was one of my theories as well! But then I was wondering if that's the case, than Attolia has some history of female rulers, and if that's so, then why didn't she use that mythology to her advantage as well as the Hephestia one? Maybe the first Attolia was a terrible leader, ergo the current resistance? Who knows!

I swear, normally I don't overthink worldbuilding like this!

[rushthatspeaks]

I've been poking around trying to figure out how she derived the country names, and have concluded there must be Modern Greek in there, which I don't know. Eddis could come from a form of a verb which means 'is dangerous', but it's a fairly convoluted derivation if so.

I was not happy that it went to violence but I thought that it was both inevitable and necessary. Basically at this point Gen, by being awesome, has averted wars on the peninsula and ensured that the principal countries there will be allied against the Mede; that's a significant departure from our history and means that this version avoids, for instance, the Last Stand of the Three Hundred and other things of that nature. But it's beyond Gen's (or anyone else's) power to manipulate the Mede the way he does the other people around him, because they're all the way over there. Gen can ride into Attolia. Attolia can send her troops to Eddis. It's a fair distance, but it's doable. Not so with the Mede. Their rulers are out of reach, and if the ambassador has summoned troops, his rulers are the people who will hold him accountable and going back without a fight after summoning troops, would simply get the ambassador killed, possibly without a chance to explain. (Going back with a defeat will probably get him killed anyway.) As soon as he had summoned that many Mede troops, there was going to be a battle.

I think there will be more nonviolent negotiation when the actual royalty of the Medes have come near enough to be talked to, although of course said royalty will be at the head of a gigantic invasion army at the time, which will complicate things. But I look forward to seeing what the four rulers will do when they can talk to people who actually have the authority to decide the interests of an empire-- I think that will be really interesting.

[lnhammer]

*am halfway through, having just gotten to the chapter where the X/Y shippers are bouncing in squee*

[oyceter]

I love that one!

[oyceter]

I hope there will be more negotiation! Especially since that's the part of the books I love the most.

I don't know. I mean, I clearly don't like the violence, but what I dislike even more is the "Oh well, sometimes it's necessary, and sometimes rulers have to do tough things" attitude that goes with it. Which... yes, sometimes, but like I said in some earlier comments, it cuts too closely to the "I am a superhero and I do the violent dirty work to protect innocent people like you!" and is uncomfortably close to justifications the Bush regime made.

[dhobikikutti]

Ok, I feel so good reading this review because you agree with me, and so do most of your commenters! (After having read another book where I feel like a sad minority for disagreeing with the squeeing reviewers, I am insecure and paranoid about my reading abilities.)

[oyceter]

Hee! That is super funny, because when I posted this, I felt like I had to defend it to everyone!

But yes, I very much agree with you, and not just that, I was thinking about our comment conversation about my rereads while I was reading this and thinking about what you would think of the book.