Book Review: King's X Episode 4: Thieves by Stephen Harper

I was expecting a long wait at the dental surgery yesterday so I thought getting into the last book of the present installment of King's X would be a good idea. Typically just as I was about to settle down they called me through. However I managed to finish it off in bed this morning recovering from the remains of the sedation instead. It took me no time at all, being pacey and exciting.

This last book in the present series once again picks up the stories of Book and Molly in L.A and Broussard and Khali back in the 13th Century. This installment is quite dark, with a lot of action and more than a couple of the main characters facing death. Shahin plays a greater role and I felt he developed a lot as a character in this book.

Once again we find out more and more about the power of King's X, and more links between the two time frames are exposed. They gave me a feeling of a circle being completed and were very satisfying but I felt a bit daft for not seeing some of them coming. Book, who has really suffered throughout the books is finally starting to come to terms with what happened to his father before his death, and realising his life has changed beyond recognition but his greatest concern is still for Molly. This installment was pacey and action packed, but I was still emotionally invested enough in what was happening to the characters to feel my stomach sink, or to feel enormous relief at parts in the story.

The end is very dramatic and while lots of threads have been tied up, due to the nature of King's X, I was left wondering if all was as it seemed. I'm slightly sad to have finished the final book in this part of the series but mollified as Stephen has talked on this blog about a new installment later this year, moving from the Crusades to the Elizabethan era. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that! I would heartily recommend the series, and suggest you try and read them close together to save any hopping back to previous installations to refresh your memory.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 5*

Book Review: King's X Episode 3: Shepherds by Stephen Harper

I have to confess I feel a bit guilty to have read and reviewed Episode 3 so soon after Episode 2 when I have so many other books in The Stack. I'll point out here that I've never met the author and don't know him any better than any of the other authors I've traded posts with on various forums, or who have done a Q&A with me. However I have realised that a) I really want to know how the series is going to end and b) that these short stories (or novellas, not entirely sure of the word count to know which they are technically) are ideal for reading when the Monkey is having a nap.

This episode picks up the two threads from the last book - in LA Book is still in the company of Jacob, his wife Trudie and Molly, hiding out. Back in the 13th Century Broussard continues the journey started in Episode 2 and with Khali, Shahin and his fellow Templars is racing away from a mysterious Mongol and his unlikely allies to try and protect a secret.

Molly has started to discover a much greater clarity about the position she finds herself in and is able to enlighten Book and the reader as to the nature of the King's X to a greater degree than before. Book remains uncertain about whether she and the others are enjoying some sort of group delusion or whether there is a massive secret hidden from the world at large. A revelation about his father comes as a shock but seems to fit with what he remembers from his childhood and makes their story more credible.

It seems that all the main characters are destined to live their lives on the run and this book is again a mix of action and reflection. We learn a lot more about the shadowy Shepherd previously encountered by Molly and Book and although I am still not entirely clear about exactly what the King's X does I certainly feel like I am closer to understanding. This book also reveals certain links between the two time periods which brought a new dimension to the story for me.

This book is pretty plot driven with the characters now pretty well established, although it was interesting to see Molly veering between scared teen and newly enlightened woman who feels responsible for what she has brought upon Book. There really isn't much let up in this series, with new revelations and more information to further illuminate the bigger picture round every corner. I don't think it'll be long before I find an excuse to read Episode 4.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My rating: 4*

Book Review: King's X Episode 2: Revelations by Stephen Harper

I reviewed the first short story in the series - Visions - last month, and was determined not to leave it too long to continue the story. Again the tale moves around in time, set in part during the Crusades and partly in  late 20th century LA. The threads of Visions are picked up and as well as rediscovering characters like Book and Sebastian we meet new ones.

It seemed to move between the two periods less and spend more time on each part of the story in turn. The pace of this book wasn't quite as relentless as the first, possibly in part because of this. There isn't a lot of action at all in LA, especially when compared with Episode 1. Instead Book encounters Jacob and John, who are in a position to provide the revelations of the title. Whether Book will listen to what they have to say is another thing entirely though. I had no problem with this change of pace as I found out so much more of the background to Kings X and why the various events are happening.

Again this was well proof-read and edited. Although the hook that was drawing me in last time - finding out what the great mystery was - has largely gone with some of the big questions answered, I'm finding myself wanting to move onto Episode 3 as Harper has set up a new set of questions as a result of the revelations made. This series in particular has made me very pleased that I opened my mind to short stories when I got my kindle, having never really been a fan before. I'll have to fit the next episode in soon!

Format: Kindle, review copy
My rating: 4*

Book Review: King's X Episode 1: Visions by Stephen Harper

I bought this novella having seen it promoted on Amazon's kindle forum and finding the synopsis really interesting. It is the first in a series of four, and skips between the modern day and the late 13th and early 14th century. It is listed as a crime and mystery thiller, and I'd say it certainly lives up to the mystery tag!

In the present Detective Wendell Book has lost those he loved and had to watch his father's decline into madness. He works vice and his partner thinks he is too soft on the runaways they encounter. When Molly appears in his life her story is too familiar to Book, making him re-examine memories he's been avoiding. In the past we find out a little about the start of a love story between Khali and soldier Sebastien, and she is used to try and extract information from him that he won't reveal under torture. Clearly there is a link between the stories, and a great mystery to be revealed about the King's X, but this first book is the hook that draws the reader in.

This book has grabbed me and I'm going to have to work the subsequent novellas into my reading schedule some time very soon. At the start the story skips around quite a lot, both in time and in which characters are being followed, but I didn't find it hard to keep the threads straight at all. I found Book a particularly interesting character and really want to know more about Khali and Sebastien, as well as finding out what the mystery is. I suppose that all points to a very sucessful first installment.

I thought this was really well written and I liked the author's style. There was a certain economy with descriptions that allowed the narrative to move quickly, yet still giving enough of a sense of the surroundings and events. A final plus point, it has clearly been well proof-read and edited and so I had none of the little niggles that often crop up, particularly in e-books. I'm so glad I downloaded this and if I didn't have another couple of books on the go and others in my TBR list that ought to have been read by now I would probably go straight through the rest of the series. Big thumbs up from me!