review

The Briar King
by Greg Keyes
Ballantine Books (New York 2003)
552 pages in hardcover

Swordplay, sorcery, dungeons and damsels in distress? Check all. This is in the fantasy genre.

Assassinations, wars of annihilation, murderous priests, perfidious princes and illicit sex? Yep, it's one of those.

Maybe it belongs on the horror shelf. An Uncle Remus tale this is not --- no way do you want to be thrown into THIS briar patch, even if you happen to be a rabbit. The story does not end with the beautiful princess living happily ever after.

However, if you are into Druid Lore, if "The Book of Conquests" is one of your favorite coffee table books, or if you can hardly wait for the next installment of "The Lord of the Rings" cinema trilogy, "The Briar King" will probably appeal to you.

If you're one of these sickies who stays up late at night giggling over a Stephen King book, or if you'd watch a lot more of the Cartoon Channel if they gave the spawn of Cthulu a show of their own, then this tale is right up your alley.

Enjoy. I won't tell on you. But watch out for things you thought were inanimate slithering around your feet.

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