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Chargement... Watchers: The Coming of the Kingpar William Meikle
   Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  RandyStafford | Nov 23, 2018 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
Appartient à la sérieWatchers (Book 1)
The Bloodking comes!The old wall is a border: England and Scotland, South and North, light and darkness. It is 1745, and the long-awaited night as come. The Bloodking calls his army to battle, and armed with the powers of the undead and the damned, he will bring them South to claim his birthright: The throne of Britain. Only the old Watchers on the wall stand in his way. They, their swords, and their faith. But too much time has passed and the Watch has grown slack and ill-prepared for the coming war. Only Martin and Sean have seen the horrors that lie ahead for humankind. Only they have the power to stop it. Now, two young officers of the Watch have a duty to perform: Stop the Bloodking. Or die trying. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Auteur LibraryThingWilliam Meikle est un auteur LibraryThing, c'est-à-dire un auteur qui catalogue sa bibliothèque personnelle sur LibraryThing. Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)291Religions Other Religions Comparative Religion; Mythology (No Longer Used)Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (3.33)
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1
In Milecastle, a fort on Hadrian’s Wall, Sean and Martin and their fellow Watchers keep eyes to the north from where it is prophesied the Blood King, the newest Stuart, will someday descend on England with his army of Others.
In 1745, Campbell, a man from the vampiric kingdom of Scotland, shows up at Milecastle with a sick daughter and a tale of woe and a sick daughter. The Bloodking is afoot. He slaughtered Campbell’s people and left him alive to announce the news of his coming. This history’s Bonnie Prince Charlie is as unhuman as his ancestor; his army is made of vampires and their human allies.
Martin, the son of Milecastle’s Thane, and his friend Sean will have to grow up fast. Destiny has picked them to help fight the Young Pretender.
There are typical fantasy plot elements here. Sean and Martin will make new friends and allies by accident. There’s a tribe of magicians in Scotland’s forests. There are prophecies. There is a beautiful woman. There is a power struggle in Milecastle between its constable and thane.
But there is no quest in this book. Martin goes north with Campbell to spy on the Bloodking’s army. Sean goes south with Campbell’s daughter to see if her nascent vampirism can be cured. We’re fairly certain Sean and Martin will survive the book. We’re not sure if the other humans will
It’s surprising how much Sean and Martin suffer after killing for the first time, they are not blasé about their deeds nor gladdened. Meikle reminds us that the old have their own wisdom and stories even if his story centers around Sean and Martin. Meikle is deft at mixing sorrow and doubt with his carnage.
The action is inventive, with several vivid bits of violence.
His Others have a compelling back story involving evil Templars and an ancient sinister cult. As Meikle as noted, you can think of the final scene as being like the movie Zulu.
Meikle shows he can alter his voice for the material at hand. This story requires, at times, the full-on action of his S-Squad books, but the book has its quite moments of emotion and character too.
And, yes, it even has the pipes.
So, I’ll be reading the rest of the series. I guess this is another case of the first free taste working in getting me to buy the rest of the series. As far as that goes, Meikle might join Tim Powers and Michael Moorcock as authors I’ll read fantasy from on a regular basis. (