L.S. King's Laws and Prophecies
A Book Review
I just realized that that sounds like a description and not an author and book title. I’m leaving it though, because I love it. And besides, if Jimbo’s isn’t about a little wordplay, some shenanigans and the occasional digression. Actually, there are days when Jimbo’s is more digression than topical if we’re being honest. Which I always am. I’m the guy Diogenes was looking for. Totes. Please somebody get that.
ANYWAY
I just finished L.S. King’s Laws and Prophecies. It was a good book. You should buy it.
NICE!!!
ANOTHER REVIEW IN THE CAN!!!
Huh? Details? You want DETAILS?!?!?
Okay fine. But only because I like you. Well most of you, anyway.
The main character of Laws and Prophecies is a guy named Alcandhor. I like Alcandhor. He’s a solid dude. He does his job, loves his family, follows the law, and sees to the lives and wellbeing of his Rangers and the people they watch over as well as is humanly possible. Seriously, Alcandhor is a man’s man. He’s the kind of dude you would teach your kids to be if only you knew how. He’s also a nerd who loves history and reading, but that’s endearing if you’re me.
Of course you will also notice that “Alcandhor” is not spelled T-A-M-I-S-S-A or even T-A-M. Tam was the main character of the first two books in the series. I really like Tam and, while she is in Laws and Prophecies, she’s not the main character. I found myself a bit disappointed by that fact. Long time fans of Jimbo’s (both of them) know that I love a strong female protagonist. I did kind of miss Tam as the MC. I got over myself quickly though. I had to. King set the flame to high and cooked with grease. And it’s not like she’s the only author to play with my emotions like this, either. Larry Correia did the same thing in Monster Hunter Alpha and it worked for him too.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but Alcandhor finds himself in quite a bit of trouble at various points through Laws and Prophecies. Seriously, at one point I found myself wondering how he managed to keep going with all of the trouble he was having. I have a lot of respect for this guy. He has what Gorilla Monsoon once (a match) referred to as “intestinal fortitude.”
The thing is that Alcandhor is not the stereotypical tough guy though. He can do the whole stoic thing when he needs to, but he can just as easily play the frat boy and caring family man roles as well. He is a good friend when he can be, and a terrible enemy to have. He’s rough on himself in ways that I don’t think anyone else could be but he can take time out to comfort a grieving relative or hug his kids. There is a lot to this dude and I love that about him.
King bills the world of her Sword’s Edge Chronicles as being Science Fiction with some Fantasy flavor but to me she has that almost backward. Granted, the “magic” in the series is actually psionics but it’s definitely closer to magic than anything you’ll see in Star Trek and similar in some ways to the Force in Star Wars. Jedi mind trick indeed! However you style it, King mingles the two seamlessly and makes it work. And, let’s face it, there’s just something pleasing about a world where you can jump on a maglev train to go heal someone using what are basically magical means.
I’m a fan of political intrigue. I have been for literally decades. There is a lot of that in Laws and Prophecies. It may be between lords and lordlings as opposed to Senators and Representatives but it’s there. King also does a very good job of displaying the type of scheming that often went on when an important man found himself in need of a wife at a time when important men needed wives and important women were looking for what a modern person would call “upward social mobility.”
There are also moments of comradery and fun. Haladhon and Marcalan are two of my favorite characters. They’re pranksters and they keep things from getting boring. Singing, “matching” (basically like sparring except they call it something else), cards, games, it’s all here. These are men (for the most part) and they do manly things and bond with each other in manly ways. King has found the magic formula to make a group of men seem like an honest to God group of freaking men. It feels good to read something where men can act the way men do and not be treated like there is something wrong with them for doing so.
The tension in Laws and Prophecies is so thick you can cut it with a knife. There is always something going on and it’s not always above board. There is a lot of back and forth between factions and a lot of well meaning actions that could lead to poor outcomes. You’re never really sure where things or going to go or how they’re going to end up and King seeks to have a much more solid understanding of the Law of Unintended Consequences than her characters would prefer her to. Granted, that’s one of the marks of a good author, but it’s easy for me to say that. King isn’t writing about me. I think. Probably. Unless I’ve Irritated the Author in which case I shall undoubtedly be added to a story and die the death of the dead. That would, of course, be an example of the Law of Unintended Consequences at work and proof of my point though. I win either way.
This is the part where I’d usually say something along the lines of “I can’t wait to get the next book” except for the fact that I already have the next two. I’ll be getting to them soon. THAT I can’t wait for.
Bottom Line: 4.75 out of 5 Old Tomes
Laws and Prophecies: Sword’s Edge Chronicles, Book 3
L.S. King
Loriendil Publishing, 2020
Laws and Prophecies: Sword’s Edge Chronicles, Book 3 is available for purchase at the following link. If you click the link and buy literally anything from Amazon I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.