I guess it is a truism that one of the purposes of a sophomore novel in a series is to build up the characters already met, broaden and deepen the reader’s connection with them and the world they live in. This book does that and more.
Set five years after the events of Age of Assassins. Assassin Girton Club-Foot and his master Merela Barn have been in self-imposed exile. They have been deliberately avoiding politics and the feuding Kings all fighting to gain the land of Maniyadoc, whilst all the time being hunted by the Open Circle assassins.
This new book begins with a bang – or a fight, at least. Merela is poisoned by a Glynti blade and spends much of the novel near death. Girton meets old foes and friends in his travels. Meeting old enemy Aydor, Girton is surprised to find that Aydor is truly remorseful about the events of the past and is determined to sue for peace with Girton’s old friend, now King, Rufra.
Of course, things are never as simple as we expect. Girton, having discovered his latent magic powers in the first novel, spends much of this book at risk of being killed as a heretic should his secret be discovered. He is forever having to stop the magic rising, so to speak, which often appears as a voice in his head trying to persuade him to let loose.
I did say in my review of the first novel that the author writes a great novel, if nothing particularly new. It must be said that, again, in Blood of Assassins there are elements that made me think “We’ve been here before.” Girton finds himself having to take on the assassin’s role again to discover a threat on his friend Rufra. Despite requests, Girton is reluctant to take on the mantle of Death’s Jester, a role last seen performed by Merela, and one that ends in death. The difference this time is that he is having to make decisions and work on his own, as his mentor lies ill. But there are echoes of the first novel – a lot of running and hiding, of attempts on lives and political shenanigans. It’s comfortably familiar.
This should not put you off the novel, though. In this second book things become really interesting as Girton is forced to make difficult decisions, challenge his own prejudices and reassess what he thinks he knows, all on his own.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this novel is the personal journey Girton himself has to make. This unreliable narrator shows us that, for all of his skills and abilities, Girton is still young – a gifted yet socially challenged teenager. Like many of that age, he is moody, vindictive and throws tantrums at various points in the book. Normally this would not endear a book to me, but the author manages to balance this angst with enough other aspects to keep me reading. Girton makes mistakes, things that will affect him and those around him forever.
Almost as endearing as Girton is the relationship between Girton and his friend, now King, Rufra, which is a real pleasure. A friendship begun in Age of Assassins is strengthened, even when events are disastrous enough to destroy it. Perhaps the person who has travelled furthest along life’s journey, Rufra has become a King and had to make terrible, difficult choices whilst Girton has been away. The difference between the two similarly-aged characters is enormous and Blood of Assassins uses this to great effect. The characters develop and deepen into something more complex that the first novel suggested they would. There are some great twists that turn things around from what we expect.
As with Age of Assassins, a lot of the book plays with our expectations. There are parts that take what we think we know, and what we believe is going to happen, and manages to turn them into something more. Whilst there are occasional lapses into cliché, they are not jarring.
In summary then, Blood of Assassins is a worthy successor to the first novel, to the point where I couldn’t put it down. Like the first, it’s a great page turner, but more importantly it manages that most elusive of traits and brings something new to the tropes, something that makes the book worth reading.
I think that you will be best served by reading the first novel beforehand, but this series, and this novel, is worthy of your attention. I think that this series is shaping up to be something memorable. I look forward to the third novel very much.
Blood of Assassins by RJ Barker
Published by Orbit, February 2018
Book 2 of The Wounded Kingdom series
ISBN: 978-0356508573
464 pages
Review by Mark Yon
