From the Prince of Thieves to the Prince of Death

I suppose I should mention that I finished Hood just before I left and grabbed The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes for the trip over here. Hood ended well and I heartily endorse it. All the bad guys and good guys were delineated, Robin Hood takes on the mantle of protector of his people, and several Frenchmen die. Since it is billed as a trilogy I was expecting a cliffhanger and unresolved issues. They are there. The only problem is that apparently the author has some kind of serious illness and I'm unsure of whether or not the series will get finished.

The Charnel Prince is delivering everything I expected. I'd say it is the better of the two books. It is much more developed and continues the strong story telling that Keyes started with The Briar King. The detail of the worlds and the characters is outstanding. The stakes are getting higher and higher. The strong themes of love and death are hitting home. The emotional investment that Keyes is creating makes the book well worth it. Looks like the series is going to come in at four books with The Blood Knight and The Born Queen next up.