The Skewed Throne

Both his book The Skewed Throne and the Cracked Throne are very unusual and hard to label books. They are Dark, but not so dark I could not read them. They are bleak, but not so bleak I could not stand them. They are tough, but so interesting and compelling I could not put them down. There is real and important reasons behind all the action and violence. Unusual settings, characterization and a fresh writing voice make The Skewed Throne and the Cracked Throne top of my list of books to give or recommend to all the guys and most of the gals I know. I am sooo excited there is one more to come! The Vacant Throne is out January!

I really enjoyed this book. I think he captures desperation, brutality, and hope in the character of Varis. I also think he did a good job of making Varis a dynamic character. She isn't static. She changes. He even manages to give her a code of honor. I respect Palmatier a lot for that. It's easy to give such a code to a hero that lives in a nice world, even harder when that hero is "gutterscum". The fight scenes are superb and the aftermath of each time this character kills is very well done. It's not often the hero takes a hard look at what he or she has done and why. Palmatier has created a vibrant, living setting in the Dredge. But it doesn't stop there. The people who populate this world add so much to his narrative. I also find his use of magic to be wholly imaginative. I hope he takes this as a compliment, but I was somewhat reminded of Dune's Paul Atreides' use of future sight. Except here, Varis is far more practical and visceral.

I started this book on a Friday night (not a good idea to start this book at bedtime, you'll never get to sleep!) and finished it by the next night. This was a book that drew me in into lives and a foreign world that I just didn't want to leave. I found the story to be unique and fascinating-it is not your typical "orphan story". There is a lot of depth to the book without being heavy-handed or preachy and there's also adventure. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the sequel.

I've come to believe that one of the greatest indicators of the quality of a story is its ability to take me away from the real world. I'm busy enough that I often find it hard to break away from reality to truly enjoy reading. But good stories... They manage to take me away through some combination of fast pace, compelling plot, great characters, interesting worlds. Skewed Throne's greatest strength is that it places you so deeply into the mind of Varis, the protagonist, that it is easy to forget the world around you and to get lost in the world of Amenkor, the grime of the slums and the smells of the harbor, its politics and harsh realities, its real and pragmatic characters. I felt for Varis on every step of her journey (even when she was doing horrible things) because the story showed me how the world had taken a young girl and created something both ruthless and caring. If you like immersing yourself in stories and often find it difficult to do so, then I would highly recommend this, Joshua Palmatier's debut novel, The Skewed Throne.

This is good. Really good. And it isn't like much of the derivative fantasy out there. By that, I'm talking about the dumb farm boy, who gets the talisman/sword from the wise old man, to defeat the Dark Lord of Wherever. Now if you do go for that derivative fantasy, don't let it get you down. Expand your horizons and go for something different like this book. Focus is on one character: a close to pubery girl named Varis who lost her mother at a very young age and has become something of a thief in the seedy districts of the city. She also has a special empath-like power that lets her see into the souls of strangers and gauge if they're good or evil. Look for a great deal of emphasis on how she steals food (i.e. distracts some merchant while taking a piece of fruit) as well as how she deals with hunger and loss. The first sign of affection from someone nearly makes her burst into tears and this is one of the strong points of the character. Rarely do such complex characters exist in fantasy tales. Partway through the tale, Varis is hired by a royal assassin to find people for him, and, a bit later, kill people for him. All come through order of the Skewed Throne, a magical seat which is controlled by a queen of sorts, who wields a great power to control the magical fluxuations. Think of the Skewed Throne like some great magical item of mystery. Moral issues arise as Varis discovers some of the intended targets of execution are not evil. Moreoever, matters become more twisted when her mentor lets a competitor-thief boy get training and his heart is very dark. Through a series of events, Varis goes into hiding and becomes a bodyguard for a rich merchant. Don't be fooled by her small size, though, her mentor trained her to be deadly with a knife. People thinking she is weak works to her advantage. However, the intrigue is just getting worse and it all ties into the Skewed Throne. Look for a great deal of focus on the main character's stifled social skills as well as what it was really like to be a thief on the verge of starvation. Deep themes of belonging and doing the right thing are also apparent.