Le Chevalier aux Épines vol 2 by JP Jaworski
I had read with some pleasure but not a massive amount of enthusiasm Jaworski's first volume of Le Chevalier aux Epines. Set in the same fantasy/renaissance universe as his masterful Gagner la Guerre, this series is more focused on the politics of Bromael, a decidedly more medieval realm than renaissance Ciudalia around which Gagner la Guerre was centered. The first volume saw us following various knights and ladies up until a climax at a chivalry tournament which saw one of Gagner la Guerre's lead characters reemerge. The second volume is centered on this character (ruffian/assassin Benvenuto) but it does not bode well for the book or the character. I have been told that there are numerous literary references to medieval "chanson de geste" but these flew over my head. The meat of the book is slow paced, overly written and most importantly not very thrilling. I won't say I struggled to get through it, because Jaworski's writing, as erudite and convoluted as it may be, reads well, but I went through it without great enthusiasm and put it down at the end with no sense of immediate wanting to know the rest. I will probably read the third and last installment at some stage, but I don't think this works. And while I have been rereading Gagner la Guerre at regular intervals, these are going straight to the second hand resell box.
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