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Article: Chernenko, Dan. The bastard king.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Kliatt
- Article date:
- May 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Kliatt. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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(Book One of The Scepter of Mercy). Penguin Putnam, Roc. 431 p. c2003. 0-451-45914-8. $14.95 SA
King Mergus of Avornis, past his prime and having gone through six wives without producing a male heir, marries his pregnant concubine. Local custom holds that if the god Olor only had six, no mere mortal should have more; his son Prince Lanius is labeled a "bastard." Mergus dies when the child is young and a series of regents run the kingdom. It is beset by various warring groups from the south and north, until Captain Grus of the navy steps up, crowning himself king. He does not kill young Lanius, but instead marries him to his own daughter. Toward the end of this ...