Akeela, King of Liiria, was a young and idealistic scholar who was determined to bring peace to his kingdom—a land that had been plagued by war with the neighboring kingdom of Reec for decades. Lukien, the Bronze Knight of Liiria, had been taken in by the royal family when, at fourteen, he saved Akeela's life, but he'd never forgotten the brutal lessons of the streets he'd grown up on. A bond of loyalty stronger than blood linked these two men—but no two souls could be more different.
And as Akeela and Lukien entered their enemy's stronghold on a mission of peace, neither man could forsee the turmoil this historic mission would wreak on their lives. For, to seal the peace, King Karis of Reec would bestow upon Akeela the hand of his charming, beautiful, and accomplished daughter Cassandra.
But Cassandra hid a terrible secret. She was experiencing the first symptoms of a disease which would threaten her life and cause unimaginable strife for all who loved her. For Akeela and Lukien, the quest for Cassandra's salvation would overwhelm every bond of loyalty, every point of honor, every dream of peace. For only the magical amulets known as the Eyes of God could halt the progress of Cassandra's illness. But the Eyes of God would also open the way to a magical stronghold which could tear their world apart and redefine the very nature of their reality.
**
Amazon.com Review
John Marco, author of the muscular Tyrants and Kings series, departs from the lands of Nar and Lucel-Lor with The Eyes of God--a sprawling juggernaut of high fantasy filled with political intrigue, fairy-tale wonder, flawed heroes, and sympathetic villains. Changing tactics from his Nar books, Marco opens The Eyes of God not with a battle scene but with a peace offering. The young king of Liiria--Akeela the Good--and his champion Lukien, The Bronze Knight, ride into the lands of their ancient enemy Reec to make peace. To seal the deal, Akeela takes a Reecian princess as his Queen, and the stage is set for a full helping of betrayal and woe.
Marco's tale of Akeela and Lukien and the love that destroys them both begins with a deceptively sentimental and occasionally maudlin first act. But just when the reader thinks he or she has inadvertently stumbled into a bodice ripper, Marco brings the hammer down and his idyllic Kingdom of Liiria is twisted without remorse into a decaying kingdom with madness on its throne. Despite some cliché dialogue and a few loose plot ends, this is no lightweight book. Marco's characters are complex and multidimensional, and his seemingly simple story is a rich, complex exposition of high fantasy with an underlying brutal reality. This brutality is punctuated with Marco's skill as a military writer--like his Nar books, the battle scenes in The Eyes of God are massive in scale while remaining rich in exquisite, personal detail. --Jeremy Pugh
From Library Journal
Accompanied by his lifelong friend Lukien, the Bronze Knight of Liiria, King Akeela rides to a rival city to offer a peaceful end to a long and bloody war. In return, he brings home a bride, unaware of the tangled threads of destiny that unite him, his new wife, and his longtime friend in an age-old triangle of love and betrayal. Marco (Jackal of Nar) offers a sprawling tale of military battles, personal and political intrigue, magic, and star-crossed love set against a richly detailed land of warring kingdoms and hidden magic. For most fantasy collections.
Description:
Akeela, King of Liiria, was a young and idealistic scholar who was determined to bring peace to his kingdom—a land that had been plagued by war with the neighboring kingdom of Reec for decades. Lukien, the Bronze Knight of Liiria, had been taken in by the royal family when, at fourteen, he saved Akeela's life, but he'd never forgotten the brutal lessons of the streets he'd grown up on. A bond of loyalty stronger than blood linked these two men—but no two souls could be more different.
And as Akeela and Lukien entered their enemy's stronghold on a mission of peace, neither man could forsee the turmoil this historic mission would wreak on their lives. For, to seal the peace, King Karis of Reec would bestow upon Akeela the hand of his charming, beautiful, and accomplished daughter Cassandra.
But Cassandra hid a terrible secret. She was experiencing the first symptoms of a disease which would threaten her life and cause unimaginable strife for all who loved her. For Akeela and Lukien, the quest for Cassandra's salvation would overwhelm every bond of loyalty, every point of honor, every dream of peace. For only the magical amulets known as the Eyes of God could halt the progress of Cassandra's illness. But the Eyes of God would also open the way to a magical stronghold which could tear their world apart and redefine the very nature of their reality.
**
Amazon.com Review
John Marco, author of the muscular Tyrants and Kings series, departs from the lands of Nar and Lucel-Lor with The Eyes of God--a sprawling juggernaut of high fantasy filled with political intrigue, fairy-tale wonder, flawed heroes, and sympathetic villains. Changing tactics from his Nar books, Marco opens The Eyes of God not with a battle scene but with a peace offering. The young king of Liiria--Akeela the Good--and his champion Lukien, The Bronze Knight, ride into the lands of their ancient enemy Reec to make peace. To seal the deal, Akeela takes a Reecian princess as his Queen, and the stage is set for a full helping of betrayal and woe.
Marco's tale of Akeela and Lukien and the love that destroys them both begins with a deceptively sentimental and occasionally maudlin first act. But just when the reader thinks he or she has inadvertently stumbled into a bodice ripper, Marco brings the hammer down and his idyllic Kingdom of Liiria is twisted without remorse into a decaying kingdom with madness on its throne. Despite some cliché dialogue and a few loose plot ends, this is no lightweight book. Marco's characters are complex and multidimensional, and his seemingly simple story is a rich, complex exposition of high fantasy with an underlying brutal reality. This brutality is punctuated with Marco's skill as a military writer--like his Nar books, the battle scenes in The Eyes of God are massive in scale while remaining rich in exquisite, personal detail. --Jeremy Pugh
From Library Journal
Accompanied by his lifelong friend Lukien, the Bronze Knight of Liiria, King Akeela rides to a rival city to offer a peaceful end to a long and bloody war. In return, he brings home a bride, unaware of the tangled threads of destiny that unite him, his new wife, and his longtime friend in an age-old triangle of love and betrayal. Marco (Jackal of Nar) offers a sprawling tale of military battles, personal and political intrigue, magic, and star-crossed love set against a richly detailed land of warring kingdoms and hidden magic. For most fantasy collections.
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