The Eyes of God

by John Marco

Daw, January, 2002.
Hardcover, 688 pages.
ISBN: 0756400473

The Eyes of God by John Marco

The youthful King Akeela is determined to wage peace as fiercely as his late father waged war. In order to finally end a long war, he travels to Reec, the city of his age-old enemies, to form an alliance. He is accompanied by the Bronze Knight, his childhood friend Lukien, who was raised with Akeela after Lukien rescued the young Akeela from street toughs. Lifelong friends, the two men are inseparable. Akeela agrees to marry Cassandra, the beautiful daughter of King Karis, and they return to Liiria, against the advice of Lukien, who senses that the marriage may not be a good idea. But the marriage goes forward, and tragedy ensues. Despite their best intentions, Lukien and Cassandra fall in love. When Cassandra falls deathly ill, Akeela sends Lukien and two companions on a desperate journey to the faraway desert land of Jador to find The Eyes of God, two mystical amulets which can reportedly cure any ill and bestow immortality. But the extraordinary quest is just the beginning of this compelling fantasy tale, which is full of adventure, political intrigue, battles, magic, mystery and forbidden love.

John Marco, critically acclaimed author of the Tyrants and Kings trilogy (The Jackal of Nar, The Grand Design and The Saints of the Sword) returns with another breathtaking epic fantasy which is sure to cement his reputation as one of the hottest new fantasy authors around. Always inventive, Marco takes the standard quest device and takes it a step further by asking the unusual question: what happens after the quest is completed? In this case, quite a bit. The characters change and evolve in complex ways over the course of the book. From the quiet Akeela who harbors an obsession with his wife, to the beautiful Cassandra who pays a terrible price for her eternal beauty, to the quiet bravery of the long-suffering Lukien, all the characters are vividly portrayed. John Marco is a major fantasy talent who is sure to garner more fans with his newest series. Highly recommended.

--Claire E. White

The Eyes of God is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the February, 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.