Review by victorokothcads -- The King of May

[victorokothcads]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The King of May" by Matthew Tysz.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

THE KING OF MAY by Matthew Tysz is a book about power contest and who controls the world. The King of May requested an alliance with Cattleprod, so they would murder Rigma and control humans' future. Cattleprod had managed to conquer several regions. Meanwhile, Ashley and Scholar were mercenaries, hired to kill both humans and gods. Cattleprod sent Rudy to request Ashley and Scholar to execute Rigma at a fee.

There were betrayals, the King of May commanded Scholar to kill Cattleprod, and he captured Ashley as security to the deal. Braden supported Scholar to steal a ship from Cattleprod, which they used to reach Rigma, with the help of SIMO's reinforcement. Cattleprod also betrayed the king by launching attacks on his palace. Meanwhile, Scholar managed to rescue Ashley, and Cattleprod defeated the King of May.

My favorite part of the book is that most chapters end with suspense: one longs to read more about the unfolding events, which makes the book interesting. I enjoy the author's style of describing the scenes and the people. The description is so accurate that one forms a vivid image of the palaces and the referred persons. However, there are too many descriptions of places in the book.

I dislike the hierocracy of the goddess, Vera. She claims to love the husband and commits adultery with a human being. There are good intimate scenes, but they are used to show male-chauvinism. The book portrays the females as betrayers as the women treat sex as an instrument to achieve what they desire. Moreover, there is the use of vulgar language on several occasions. For instance, "lick his asshole."

I recognized some gaps; the gods are aged, like humans, and they also die. I find it hard to comprehend how the king's messengers were delivering their messages while dancing. Another loophole is where Alden invited Ashley and Scholar to his kingdom without giving direction, but they reached the realm.

I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. The book is engaging and professionally edited. However, I accept the contrary opinion in certain areas. Even though it's a fantasy book, I think some issues are overrated. Mr. Tysz conveyed the gods with little privileges over humans. The gods could be killed, threatened, and scared by humans. I recommend the book for the fans of the "The Turn" series. Those who love fantasy novels can equally enjoy perusing it.

******
The King of May
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon