Review by GianKosi77 -- The King of May by Matthew Tysz
Posted: 26 Nov 2020, 04:26
[Following is a volunteer review of "The King of May" by Matthew Tysz.]
I have read several of Matthew Tysz's books, whose continuous incredible imagination baffles me. He's gifted in creating unique and unfathomable characters whose actions hook the reader from one chapter to the other. In the second installment of The Turn, we meet the ugliest king whose name (The King of May) is synonymous with the book's title. The King of May is a well-thought story about gods and humans who fight for dominion over the world.
The world is experiencing a new normal after an apocalyptic event (the turn) changed the course of everything. Vernon Forsythe "watched the despair settle in, watched the strangeness turn to darkness." Humans-turned-gods creatures have emerged in different parts of the world. What is the gods' mission? Will these gods coexist with normal human beings, or will they fight one another? The tension intensifies when people discover that a god has hidden the sun causing the gloomy world. Who will fight and conquer this terrible god to bring back the sun? Cattleprod continues to seek and conquer territories, posing a threat to the King of May (the sun god), whom he plans to dethrone. The god-slayers (Ashley and Scholar) are in the land, but on whose side are they; Cattleprod or The King of May's?
Dictatorship is a central theme in this story, with the reader experiencing how people suffer under such leadership. The author also shows the extent to which individuals can betray their loved ones in exchange for power. Various scenes would have made the story very complicated, but Matthew's unique writing style saved the reader that headache. Like most of his books, he uses the character's name in a particular scene as the title of that chapter. The reader finds it easy to connect the storyline without confusion. Hats off to Matthew Tysz for such simplicity and intelligence in his work.
My favorite and intriguing part of the story was the King of May's dancing culture. Everyone was required to dance when delivering a message to His Excellency. The king was a graceful dancer too, whose moves will make one forget his ugly face. I also admire Ashley and Scholar, who are the shadows of loyalty. They represent a few people in society who will not compromise their friendship in the face of a disaster.
The story picked off on a dull moment that could easily demoralize the reader. I was about to close the book when I encountered the King of May and Princess Julia's conversation. Although I was displeased most with how the story began, the plot became lively soon enough that I stayed connected to the end.
Although I have not read the first installment, I did not get lost on the way. I reward The King of May four out of four stars because of the systematic flow. Matthew has a way of taking the reader's mind to his previous book or luring them into picking the next. Certain assertions like "people who would be spared the horrors of the turn to join their god in their own society…" make one desire to read The Turn. The errors I encountered are less than ten, having little impact on the quality of the story. Tysz did excellent work having the book edited professionally.
Profane words found their way in the story, though on low magnitude. Sexual content and violent scenes had their place in the narrative. As a result, I would discourage immature readers from grabbing a copy. There was no hint of faith and religious discrimination. Therefore, adults who love adventure, tales about gods, and politics will enjoy this novel.
******
The King of May
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I have read several of Matthew Tysz's books, whose continuous incredible imagination baffles me. He's gifted in creating unique and unfathomable characters whose actions hook the reader from one chapter to the other. In the second installment of The Turn, we meet the ugliest king whose name (The King of May) is synonymous with the book's title. The King of May is a well-thought story about gods and humans who fight for dominion over the world.
The world is experiencing a new normal after an apocalyptic event (the turn) changed the course of everything. Vernon Forsythe "watched the despair settle in, watched the strangeness turn to darkness." Humans-turned-gods creatures have emerged in different parts of the world. What is the gods' mission? Will these gods coexist with normal human beings, or will they fight one another? The tension intensifies when people discover that a god has hidden the sun causing the gloomy world. Who will fight and conquer this terrible god to bring back the sun? Cattleprod continues to seek and conquer territories, posing a threat to the King of May (the sun god), whom he plans to dethrone. The god-slayers (Ashley and Scholar) are in the land, but on whose side are they; Cattleprod or The King of May's?
Dictatorship is a central theme in this story, with the reader experiencing how people suffer under such leadership. The author also shows the extent to which individuals can betray their loved ones in exchange for power. Various scenes would have made the story very complicated, but Matthew's unique writing style saved the reader that headache. Like most of his books, he uses the character's name in a particular scene as the title of that chapter. The reader finds it easy to connect the storyline without confusion. Hats off to Matthew Tysz for such simplicity and intelligence in his work.
My favorite and intriguing part of the story was the King of May's dancing culture. Everyone was required to dance when delivering a message to His Excellency. The king was a graceful dancer too, whose moves will make one forget his ugly face. I also admire Ashley and Scholar, who are the shadows of loyalty. They represent a few people in society who will not compromise their friendship in the face of a disaster.
The story picked off on a dull moment that could easily demoralize the reader. I was about to close the book when I encountered the King of May and Princess Julia's conversation. Although I was displeased most with how the story began, the plot became lively soon enough that I stayed connected to the end.
Although I have not read the first installment, I did not get lost on the way. I reward The King of May four out of four stars because of the systematic flow. Matthew has a way of taking the reader's mind to his previous book or luring them into picking the next. Certain assertions like "people who would be spared the horrors of the turn to join their god in their own society…" make one desire to read The Turn. The errors I encountered are less than ten, having little impact on the quality of the story. Tysz did excellent work having the book edited professionally.
Profane words found their way in the story, though on low magnitude. Sexual content and violent scenes had their place in the narrative. As a result, I would discourage immature readers from grabbing a copy. There was no hint of faith and religious discrimination. Therefore, adults who love adventure, tales about gods, and politics will enjoy this novel.
******
The King of May
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon