Talus and the Frozen King
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Average rating3.5
Meet the world's first detective. A dead warrior king frozen in winter ice. Six grieving sons, each with his own reason to kill. Two weary travelers caught up in a web of suspicion and deceit. In a time long before our own, wandering bard Talus and his companion Bran journey to the island realm of Creyak, where the king has been murdered. From clues scattered among the island's mysterious barrows and stone circles, they begin their search for his killer. Nobody is above suspicion, from the king's heir to the tribal shaman, from the woman steeped in herb-lore to the visiting warlord. And when death strikes again, Talus and Bran realize nothing is what it seems. Creyak is a place of secrets and spirits, mystery and myth. It will take a cleaver man indeed to unravel the truth. The kind of man this ancient world has not seen before.
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3 primary booksTalus
Talus is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Graham Edwards and Liza Grimm.
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Pros: intricate mystery, interesting characters
Cons: slow opening, characters never seem to sleep
Talus, a widely travelled bard, and his companion, Bran, a former fisherman, arrive at a Northern island the day after their king has died. A quick examination of the body reveals that the king was murdered, and Talus offers to help find the killer.
Talus is basically a neolithic age Sherlock Holmes. He examines the evidence and observes the world closely to see what others miss. And while he doesn't use much in the way of scientific deduction, he is highly observant and has a personality that alternates between charming (when he's telling a story) and abrasive (when he's exhorting Bran to pay attention and see what's happening around him). Also like Sherlock, he's not very good when it comes to relationship matters, and so tends to miss some of the human clues that crop up.
Which is where Bran comes in. Bran is hot tempered and still grieving the loss of his wife and the use of his right hand, which was seriously injured the day she died. He misses a lot of subtle clues but prompts Talus with regards to some of the more human elements of the case.
There are two strong women from the isles who have fairly prominent roles, while maintaining historical deference to the men around them.
The mystery is complex and while it takes a while for the more intricate details to come up, by the end of the book there's quite a knot of intrigue to untangle.
This is historical fiction and the only fantasy style elements - if you can call them that - are the character's beliefs in various gods and a judgement style afterlife.
My only complaint with the book is that the action takes place within a few days and the protagonists are constantly on the move. Even after Bran exclaims his exhaustion he and Talus never seem to actually sleep, as they deal with one crisis after another.
The book is fairly slow moving, focusing as much on character as on the mystery. If you like historical fiction and/or interesting mysteries, give this book a try.
