The Jackal of Nar: Book One of Tyrants and Kings

by John Marco

Book Overview

A nation's fate rests one one man's struggle between loyalty and desire.

His enemies call Prince Richius "the Jackal," but he is merely a reluctant warrior for the Emperor in the fight for the strife-ridden borderland of Lucel-Lor. And though the empire's war machines are deadly, when the leader of a fanatical sect sweeps the battlefield with potent magic, Richius's forces are routed. He returns home defeated--but the Emperor will not...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553578871
• ISBN13: 9780553578874
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 768 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Début of Grace and Beauty

Ok. Maybe the title of this review doesn't exactly have ANYTHING to do with the following review. This novel is a militaristic themed tale, filled with violence, murder and rivalry, along with downright cruelty and evil. Basically, before I go into detail: ***!IF YOU ARE LIGHT STOMACHED AND/OR A FAN OF ANY KIND OF NO VIOLENT BOOK, OR ARE AN UTTER, COMPLETE AND UNYIELDING PACIFIST, !!!DO NOT READ!!!!*** I am tired right now: it's 10:07 PM and I feel like getting off this evil contraption and cuddling up with my current book, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and reading. But my brain insists I write this review. So I will. First of all, if you have read thr Prologue you're probably wondering "what?" The first entry in Richius's diary is confusing, nauseating and filled with names and places that we have absolutely no clue what the heck they are (if you are the devious little mapper, please think very hard about your map). My resolution was to skip the darned thing and keep reading. It worked to a good extent. Here is the basic plot, without using any names, places or any kind of the conworld John Marco wonderfully creates. A man, representing a huge empire in a war is fighting with his grÚup of tired, mad (but friendly) soldiers. Eventually the cavalry (led by a weirdo who the main character dislikes) comes and of course beats the living heck out of the enemy until it is dead (literally and figuratively). Main character meets girl. Main character and friend go to other city and finds girl somehow. Then the main character is called back to the capital, talks with Emperor, dislikes him and goes away. Allies with bad-guys. Good-buys (now bad-guys) attack. This leads to about page 250, where the story really begins.

Great Fantasy from a new author

Marco has written a captivating book. He has created strong characters, an interesting world and moving plotline. If you are looking for a fantasy that follows the normal pattern, don't read this. You will not find a lot of magic, strange humanoids or mythical creatures. You will find a reluctant hero, vivid and well-paced battle scenes and a little bit of magic. This is what makes the book so appealing; the story stands on its own. In a sense, it could be a history book dealing with the Dark Ages. The hero is likable, betrayed by family and friends and forced to find a sense of peace in an enemy land. As I finished the book, I could not wait to start the next.

Splendid military fantasy

John Marco's tales evoke all-too-human characters in a vivid and beautiful world. Fate, uncertainty and imperfect knowledge cause unpredictable twists of plot and good and evil rise in smoky spirals of grey from the fires of war. I have been so tired of superhuman heroes and villains, incredibly powerful uber-characters who never err, who are never bested in single combat and who suffer only minor setbacks or temporary troubles rather than psyche-shattering loss. His tale deftly avoids these pitfalls and the balance is incredible, neither elevating people to levels beyond their real capacity nor denying the beauty, the strength and inner resilience which humans can find in time of crisis. The characters live, die, fight, love and learn just as real people might. Previous reviewers who call the characters "clods" have much to learn about the reality of life and humanity. We are all clods from time to time. Character flaws, from hubris to pride, avarice and selfishness, have made and unmade both the great and small from the dawn of time until now. Military fantasy is a sorely overlooked genre and this contribution stands head and shoulders above others. I'm truly impressed and eagerly await the third volume.

An excellent fantasy novel

Jackal of Nar was a book I was reading in one day only; the reason was simply that it was that highly entertaining and well written (I was reading the German translation though, so I do not really know how good the original style of the author is). I didnt feel like stopping at any moment, but go on with the story till the last page. Unless the usual fantasy full of fairies, monsters, etc... "Jackal of Nar" is in a more realistic world, late middle age and sees the confrontation between the tribal people of Lucel-Lor fighting the armies of the Emperor of Nar, technologically much superior. Unlike similar confrontations between the civilized Romans and the barbarians we know from history, technological superiority doesnt always give you the advantage, as you will find out throught the pages...The characters of the book are well formed and all of them, bad or good, rather interesting (only few tend to be a bit clichéd). In fact, the author does not only write from one perspective, even though the story is told mostly from the viewpoint of Prince Richius, we also do get insight in the thinking of his ennemies and friends and allow us to see the events in the story from different perspectives.Although the story contains also romantic elements and rather touching scenes, this book is still focussing mostly on the military wich might not appeal to all fantasy fans...

Top-notch, dramatic fantasy

The Jackal of Nar is one of the better debut fantasies of the last several years, because it's fresh and unlike anything before it. The author has created a completely believable world peopled with real characters and an elaborate plot dramatically depicting love and war. Instead of being riddled with cliches like a typical fantasy, there are no magic swords or talking dragons or other crutches. Instead, John Marco takes a new view of classic ideas. The main character, Richius, is a good example of this. Instead of being a typical brat-prince, he is a troubled anti-hero reminicent of Holden Caulfield, struggling to do the right thing against impossible circumstances. Though not without its flaws, I think the Jackal of Nar succeeds wonderfully. It drew me in from the first opening battle and held me until the end. Not too many books do that these days. If your appetitie is for something new and compelling, try this book.