The Vacant Throne

By Joshua Palmatier

Book Overview

The Skewed Throne has been destroyed, sacrificed in order to stop invaders from the sea, a desperate people called the Chorl, driven from their islands and in search of a new home. But the threat of the Chorl has not ended. They have retreated...and disappeared. With the cracking of the Skewed Throne, their attention has turned elsewhere and Varis does not know why or where. Reeling from the attack, the city of Amenkor in ruins, she has little time to ponder it.

Until she begins to experience some of the same visions and powers she had while attached to the Skewed Throne. But that is impossible. The Skewed Throne is dead. She senses nothing when she touches it.

And yet...

When an envoy from the city of Venitte arrives, Varis finds herself thrust into the politics of the entire coast. This erstwhile ally comes with dire news. The Chorl are on the march up the coast. Their target: Venitte. No one in Venitte understands why, but they need Amenkor's help. Varis has faced the Chorl before...and survived. And she now understands what is driving them to Venitte in the first place.

There is a second throne. And the Chorl will stop at nothing to get it.

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Praise for the Throne of Amenkor series:

"I give The Skewed Throne four and a half out of five really creepy-ass iconic chairs, and a strong suggestion that it not walk down any dark alleys alone. I highly recommend it." ―Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of the Toby Daye series

" The Skewed Throne is] A gritty, edgy, unsettling book. This tough young woman makes her choices in a world where good and evil often look like twins. I was riveted by her story " ―Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Song of the Lioness series

"Joshua Palmatier has written a vivid, passionate story about a tough-minded heroine fighting for survival. What makes her especially compelling is her own struggle to understand right and wrong, and to confront what necessity can force you to do. This promising first novel should lead to equally confident sequels." ―Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of Spiritwalker series

"The strength of Palmatier's book lies in Varis. Varis is a bitter girl, hardened by years of living in the Dredge, but she retains a core of humanity. Her ability to slip into what she calls the river, where threats stand out as splashes of red in the currents of the world around her, makes her an intriguing point of view character...if you enjoy grittier fantasy, I would recommend picking up The Skewed Throne." ―Jim C. Hines, author of the Magic ex Libris series

"If you are familiar with Arya Stark in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, you'll love Varis, who has a similar tenacity and toughness. I highly recommend The Skewed Throne and fans of gritty fantasy will love this book." ―Paul Genesse, author of the Iron Dragon series

"This novel grips the reader with a swift-moving tale of political intrigue and economic survival in a world where the most dangerous secrets are never forgotten." ―Publishers Weekly

"For those who like their fantasy gritty and real, without sugarcoating, Joshua Palmatier's "The Skewed Throne" is a gift. With not a dragon or an unicorn in sight, it's the people and the places where they live that matter in here - Varis is a strong and sympathetic heroine, even the walk-on parts have their own story, and the city of Amenkor has earned a place of its own in the atlas of fantasy lands." -- Alma Alexander, author of Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1940709849
• ISBN13: 9781940709840
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Zombies Need Brains LLC
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Vacant Throne won't leave you feeling empty!

Teenage Varis, the Mistress of Amenkor, has managed to save her city from an attack by the deadly and powerful Chorl. Amenkor lay in ruins. The Skewed Throne sits cracked and useless. Its power is dead. But their troubles with the blue-skinned, magic wielding Chorl are far from over. After the destruction of the Chorl's High Priestest, known as the Ochean, the invaders begin a well-calculated plan to take over the nearby city of Venitte instead. At first it is believed they want the port city because it is a major trading stop, but as Varis learns more through dreams she should no longer be able to have and expands her visions and experience beyond the realm of Amenkor, the motivations become a whole lot clearer. Two Thrones were created by the Seven Adepts thousands of years ago to protect Venitte and Amenkor. One was brought to Amenkor, the other; the Stone Throne seems to have vanished. Varis comes to believe it never left Venitte, though no one seems to know where it is. It's a race against time and the threat of more Chorl attacks as Varis and a small fleet of Amenkor ships set out to warn Lord March in Venitte of the Chorl and save the Stone Throne from destruction or conquest. There's a little something for everyone in Joshua Palmatier's "The Vacant Throne", the final book in the Throne of Amenkor series. For the ladies, we have a budding romance for Mistress Varis. A sense of sisterhood begins to form in the most unlikely of places, between what should be bitter enemies. For the men, battles... lots and lots of sword-swinging, hell-screaming, bloody battles. I'm not usually one to get all choked up over a book, but Joshua had me in tears a few times with some extremely touching and emotional moments as well. This final novel wraps up most of the threads spun in the first two, but we are still left with a few tantalizing questions. There would certainly be room for another book about this fascinating coastal world, but for now, I am satisfied to let those questions rest. I am greatly looking forward to Joshua's next novel, "Well of Sorrows" which I hear is due to come out in the Spring of 2010!

Did not want to put it down

I'm extremely busy with work etc.., who isn't? Haven't been able to sit down and finish a book in a loooong time picked up "Vacant Throne at my local library and I really did not want to stop reading. I have not read the previous books of this series but this story does well on its own. I love any type of genre, fantasy, scifi... that involves a strong female character. "Vacant Throne" is exciting and an excellent read!

Keeps on getting better!!!!

I read this whole entire book in one day!!! And you know what it didn't disappoint me. Varis has managed to save her city, but not without some extensive damage. She has managed to believe in her abilities both magical and leadership wise. The only thing that bugged me some what was the lack of details when it came to describing the other cities and ports outside of Amenkor. But that was just a minor blip on the whole thing. I loved how vividly each character was written and portrayed. The plot was fantastic and, and...you'll just have to read it.

An excellent fantasy

This book is the third fantasy in a series, and would benefit from reading the first 2 in series. The main character, Varis, who is now the Mistress of Amenkor, is facing the difficult recovery of her city from a deadly, barely repulsed, invasion of the Chorl. Facing the threat of the Chorl coming back, Varis and others want to improve Amenkor's defenses, as well as help other coastal cities prepare for the inevitable fight, all while the main source of Amenkor's magic is gone. Varis herself, and her allies are sympathetic and interesting. The magic is fairly conventional but well-proportioned: formidable but not unlimited. The Chorl emerge with some more intersting detail, and the pace suitably quick, combining frantic combat, tense waiting, and occasional periods of relaxation. The cities themselves are a bit sketchy, but the interesting characters and tense plot carry the story. The book comes to a suitable resolution, but a place for a sequel is clear, and I, for one, am looking forward to it.

Excellent Throne fantasy

The Chorl unprovoked assault almost destroyed Amenkor. The nation's ruler Varis had to employ a desperate ploy to save her people. However, by destroying THE SKEWED THRONE, Varis insured Amenkor defeated the invaders. However, the cost of the war has left her country in a devastating state as much of the nation lies in ruins with starvation a real probability and nothing left to defend against another Chorl invasion. Varis knows they must rebuild fast, but fears she will lead alone as her mentor and advisor Erick remains near death following a vicious torture by the Chorl. Her hope resides with finding the Stone Throne that was built to protect the southern seaport Venitte, but vanished hundreds of years ago. She heads to that city hoping to forge an alliance and find a cure for Erick while the Chorl has regrouped and are ready to renew their vigorous insidious attacks by land and sea. The Throne fantasy tales (see THE CRACKED THRONE and THE SKEWED THRONE) are some of the best the genre has to offer. THE VACANT THRONE contains an engaging plot starring a strong courageous female ruler who faces monstrous problems with no time to fix them. Readers will continue to cherish the Throne saga delivers as a desperate Varis tries to find ways to provide the basic needs to her beleaguered people. Harriet Klausner