Sulien ap Gwien was seventeen when the Jarnish raiders came. Had she been armed when they found her, she could have taken them all. As it was, it took six of them to subdue her. She will never forgive them.

Thus begins her story--a story that takes her back to her family, with its ancient ties to the Vincan empire that once ruled in Tir Tanagiri, and forward to Caer Tanaga, where the greatest man of his time, King Urdo, struggles to bind together the squabbling nobles and petty princes into a unified force that will drive out the barbarian invader and restore the King's Peace.

Ringing with the clash of arms and the songs of its people, rich with high magic and everyday life, The King's Peace begins an epic of great deeds and down-to-earth people, told in language with the strength and flexibility of sharpened steel.

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Praise for this book

“A nicely paced, unpredictable plot that keeps the reader guessing who might be back-stabbing whom, coupled with musical language and natural conversations, sets this well above the fantasy average.” —Publishers Weekly

“Thoughtfully reweaves Arthurian legend with history into a vivid, fluent narrative.” —Booklist

“A richly woven narrative, this debut novel from Jo Walton depicts a meticulously researched alternate account of the Arthurian legend.” —RT Book Reviews

“Walton writes with almost poetic skill, and the world she constructs is finely built.” —Booklist

“Jo Walton's splendid re-imagining of the Matter of Britain has a rich immediacy that calls to mind the best of Thomas Malory and Rudyard Kipling. The King's Peace is the novel that The Mists of Avalon should have been.” —Debra Doyle

“The people, the politics, the details of warfare and daily life, all ring as true as the steel sword the heroine wields so doughtily. This is much more than a retooling of the Matter of Britain: it is a fully-imagined, living, magical world.” —Delia Sherman

“There is not an ill-written sentence...Never lacks immediacy or loses its historical quality. Sulien is a soldier first, honorable, capable, and trustworthy, and she is a wonderfully believable character.” —VOYA

“A truly engrossing character-driven novel with strong female characters...Highly recommended.” —Vector

“I really liked this sideways take on the Matter of Britain and I highly recommend it.” —Mythprint

“Walton writes with an authenticity that never loses heart, a rare combination in a genre where we are so often offered one or the other. The King's Peace is a proof that no matter how mined-out a subject may seen, a dedicated writer can dig down to a true vein of legend and hammer out gold.” —Robin Hobb

“Beautifully and thought-provokingly tells a story set in a world and a history almost like ours, but different enough to be in itself a kind of elvenland. It's good to know that there will be more.” —Poul Anderson




About the Author

Jo Walton won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer on publication of her debut novel The King's Peace. Her novel Tooth and Claw won the World Fantasy Award. A native of Wales, she lives in Montreal.


Title: The King's Peace
Author(s): Jo Walton
Volume: 1
ISBN: 9781429970655
Copyright 2000
Release Date: October 13, 2000
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: ePub,mobi | Learn More about our supported formats
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