Prince of the Blood

US: Voyager, 2005. Paperback. Good. Prince of the Blood is a work that explores strength and weakness, hope and fear, and what it means to be a man--in a kingdom where peace is the most precious commodity of all. If there were two more impetuous and carefree men in the Kingdom of the Isl es, they had yet to be found. Twins Borric and Erland wore that mantle prou dly, much to the chagrin of their father, Prince Arutha of Krondor. But the ir blissful youth has come to an end. Their uncle, the King, has produced n o male children. Bypassing himself, Arutha names Borric, the eldest twin by seconds, the Royal Heir. As his brother, Erland will have his own great re sponsibilities to shoulder. To drive home their future roles, Arutha sends them as ambassadors to Kesh, the most feared nation in the world. Borric an d Erland will be presented to the Queen of Kesh--the single most powerful r uler in the known world--at her Seventy-fifth Jubilee Anniversary. But they have not even left Krondor when an assassination attempt on Borric is thwarted. Aware that he is being provoked into war, Arutha does not ris e to the bait. His sons' journey will not be deterred, for nothing less tha n peace is riding on it. Yet there is to be no peace for the young princes. When their traveling party is ambushed, Borric disappears and is presumed dead--sending Erland into spirals of rage and grief as he is forced to navi gate alone the court intrigues at Kesh. But unbeknownst to anyone, Borric l ives and has escaped his captors. In a strange land, with a price on his he ad, Borric must use all his wits and stamina to find his way back to his br other. On separate paths, the two men--one a fugiti.