Books like The King

Just as with The Still, The King does one thing really well, and this time it is grief. Our protagonist is more mature than in the first novel, and Feintuch succeeds in building on the character development laid down previously. Roddy has learned a hell of a lot, but now he must be the mediator, the clear-thinking man who unites this squabbling, divided kingdom (again, a linear plotline). He must undergo a personal, emotionally-charged journey to do this, again, and this character arc is again brilliantly written.Just as Roddy is more mature than previously, this book also feels more mature, and the politicking he has to do had the potential to be uninteresting because of that. However, this was another aspect of the book which surprised me - each political situation he must resolve feels unique, and barely devolves into a samey series of events. Feintuch managed this by making each character Roddy must mediate with fully-fleshed out. Rather than an obscure series of laws which Roddy must invoke, each of these situations is a battle of wills between very obstinate people.Where the overarching plot is just fine, the individual growth of Roddy - this time, in response to grief - is as superb, and written realistically and convincingly. The book didn't have as much of a visceral impact on me as the first, but still contains excellent characterisation and realistic reactions to painful stumbling-blocks on the way to maturity.