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The High King’s Embalmer by S. Copperstone
Someone is attempting to murder the royal family in S. Copperstone’s novel The High King’s Embalmer. Jibade, the royal family’s half-jackal, half-man embalmer, is determined to track out the offender. Can he survive long enough to save the remaining royals when he finds himself being pursued by the royal family itself?
A strange book with an Egyptian theme, The High King’s Embalmer takes place on a world that resembles Earth. The author credits inspiration for the prelude to a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto’s Egyptian Exhibit. Knowing how the narrative came to be and having been to that same exhibit multiple times influenced how I interpreted Jibade and his surroundings. There is a primitive spirit mixed with a raw elegance that gives the world a familiar and yet foreign sense.
In the first scene, the author describes the severity of the world and Jibade’s position within it. Everyone attending the dinner party hosted by the King is aware that someone will pass away. While a war is going on outside the palace doors, the King is inside playing a sinister game by asking a citrus farmer for a riddle. Jibade has assumed his jackal form and is leaning up against the wall, blending into the shadows.
When he smells the gunpowder beyond the castle walls, the author explains the characteristics of his ears when he is hearing something and a sharpened sense of smell. The character is basically a slave and not a good guy at the mercy of a royal family that is psychopathic despite the depiction being quite regal. How does one stay alive in a society where everyone is disposable?
Jibade wants to live. Even while he isn’t a particularly likeable or sympathetic guy, he is incredibly fascinating. His unusual powers are intriguing, and the history of his people is intriguing. Jibade is not the most skilled investigator, but he is resourceful, and when the King’s men are after him, he is inspired to show his patriotism and track out the person behind the assassination attempts.
The High King’s Embalmer is primarily captivating and fast-paced, but there is a point where the author seems to veer off course. The author seems to struggle to get the plot back on course, which makes it temporarily less engaging for the reader at the time. However, the story eventually manages to find its way back to a fascinating location and concludes on a high note, leaving the door open for a sequel.
The High King’s Embalmer comes highly recommended. The universe is intriguing, the plot is generally well-developed, and the writing is reliable. The plot and setting appeared to have been taken directly from Doctor Who (and as a major Whovian, I really enjoyed the sameness of feel with the darker episodes). Jibade is a well-known figure to both the author and the reader, making him easy to relate to.
About The Book
The royal family’s shape-shifting embalmer is intent on finding those behind the assassination attempts of the family. To further complicate things, he is kidnapped by bounty hunters, escapes, but finds himself hunted by the king’s own men. Can he find the source behind the deaths before the heirs of the family are extinguished?
The Review
The High King’s Embalmer
9 Score
This is quite an intriguing book. It tells the story of an alien creature that has the capability of changing shapes from his original form of a jackal like animal to any other format, including mimicking humans. When his race was exiled to a world where humans are the masters, his race is enslaved and abused. Our main character, Jibade, is from a Royal Family in his own world. In this new world, he finds himself working as an embalmer to the local Royal Family. He has been doing this service for generations of kings and due to his special abilities like reading the aura of humans, his service always goes beyond of just embalming the dead. As it is common inside any Royal Family, there is a lot of intrigues and assassination plots, and Jibade is loyal to his masters and tries to find out who is behind those plots. He is kidnapped and the adventure starts to pick up pace.
PROS
- Intriguing Book! Interesting Idea.
- Well Written.
- A Wonderful, Historical Novel.
- Utterly Charming.
CONS
- Boring & Dull.
- Terrible Read.
- Weak Characters.
- Very Disappointing!
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