King's Shield (Inda Book 3)

**This may have some spoilers, so please beware.**I, too, anticipated this to be the final installment of Inda's series and was disappointed to find no clear resolution. I had preordered Fox and King's Shield because I was totally in love with the characters. It felt as if I was growing up with them and reliving the angst of life. The only downside was the enormity of Inda's world...there were so many things to remember and if I don't make a point to remember something, it sometimes becomes forgotten and I feel like I'm missing out on a lot. The result of that made me skim a lot of pages, especially for KS (since I hadn't reread the previous books recently) - I zoomed through a lot of passages. If I couldn't recall what the characters alluded to, it was simply dismissed. Like the previous commenter, I think a list of characters inserted in the back/beginning of the book would have helped a lot.The other thing that I was really looking forward to was a conclusion to Inda's relationships between the Ven dag and Tdor. It was really hard for me to understand his love for both women...I keep thinking, he really should choose one...Not to say that I couldn't comprehend the dichotomy of the marriage relationship and that of the heart - they were separate in the Marlovan society, and only the blessed few grew enamored of his or her spouse. I was just REALLY hoping he would *just* pick one or the other gosh =PAnyway, if you hadn't read the book yet and you're still reading this part, be prepared to have some tissue handy! True to the series, it portrays lives so well that you'd sometimes feel for the unfairness of it. But there's joy too, and the celebration of life, but even these made me tear up a time or two lol.

The characters, the cultures, and the countries are so vivid and three dimensional and there is such a rich back story - this world feels *real*... it is more like reading Tolstoy or George Eliot than a work of fantasy, in that sense. The solidity and depth of the setting and culture are felt rather than described and the characters' complexities reveal themselves naturally over time.The first two books, Inda and Fox, introduced us to the characters and the world:In the first we are shown Inda as a boy going off to a military academy, drawn into the complex ties of aristocratic kinship, and given a glimpse of the intricacies of politics and personality. We saw Inda, still so young!, rushed off into a bewildering exile and learned with him the ways of the sea... only to watch that world too disintegrate for him.The second book: Piracy, teamwork, strategy & tactics - and lots of action at sea and for those back at home in the next book. ...and, deliciously, an ever deeper and more subtle exploration of character, of friendship, and of politics.King's Shield takes all the beauty, depth, complexity, and richness of the previous books and brings it all home - literally and figuratively. For me, this book was the ultimate payoff for the investment I have made in this world and these characters. I consider it one of the best works of fantasy I have ever read - the intricate, tightly woven plot (and no lack of breath taking action!) which both drew me into a passionate caring for the characters and made me really think about war, about conscience, responsibility, friendship, love, duty... and the hard choices that we all face.This wasn't a light, easy read - not a delicate, slightly frothy fantasy romance. Crown Duel, Trouble with Kings, Sashiara en Garde, and the lovely short story in Lace and Blade are all beautiful examples of that genre - magical, special books, but lacking the depth and complexity of the Inda series. King's Shield drew me into it almost at once, but demanded my attention, my focus...my heart, but that investment was exponentially rewarded.So, if you love character driven fantasy with strong, intelligent plotting - read this series... read it now!

I have always loved this series and this is my third time through. It is as good as I remember. Recommend to everyone

So much of this book was about the positioning of troops. Endless pages seemed to be focused on that single aspect. Yet, this wasn't really a military novel. The movement of forces is a necessary event, but the actions that occur prior to it are what the story is about. And that's where I thought it was average. So much of the focus in on every character but Inda. He is the King's Shield and he is a large part of the book, but very few times do we actually understand what he is thinking. Instead, he comes across as some stare-off-into-the-distance ethereal being. He's a tertiary character in a book that is nominally titled after him. Much of the book also seemed to read as filler. Everything that we learn about the various characters; all their actions; all their thoughts; the events in the book-it all could have been boiled down much more tightly to a book 1/2 this one's length. I think that was what I found the most irritating: not much happens and not much is learned for most of the 500 pages, until the climactic battle at the end. I wanted to read more about Inda's actions from his POV, but barring that, I could have still liked this book if the events prior to the battle actually meant something. Sadly, I didn't find myself caring. I struggled to the end, but I doubt I'll purchase the 4th book.

The value of these 3 books as been seeing this "fictitious" country show the division of the "tribes" due to treaties that were made in haste (sounds familiar), punishment because the family was caught off guard or did not support the "insanity" of that time. The North and South are fighting each other for better living conditions. The land military is unfamiliar with the sea military so Inda draws the two together for better service to the country from which he was exiled. These books are very fast paced and easy to follow if you are familiar with the sckuddergy of the present regimes here in the states. There is much to learn on how we must look to others in different worlds and planets.

A mighty book in many ways. Long, yes, all 687 ages of it. Complex in depth and far-reaching in scope this is still Inda's story but the other characters aren't forgotten and we spend a lot of this book seeing Inda through other eyes.. When Inda returns home from the sea to warn his once best friend and now king, Evred, of an impending attack by the Venn he's accompanied by shipmates, the beautiful Tau and his (to her own thinking) plain lover Jeje and Inda's own lover the much older Venn mage, Signi.Though there is grief when Inda learns his older brother has been murdered in his absence and his father has faded to the status of a cabbage, Inda finally gets his heart's desire. His exile is ended, his trumped up crime of eight or nine years ago is forgotten and his trusted friends are all happy to see him back, especially Evred who almost immediately makes Inda his war-leader. Lest that seem a little overly convenient for Inda's advancement, all the experienced war leaders have already been eliminated in a 'night-of-the-long-knives' coup and counter-coup in the previous book, The Fox. Inda, known for having 'plans' in his academy days, and always being capable of seeing the bigger picture in any military engagement, has shown he can lead a fleet to victory at sea. Now all he has to do is relearn the art of fighting on land.So Inda comes home in time to put his best friends into the worst jeopardy of their lives, with the Venn invasion force already waiting to land an army of thousands and a long march through the Andahi pass to command the high ground first in the coming battle. Inda's learning curve is as steep and rocky as the sides of the pass, but Evred was right to put his trust in him even though the cost is great.The human stories are intertwined with the military one: Evred's secret passion for Inda, recognised only by Tau and by Tdor, Inda's future wife; Tdor's anxiety about Inda's lover, Signi, and how her presence will affect their arranged marriage; Inda's ongoing nightmares from previous traumas; Jeje's inferiority complex which causes her to leave before Tau can get tired of her; Tau's sense of loss over Jeje because though he's had many lovers, so few of them have been friends as well. There are new characters: the doomed defenders of Castle Andahi and their children, sent to the mountains for safety, struggling to survive. We see the academy boys from the first book, Inda, now grown to men and fulfilling their promise - or not. Special mention for the beautifully drawn cameo of Noddy Toraca, somewhat goofy and turtle-like as a child, but now strong and steady, already a father, and questioning the sense of war while giving everything when asked. There's a human cost of war, not just in the dead, but the maimed as well. Inda and his chums were children in the first book. The idea of war was an exciting adventure, a war game. Now they are men, and war is no longer a game.There is much to admire in Sherwood Smith's writing. The worldbuilding is completely believable and within the context of fiction, totally real. The characterisation is excellent. She makes you care about all of them, even the annoying ones. The plot is never predictable, the pace always page-turning. After three mammoth books what can be left in Inda's life to write about? He's already achieved the pinnacle of success. But there is another book, Treason's Shore, and I'm having to stop myself from dashing off to start reading. I have some work to do first...

Inda, Prinz von Choraed Elgaer, kehrt nach Jahren im Exil zurück in seine Heimat, um den König vor der drohenden Invasion der Venn zu warnen. Der Empfang könnte wärmer nicht sein, nachdem zwischenzeitlich Evred, Indas Kamerad aus Akademietagen, den Thron bestiegen hat. Für das Wiedersehen bleibt jedoch wenig Zeit; das Heer muß in Gewaltmärschen ausrücken, um sich dem Feind an einem strategischen Punkt - dem Andahi-Pass- entgegenzustellen. Evred ernennt Inda zum Königlichen Schildarm, einer Art Heerführer, der zweithöchste Rang im Königreich. Inda verfügt zwar über reichlich Kampferfahrung, allerdings hat er die letzten Jahre auf See verbracht und gegen undisziplinierte Piraten gekämpft; es gibt auf vielen Seiten Zweifel, ob dies in Verbindung mit seinem begnadeten Instinkt für Taktik ausreicht, um in einer Schlacht um einen Bergpaß gegen einen zahlenmäßig überlegenen Gegner zu bestehen, der entgegen aller Regeln Magie für den Krieg einsetzt, und dessen Spione bereits tief in die Kommandostruktur eingedrungen sind.Der dritte Teil der Inda-Tetralogie ist in zwei Hälften unterteilt: im ersten Teil wird Indas Heimkehr geschildert, wie er an den königlichen Hof von Iasca Leror zurückkehrt und seinen Akademiegefährten wiederbegegnet, allen voran Evred. Ahnungslos wie immer, bemerkt Inda nicht, daß aus Evreds Zuneigung eine homosexuelle Attraktion geworden ist, die manchmal unangenehm an die Fixierung des früheren Kronprinzen auf Joret Dei erinnert. Die Stimmung schwankt zwischen Happy-End und gespannter Aufbruchsstimmung, das Tempo wird trotz einiger spannender Sequenzen, Auseinandersetzungen und Zweikämpfe ziemlich abgebremst, bis Inda den wichtigsten Charakteren wiederbegegnet ist. Nach dem schwungvollen Vorgängerband muß sich hier der Leser in Geduld üben, was aber nicht allzu schwer fällt, da die große Entscheidungsschlacht unweigerlich heraufzieht.Diese folgt in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches und läßt an Dramatik nichts zu wünschen übrig. Die Marlovaner müssen sich nicht nur bis zum letzten Mann, sondern bis zum letzten Mädchen verteidigen, es gibt viele dramatische Szenen, bittere Entscheidungen und Opfer und eine Art Kreuzzug der Kinder, die auch in den Krieg verwickelt werden. Auch die Gegenseite der Venn wird gezeigt, wie die Machtkämpfe und das Throngerangel dort den Ausgang der Schlacht beeinflussen.Obwohl der Stil klar Richtung Heldenepos geht und manchmal ein bißchen an Tolkiens Schlacht um Helms Klamm erinnert, zeigt S. Smith einmal mehr nicht nur die Stärken, sondern auch die Schwächen der Beteiligten, und wirft die Frage auf, ob ein Sieg die monströsen Opfer wert ist, die er fordert - oder ob es nur Verlierer auf beiden Seiten gibt.Die Handlung läuft weiter bis zur Heimkehr Indas und seines Wiedersehens mit seiner Familie. Offen bleibt die Frage, ob Inda wirklich seinen Seekameraden den Rücken kehrt und bei Evred bleibt - in welcher Art von Beziehung auch immer.Teil 3 hält den hohen Standard der Serie, bietet aber eine völlig andere Grundkonstellation als Band 2, dessen Schwung mit seiner Seefahrer-und Mantel-und Degen- Atmosphäre mir etwas gefehlt hat. Hier geht es deutlich tragischer zur Sache, außerdem leidet im ersten Teil des Buches das Tempo unter den vielen Handlungsfäden, die wieder aufgenommen werden müssen, um den Plot voranzubringen. Deshalb 4 Sterne.