While His Radiancy is off on adventures finding his heir, Cliopher is fulfilling his duties as the Viceroy of Zunidh and head of the government, preparing to hand the government off when he and his friend both retire. But he rather wishes he could be on adventures, too, and his misses his friend, His Radiance, the last Emperor of Astandalas, greatly.

Whew boy, where do I even start? That plot summary doesn't even come close to a true plot summary of this sprawling sequel to both The Hands of the Emperor and The Return of Fitzroy Angursell, but I had so much fun seeing how everything developed that I hesitate to give anything away. And yet, how do I talk about my reactions to the book in a review that is cohesive without abounding in spoiler tags? Well. Suffice it to say, then, that I enjoyed returning to Cliopher's story. I had thought a lot of his hesitancy about himself had been resolved in The Hands of the Emperor, but he still has some things to work through here and I did get a little impatient at points when the plot seemed to flag while he vacillated. The characters, though, are fantastic and I care deeply about them to the point where I was both laughing with delight and nearly crying when more emotional things happen to them. Getting to see Cliopher go off on an adventure of his own was very satisfying, and seeing him become the equal - not that he hadn't been, but in his own mind - of his great friend, made me so very happy. ( )

Ok, I'm not saying everything is perfect, but if only because of sheer enjoyment, the 5 stars are well-deserved. I loved the characters and their interactions the most. In addition, the world-building is superb, even if I sometimes skipped some of the descriptions of clothing or buildings or whatever.
I was a little worried that this book would have too much adventuring. I tried the Greenwing series, but it started out too whimsical, and I was worried this would go that way. And yes, there is some adventuring, and some serendipity, but it didn't overshadow the characters. ( )

*This is the sound of me jumping up and down, saying “this is such a good book, this is such a good book, this is such a good book…”*

But this sort of thing is not a review, so let me try something else.

I was wondering what kind of sequel The Hands of the Emperor might have, and the answer is: “unexpected and immensely satisfying”.

A lot of love has gone into this book – for this universe, for humanity, for all the characters; love of stories, epic legends, and small ordinary things that make life worth living.

(Also, I love the Islander culture so much, and it was wonderful to see more of it, learn more, and understand more. Can I have an encyclopedia of some kind?)

When do you stop when you chase your dreams? Can you stop, should you stop? (Cliopher says no, obviously!) Dreams are always precious, and they can be just for you and for you alone, and neither do they need to be epic. Right? Right. Thank you.

This is a book about choices and consequences, understanding who you are, letting go of things, relationships between people, poignant reunions, emotionally wrecking conversations, very funny conversations, characters being so fundamentally themselves that you want to hug them.

There are revelations about some of the characters that are nothing short of gorgeous :)))

“They should send grown men on quests more often.”

Unlike the previous book, there is a lot more magic here (or, as I wrote in my reading notes, “omg, crazy magic stuff is happening!”, he he). Cliopher gets to have adventures! But don’t worry, no dragons/monsters were harmed during the making of this book – these adventures are perfectly Cliopher, they are adventures of the mind, heart, spirit, and soul. Lovely.

So, what happens when you finally have your heart’s desire? Yes, exactly, life goes on and it is just as complicated as before, and you still have to untangle your relationships and old hurts… and you can still be happy.

“-One thing I have learned over the years, is that people are not islands, but archipelagoes.
-Don’t say it like that, Kip, Don’t make it easy.
-It is easy, as easy as a poem, and it is hard, hard as living in the world.”

I laughed a lot during the last few chapters. The ending is beautiful, with the promise of Book 3 (good, good, good).
( )

I just loved this book. I loved the first one, and I loved where this went -- full hearted into myth, with some of my favorite characters. To me, this was an Ace love story of epic proportions, and a triumph of non-white cultural values. It was glorious seeing Kip come into his own. It was also a delight to see Fitzroy gradually reconciling who he was pre-reign with who he is now. There's a lot of internal work and personal growth going on in these books, so yes, it is repetitive, yes, there are a lot of thinky thoughts and gradual resolutions, but also. Also a crazy mythic set of journeys, beloveds lost and found, weird interconnections, and delightful flights of fancy. Friendship (so many kinds of friendships) at the heart of it. I cried for while when Kip came back and finally stood in front of his community, having accomplished all that he set out to do. I loved that the Red Company wasn't so much in this adventure, but I like the idea of them gradually rejoining the story as well. And I cheered for the peaceful hand over of power to a new generation -- it gives me such hope, that such a thing can even be imagined in our broken and contentious times. ( )

Cliopher continues to 'realize' his dreams and ambitions and bring them into harmony with himself -- I truly do not feel I can say much of anything about what happens without spoiling, but there are some marvels, satisfying reunions and all the rest of it. I will however say that I am not in the least bit clear about what Goddard is driving at vis a vis the relationship between Cliopher and HFR. (His Former Radiancy -- a term I will use to also avoid any spoiling). It makes no sense to me human beings being who and what they are and just seems cruel to HFR who has such a passionate and physical nature and needs. Enough said. There are relationships that exist, a bit like this, bromancey (but usually not so intense). But this one feels unbalanced and, frankly, unfair as is. And who knows, really, where Goddard is intending to end up. Given Cliopher's detachment from his own needs and his physical self and how long it has taken him to get this far, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Totally worth reading if you have been enjoying the saga so far. And I will keep on with it, though ready now for a break. ****1/2 ( )