In A Conspiracy of Kings, the forth and possibly final book in the Attolia series, we return to Sophos, the missing heir of the King of Sounis. Most of the book is told from Sophos’ POV as he is relating it to another character. We learn early in the book that he has rescued himself from his captors and is the new king of Sounis. But for most of the book he is a king without a country. He is struggling to gain his throne, end the civil war, stave off an invasion, find his family, and secure the hand of the woman he loves.
There’s lots of adventure, but the Attolia books are driven by character more than sweeping adventure. The tone of this book is softer and more reflective, because it’s narrator is a more reflective character than Eugenides. Part of me did want to stay in Eugenides head and see him scheming his way through this story, but it wouldn’t have worked as well. I liked Sophos. I enjoyed traveling with him as he reached the point Eugenides intended him to reach. And I enjoyed that Sophos reached that point in a way that surprised even Eugenides.
I highly recommend this series for fun summer reading. Or really, for anytime.
Cannonball Read V 