At the Feet of the Sun

by Victoria Goddard

Ebook, 2022

Status

Available

Call number

Fic SF Goddard

Publication

Publisher Unknown

Description

The long awaited sequel to THE HANDS OF THE EMPEROR! Cliopher Mdang has been appointed Viceroy of Zunidh by his beloved Radiancy, the Last Emperor, who has now left him behind in the Palace to safeguard the world during his absence on a quest to find an appropriately magical heir. When he returns, he will abdicate, and Cliopher will at last retire, satisfied with having achieved most of his life's political goals--even if his long-suppressed personal dreams are starting to bubble up. (Surely he used to have hobbies besides running the government?) All he has to do is wait patiently for his lord's return... until adventure quite literally hits him from behind, and what was once safely hypothetical becomes intensely real. Cliopher has always followed the stars of his chosen course: the epic oral histories of his people, the poetry of the rebel poet Fitzroy Angursell, decades of devotion and service to his Radiancy... They were enough to change the world. But are they enough to guide Cliopher home?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jennybeast

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.

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LibraryThing member zjakkelien

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.

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LibraryThing member bell7

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.

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