I've read that The Liars Key is not a redemption tale. I think it absolutely is. Perhaps not for Jalan, but for the reader. We may not like to admit it, but we all have the same feelings as Jalan, the same weaknesses, and it's in the ownership of these that we, like Jal, become more. Like it or not, most of us are more Jal than Snorri, and it's that acceptance which drives this story.
Prince Jalan Kendeth of Red March began the first book as unlikable a protagonist as one could hope to meet, but by the end of this, the second volume, having admitted to himself, and us, that there is so much more to him than his cowardice and his greed, he emerges as a figure of strength and loyalty. It is a story of discovery, of finding oneself through adversity. Despite his best efforts, Jal becomes a hero. While failing utterly to escape unscathed on several occasions, he manages to, among other things, escape from one prison and break into another, fight a horde of Red Vikings, necromancers, and well, the list is quite extensive by the end. And yet, Jal is still unconvinced. A lifetime of pretending, quite well it must be said, to be one thing, is a hard habit to break. But if we can open those doors, and admit that maybe, just maybe we are more than the sum of our parts, there remains hope.
It is a common human trait to put oneself down, to look past our achievements and our qualities, and focus only on the negatives, on the things we can't, and ignore the things we can. If Jal can show us one thing, it's that when push comes to shove, if he can, we can.
A wonderful story with a fantastic setting, and a very important message at its core. And it's damn fun too.
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