The sea beyond glitters like cloth-of-gold. In fact, it reminded me quite a bit of Blood Feud , one of my favor Opening: In fact, it reminded me quite a bit of Blood Feud , one of my favorites, except that the journey was reversed. Here Cai, a brilliant thief known as the Ghost, travels unwillingly from Constantinople to Britain. He finds himself caught in the middle of political tensions and rivalries which he doesn't quite understand. And he is forced to decide how he will use his enormous talents.
I really loved this book. As I said, the Rosemary Sutcliff comparison worked quite well for me, although it's certainly true that the more I think about it, the more little bits line up with Megan Whalen Turner. Cai is wild and hot-tempered and he has higher connections that it first appears. Nonetheless, I think MWT fans are likely to be disappointed if they go in thinking that this is going to be The Thief , because it's not.
That doesn't really matter, because this is an excellent book in its own right. The descriptions of Constantinople are beautiful, and I enjoyed the slow reveal of just how much Cai knows and who he is. Though he thinks of himself as lawless and hardened, the choices he make show again and again that he loves very deeply--his family, his friends, and his city.
For a time it looks like he's lost them all. It's at that point that he is taken to Britain, where he surrenders himself as a hostage to Wulfhere of Mercia. He has to invent himself all over again, after joining Wulfhere's household. There he has to once again choose who he will offer his loyalty to. I loved the relationship between Cai and his father, which seemed like it was emotionally true.
I was a little less convinced by his relationship with his sisters, who were never quite fleshed out for me. The friendships he makes in Wulfhere's court were also nicely depicted. Cai is definitely in one of my favorite categories--the character who has great skills but who's just a little wounded. I found his journey touching and his choices, both good and bad, convincing. Though I'm a bit fonder of England than he is heh , I also thought that his homesickness and struggle to survive in a strange society were well shown. This is apparently a companion book to Bloodline , which I haven't read.
May 29, Eva Mitnick rated it liked it Shelves: In this sequel, Bloodline's hero Essa has left Britain with Lark to settle in Constantinople and is now the father of year-old Cai, named for Essa's father. Cai eschews the company of his family in favor of that of thieves and criminals; his penchant for thrills and his strange gift for moving about unseen and for influencing minds make him a master of the art.
After he runs afoul of the wrong person, he is captured by slavers and ends up in Britain, land of his parents - who have never told In this sequel, Bloodline's hero Essa has left Britain with Lark to settle in Constantinople and is now the father of year-old Cai, named for Essa's father. After he runs afoul of the wrong person, he is captured by slavers and ends up in Britain, land of his parents - who have never told him anything about their lives there.
Those who have read Bloodline will know about the complex and constantly shifting alliances, feuds, and battles among the many small kingdoms in 7th century Britain, and Cai becomes embroiled in them from the moment he is claimed by his father's old friend Wulf. Much of the plot revolves around the enmity between various lords and kings, and I found it hard to keep track of it or even to care very much. Much more interesting are Cai's thoughts and feelings, such as his discombobulation at finding himself, after a hideous and harrowing journey on a slave ship, in a primitive land, where no one takes baths or knows how to read or write, where the streets are lined with mud instead of stone, and where everyone sleeps in one big room together like a bunch of puppies.
Constantinople is a paradise of civilization in comparison. Cai misses his intense but loving father intensely, who he believes is dead and through Cai's fault to boot, and he just can't trust the affable, larger-than-life Wulf, whose motives don't always seem clear-cut. Distrustful and fierce, Cai can't let his defenses down and so ends up being his own worst enemy.
I must say that I miss Essa myself, and would have been more than content to read about his not exactly uneventful life in Constantinople, with his naughty son Cai being only a peripheral character. It's not that Cai is uninteresting, but I didn't ever completely cotton to him. The potential was there, but his friendships with Edge and Cerny are not quite developed enough, and he just lacks a certain depth of character.
The short segment involving his journey aboard the slaver and the cook who befriends him stands out as the most vibrant part of the book. Not that this isn't worth reading - it is. It just didn't captivate me to the same extent that Bloodline and young Essa did. If you loved Bloodline, give this one a try. And if you didn't haven't read Bloodline, get thee to a library!
AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. By submitting a review you grant us the right to display and use it in any way; please read our General Legal Notices for full details. Bloodline Rising follows this family of Dark Age Britons into another generation. Cai knows that he can't go back home, but he has to create the best future for himself.
Thoughts on the Overall Book: I loved "Bloodline" which I actually ended up doing a faith buy on which I ended up being glad I did but "Bloodline Rising" I think was even better. I mean, seriously, it has every theme I absolutely love in it!
Celtic Britain, thieves, the Middle East, plus a lovely father-son relationship and lots of brotherly relationships too. Just simply a wonderful book! I really like the covers for these books because I love silhouettes and you can tell it Thoughts on the Overall Book: I really like the covers for these books because I love silhouettes and you can tell it's going to be set in Constantinople or someplace like that. Even if I had no prior knowledge of these books, this would have caught my eye. I love Cai because, number one, he's a flawed character, thus making him realistic, but yet, he really does want to do the right thing.
Of course, he's Essa's son Essa being the character in "Bloodline" and I actually love how Essa never told him about his past. Their father-son relationship was so good because it was dynamic, and, again, realistic. I also loved seeing other characters from the previous book like Wulf who was a favorite of mine and also how his son became good friends with Cai; Cenry and Edge were great characters as well.
I also loved the Emperor of Thieves. There were also a lot of good secondary characters. While "Bloodline" was written in third person one perspective, "Bloodline Rising" was first person from Cai's point of view. I normally don't like books written in the present tense, but seriously, in this one, it took me several pages to realize that and it was not distracting at all. Sometimes present tense can be a little vague, but this book I hardly noticed it, and I think it actually added to the story.
Truthfully, I had no problems with this book. I loved this book. It was just really, really good! People who enjoyed "Bloodline" should definitely read this one. I really don't even think it's necessary to read them in that order; you could actually read "Bloodline" as a prequel later, if you wished. Rosemary Sutcliff fans would also like these books. A guy and girl read, probably thirteen and up. View all 6 comments. Sep 11, Lara rated it liked it. In this companion novel to "Bloodline," readers are introduced to Cai the son of Essa, also known as Tasik who is the trickiest street thief in 17th century Constantinople.
Held hostage by one of his fathe In this companion novel to "Bloodline," readers are introduced to Cai the son of Essa, also known as Tasik who is the trickiest street thief in 17th century Constantinople. When a battle erupts between Mercia and the High King, Cai realizes that appearances—and people—are not always what they seem to be.
I had not read "Bloodline" before reading this companion novel, and while it was not necessary to follow the plot, it would probably have helped to understand who many of the characters were.
It seems as though there will probably be another book after this one, based on the exciting ending, so it is possible that all of the loose ends will be tied up and all questions answered. This novel is action-packed, and Cai is a sympathetic character—in spite of his many bad decisions. Recommended for grades Oct 18, Emma Woodcock rated it really liked it.
This is a slightly odd, but very enjoyable book. The plot is wide ranging and episodic. It was so well written that didn't bother me at all, but I can imagine it being hard to sell! I enjoyed Bloodline the first book in the sequence very much. It's some years since I read it, but I don't remember there being such an overt supernatural element probably just my shoddy memory! So I was kind of surprised by all the magical doings in this. The prose is lovely, and the historical detail grubby and This is a slightly odd, but very enjoyable book.
The prose is lovely, and the historical detail grubby and convincing. My main quibble is with the blurb on the back of the book - which gives away things which don't happen til and even pages through the story! Seems a bit careless - but then, the plot is so meandery and episodic that I don't know what else you could put on the back to give a true impression of the story.
I also have a slight problem with the title.
Maybe I'm just prejudiced cuz I had the misfortune a couple of years ago to watch Valhalla Rising, quite possibly the worst, most pretentious and boring film every made! In any case, I will look out for other books by the author, as I think her style and ideas are excellent.
He's known as the Ghost. He moves through the shadows and has amazing balance. He gives his loyalty to the King of Thieves, hoping one day to rule his world. Now, his King gives him an impossible task.
But it's not to be. Captured, bound and sent to the slavers, Cai eventually finds himself in Britain - his father's country. And there, he discovers more about himself and his parents than he had ever thought possible Bloodline Rising follows this family of Dark Age Britons into another generation. The first told the story of Essa, a boy who could take animal form in visions.
Cai is his son and his abilities are very different, but the spirituality is the same. Back in Britain and separated from his father, Cai becomes immersed in the politics of the time. Christianity is taking hold and the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia play a cat-and-mouse game for power. Both 7th century Britain and Constantinople rise vividly for the reader through Moran's prose, which has great strength and power but is never too dense. It's difficult to write accurately about history - especially a period with sparse sources such as this one - but also to create charismatic yet non-achronistic characters and maintain pace in the narrative, but Moran does it with ease.
Cai's struggles in his relationships with others, his insecurities and resentments, are immediately recognisable to any reader, and are tremendously sympathetic, but he never appears out of time or place.