April 24, 2018

“Blood of the Four” by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon – An Odyssey of Gods and Slaves

Blood of the Four by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon (Book cover)
Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, two highly reputed authors in their own rights, have joined forces together for Blood of the Four and managed to come up with an original novel drawing on the best of what the two men have to offer.

In this tour-de-force we are introduced to a kingdom where virtually every person is a slave, where the divide between the royals and the poor is as wide as it has ever been, and magic has been trampled into dust.

We follow a young Princess Phela whose ambition for power leads her to shatter the careful balance established over innumerable years, leading to either her dominion or everyone's death.

Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon United


The idea of co-authorship is in itself a fine practice, often allowing lesser-known authors to make their talents known by collaborating with established figures.

Unfortunately, in many cases proficient authors sink into complacency and essentially allow their partners to do all the work for them, being content with merely slapping their names on the cover and drawing the profits from it.

There are times however when a partnership between authors gives rise to something great, a work that exceeds what either could have achieved on their own and pulling them in a direction neither have really considered.

I'd say that Blood of the Four would fall under this umbrella, written in cooperation by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, two deeply respected and skilled authors in their own rights.

So what exactly did this marriage of pens net us?

As the story opens up we are presented to a kingdom, one that is slightly more cruel than what we've come to expect. The divide between the royals and the oppressed (referred to as Bajuman) as about as wide and deep as you can imagine, and what's more virtually everyone is a slave to someone else, whether it's the peasant obeying the aristocrat or the monarch kneeling before his god.

With magic having been virtually squashed out of existence in this kingdom, a strange and uneasy peace between the different castes has been in place for centuries, and for better or for worse, many seem content with this stability.

However, Princess Phela is not one of those people and her ambitions will disrupt any semblance of order which may have existed. Her dedication is unmatched, and she is willing to risk everything and everyone to either become a goddess herself, or ultimately annihilate all the inhabitants of the kingdom.

Unbeknownst to her though, a Bajuman by the name of Blane is also seeking to command magic for his own means, and his resistance will prove far more arduous than expected.

The Majestic Land of Quandis


First of all I'd like to bring our attention to the universe itself created by Golden and Lebbon. While it does certainly borrow from elements of our world, there is certainly enough to make it feel much more unique than run-of-the-mill medieval kingdoms.

Most notably, the distribution of power, its heredity, and the dynamics between different classes all feel original enough to throw us out of our comfort zone and defying our perceived familiarity with these types of settings.

The awe we experience as we tour Quandis from one place to the next is close to defying words as the authors engorge us in details which slowly serve to shape a grand painting of the kingdom, one explaining how and why everything works the way it does.

As you might imagine, there are some interesting parallels drawn between that universe and our very own, generally in the form of criticisms in regards to the unjust distribution of wealth and power in modern societies, the strange resources those living in poverty have to choose from, and the expendability of the poor used as nothing but pawns in the plans of the rich, just to name a few.

Thankfully these criticisms never feel heavy-handed, out of place or as if the authors are smacking you over the head with them. Rather, they end up making subtle food for though for those who are indeed looking for it.

An additionally interesting element in this book was the study of magic, religion and spirituality, how these elements and our diverging beliefs in them can end up shaping the world in more ways than we could ever foresee.

I particularly enjoyed the way in which the authors tackled the Blane character and depicted the lives of the priests coming in from poverty, showing them as convincing and realistic human beings stuck between a rock and a hard place simply trying to do the best with what little they have.

The Princess' Scheme


Moving on from the descriptions of the world and philosophical implications they carry with them, we still have in front of us a riveting plot which revels in defying our expectations and pushing us towards the unexpected.

We become acquainted with the Princess from the very early pages of the book during her time spent as a child eavesdropping on every conversation possible, following her growth and the moment she seizes her chance to be rid of both her mother and brother to become queen.

The growing opposition between her and Blane is enthralling to observe as they both have aces up their sleeves for the other one.

Blood of the Four by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon (Book cover)
What makes this tale particularly engaging is the fact that neither of the two characters are portrayed in black and white. They both seek power, and whether or not they want to admit it, they're only really doing it for themselves and their own ambitions: Princess Phela wants to rule Quandis indisputably while Blane seeks the power of magic to break free from the tenacious shackles of poverty.

They are both complex beings with both good and bad within them and ultimately judging them proved to be a far more difficult task than anticipated. They made for a memorable opposition to each other and carried the story about as well as any protagonist could.

The Final Verdict


Blood of the Four is, in my opinion, a home run for the Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon team, being an impeccably-written original story populated with complex and engaging characters living in a majestic and startling kingdom that begs many questions, some even relating to the real world.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of dark fantasy stories.





Interview with award-winning author Christopher Golden - on The Page One Podcast




Christopher Golden

Christopher Golden


Personal site

Christopher Golden is an American writer of horror, fantasy and suspense novels in addition to which he is currently penning the Sons of Anarchy book series. Amongst his near 100 works are renowned novels such as Ararat, Snowblind, Dead Ringers and Indigo. He has also written a number of series, including “The Hidden Cities”. “The Veil”, “The Shadow Saga” and “Ghosts of Albion”.
Tim Lebbon

Tim Lebbon


Personal site

Tim Lebbon is a writer of dark fantasy and horror novels best-known for his novel Dusk which won the 2007 August Derleth Award from the British Fantasy Society for best novel of the year, as well as the short story “Reconstructing Amy” which won him the Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction in 2001. His story “Pay the Ghost” was even adapted into a major motion-picture by the same name starring Nicolas Cage.

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