Scan barcode
A review by jrgowin
The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander
3.0
Loyd Alexander is one of my favorite authors, which is why I was so surprised by this series. The characters are all predictable and seem to follow the classic character types. Theo, the idealist that unwillingly becomes a bloody revolutionary haunted by the lives he's taken. Mickle, the beggar queen who forgot her royal heritage and then becomes a benevolent and abdicating and idealist queen. While enduring, and maybe even the archetype of these types of characters, Alexander spoke too much through them, especially in the second book.
Alexanders writing style is simple and easy to read, sometimes too much so.
The series, when read along with other books of revolution, begs the question: can a revolution be done well? What are affordable losses? What government is best for the people? In the West, it's undoubtedly a Republic. But in light or the stories of Westmark, Persepolis, A Tale of Two Cities, and even Plato's fall of the Republic, can a republic be mercifully established?
Alexanders writing style is simple and easy to read, sometimes too much so.
The series, when read along with other books of revolution, begs the question: can a revolution be done well? What are affordable losses? What government is best for the people? In the West, it's undoubtedly a Republic. But in light or the stories of Westmark, Persepolis, A Tale of Two Cities, and even Plato's fall of the Republic, can a republic be mercifully established?