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When The King Comes Home [Mass Market Paperback]

Caroline Stevermer (Author)
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: Nov 19 2001
When the King IV comes home . . .

Good King Julian of Aravis has been dead for two hundred years, but his kingdom still misses him. The current occupant of the throne is old and witless and has no heir. The true ruler of Aravis is the powerful Prince Bishop, who controls both church and state.

When the King comes home, all wishes will be granted.

Hail Rosmer wants to be an artist-not an ordinary artist, but a great artist, as great as the fabled Maspero, who painted the famous Archangel altarpiece in the Palace of Aravis and made Good King Julian's crown.

When the King comes home, all dreams will be made real.

One day, Hail sees a man catching fish from the river and eating it raw. The man's clothes are antique in fashion. He looks exactly like King Julian of Aravis. And there begins an adventure that takes Hail and her enigmatic companion from palace to wilderness to battlefield and teaches her, and the rest of Aravis, what happens when the King comes home in sober reality.

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From Amazon

When the King comes home... miracles will occur, the rivers will run with wine, all wishes will be granted. The kingdom of Aravis believes its beloved King Julian, dead 200 years, will return in the hour of its greatest need--and surely that hour is now. The current king is ancient, witless, and dying without an heir, the sinister Prince Bishop controls both church and state, and rebellion is brewing in the provinces.

Hail Rosmer has no interest in politics or legends. The daughter of a rural wool merchant, Hail wishes only to be a great artist. And her wish is granted, it seems, when she is sent to the city of Aravis to apprentice with Madame Carriera and study the works of King Julian's artist, the infamous Maspero. But Hail's fate is forever changed--as changed as the fate of Aravis itself--when she sees a man who looks exactly like King Julian. Marvels and wonders there will be--and events far darker and more dangerous than were ever imagined in legend.

When the King Comes Home is a smart, sly, unpredictable, and fascinating fantasy that lives up to the high standards of Caroline Stevermer's critically acclaimed previous novels, A College of Magics and River Rats. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this well-wrought fantasy, Hail Rosmer, the daughter of affluent wool merchants, is apprenticed to an artist in the city of Aravis. As she studies, she observes the city's rich collection of art and comes across a medal of the legendary Good King Julian, two centuries dead, who had been very unlike the present aged and childless ruler, a puppet of the theocracy. Hail becomes obsessed with the medal and the prophecy concerning Julian, which states that when the king comes again, all dreams will be made real. Then one day she sees a man fishing on the river. He looks exactly like King Julian, but he is far too healthy to have been dead 200 years. Hail befriends the fisherman, and the rest of the book is a witty tale of what really can happen when legends come to life. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars Stopped reading 58/236 pages through April 15 2004
By Rachel
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I started reading this book expecting an adventure but getting to about page 60 and having to put a 236-page book down is pretty sad. The plot just doesn't move. If this was a biography it would actually be quite interesting, but taken as a fantasy novel? At first I thought maybe she was just trying to get more into Hail's character, but I found that I really did not know that much about Hail. I knew her fellow apprentices better. I put this book down on page 58. I have only ever not finished two books in my entire life; they were Homecoming by Cynthia Voit (sp?), and The One Armed Queen by Jane Yolen. I don't recommend either. It pains me greatly to not finish a book. The whole idea of the book would have been wonderful were the plot interesting in the first 20 pages, and it was in a way, but maybe only because I like to draw and she was becoming and apprentice to an artist. If you prefer biographies and are looking into going into fantasy books I could recommend this book, but that is considering that I really don't like biographies.

Sorry for rambling.

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2.0 out of 5 stars HMMM, WATCH THE GRASS GROW OR READ THIS BOOK Jan 10 2004
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I made it to about page 100 before I surrendered - something I rarely do. This book, while well written, does not move at all. Page after page of nothing. I'm giving two stars because I think that Stevermer is probably a good writer and is capable of actually creating some fantasy worth reading - this book isn't it.
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1.0 out of 5 stars BORING ! Dec 11 2003
By Landorian
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After having read many fantasy books by many different authors I must say that this book was the worst of all !

Even though the style is ok, the plot is as interesting as watching a stone fall to dust...

At first I thought it might improve and kept on reading up to page 184 (of 236) but then just couldn't stand it anymore and stoped.

The story is very constructed, the surrounding world doesn't feel real, everything appears very static and the characters are lifeless puppets. Not even once did I have the feeling of being part of the story, instead I always forced to myself to keep on reading in hope for an improvement ...which never came, up to that point where I simply gave up, and I'm not the kinda guy who gives up easily on a book.

I can't recommend this book at all.

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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars When the King Comes Home -- Will he be welcome?
If something is unlikely, it is said it will happen when the King comes home. This refers to Good King Julian who has been dead for 200 years. Read more
Published on Jun 4 2003 by Joshua Koppel
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Wonderful
Stevermer does a wonderful job of portraying what really happens when the king comes home. I really cared about the main characters - Hail Rosamer and Ludo. Read more
Published on Jun 9 2002
2.0 out of 5 stars try something else of hers
There's no doubt Stevermer can write some eloquent prose, however, her ability to keep a story interesting falters in several places in this book. Read more
Published on Mar 20 2002 by owookiee
4.0 out of 5 stars well-written, wry fantasy about the powers of legend and art
Caroline Stevermer's latest fantasy is an elegantly written and wryly witty story about a young artist's apprentice and her encounter with a living legend -- Good King Julian,... Read more
Published on Mar 11 2002 by Pauline J. Alama
4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book for a Rainy Day
I've been a Caroline Stevemer fan since 1993 when I found one of her early books. When the King Comes Home is delightful. Read more
Published on Jan 11 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting heroine and world, disappointing ending.
OK, I admit it. I wanted the herione to fall in love at then end of the book. There. Something just rankles about our girl Hail Rosamer being so clueless and indifferent to the... Read more
Published on April 9 2001 by LeeAnn Balbirona
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but not really memorable
Caroline Stevermer has a new book out, _When the King Comes Home_. It's apparently set in the same world as her fine earlier book _A College of Magics_. Read more
Published on Feb 7 2001 by Richard R. Horton
2.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book
but not a great one either.

Set in a mythical renaissance kingdom in Central Europe, WHEN THE KING COMES home tells the story of Hail Rosmer, art student with a fascination for a... Read more

Published on Dec 30 2000 by booksforabuck
4.0 out of 5 stars If only the King came Home more often!
Caroline Stevermer is one of those authors who writes (it seems) a book a decade, but oh what a book, when it finally appears! Read more
Published on Oct 31 2000 by Twila M. Price
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