A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham, book two Long Price Quartet

Denver Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club

A BETRAYAL IN WINTER
by
DANIEL ABRAHAM

A Betrayal in Winter (2007)
The Long Price Quartet - Book Two

Cover art by Stephan Martiniere

Tor hardcover
320 pages (left)

Tor fantasy paperback
352 pages (right)

From the back cover of the paperback:
       A son of the ruling family of the city-state of Machi, Otah was sent from his home to be raised away from the political intrigue into which he was born. Years later, he has witnessed and been part of world-changing events, yet he has never returned to his childhood home. Now his father, the reigning Khai, is dying, and Otah's eldest brother, Biitrah, has been assassinated. Otah realizes that he must go home, for reasons not even he understands.
       Tradition dictates that the sons of a dying Khai fall upon each other until only one remains to rule. But something even worse is occurring in Machi. Galt, an expansive empire, has allied with someone in Machi to bring down the ruling house. Otah himself is caught and accused, the long-missing brother with an all-too-obvious motive for murder.
       Daniel Abraham has created a masterful drama filled with a unique magic, a suspenseful thriller of betrayal, Machiavellian politics, and behind it all the machinations of the ambitious, bloodthirsty Galts and their conflicted, fallible coconspirators.

From the inside flaps of the hardcover:
       Daniel Abraham delighted fantasy readers with his brilliantly original and engaging first novel, A Shadow in Summer. Now he has produced an even more powerful sequel, a tragedy as darkly personal and violent as Shakespeare's Macbeth.
      A tragedy born of one woman's demons and the unchecked aggression of an empire bent on conquest, A Betrayal in Winter chronicles with unflinching clarity the destruction of a noble family and its ultimate redemption.
       As a boy, Otah Machi was exiled from his family, which rules the city-state of Machi. Decades later he has witnessed and been part of world-changing events. Yet, he has never returned to his childhood home. Now his father, the reigning Khai, is dying, and Otah's eldest brother, Biitrah, has been assassinated. Otah realizes that he must go home, for reasons not even he understands.
      Tradition dictates that the sons of a dying Khai must fall upon each other until only one remains to succeed his father. But something even worse is occurring in Machi. The Galts, an expansive empire, have allied with someone in Machi to bring down the ruling house. Otah himself is caught and accused, the long-missing brother with an all-too-obvious motive for murder...

Read for group discussion on November 12, 2008

RATINGS:
How we each rated this book

Dan	-	Amy	8	10 Wow! Don't miss it 8-9 Highly recommended 7 Recommended 5-6 Mild recommendation 3-4 Take your chances 1-2 Below average; skip it 0 Get out the flamethrower! U Unfinishable or unreadable - Skipped or no rating given
Cheri	9	Barb	-
Aaron	-	Cynthia	-
Jackie	8	Ron	8
Jennifer	5.5

Our book group has read the following books by Daniel Abraham
-- A Shadow in Summer in November 2007
-- An Autumn War in November 2009

Bibliography:
Daniel Abraham is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He lives in New Mexico.

The Long Price Quartet
--A Shadow in Summer (2006)
--A Betrayal in Winter (2007)
--An Autumn War (2008)
--The Price of Spring (2009)

Other works
--Hunter's Run (2008, with Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin)
--"Shadow Twin" (2004, novella, with Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin)
--George R.R. Martin's Wald Cards: The Hard Call (2008, graphic novel with art by Eric Battle)

Pseudonymous urban fantasy, The Black Sun's Daughter series
--Unclean Spirits (2008, as M.L.N. Hanover)
--Darker Angels (2009, as M.L.N. Hanover)

Links:
Our book club's page for A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
Our book club's page for An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham
Aaron's review of A Shadow in Summer on Fantastic Reviews
Daniel Abraham -- Works and Information
SF Signal: REVIEW: A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
BookLoons Reviews - Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham
Locus Online: Daniel Abraham interview excerpts (2008)

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This page was last updated November 22, 2009