Awaiting coronation as the long-lost, mighty king of the Milky Way, human youth Richard must dodge threats from deadly space enemies in Hickman’s sequel.

The title refers to a seemingly average teenager who carries the singular and irreproducible DNA of the spacegoing Plantagenet family, a humanoid alien dynasty who ruled and defended the many planets of the Milky Way galaxy more than 1,000 years ago. Back then, a usurper within the royal house murdered noble King Dolloff and his brethren before being assassinated himself. One survivor, the prince’s pregnant fiancee, found sanctuary on remote Earth—a “barbaric” place of dread and exile in galactic culture whose very existence is often doubted except as fearful folklore. Centuries later, in the present, Ohioan Richard is contacted by scattered supporters—including a resourceful and ever loyal Artificial Alien Life dubbed AAL, who enlightened the lad to his incredible bloodline. On the planet Krel, Richard was revealed as heir to the throne prematurely, and AAL had to place a duplicate with the lad’s oblivious family back in Ohio. The real Richard, in the galactic capital city before his coronation, must be a quick study in etiquette, diplomacy, policy, and virtual messiah-hood for billions of worshipful subjects. There are also enemies, such as the influential family of Sen. Spartacus, who want the youth killed to allow an elected democracy (in other words, Spartacus) to take control. Preparing novice Richard for his challenges includes granting superior abilities (such as teleportation) via accelerated evolution using the energy of a mystic black hole. However, these newfound superpowers are often beyond Richard’s control. Another unforeseen complication: the boy-king finding true love and passionate sex with Amber, a humanoid fox-creature from a

planet called Beowulf, in a galactic culture that often marginalizes nonhuman creatures.

Hickman continues a multivolume saga that was launched with Richard: Distant Son (2022). Over the course of this novel, the author’s wide-ranging cosmology scrambles together elements of SF, high fantasy, and fairy tales; key alien species in the ensemble include such creatures as centaurs, satyrs, dragons, and winged horses. As noted above, readers should be

prepared for xenosexual consensual relations as well as the fact that in addition to a healthy libido, Richard has an unusually active bladder for an SF adventurer; multiple scenes take place in his “privy” (a royal one, of course, that is guarded by a powerful AI). However, space-vulpine dating and mating tips and bathroom emergencies are only parts of the narrative, which never sits still. Amber’s single mother, Kit, happens to be a top reporter for the Galactic News

Network, or GNN (not Fox News; the overall tone is not as satirical as that in a Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, or Jody Lynn Nye mock-epic). Assassination plots and lethal traps, grievous wounds, spaceship battles, heartache, tragedy, and miraculous resurrections comprise briskly paced episodes that alternate with scatological comedy, door-slamming farce, and monstrations of Richard’s inherent kindness and nobility. The dialogue ranges from passably profound

pronouncements to comic-book melodrama (“The beast let out an earth-shattering laugh. ‘Puny part-human, how dare you defy me’ ”).

A lively rumpus-room of mythology-tinged high-fantasy SF adventure. —Kirkus Reviews

J Krug

This looks to be a super interesting universe to visit. After looking around, there is a previous book set in this universe following and introducing these characters, and I am happy to see that as they are interesting and more of their lives should be explored. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

AudioBookReviewer

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2022

The story of Richard Drumm continues as he survives multiple attempts on his life, discovers another life-changing event, and meets death head-on. Richard and Amber’s new powers must remain a secret if they are to survive until the coronation, but with Senator Spartacus behind most of the evil happenings, survival is questionable. With all the help Richard gets, one must wonder if it is all that helpful! The author, Michael Hickman continues the story right where it left off. The story arc continues smoothly and flawlessly. The coming of age of Richard and Amber is entertaining and well-written. Hickman continues to develop the characters with deeper depth and growth. Hickman allows the listeners to experience a few moments of Richard’s anger and revenge mode, but those are quickly shut down with reason. Hickman is also sharing a powerful message with his listeners – everyone deserves a chance regardless. The narrator, Ron Allan Fouts delivers another fine performance. His expressive tones and clear speaking allow for the listener to follow the story. He keeps the story moving forward at a steady pace. Overall, this is a book that is rich in imagery and human nature and the plot twists are well done. There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Matthew Poehler

In the second book of the Richard series, we see more of the development of the main characters and the brutality of the politics arrayed against the young King. Hickman has done something interesting here too. In narratives that feature young teenagers, the temptation of an author is to portray them as far more mature than they would likely be. Hickman has written Richard, his love Amber, and Richard’s brother as the teens they are and how they would act. So, when I was facepalming about an action by Richard in the story, I said, “Hey, wait. He’s still fifteen” and suddenly, the action makes sense from that POV. I’ve had the advantage of being the parent of fifteen-year-olds, and all I had to do was remember back that far and think to myself, “Yep, pretty authentic, after all.” This is a four rather than five because the middle was a bit convoluted, but a worthy instalment in the series. The story advances, the politics get more complex, and the powers arrayed against Richard and the Kingdom go to the next stage in revealing themselves. Good work! Waiting for the next one."