The Pit of No Return

This is far and away the best (and biggest) King Henry book to date, and I could go on and on about all the great parts, but I'll leave that to others. Let's get right to the most important point, the point where Richard Raley's career could have really taken off and become a household name if he hadn't totally screwed it all up.

Sure, King Henry is a riveting character, and Richard Raley has done a phenomenal job of creating some of the most powerful and captivating female characters I have ever read, blah blah blah. Ceinwyn, Val, and Annie B in particular (though sadly not present in this book) are possibly some of the best characters anywhere. So he's a great writer who deserves more attention, and everyone should buy his books if they want to be blown away by the depth and complexity of his world, yadda yadda yadda.

Master Guard Sean Watson entered the narrative like a titan among dwarves, and dominated the story-landscape around him every time he appeared. Which, sadly, was not as much as it should have been. These are King Henry's books, after all, so it is slightly understandable, but upon finishing the book and seeing that there were no plans for a re-branding of the current series, or at the very least a spinoff series, to follow the continuing adventures of the vastly more intelligent, handsome, and debonair Sean Watson...well, you can imagine my disappointment. And if you've read the book, you probably share that disappointment. This is the character that could have graced not only book covers but future movie posters, appealing to both male and female moviegoers alike. I like to envision him being played by someone with the looks of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and the acting prowess of Leonardo DiCaprio or Daniel Day Lewis. Maybe the problem is that the actor needed to portray this god-like character doesn't exist yet?

Annie B would have immediately gravitated to this pillar of manliness, and the series could have continued with the two of them kicking ass and taking names while solving all of the complications that appear to be piling up in front of King Henry and his companions. Master Guard Sean Watson, soon to be God Emperor Sean Watson if Raley had played his cards right, would have strode through the morass of intrigue and outer realms alike, cutting through all obstacles with his sharp wit and rogue-ish good charm, and when that didn't work, his two mighty fists. Or just as likely, the two fists of the alluring and seductive Annie B. Followed by a few romps in the hay, if you know what I mean!

But alas, Raley chose the path well-traveled and stuck with reliable and rock-steady King Henry instead. Oh, what might have been!

–Sean Watson