I started reading alternative history accidentally when I read Days of Infamy by Harry Turtledove. Someone said that Stirling was a good one to read and I have read his Bronze Age Trilogy and the Change Trilogy. I really enjoyed both series. One of the things I think that alternative histories make me consider is how people react and who is a survivor. Change is difficult and it is interesting to see how the characters develop or don't due to change.

I read Sky People and enjoyed it and naturally wanted to read the other half of the story. Sky People is on Venus and Crimson Kings is on Mars. I did not like this book as well as Stirling's other books. I read a lot of science fiction and I think I have a good imagination but there were pages that just didn't make any sense to me. Not a lot but I don't like to re-read a page and still feel confused and this happened to me several times in this book.

However, I got into the book and the middle 50% read quickly, almost too quickly and I enjoyed it. Then when I got to the very last 10% it ended too abruptly. I can see when you leave a person dangling off a cliff that there is going to be a sequel, but this did not feel that way. It felt like this is my solution to the story and that is it. There is a story line that runs through both books. You really have to ready Sky People first for the overall story line. It just felt contrived. I was a little disappointed. But I am still glad I read the book so there is no feeling of a hanging ending, I just didn't like it and that is it.

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After *The Sky People*, the first book in this series, I looked forward to reading this. Glad I didn't buy it; it didn't have the same interest for me, and I didn't finish it. The plot is an old standard: the missing heir fights for the throne, saves the monarchy, blah, blah. There's none of the charming odd critters and customs that were in Sky People.

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The main literary influences here would be Burroughs and Bradbury with a who's who of the Pulp Fiction crowd for a supporting cast. In fact, Stirling features them all in the introductory segment of the book and found it very entertaining.

I have read many comments about this book which suggest that Stirling has "over written" his subject matter. I, however, found the tone quite appropriate. The tone is divergent from the style of The Sky People and this has largely been the complaint. I believe that the fault lies with the individual readers, who have are challenged by the more difficult style of Courts of the Crimson Kings, and not with the interesting, if not innovative writing of Stirling.

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I absolutely LOVE Stirling's writing. I have read every book he has published except once series and I have those on order. Having said that, "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings" was not up to his standard. I think that many authors, after they have written a lot of books, want to try out different styles. In Crimson Kings Stirling invented a language style that added nothing to the story line, it merely annoyed me. He also went for the swirling lights and ghostly visitations that Ann Rice, Steven King and others descended in to as they tried to keep their writing fresh. That didn't work either. Stirling has one of the best developed abilities to draw the reader in that I have experienced. I hope he sticks to what he does best and avoids the swirling tricks!! But I still enjoy the book! A good read, especially for Sterling fans.

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