title: The King Commands: Tales of the Borderlands Book Two
author:  Meg Burden 
description: This second episode in the Tales of the Borderlands series sturdily follows the first (Northlander, 2007) with a nearly seamless weave of action and romance amid ethnic strife. Sixteen-year-old would-be Healer Ellin is abruptly banished by the new Northlands king she adoresonly to find her Southern homeland being torn apart by ruthless Guardians bent on extirpating any signs of psychic powers among the general population. Hearing that the Guardians are also building up an ominously large private army, Ellin returns to the five royal Northland brothers who have adopted her, and who make up the rest of the closely knit central cast, to deliver an urgent warning. Ellin and the princes go a long way toward growing up here, as their skein of attachments develops further complexity and her relationship with deaf, scholarly, gentle Prince Flinn deepens. Burden ends the story with the Northlands poised to square off against the faceless Southling villains in the next volume. She also builds in plenty of reasons for readers to care about what happens next. Grades 6-9. --John Peters
zlib_text: **Table of Contents**
  
   _ _Title Page__ __
  
  __Copyright Page__ __
  
  __Dedication__ __
  
    
  
  _Chapter 1_
  
  _Chapter 2_
  
  _Chapter 3_
  
  _Chapter 4_
  
  _Chapter 5_
  
  _Chapter 6_
  
  _Chapter 7_
  
  _Chapter 8_
  
  _Chapter 9_
  
  _Chapter 10_
  
  _Chapter 11_
  
  _Chapter 12_
  
  _Chapter 13_
  
  _Chapter 14_
  
  _Chapter 15_
  
  _Chapter 16_
  
  _Chapter 17_
  
  _Chapter 18_
  
  _Chapter 19_
  
  _Chapter 20_
  
  _Chapter 21_
  
  _Chapter 22_
  
  _Chapter 23_
  
  _Chapter 24_
  
  _Chapter 25_
  
  _Chapter 26_
  
  _Chapter 27_
  
  _Chapter 28_
  
  _Chapter 29_
  
  _Chapter 30_
  
  _Chapter 31_
  
  _Chapter 32_
  
  _Chapter 33_
  
  _Chapter 34_
  
  _Chapter 35_
  
  _Chapter 36_
  
  _Chapter 37_
  
  _Chapter 38_
  
  _Chapter 39_
  
  _Chapter 40_
  
  _Chapter 41_
  
  _Chapter 42_
  
  _Chapter 43_
  
  _Chapter 44_
  
  _Chapter 45_
  
  _Chapter 46_
  
    
  
  __Teaser chapter__ __
  
  **Praise for DIE TRYING**
  
  “It takes a brave man to move into the macho territory of suspense writer
  Stephen Hunter, but Lee Child is making his move with [ _Die Trying_ ].”—
  _Chicago Tribune_
  
    
  
  “A literate scenario-cum-thriller.” _—The Philadel