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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Y'know, this is a tough one.
It's a story about a municipal zoning dispute and insurance. And it has a skeletal wizard, a corporate Craftswoman coming into the peak of her power, and a guy who can draw on the power of the old gods. Driverless carriages, flying creatures ridden by Wardens, ... and it has boxer shorts, wingtips, briefcases, patent leather shoes, and a cover with Temoc wearing what must be a Lands' End shirt. Are we in a fantasy world or not?
We meet three enormously powerful characters, and early on it's pretty clear that there will have to be a showdown involving all three. As usual in this series and similar books, peasants are slaughtered in their thousands. And a few of them are shown to us to add a touch of humanity.
In the big showdown, the peasants are preparing for the assault. I started expecting someone to sing, "Take Me Home" from Les Miserables.
Like every other magical showdown in fiction, the opponents are oh-so-closely matched. We just have to decide whether it will end with a clever ploy, a noble sacrifice, or both.
Elayne and Temoc have tough choices to make, and that's good. The King in Red has apparently turned into a petulant child whose hobby is having minions smash things and kill people horribly. And, like that child, he can be distracted.
It all moves along quickly, except for Temoc pausing every few pages to sigh and remind us how Hard this all is. But in the end it just wasn't as satisfying as the two others I have read in this series.
It's a story about a municipal zoning dispute and insurance. And it has a skeletal wizard, a corporate Craftswoman coming into the peak of her power, and a guy who can draw on the power of the old gods. Driverless carriages, flying creatures ridden by Wardens, ... and it has boxer shorts, wingtips, briefcases, patent leather shoes, and a cover with Temoc wearing what must be a Lands' End shirt. Are we in a fantasy world or not?
We meet three enormously powerful characters, and early on it's pretty clear that there will have to be a showdown involving all three. As usual in this series and similar books, peasants are slaughtered in their thousands. And a few of them are shown to us to add a touch of humanity.
In the big showdown, the peasants are preparing for the assault. I started expecting someone to sing, "Take Me Home" from Les Miserables.
Like every other magical showdown in fiction, the opponents are oh-so-closely matched. We just have to decide whether it will end with a clever ploy, a noble sacrifice, or both.
Elayne and Temoc have tough choices to make, and that's good. The King in Red has apparently turned into a petulant child whose hobby is having minions smash things and kill people horribly. And, like that child, he can be distracted.
It all moves along quickly, except for Temoc pausing every few pages to sigh and remind us how Hard this all is. But in the end it just wasn't as satisfying as the two others I have read in this series.
tregina's review
4.0
I thought I didn't like this at first, or at least I thought I liked it less than the previous books in the Craft Sequence. But the more I read the more I realised that I liked it, I just found it so upsetting, partly because of what was happening in the world of the series but partly because it maps to real world conflicts that are the deeper source of my upset. It's very well done, and fills in a lot of blanks in terms of how things came to be, and if I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the others, I certainly ended up appreciating it equally.
bijou3owl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Max Gladstone fucked me upppp with this one.
Unlike the others in the craft sequence, where there's some sort of mystery to solve, this is a heart-wrenching, slow-moving tragedy.
Unlike the others in the craft sequence, where there's some sort of mystery to solve, this is a heart-wrenching, slow-moving tragedy.
peterkeep's review against another edition
5.0
If you're not reading this series, then it seems a bit silly from the outside looking in...maybe that's not the right word. Definitely weird.
That's what I thought when I started the series. Even after finishing [b: Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], I just kept thinking, "What a weird book." I really liked it, though. It was new and fresh and exciting. And every other book in the series has continued that. And now I'm here, four books deep, and it all seems normal. It's a series where characters range from skeleton kings to witch lawyers to warrior priests without any gods left (kind of), where everything is an analogy to modern life, where it's hard to tell the difference between great realism and cutting satire...and it's all pretty normal feeling at this point. I'm sold completely.
Anyways, in a series of good books, this is the best yet. We get to see a bunch of old characters (before they were old) in a relatively familiar setting, and in a really interesting time period. There's a really great dynamic between Temoc, Elayne, and Kopil, which really adds to the series as a whole, since those characters show up elsewhere as well. So that's pretty great. The story and themes were great, as usual in this series. It's always fun to see how Max Gladstone can use modern-day, real-world professions in his fantasy, and having Elayne work as a lawyer hired to help negotiate a stand-off over what is essentially a zoning issue (with a heaping dose of gentrification) is really cool. How is that even remotely interesting? I don't know how he does it. He's made lawyers and actuaries and investment bankers seem super interesting and get involved in some really great stories without stretching anything too far. In all of that kind of stuff, this book is right on par with the rest.
The only noticeable difference to me was the actual writing, the prose. It seemed like there was a decent shift in the style of writing here, and I liked it. It felt a little more poetic, and a little more sleek...Gladstone essentially added some really top-notch writing into his already impressive worldbuilding and characters and plotting.
This is easily one of the coolest series in fantasy right now, and if you're not reading it, you're missing out. It's way too weird to not read.
That's what I thought when I started the series. Even after finishing [b: Three Parts Dead|13539191|Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)|Max Gladstone|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333049511s/13539191.jpg|19101555], I just kept thinking, "What a weird book." I really liked it, though. It was new and fresh and exciting. And every other book in the series has continued that. And now I'm here, four books deep, and it all seems normal. It's a series where characters range from skeleton kings to witch lawyers to warrior priests without any gods left (kind of), where everything is an analogy to modern life, where it's hard to tell the difference between great realism and cutting satire...and it's all pretty normal feeling at this point. I'm sold completely.
Anyways, in a series of good books, this is the best yet. We get to see a bunch of old characters (before they were old) in a relatively familiar setting, and in a really interesting time period. There's a really great dynamic between Temoc, Elayne, and Kopil, which really adds to the series as a whole, since those characters show up elsewhere as well. So that's pretty great. The story and themes were great, as usual in this series. It's always fun to see how Max Gladstone can use modern-day, real-world professions in his fantasy, and having Elayne work as a lawyer hired to help negotiate a stand-off over what is essentially a zoning issue (with a heaping dose of gentrification) is really cool. How is that even remotely interesting? I don't know how he does it. He's made lawyers and actuaries and investment bankers seem super interesting and get involved in some really great stories without stretching anything too far. In all of that kind of stuff, this book is right on par with the rest.
The only noticeable difference to me was the actual writing, the prose. It seemed like there was a decent shift in the style of writing here, and I liked it. It felt a little more poetic, and a little more sleek...Gladstone essentially added some really top-notch writing into his already impressive worldbuilding and characters and plotting.
This is easily one of the coolest series in fantasy right now, and if you're not reading it, you're missing out. It's way too weird to not read.
blitzjess's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
craftybookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shalini_gunnasan's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic world-building, like all its predecessors... which is funny because this is the first book, chronologically. The protagonist was one I absolutely hated when he appeared in Two Serpents Rise, and that's why I hesitated to start this. This is a Start of Darkness, or perhaps a Start of Madness. You understand his motivations clearly, even if you don't condone it. Gentrification marches on...
scottsofbohemia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
caphaloralb's review against another edition
5.0
Reading them in a slightly different order (The Hidden Schools’ Choice Sequence) and really enjoyed this look at Elayne Kevarian in the 'past'.
The tension I felt throughout the book was immense and doesn't exactly ebb in the second half of the book. Characters are vibrant again and so is the city and the currents that move it.
Love this series and already started Four Roads Cross.
The tension I felt throughout the book was immense and doesn't exactly ebb in the second half of the book. Characters are vibrant again and so is the city and the currents that move it.
Love this series and already started Four Roads Cross.
iceman76's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0