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A review by wanderk8
Last First Snow by Max Gladstone
4.0
For the fourth book in the Craft Sequence we go back to Dresediel Lex and back over a decade in time. This book automatically feels less hopeful, because if you have read the books in publication order, you already know what the end result of the Skitterskill protests will be.
The theme of the book is gentrification. The Red King and his associates want to improve the ex-slave district of Skitterskill for the benefit of the city (and their investors), but the residents don't want to be priced out of their home. There is also an undercurrent of old hurts from the relatively recent god war, with both sides not being able to let go. We already know the older iterations of this books viewpoint characters, Elena and Tomec. Elena has been hired by the Red King to fix the district wards, while Tomec is working in the Skitterskill as a priest and is raising his son to fit in with the new era. Both know each other from the god war and still get on, despite being on opposite sides. Both do their best to keep the peace, even though there are forces on both sides that want nothing more than a return to old hostilities.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The first half felt rather slow, but I enjoyed learning more about their world and views. The social commentary was also rather more pointed in this book.
The theme of the book is gentrification. The Red King and his associates want to improve the ex-slave district of Skitterskill for the benefit of the city (and their investors), but the residents don't want to be priced out of their home. There is also an undercurrent of old hurts from the relatively recent god war, with both sides not being able to let go. We already know the older iterations of this books viewpoint characters, Elena and Tomec. Elena has been hired by the Red King to fix the district wards, while Tomec is working in the Skitterskill as a priest and is raising his son to fit in with the new era. Both know each other from the god war and still get on, despite being on opposite sides. Both do their best to keep the peace, even though there are forces on both sides that want nothing more than a return to old hostilities.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The first half felt rather slow, but I enjoyed learning more about their world and views. The social commentary was also rather more pointed in this book.