A review by williamc
The Two of Swords, Volume Three by K.J. Parker

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The political maneuverings of the Song of Ice and Fire series are personal -- conniving, familial, vindictive -- and familiar enough in readers thinking of political fantasy to set an expectation.  Important to grasp here is how impersonal the machinations of the Two of Sword series appear in contrast, particularly in this final volume, and how truer this feels to those at the mercy of power.  Wars between the East and West (each army led by a brother, Senza and Forza, respectively) turn on a slow, grand scale -- until,  as the saying goes, they happen all at once -- but where Ice & Fire uses the drama of interpersonal relationships to give the grand its scale, Parker does the reverse:  the epic scale of the conflict shows how petty the brothers have become, how minuscule they see the lives of others as told through those lives -- how, as one of the brothers notes, like a  competitive chess game it has all become.  The series is full of fine, in places beautiful, writing: it is witty, insightful, emotional, clever, and rich with character and gesture.  I wonder if better worldbuilding has been done.  At the end of Two of Swords, I want nothing more than to jump into another novel by this author, and make sure I never miss another.