DrNefario
2/9/2015
I enjoyed this book, although it felt uneven in places. In a way it seems to encapsulate the war for fantasy's soul: the fight between the honourable good-hearted Greatcoats and the grimdark world they live in.
Our hero and his two pals are Greatcoats, the elite police force of the kingdom, now disgraced and with their king murdered by the evil Dukes. The book follows them as they try to carry out the king's last wishes, with the main character showing some unusual obtuseness in not figuring out what's going on.
It's an enjoyable swashbuckler with moments of real darkness among the banter. I found this jarring to begin with, but I think it does reflect the real struggle in the book.
Our heroes are a bit too skilfull. The lead character is a bit too blind. Some of the events are a bit too unbelievable, and some of the villains seem to move too fast, but for all that it's an enjoyable and promising debut.
I've given it 3.5/5. I seem to be consistently half a mark below the curve, but I suspect it's too late to go back and change all my scores.