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toast4267's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, War, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Pedophilia
barsie's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
thevaliant's review against another edition
3.0
I like Cooks writing and the Black Company chronicles, but found this particular story depressing enough (for the company) that I have been putting off reading the rest of the series.
shookone's review against another edition
3.0
After reading some of the reviews I was expecting a real train wreck but it was fine. I’m a big fan of a heist gone wrong, especially in a genre setting so this was right up my alley. It does have a couple issues. It has the same problem the last couple books in the series had, in that it bills itself as a book about a group of people called The Black Company (or in this case a few former members of the Black Company), but all of those people are just sort of half formed background characters who we know very little about. They just don’t feel fully fleshed out as characters the way a lot of the new folks in the book feel.
The other problem with the book is its ending. Vague spoiler, but people die at the end of the book. I don’t have a problem with that happening, it’s fun to read a fantasy novel where nobody’s safe. The problem is it all happens pretty abruptly, and then the book ends even more abruptly, and there’s just no time left for any of the surviving characters to react very much to the end of the book and the losses they experienced.
Easily my least favorite book in the series so far, but I’m not like angry I read it or felt like I wasted my time or anything. It was just an overall ok book. I’m looking forward to the next one.
The other problem with the book is its ending. Vague spoiler, but people die at the end of the book. I don’t have a problem with that happening, it’s fun to read a fantasy novel where nobody’s safe. The problem is it all happens pretty abruptly, and then the book ends even more abruptly, and there’s just no time left for any of the surviving characters to react very much to the end of the book and the losses they experienced.
Easily my least favorite book in the series so far, but I’m not like angry I read it or felt like I wasted my time or anything. It was just an overall ok book. I’m looking forward to the next one.
dbrad24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
spikeanderson1's review against another edition
3.0
new characters, same genre, post Dominator War...but after the original three, its tough to get worked up about a silver spike
arf88's review against another edition
4.0
I was hesitant about starting this book because it lacked Croaker and Lady, and contained my least favourite characters, Darling and Silent. However I was engrossed within the plot and had gorwn fond of other characters long before the White Rose gang made it's appearance. Smeds, Old Man Fish, Case, and Toadkiller Dog was all enjoyable characters to read about, and I found myself wishing there was a way they could all win by the end. The only criticism I have of the book is the ending. It seemed abrupt and a pit too pat, like Cook wanted to make sure he could never go back to the characters. It wasn't bad, just a let down after such a fabulous book.
savagemt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
devinanovel's review against another edition
4.0
You may be an extra dimensional tree god who has protected the world from an ancient evil for thousands of years, but that doesn't make you a good dad, Kyle.