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willrefuge's review
3.0
Not great, but I can't get into that right now.
Guess it's time now.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, as I liked the previous books and an end to the series is… at least an end.
Dead Man’s Steel (DMS) ends the Grim Company Trilogy, one that began with a scruffy set of antiheroes banding together to bring down a monster. The follow up featured said merry band split up and following their own set of personal quests in an enjoyable, if not perfect sequel. This book ends the journey for our little band of heroes—in less than spectacular fashion.
Darvus Cole brought down Salazar in the Grim Company—a tyrant that proved to be the best of the bunch. Since then he has come down in the world, kidnapped, enslaved and nearly killed on multiple occasions. He’s less than excited to complete this series, but the dead god within him doesn’t care. DMS opens with Cole and Sasha imprisoned by the White Lady—each hero struggling from their own weakness. For Cole, it’s the bloodlust that, should it remain unfed, will eventually kill him. For Sasha… take your pick. She’s still in withdrawal, reeling from the loss of her sister, the memories that haunt her at night, and the feeling of self-worth that has been diminished by nearly 100%. Despite the need for blood, Cole can kick some ass if he needs to. Sasha, on the other hand, could live a long, long life, if everyone would just stop trying to kill her. But with the Fade on the warpath, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
My personal fav, wossname, the crow-shaped Magelord fresh on the scene, has an interesting life. His love-hate relationship with the White Lady comes to a head in DMS, concluded in a fashion I couldn’t’ve predicted. This twist is honestly the high point of the book.
The Sword of the North and The Wolf are back in the north. Though not together. The Wolf has declared blood-feud with Kayne, swearing to kill him next time Jerek sees him. While Jerek was off distracting the gholam, Kayne moved off to the greenlands, joining the army marching upon Heartstone. And while Jerek is fighting the most dangerous creature known to man, Kayne might have the worse draw. As the former champion of the Shaman, this new army comprises a majority of his enemies.
Eremul the Halfmage enters the book as the de facto prize of the Fade. It seems his former man-servant has taken a shine to him—carting him around like a show dog. This helps move the plot along, if nothing else. His story is more of the same, with abject misery thrown in.
My real problem in DMS is the Fade. Their prospect as a world-shattering foe is suspect. They’re immortal, in possession of advanced technology—including elevators, nukes and magic-negating… well, technology. Their heavy reliance on tech and pretty much snobbish attitudes only begin the cliché, however. At a certain point, a certain immortal character does something so completely out of character—leading to a showdown with our ragtag band of misfits.
The second half of DMS has been done by every other Nanowrimo novel in the history of time—or maybe I’m selling them short. The novellers, not the story. Luke Scull failed on this one. It’s an end to the story, but not an enjoyable one. I’d say it could’ve been worse, but I haven’t actually finished Queen of Fire, so… it probably could’ve been worse? But it’s a disappointing end to a series that had the potential to be so much more.
Guess it's time now.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, as I liked the previous books and an end to the series is… at least an end.
Dead Man’s Steel (DMS) ends the Grim Company Trilogy, one that began with a scruffy set of antiheroes banding together to bring down a monster. The follow up featured said merry band split up and following their own set of personal quests in an enjoyable, if not perfect sequel. This book ends the journey for our little band of heroes—in less than spectacular fashion.
Darvus Cole brought down Salazar in the Grim Company—a tyrant that proved to be the best of the bunch. Since then he has come down in the world, kidnapped, enslaved and nearly killed on multiple occasions. He’s less than excited to complete this series, but the dead god within him doesn’t care. DMS opens with Cole and Sasha imprisoned by the White Lady—each hero struggling from their own weakness. For Cole, it’s the bloodlust that, should it remain unfed, will eventually kill him. For Sasha… take your pick. She’s still in withdrawal, reeling from the loss of her sister, the memories that haunt her at night, and the feeling of self-worth that has been diminished by nearly 100%. Despite the need for blood, Cole can kick some ass if he needs to. Sasha, on the other hand, could live a long, long life, if everyone would just stop trying to kill her. But with the Fade on the warpath, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
My personal fav, wossname, the crow-shaped Magelord fresh on the scene, has an interesting life. His love-hate relationship with the White Lady comes to a head in DMS, concluded in a fashion I couldn’t’ve predicted. This twist is honestly the high point of the book.
The Sword of the North and The Wolf are back in the north. Though not together. The Wolf has declared blood-feud with Kayne, swearing to kill him next time Jerek sees him. While Jerek was off distracting the gholam, Kayne moved off to the greenlands, joining the army marching upon Heartstone. And while Jerek is fighting the most dangerous creature known to man, Kayne might have the worse draw. As the former champion of the Shaman, this new army comprises a majority of his enemies.
Eremul the Halfmage enters the book as the de facto prize of the Fade. It seems his former man-servant has taken a shine to him—carting him around like a show dog. This helps move the plot along, if nothing else. His story is more of the same, with abject misery thrown in.
My real problem in DMS is the Fade. Their prospect as a world-shattering foe is suspect. They’re immortal, in possession of advanced technology—including elevators, nukes and magic-negating… well, technology. Their heavy reliance on tech and pretty much snobbish attitudes only begin the cliché, however. At a certain point, a certain immortal character does something so completely out of character—leading to a showdown with our ragtag band of misfits.
The second half of DMS has been done by every other Nanowrimo novel in the history of time—or maybe I’m selling them short. The novellers, not the story. Luke Scull failed on this one. It’s an end to the story, but not an enjoyable one. I’d say it could’ve been worse, but I haven’t actually finished Queen of Fire, so… it probably could’ve been worse? But it’s a disappointing end to a series that had the potential to be so much more.
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Gods above and below. I can't remember a book that has sucker-punched me this hard. It was merciless, didn't care who you loved or what you hoped for them. It completely breaks you and leaves you screaming "why why why"... and yet... I still loved it and still recommend it. The story was as intense as the previous two books, packed to the brim with betrayal and heartbreak. I can count on one hand how many truly happy moments there were, and still have fingers to spare. It was great to see more characters progress and grow, face demons both literal and figurative, and endure despite the heart-wrenching trials thrown their way. I'm not going to lie––I wish the book ended sooner, since the last 80 pages or so had me freaking out and saying "what the @#$% is happening? No no no!" But I'm not the author, and I do have to admit that the epilogue was awesome, and one character near the end made my heart swell with respect. Do I wish things had gone differently for some of the characters I've come to adore? YES!! But this isn't a story meant to have a traditional happy ending. It's about perseverance despite truly unfathomable odds. It's about loss and acceptance and learning to be happy with the life you have, no matter how wretched it might be at the time. And you know what, writing that now, I can see that I was wrong. Despite what I wanted for these characters, I can't imagine this story ending any other way.
mikewire's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't as enthralled with this book as I was with the other two entries into the trilogy. It was still a solid read, but it didn't quite grip me like the other two. I was sucked into those immediately and read them quickly. This one, I couldn't quite get as into. Nonetheless, the weaving together of the storylines to culminate in the finale was fantastic. I truly enjoyed it and I think it was a fitting end to the series.
pmerrison's review
3.0
It's hard to talk about why I was disappointed by this book without going into spoilers, but for whatever reason it didn't grab me in nearly the same way as the first two books in this series and I found the plot to be relatively predictable and disappointing. A shame, as I have fond memories of the start of this trilogy, and if I'd known that this was going to be the conclusion then I'm not sure I'd have started it.
joeri81's review
4.0
A good closure for a satisfying series. I prefer the final book over the first, but I also feel that the second book is better than this one. Nonetheless this was still a very enjoyable read. Luke Scull succeeded in closing of the major plot lines. There are still some threads hanging, but this gives opportunity to write more in this world, something Luke Scull apparentely is currently doing.
The story picks up where we left it in the second book with Brodar Kayne in the north, Sasha and Cole stranded in Thelassa and the Halfmage still in Dorminia. Brodar Kayne fights a desperate battle to save his son and his people. In order to do so, he will have to take on Krazka, the Butcher King. However it will quickly become clear that this won't be his most fearsome opponent as the land is being flooded by all kind of demons...
On the other hand the Fehd have also arrived in the Trine. This ancient race has come to obliterate the human race. They are ageless, possess a high level of technology with handguns, indestructible swords, huge ocean ships and even airplanes. If this isn't enough, they are also gifted with superhuman strength, speed, and agility ... Human kind will need to fight a battle they can't win.
This is mainly the outset of the final book. You'll get almost everything you want in this book; dragons, demons, mage fights, betrayals, blood, guts, death, ... excellent imagination from the part of Luke Scull! And he finishes it all of with an unexpected ending as well. After the final fight there're still a lot of pages to go. You'll know there's still something special to come, and when it does, it'll still grab you right by the throat. The ending is definitely in line with the whole series and the series title ... very grim and brutal, but also very satisfying.
Conclusion:
If you're into grim, dark fantasy, this is definitely the series for you. I'm looking forward myself to a possible follow-up serie for this one!
Rating: 8.1/10
The story picks up where we left it in the second book with Brodar Kayne in the north, Sasha and Cole stranded in Thelassa and the Halfmage still in Dorminia. Brodar Kayne fights a desperate battle to save his son and his people. In order to do so, he will have to take on Krazka, the Butcher King. However it will quickly become clear that this won't be his most fearsome opponent as the land is being flooded by all kind of demons...
On the other hand the Fehd have also arrived in the Trine. This ancient race has come to obliterate the human race. They are ageless, possess a high level of technology with handguns, indestructible swords, huge ocean ships and even airplanes. If this isn't enough, they are also gifted with superhuman strength, speed, and agility ... Human kind will need to fight a battle they can't win.
This is mainly the outset of the final book. You'll get almost everything you want in this book; dragons, demons, mage fights, betrayals, blood, guts, death, ... excellent imagination from the part of Luke Scull! And he finishes it all of with an unexpected ending as well. After the final fight there're still a lot of pages to go. You'll know there's still something special to come, and when it does, it'll still grab you right by the throat. The ending is definitely in line with the whole series and the series title ... very grim and brutal, but also very satisfying.
Conclusion:
If you're into grim, dark fantasy, this is definitely the series for you. I'm looking forward myself to a possible follow-up serie for this one!
Rating: 8.1/10
lauregul's review
3.0
Ich habe mich ewig davor gesträubt, den letzten Teil der Grim Company-Bücher zu lesen. Einerseits lag das daran, dass mich die ersten beiden Teile nicht außergewöhnlich beeindrucken konnten, andererseits an der fehlenden deutschen Übersetzung. Denn normalerweise versuche ich, Reihen komplett auf der Sprache zu lesen, auf der ich sie begonnen habe. Da eine Übersetzung mir mittlerweile etwas unwahrscheinlich erschien und die Prequel-Kurzgeschichte [b:A Ring to Rule Them All|41964506|A Ring to Rule Them All (Grim Company, #0.1)|Luke Scull|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560722290l/41964506._SY75_.jpg|65487090] mein Interesse wiederentfachte, habe ich mich doch zum Lesen überwunden – zum Glück.
Die ersten ca. 300 Seiten von [b:Dead Man's Steel|25893966|Dead Man's Steel (The Grim Company, #3)|Luke Scull|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438990498l/25893966._SY75_.jpg|45775982] sind ein starkes Buch. Besonders die Charaktere sind ein großer Pluspunkt, da ein jeder von ihnen eine eigene Persönlichkeit sowie eine eigene „Stimme“ hat. Vor allem Davarus Cole, den ich in den Vorgängerbänden eigentlich nicht mochte, gefiel mir sehr. Außerdem schreitet die Geschichte schnell voran und ist gefüllt mit genau der richtigen Menge an Action.
Leider ist der letzte Teil des Buchs nicht ansatzweise so gut. Hier geht alles drunter und drüber, sogar so weit, dass die dort stattfindende Handlung gar keinen Sinn ergibt (ein Toter kommt plötzlich zurück, schafft es, sich bei den Feinden einzuschleichen und deren kampferprobten Anführer zu töten). Es wirkt, als hätte der Autor versucht, im letzten Viertel des Buchs alle Handlungsstränge aufzulösen. Meiner Meinung nach hätte er sich das in einigen Fällen lieber sparen und einige Schicksale offenlassen sollen, oder aber sich mehr Zeit für die Auflösung lassen sollen.
Problematisch sind außerdem die Fehler im Buch. Immer wieder werden mehrere Wörter am Stück zusammengeschrieben. Das passiert nicht permanent, aber doch auffällig oft. Möglicherweise entstand das Buch unter größerem Zeitdruck. Schade, denn mit einem besseren Schlussteil und einer gründlicheren Korrektur wäre hier mehr zu holen gewesen.
Dead Man’s Steel stellt für mich einen soliden Abschluss einer ebenso soliden Trilogie dar, die viel ungenutztes Potential hat. Ich bin gespannt auf die nächsten Bücher des Autors!
Die ersten ca. 300 Seiten von [b:Dead Man's Steel|25893966|Dead Man's Steel (The Grim Company, #3)|Luke Scull|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438990498l/25893966._SY75_.jpg|45775982] sind ein starkes Buch. Besonders die Charaktere sind ein großer Pluspunkt, da ein jeder von ihnen eine eigene Persönlichkeit sowie eine eigene „Stimme“ hat. Vor allem Davarus Cole, den ich in den Vorgängerbänden eigentlich nicht mochte, gefiel mir sehr. Außerdem schreitet die Geschichte schnell voran und ist gefüllt mit genau der richtigen Menge an Action.
Leider ist der letzte Teil des Buchs nicht ansatzweise so gut. Hier geht alles drunter und drüber, sogar so weit, dass die dort stattfindende Handlung gar keinen Sinn ergibt (ein Toter kommt plötzlich zurück, schafft es, sich bei den Feinden einzuschleichen und deren kampferprobten Anführer zu töten). Es wirkt, als hätte der Autor versucht, im letzten Viertel des Buchs alle Handlungsstränge aufzulösen. Meiner Meinung nach hätte er sich das in einigen Fällen lieber sparen und einige Schicksale offenlassen sollen, oder aber sich mehr Zeit für die Auflösung lassen sollen.
Problematisch sind außerdem die Fehler im Buch. Immer wieder werden mehrere Wörter am Stück zusammengeschrieben. Das passiert nicht permanent, aber doch auffällig oft. Möglicherweise entstand das Buch unter größerem Zeitdruck. Schade, denn mit einem besseren Schlussteil und einer gründlicheren Korrektur wäre hier mehr zu holen gewesen.
Dead Man’s Steel stellt für mich einen soliden Abschluss einer ebenso soliden Trilogie dar, die viel ungenutztes Potential hat. Ich bin gespannt auf die nächsten Bücher des Autors!
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
5.0
I don't give out a lot of 5 star reviews, but often when I do it's for the last book in a series. That's probably because if they're good books I'm probably really connected to the characters by then and if the ending's good then that seals the deal.
This is "grimdark" without the pretense. This isn't the guy who just went to Hot Topic for the first time and stepped out a punk rawker. This is the real deal. Dark, gritty, bloody, and downright mean to some of the characters that you really want to succeed, but not emo. Demons, giants, dragons, magic and in this final book some technology. The tech kinda threw me at first, but I got used to it quick.
Congrats Mr. Scull. I know we talked years ago when I read the first book, you've got a satisfied customer. What's next?
This is "grimdark" without the pretense. This isn't the guy who just went to Hot Topic for the first time and stepped out a punk rawker. This is the real deal. Dark, gritty, bloody, and downright mean to some of the characters that you really want to succeed, but not emo. Demons, giants, dragons, magic and in this final book some technology. The tech kinda threw me at first, but I got used to it quick.
Congrats Mr. Scull. I know we talked years ago when I read the first book, you've got a satisfied customer. What's next?
lordseregil's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0