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arf88's review against another edition
4.0
The first half of this book is the worst Black Company I have ever read. It was slow and boring. However halfway through it really took off, and ended with a cliffhanger to make the earlier slog worth it all.
shalewind's review against another edition
4.0
Wow - excellent climax to the Murgen timeline. They really screw everybody! This is a great plot twist for the Company and I really want to see the conclusion.
enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
(2nd read)
A great return to form for the series. The plots of the big players are interesting and just tantalizingly beyond reach, the Company is acting and moving, and the events and scattered lore of the previous three books are finally coming together.
Loved the reveal of Blade's double turn, Sleepy's sex (though certainly wish gender was handled in a more interesting way), and just about everything Lady does. The Nar, Taglians and especially Nyueng Bao are given some humanity and the whole thing feels much more alive than it did previously.
Is this book suddenly perfectly political correct? No, its a cishet white patriatchal army dude narrating. But damn its an improvement.
I think this is basically as far as I got on my previous read, back in 2016/7. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
A great return to form for the series. The plots of the big players are interesting and just tantalizingly beyond reach, the Company is acting and moving, and the events and scattered lore of the previous three books are finally coming together.
Loved the reveal of Blade's double turn, Sleepy's sex (though certainly wish gender was handled in a more interesting way), and just about everything Lady does. The Nar, Taglians and especially Nyueng Bao are given some humanity and the whole thing feels much more alive than it did previously.
Is this book suddenly perfectly political correct? No, its a cishet white patriatchal army dude narrating. But damn its an improvement.
I think this is basically as far as I got on my previous read, back in 2016/7. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
jurdek's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
comuni's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shaekin's review against another edition
4.0
At first I was a little disappointed when the books were no longer from the point of view of Croaker, but I'm really like Mergen's point of view (forgive spelling errors, I've been listening to audio book so I'm not certain that's how the names are spelled). The pacing was good, the mysteries are intriguing without being overly contrived and don't go on too long before we get more pieces. Overall, I'm liking these books more and more.
masong63's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
porlarta'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
truthlessofcanada's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Hindsight: Dropping the score slightly, for the same reason as Bleak Seasons.
I am slightly conflicted.
On one hand this had some of the best stuff in the series. On the other hand a large part of it had a certain narrative frame, that made me feel like the character I was following was not really that active.
Overall, middle of the pack. Think it was really good, but not among my favorites.
7.7/10
I am slightly conflicted.
On one hand this had some of the best stuff in the series. On the other hand a large part of it had a certain narrative frame, that made me feel like the character I was following was not really that active.
Overall, middle of the pack. Think it was really good, but not among my favorites.
7.7/10