372 pages
English language
Published Sept. 17, 2014 by Jo Fletcher Books.
Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King's Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King's head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King's dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn ...
Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, …
Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King's Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King's head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King's dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn ...
Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King's Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King's head on a spike. Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King's dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn.
This book was recommended for in an article with other fantasy series that I had liked, so I picked it up. It’s dashing and full of dramatic fights, and Doing the Right Thing. I found it rather shallow.
This is a very fun and straightforward book. Wonderful characters you can root for, who do amazing things, if a bit predictably. I thoroughly enjoyed myself regardless.
This series was a complete surprise. I had never heard of the author or the series before stumbling on the audiobook. It will likely rank in my top 10 list for being thoroughly entertaining. Having read and listened to hundreds of fantasy, Sci Fi and Swords and Sandals novels it is a rare treat when I can be carried away by a story and a group of characters. This was a rare find indeed.
Okay, with a plot that makes less sense the more you think about it and a strange rape scene in the middle. Kind of surprised that I finished it.
It's been some time that I was hooked so badly on a book. I should have done more updates with quotes along the way because there were so many memorable ones.
"I am an archer [...] that's like a swordsman only faster."
Falcio, Brasti and Kest are three very different characters, that imbue their somewhat strange names with so much meaning. I love Falcios black humor, Kest's strange non-humor and Brastis brashness.
Also the plot is quite interesting and the flashbacks are well-done in the way they always connect to what is going on in the main-timeline. Most of the plot-twists aren't that big of a surprise I kind of expected that one reveal about who the assassin (from scene one) was from the beginning but how that fit into the bigger picture still surprised me.
I can't wait to get started with the next book.
Edit: This is how …
It's been some time that I was hooked so badly on a book. I should have done more updates with quotes along the way because there were so many memorable ones.
"I am an archer [...] that's like a swordsman only faster."
Falcio, Brasti and Kest are three very different characters, that imbue their somewhat strange names with so much meaning. I love Falcios black humor, Kest's strange non-humor and Brastis brashness.
Also the plot is quite interesting and the flashbacks are well-done in the way they always connect to what is going on in the main-timeline. Most of the plot-twists aren't that big of a surprise I kind of expected that one reveal about who the assassin (from scene one) was from the beginning but how that fit into the bigger picture still surprised me.
I can't wait to get started with the next book.
Edit: This is how I tried to sell the book to a friend
"It's a fantasy version of the 3 Musketeers. And the three guys are totally adorable. It's got everything: cute guys, black humor, evil nobles, sword fighting (maybe a little too much of that), delusions of grandeur and a "grand quest" ...."
