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Intensely creative story and framing. Even more impressive given the amount of dystopic literature that didn't exist at the time this was written.

There are parts of the ending that felt a tiny bit predictable and parts that I wish had been wrapped up a bit cleaner, but these are minor quibbles in an otherwise excellent read.

Blood Over Bright Haven is extremely well-written and fun to read. It's refreshing to read a fantasy world that feels full without having to commit to a 12 book series. I also loved the creative magic system.

That said the allegorical aspects of the novel are a bit predictable in places. This doesn't really bother me much becuase it's still satisfying to see things play out sort of the way you would expect. But if you're more interested in reading something surprising, then this may not be the book for you.

In Matterhorn, Karl Marlantes wrote a book that I have unreservedly recommend to virtually anyone asking for a good read. It's a great book that appeals to people with a wide variety of reading backgrounds. Cold Victory is not that sort of book.

That said, Cold Victory is worthwhile. It's a strong plot with no technical flaws in the writing. The plot may not appeal to everyone, and I think it's a bit of a hard sell as a novel about espionage. This is not an ultra-fast paced heist-style espionage story. A better frame is to position it as a book that looks at the immediate post-World War 2 transition period. It explores the nature of non-truth based governments and the naivety of most Americans who take the primacy of truth for granted.