„There‘s a trick to fighting on the deck of a ship. I don‘t know what it is, but I fully intend to find out one day.“

After reading Greatcoats 1-3 in about a single sitting, I couldn‘t bring myself to get started on the 4th and - I knew - final book of the story.

The first three books were so good, that I was scared the end might not live up to it and just attach some extra baggage to a great story. And more important throughout the first three books I got more and more invested into the characters and the emotional rollercoaster became faster and faster ... and I was terrified that I wouldn‘t make it through this book without a total breakdown.

I admit there were several points in the story where I had to put away the book and breathe deeply .... the scariest of all was when Morn presented Falcio with „everything he ever wanted.“ Oh the temptation ... after all by book 4 even I had realized that Falcio is fallible and prone to ... partial blindness if something somehow fits his idea of what the world should be.

And then like so often the over-the-top heroics of the Greatcoats saved the day again and again until they didn‘t and Aline died and Trin won and Kest revealed his task to Falcio... that he was to stop or kill him in case he ever became a tyrant

At several points I was ready to give up and stop believing that there was anything left but for everyone to die.

„When were the odds ever in our favor?“

But despite Aline‘s death and Falcio‘s fall from - whatever that was, certainly not grace though - the grand showdown and all the accompanying reveals were absolutely breath-taking.

„I was whistling when you thought of your ingenious plan.“ Brasti.
„You‘ll let me know when you want me to hit him?“ Kest.
„You know for a dim man you‘re really rather bright.“ Falcio.

That exchange. A few lines down, before even Falcio realized, I remembered the title of that song ... and realized what was going to happen and that was one of the best pay-offs I read in a long time. It is a fine art to make the reader see what‘s coming before explicitly stating it.

So now I am of course waiting what the story of Falcio‘s daughter is going to be ....