I’m back again on the blog, and this time with a review of Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell, the first book in his four-part Greatcoats series.
Review
Traitor’s Blade is a swashbuckling adventure, filled with clever mysteries and thrilling swordfights, in the spirit of Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.
Falcio val Mond, First Cantor of the Greatcoats, plays the role of Athos, the leader of these fictional musketeers. The tale’s versions of Aramis and Porthos are portrayed by Falcio’s two friends, Brasti and Kest. Brasti is an archer with a dead-shot aim, and Kest is a swordsman so talented he dreams of defeating the Saint of Swords. (Saints are like little demigods in this story world.) The witty banter between the trio brought smiles to my face, often reminding me of The Princess Bride.
Set in the fictional kingdom of Tristia, the novel has a rich backstory that plays out over a series of flashbacks. Five years before the events in the story, the Greatcoats were the king’s traveling magistrates trained to be the best duelists in the world. That is until the dukes of Tristia killed the king and turned against the Greatcoats. What follows is plenty of political intrigue, particularly with rival dukes scheming for power, along with a conspiracy to put a new king—or queen—on the empty throne.
Falcio and his friends find themselves caught within the dukes’ deadly chess match for control of the kingdom. Even more, the king gave each Greatcoat a secret mission before he died, and Falcio’s quest—to find the king’s mysterious gemstones—is central to the story.
Throw in a bit of magic and few well-executed plot twists, and the result is one the most compelling and enjoyable fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time. The book is the first in de Castell’s Greatcoats series, and I’ve already started book two. For all of these reasons, I highly recommend Traitor’s Blade.
Bill
October 13, 2019 - 11:34 am ·Would you compare this favorably to the original Three Musketeers?
Author Joseph Finley
October 24, 2019 - 6:23 am ·Bill, thanks for the comment, and I can’t believe I lingered so long in replying. It’s hard to compare the classic to this book because writing styles have changed so much since Alexandre Dumas’ day. For this reason, a book like “Traitor’s Blade” is an easier and more fast-paced read. Of course, because it takes place in an entirely fictional world, it loses some of the historical backdrop of Dumas’ masterpiece. Also, as I always say, it’s hard to argue with a classic!