With all the activity surrounding the launch of The Cauldron of God, I’ve fallen way behind on my book reviews. I haven’t stopped reading by any means, but I’ve finished at least three good-sized novels since my last review, so it’s time to start playing catch-up. I’ll begin with Tyrant’s Throne, the fourth and final book in Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoats series.
The series tells the story of Falcio Val Mond, First Cantor of the Musketeer-like Greatcoats. Since the end of the first installment, Traitor’s Blade, Falcio’s mission has been to place teenage Aline, the daughter of the late King Paelis, on Tristia’s throne. So far, Tristia’s scheming Dukes have been the primary barrier to Aline’s ascension, but Tyrant’s Throne delivers a new and unexpected enemy. This new foe couldn’t care less about Aline because he plans to conquer the entire kingdom. So, this time, Falcio must risk his life to save Tristia itself. The only problem is that Falcio is not sure Tristia deserves to be saved.
This book contains three huge plot twists, including one that is more shocking than anything we’ve seen in the prior books. I can’t say much more about them without spoiling this one, but suffice it to say that they change almost everything for Falcio and his companions.
Speaking of his comrades, Falcio’s fellow Greatcoats, Kest and Brasti Goodbow, still fight by his side, along with Falcio’s “adopted” daughter, Valiana. They are joined by a new Greatcoat named Chalmers, a feisty, foul-mouthed young woman who is foolhardy brave and forever loyal to the late king. The Bardatti, too play a big role in the book, which helps set up a sequel series (more on that below).
Duchess Trin is back, too. Since Book One, she has been shaping up to be the series’ main villain, but she played a limited role in Book Two and was mostly absent for Book Three. This time, Falcio is forced to ally himself with Trin against their common foe, and this strange bedfellow arrangement provides some of the book’s more enjoyable scenes. Before too long, however, Trin gets back to her conniving ways, executing her own plot to claim the throne.
The swashbuckling action that has been a hallmark of the series is everywhere in this one, beginning with a rollicking scene on a wedding barge to open the book. Like the other novels in the series, duels play a major role, and de Castell is a master at portraying them. But once again, it’s Falcio’s knack for solving problems with his mind more than with his blades that makes this series work so well.
If this were the end of our time in Tristia, the book provides a satisfying conclusion. But fortunately, only Falcio’s tale is coming to an end. The world of the Greatcoats lives on in de Castell’s new series Court of Shadows. The first two books in that series, the prelude novel Crucible of Chaos and the true beginning to the sequel, Play of Shadows, have been the two best books I’ve read this year. So, the future looks bright, and I can’t wait to spend more time in Tristia.