Published: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Orbit
Series: Spellslinger #3
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 369 (Paperback)
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
The third book in the page-turning Spellslinger fantasy series.
‘I was getting almost as good at running away from enemies as I was at making them in the first place. Turns out, I wasn’t running nearly fast enough.’
Kellen has begun to master his spellslinging and the Argosi tricks for staying alive, and he and Reichis have found a career that suits them both: taking down mercenary mages who make people’s lives miserable. But Ferius is concerned that Kellen is courting disaster . . .
Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.
Once again Sebastien de Castell has put forth another entertaining book. This is one of the most consistent series that I’ve picked up – so far I haven’t felt that any of the book have been significantly better or worse than the others. As a matter of fact, I’ve given the first two and now this one all fairly high ratings.
Some series have obvious tone or pace changes between books but so far all of these have been very consistent. I think the stakes are a bit higher in Charmcaster, but that’s largely due to revelations that have occurred organically through plot development over the course of the series. Kellen is slowly becoming more competent though he still makes some serious social faux pas and other assorted mistakes. Kellen, Reichis, Ferius, and now Nephrenia have a solid dynamic going on here. It’s so easy to lose yourself in the story and so difficult to put it down!
Once again our characters have traveled to a new setting, different culture, and same old enemies. Those Jan’Tep just can’t quit stirring up trouble by sending out assassins, spies, and the like to gain information or power. Gitabria is a place of many marvels and the latest, a mechanical bird that seems to have taken on life, has basically the whole world in an uproar. It’s a game changer in many ways and of course, someone is out to steal it/destroy it and/or its creator. Enter Kellen and friends to thwart the plot. Things are somewhat formulaic, in that there’s always some baddy that Kellen only just manages to defeat and it ties back to the Jan’Tep somehow.
Overall, this was another fun book that kept me engrossed the entire time. As I mentioned, there are some consistent plot patterns in each of the books, but I don’t mind much at all. I’m not reading this because it’s a literary masterpiece, I’m reading it because it’s super fun and a great source of entertainment. I feel like this should go without saying, but if you’re interested in the series you should definitely start with the first book, Spellslinger.
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