The Tyrant's Law

Executive Summary: Probably my favorite book of the series so far. It just keeps getting better.Audio book: Once again another great performance by Pete Bradbury, making this a great series to do in audio.Full ReviewSo in book two of a three book series, it's easy to suffer from “middle book syndrome”. So with this being the middle book of five book series, I wondered if that would be the case here. I'm happy to report that it's not. This book is easily my favorite so far.Once again Mr. Abraham sets the stage early on for where things are going. We also get a nod to more traditional fantasy with the addition of an “epic quest”...of a sort. [b:The King's Blood 12759057 The King's Blood (The Dagger and the Coin, #2) Daniel Abraham https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356495172s/12759057.jpg 17901316] was a transition book of sorts and in this book we find the characters in different locations and situations, with different supporting casts making for a very different book.As in the last book, the character development really shines. In particular I enjoyed the development of Clara Kalliam, who might now be my favorite character, although I enjoy all of his characters. He's also written some great dialogue, especially as the characters are paired up with different people and put into different situations.Mr. Abraham does a great job of shades of grey. All of the characters do stupid things or frustrated me at one point or another. Characters who are noble and sympathetic one minute are horrible and unlikable the next.We get a bit more magic and action in this book than the previous two, but for the most part the focus is again on politics and economics. I think this is one of the reasons the character development shines.I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait until I have some time to jump into the fourth that just came out this month. I once again reiterate my recommendation for the series.

Book three of the Dagger and the Coin - it rises up like Ouroboros writ in words, the ending is the beginning and the beginning is the ending. This third installment brings us back to the world of Marcus and Kit as they go looking for a magical sword to kill a Spider goddess with. Meanwhile, in the sexy world of moneylending, Cithrin continues her struggle and education in service to the Medean Bank.

Orbiting like a love struck puppy - with a cadre of killer priests and a warring nation at his command - Geder Palliako continues down his self destructive path, the ridiculed, chubby nerd that now wields more power than he knows how to handle or deal with. Meanwhile, working her wily ways to bring all that Geder stands for down, Clara continues her secret campaign with the street urchins and disheveled of Camnipol.

While the book is not for newcomers - there is simply too much background to explain, about a book and a half to be exact - it is a worthy addition to the series on whole. The pace is fast, the action is tight, and the world, as always, teeters on an unseen precipice ready to dip even further into chaos. As the midway point in the series, I think it's sometimes hard to see the events that happen as the turning points they really are.

Recommended for epic fantasy readers, but don't start here.