Written on the Dark

"Fortune's wheel did what it did, regardless of your hopes, prayers, cleverest planning."

Just another great GGK book here, even if it doesn't unseat my top 3 by him. A solid plot, tight pacing, and interesting, deep characters makes for a satisfying read. Evidently set during the Hundred Years' War, and loosely follows the life of a French poet, Francois Villon.

Thierry Villar, vaguely notable tavern poet and a self-proclaimed nobody to the realm, is tasked with stepping up and being a somebody following the murder of the King's brother. Investigating places the law can't reach, asking questions of people that they can't ask, and basically being an informant involved in a realm-shaking murder. What follows is Villar's progress from being a nobody to gaining friends in powerful circles, amidst the backdrop of a potential civil war.

What I love about this book (and GGK's books in general, but it's very evident in this book) is how he can take a minor character, even in their own story, and turn them into something living, breathing, and remarkable. The story's main character is Villar of course, but there's a slew of other POVs that each get their own backstory and contribute to the larger tale. There's also several minor characters that, while not given their own voice in the story, are sent on their literary way with a few lines from GGK about how events affected their life and how they end up. There's a couple Easter eggs here for people who read his other books.

Just a satisfying story to read. While a bit more straightfoward in the telling than some of his other books, I was still really glad to have read this, and was in love with the story/characters throughout.