Jurjen

Blood Over Bright Haven is my favourite new pickup that I have read in the past year and a half, and it deserves all the hype it gets.

I tried writing a list of all the elements that made the book work so well, but that would undermine *why* the book is so good. Every element that makes this book great relies on another. The character work is enabled by the themes of the story, and the way the plot progresses naturally. Sciona's personality and character development was able to succeed because Wang put in the work of harmonising Sciona's personal struggle with a wider array of struggles present in Tiran. Without that, her arc would collapse. The philosophical underpinnings between the peoples in the story weren't just hollow, and existed to justify a few directions the plot had to go towards–as it so often does–but was consistently fundamental to character interactions through the entire book.

It is rare to say that a book in which you predicted almost all major plot developments accurately could still surprise and flounder you, and that it was enthralling from the first page to the last. But that is exactly what Blood Over Bright Haven did to me. It took me in its grasp, and never let go.

I ended up enjoying this one a fair amount! It started a bit rough, as the world Wight built felt a bit too thin to me (the society he describes shouldn't really be able to subsist lol), meaning that the plot felt somewhat vacuous. But I realised Harrison Ford's wise words: “Kid, it ain't that kinda movie.”

What surprised me was the meta-narrarive going on behind the scenes, which ended up being my favourite part of the book. I didn't really know what Cradle was about before starting, so that caught me off-guard, but yeah, Wight was able to incorporate it in the world in a pretty intriguing way.

I don't think the character work was particularly inspiring, and the story draws on some of the fantasy clichés of the 2000s/2010s (every story needs special classes/identity groups harry potter/hunger games/percy jackson/divergence style), but they're not particularly important. Overall, it's pretty satisfying watching the protagonist grow in power, which I suppose is what this series is all about. The middle 50% is better than the first and last 25%, but with everyone saying the series gets much better past b1, i'm pretty excited for the second book!

4 stars feels a bit on the generous side, i'd say it's about a 7/10 3.5 stars, but I round up.

A notable step down from Assassin's Apprentice for me. I wasn't as emotionally connected, and some aspects of the plot annoyed me.

Still very strong characterwork and prose. 7.5/10-ish.

Never have I cared so much for a character so quickly. Fitz, I love you.

Gentleman Bastards has that special quality where all you need is Locke and Jean on a page, and no matter what they do, it'll be great fun. The dialogue and characterisation is that good. Locke as a character especially is very dear to me, and the friendship between him and Jean is unmatched in the genre.

As with Lies, the world building and setting of the story is a treat. Although we don't spend as much time in Tal Verrar as we did in Camorr in book 1, the city, and especially the Sinspire, are very atmospheric.

This book is strangely structured, as the first 250 pages are almost one story, then the next 250 pages another, with the ending tying the two together. Although it read somewhat awkwardly on my first read, knowing it would happen made it less obtrusive on my second. The pirate elements are widely lauded, but I'm one of the few people that likes the casino arc more–probably because it's more similar to book 1, which is my favourite of the 3.

Once again, Lynch nails the ending. The emotional beats land just as well as in the first book, and those last few pages–the imagery as well as the emotion, are incredibly memorable. Red seas under red skies. It's such an evocative title. Seeing it on page was as wonderful as it sounds.

Overall, I would say that I like the book slightly more on a reread. Frankly, I could read a hundred Gentleman Bastard books without getting bored. The formula is elite, and so is the execution. Really hoping we get to see the novellas or maybe even book 4 sooner rather than later.

How about right after I finish my reread, how does that sound, Scott Lynch?