Priest of Gallows

While a minor misstep compared to the brilliance that were its predecessors, Priest of Gallows will continue to entertain any who have chosen to follow Tomas Piety's recounting of his life after the war. I don't believe anyone will continue to read the third book if you didn't like the first two, so I'm going to be clear: it's still a War for the Rose Throne book. The setting is dark, corruption is everywhere, and the themes are mature and touch on the worst of human society (including torture and slavery). Tomas Piety continues his charismatic, practical narration as a ex-military criminal thug whose code of honour is the only silver lining that the common folk can depend on. It's everything I enjoyed in Priest of Bones and Priest of Lies, and then some.

So why is this a misstep?

As the back of the book implies, Tomas Piety continues in his new role as one of the Queen's Men, navigating the turbulent times of the capital after the Queen suddenly dies. We see him in Dannsburg, but that means we leave behind the rich tapestry that was Ellinburg and its many locations and characters. The greater part of Tomas's family (by blood or by bond) is also left behind, and instead we are introduced to new characters that we don't have a relationship with. Tomas has grown in power and as a reader, we grow up with him and the Pious Men that made it happen. To leave that behind takes a skilled hand, and while I remain entertained, I am not as attached to Dannsburg and its world.

That said, it's a thrilling ride and I am nitpicking. I don't think anyone will be disappointed they continued the series, and I'll see you all in Priest of Crowns.

I did complain in Priest of Lies that the world had not been as grimdark as the initial novel. This one really made me regret those words, with the introduction of the torture chambers beneath the House of Law and the story of Beast. As the novel proceeds, we see the ugly truth of how the Queen's Men run affairs and it is so realpolitik that it runs amuck of Tomas's code of honour.

This must remain behind spoilers, but I felt the novel to be with very little direction. There were small indications that the Princess or Vogel would be the antagonist, but neither really offered any threat to Tomas and his crew. That is what I hold against this book - Tomas was unchallenged, and mostly a passenger as Vogel executed his plans. While that is entertaining, when I look back at the book, I find myself disappointed.

As well, a major theme of the first two novels were that Tomas's street ways were readily applied to that of running the country (or at least fighting the battles that the Queen's Men fought). This was forgotten and Tomas was reduced to an assassin. I didn't see why he did any of the things he did, and he mainly relied of the muscle that is Bloody Anne, the newly picked up Beast, as well the as the power of the Queen's Warrant. That is not the Tomas we like. I expected him to build up his own power base, which would be the natural thinking as a man of Business. We should have seen him act as a leader of men, introducing new "Pious Men" with their own talents, instead of relying on the existing Queen's Men and his borrowed soldiers from Ellinburg. We hear of the Weeping Women far too much, despite his skill at swords to only be passable for a veteran.

These are nitpicks to be sure. I am disappointed with what the novel could have been. I still enjoyed the novel, even if it took forever to finally pit Tomas against Vogel, and introduce the foreshadowing that will likely find our main character sitting upon the Rose Throne.

Well... let's see how well my prediction holds!