Sworn in Steel
Hmm. It might be time to start looking for new reading material, as I just went through Sworn in Steel over the last few days. Sequel to Among Thieves it continues the tale of Drothe, information-dealer-turned-thief-group-leader after his unplanned rise in status in the first book.
This time around, there seems a bit less reliance on chance and dumb luck, and some of the characters actually push the plot forward in a deliberate sense. I consider that a good thing. Characters new and old are still solid. There's a lot of focus on the "Order of Degans" and some explanation as to why they're such hard-to-kill and beyond-normal-capability swordsmen.
There's a definite arc to the plot and things certainly happen, though looking back I find Drothe's arc to be... lacking. He starts off as a somewhat reluctant Gray Prince and ends up as... well, a somewhat reluctant Gray Prince. By the end he has some new allies and such that might make his position a bit more stable, but the chance to change as a person sort of slips away. It reminds me a little of the stereotypical middle movie in a superhero trilogy, where the hero has established himself and then has to go through a movie doubting and questioning before resolving to be the hero again. Drothe goes through the book questioning whether he should be a Gray Prince and more or less decides the answer is "no," only to have the option to "get out" pulled out from under him, leaving him basically where he started the book. That's a little disappointing when I think about it.
But, it was still an enjoyable read, probably even more so than the first one.
This time around, there seems a bit less reliance on chance and dumb luck, and some of the characters actually push the plot forward in a deliberate sense. I consider that a good thing. Characters new and old are still solid. There's a lot of focus on the "Order of Degans" and some explanation as to why they're such hard-to-kill and beyond-normal-capability swordsmen.
There's a definite arc to the plot and things certainly happen, though looking back I find Drothe's arc to be... lacking. He starts off as a somewhat reluctant Gray Prince and ends up as... well, a somewhat reluctant Gray Prince. By the end he has some new allies and such that might make his position a bit more stable, but the chance to change as a person sort of slips away. It reminds me a little of the stereotypical middle movie in a superhero trilogy, where the hero has established himself and then has to go through a movie doubting and questioning before resolving to be the hero again. Drothe goes through the book questioning whether he should be a Gray Prince and more or less decides the answer is "no," only to have the option to "get out" pulled out from under him, leaving him basically where he started the book. That's a little disappointing when I think about it.
But, it was still an enjoyable read, probably even more so than the first one.
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