Title:

Traitor's Blade

Author: Sebastien de Castell

Category:

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

August 16, 2024

raitor's Blade isn't that convincing when it comes to plausibility. The three heroes are the Greatest Swordsman Who Ever Lived (Kest), the Archer Who Never Misses (Brasti), and their Always Victorious Leader (Falcio val Mond). Throughout the course of Traitor's Blade, these three stalwart Greatcoats suffer an incredible amount of punishment, yet seemingly a few minutes later are ready to battle again. They face impossible odds, yet there is always an unlikely route to victory. And yet these plot devices don't come across as absurd story-telling. Despite the unlikeliness of the proceedings, the story has enough energy, enough interesting characters, enough creative obstacles thwarting the heroes that the reader is engaged all the way to the end.

Traitor's Blade takes place in the kingdom of Tristia. A few years ago, King Paelis convinced Falcio to form an organization of 144 Greatcoats: men and women with an unswerving sense of justice. Dressed in their distinctive Greatcoats, these twelve dozen heroes would roam Tristia, righting wrongs, seeing that the law was upheld, and bringing rogues to justice, no matter how powerful or wealthy those rogues might be. King Paelis had a vision of a peaceful kingdom where everyone lived under one set of laws. The dukes, of course, hated him. So the dukes gathered an army - one that not even 144 highly trained Greatcoats could oppose, and they marched on the royal castle. King Paelis was beheaded and the Greatcoats were disbanded and scattered, objects of scorn and ridicule. One of the unsolved mysteries in this book is the fate of the other 141 Greatcoats not named Falcio, Kest or Brasti - what became of them?

Falcio was once First Cantor of the Greatcoats, but all that remains now are his two companions in arms, Kest and Brasti. King Paelis gave them one final mission before he died - he instructed Falcio to gather his Charoites and restore his kingdom. Unfortunately, the King neglected to describe what a Charoite was or where it could be found, and so for the last five years, Falcio, Kest and Brasti have wandered through Tristia, taking on odd jobs and still trying to right wrongs. But Tristia is falling further and further into anarchy as the dukes fight amongst themselves and all the while the common good slips into ruin.

Traitor's Blade has a light hearted feel to it. It's not as funny as The Princess Bride, but neither is it a grim fantasy novel full of dark, tortured souls. There is a lot of fighting, so the momentum rarely flags. The three Greatcoats banter amongst themselves, and Falcio always has a snarky quip for the many villains he confronts. If the reader gallops through some implausible rescues and escapes, then the unlikeliness of some plot points can be glossed over and the story enjoyed as an entertainment.

Although Traitor's Blade has a conclusion, I see now that there are actually another three books about the Greatcoats. Unfortunately, our library does not have a copy of the second one, Knight's Shadow is not available in our library system. I may see if I can track down a copy somewhere.