TL;DR: True to the spirit of the Greatcoats, but fresh and unique. Thrilling, complex, and absolutely addictive.
Synopsis:
Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.
Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.
He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.
With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.
Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him . . .
Full Review:
It’s not often a book leaves me speechless.
This one pulled it off. Repeatedly.
Court of Shadows plays in Tristia, the world of the Greatcoats, at some unspecified number of years following the end of Tyrant’s Throne.
In it, we follow Damelas Chademantaigne, grandson to not one, but two Greatcoats. And, unfortunately, a coward who begins his story by fleeing a duel and hiding out in a theatre to become an actor rather than face certain death at the hands of a superior foe.
But this is where Court of Shadows, like Greatcoats, proves its true worth. For the character we meet in the opening pages is not the true character—just who he thinks himself to be.
In Greatcoats, Falcio was like a chipped, dented sword that still had a razor’s edge. Damelas, however, is a sword covered in the tarnish and rust of perceived cowardice. But underneath lies the same steel. Through his trials and tribulations—many the results of his own actions, naturally—he is scoured and honed until his true courage is bared for all to see.
His character arc is absolutely delightful, but the truth is that he doesn’t have a great deal of growing to do. The more we come to know this “Rabbit” who fled a fight in the beginning, the more we see just how much the ethos and spirit of the Greatcoats is present in every fiber of his being.
The characters around him are as colorful and varied as would be expected from a company of actors. His lecherous-yet-steadfast best friend is a comedic foil to his somber moments, yet brings a great deal of heart and daring when his courage inevitably falters. His fellow players provide excellent contrasts for every aspect of his journey and personality, and before long, they are as foundational to his world—and our story—as Damelas himself is.
From the beginning, there is a subtle sense of foreshadowing, of lurking villains hiding in the darkness, that slowly permeates the story and grows ever-more noticeable as events unfold. What starts out as a flicker of shadow in the corner is cleverly built upon and played out until it becomes the all-consuming monster threatening to swallow the city of Jereste and destroy everything Damelas is fighting to protect.
The antagonists of the piece are clear from the beginning, and yet there is so much more to the story than meets the eye. Heroes become villains and villains become heroes in the blink of an eye or the recitation of a single line. And every new discovery in this marvelous—and magical—play adds a fresh layer to the grand mystery. A mystery into which I guarantee you will be inexorably drawn.
I found myself intrigued at first, then entertained, then swept up in the story so fully I devoured the second half in one sitting to find out how it ended. The story brought me to tears not once, but twice (no mean feat), and I got chills on more than one occasion as the heroism of Damelas and his fellow players came to the fore.
For Greatcoats fans, we are gifted with a greater insight into the workings of the Bardatti (the counterparts to the Trattari), and the subtle manipulations that were hinted at in the original series are now core to Damelas’ story. It’s an expansion on the magic, myths, and worldbuilding that made us fall in love with Tristia in the first place.
Play of Shadows is true to the spirit of the original Greatcoats in every way, and yet is utterly fresh and unique. From its humble beginning to its epic end, it stands among the author’s finest works—and has me absolutely champing at the bit to see where the Court of Shadows’ adventure will take me next.
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