Tyrant's Throne: 4 (Greatcoats)

Fourth and final volume in the swashbuckling fantasy action series the Greatcoats. The first book was 'Traitor's Blade', and since there's not enough exposition in this volume to bring new readers up to speed, they should start there.Regular readers, read on.This one runs for five hundred and eighty six pages. It has eighty five relatively short chapters. And a map of the setting at the start. It does feature some violence, mild adult references, and a little bit of strong language.Picking up after the end of book three, Falcio's ambitions have almost been achieved. Aline is about to take the throne, and then she can restore the rule of law to the land.But then he finds things aren't entirely perfect in the meantime. And a threat lurks in a neighbouring kingdom. An expedition there reveals an old enemy and a new one. And the worst threat they have ever faced.Can the kingdom be saved? Falcio has a lot of fighting to do. And some soul searching as well...This has a clever opening which deftly introduces a fun new character, and then the regular three. And it's supremely readable from the off, keeping up the same tone as previous volumes, with the interplay between the three leads being as fun as ever.It doesn't really get the main plot going till almost 150 pages in, but what comes before passes nicely in the company of the three leads, and it is doing some important setting up of details as well.After it does get moving, this becomes the best of the series, because in addition to some clever plotting, it also throws in a superb amount of moral dilemmas and questions, both for Falcio and thus the reader to consider as well.And it's some offshoot from those which leads to some surprises, interesting developments, and a really great resolution.This is the end of the series, and it does a great job in wrapping it all up nicely and superbly as well.A hugely entertaining and capable finish to a great series, and a great read in it's own right also. Well worth five stars.And although it is the end of this story, do be sure to read - right after the afterword and thanks from the writer, the very last two pages of the book....

I am bereaved. I've finished reading the fourth of Sebasien de Castell's Greatcoats books and already I'm missing the characters, Falcio, Kest and Brasti and their friends, Valiana and Ethalia, newly minted Saint of Mercy, and Aline, heir to the throne. I'm even missing Aileen's grandmother, the Tailor. This is swashbuckling at its best with the characters indulging in witty banter when all seems lost.Don't get me wrong, this is a serious book. Dark things happen, people die, twisty plots get even twistier, but the relationships between characters is the real delight here. Falcio has a huge dilemma. Should he fight to put Ailine on the throne or follow the laws of Tristia which he swore to uphold?This is the end game. Aline and Valiana have been holding onto the kingdom by a thread. The dukes are almost ready to elevate Aileen to the throne, but there's a serious threat to the crown, followed by an even bigger one from a neighbouring country. Falcio, so sure of himself when duelling, suddenly discovers that waging war is a totally different skill.I'm not ready to leave these characters yet, but each of them gets a satisfactory ending, even the king who has been dead since before the first book began. Highly recommended.

I've been waiting for this to come out in paperback for a year now and I wasn't disappointed. This is a rollickingly brilliant end to a fantastic series that was the Greatcoats. All the usual ingredients of Sebastiens excellent writing is here: great story line, twists and turns; moments of sadness; moments of hilarity at the banter between Falcio, Brasti and Kest and moments at the edge of your seat when it's thought everything is finally going to fall down around Falcios' feet. Best of all is the tantalizing promise that these fabulous characters may return - I do hope so.Some books I've read [and I've read a lot!] I've enjoyed and passed them on; others I've loved and kept ,too dear to part with. The Greatcoats is such a series. Wonderful!

De Castell has the necessary abilities of plot construction, world-building, and a cinematic eye for a memorable scene. But the key element that elevates him above the multitude of merely capable writers is his ability to make you love his characters. Sure, the literary ancestry of his Greatcoats is evident, but he has breathed a fiery spark of originality and diversity of character into his modern Musketeers that more than stands comparison with Dumas' vision. Brilliant, entertaining, and engrossing - I read this finale to an excellent series at a single sitting. Highly recommended.

I bought the first book in this series, Traitors Blade, on a whim (I liked the cover! ) However, by the time I’d read a third of the book I’d already researched the series and ordered the other books in the series. The story captured me almost immediately, I say almost because when reading a new author I’m always a little sceptical that the characters will stand up to the initial thrill of meeting them. But I wasn’t disappointed, Sebastien de Castell is an author I will without doubt be reading for many years to come. Having read the genre for over 30 years ( Eddings, Feist, Goodkind, Robb to name a few ) I don’t doubt that Castell will be among those greats. His characters are believable, honestly gritty with all the loveable flaws that normal hero’s have. And look out for the plot twists, they’re great. No spoilers in this review, I hope you enjoy his books as much as I did.

This is a brilliant ending to a series of wonderful books. Sebastian is right in thinking these are books that people will re-read out of shear enjoyment of the characters and adventures. I hope they will return one day. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good read.