With one foot firmly set in snark-land, and a tongue firmly in the cheek, Sebastian de Castell has given us a tale about heroes with a skewed moral compass who do not give a flying fuck unless it involves a monetary payment.
The tale is told from the POV of Cade, a wonderist AKA a Mage, or a wizard, and a man with a bit of a conscious. The current buyer of his services has rubbed Cade the wrong way, asking him to go beyond the agreed services Cade and his companions were paid to perform. As the story progresses Cade goes from cad to hero, a nice trope that has been a winner since Casablanca. Probably other stuff before that used the trope, but nothing comes to mind as it is late at night and I am taking shots of this bottle of Korean apple flavored Soju which is not my cup of tea but I need to make room in the fridge.
There is a very nice pace to the story. There are some nice plot twists along the way. There are secondary characters that are fleshed out. All elements that contribute to the readability of the book. I have to admit that Sebastian de Castell Greatcoats series is one of my favorites in the fantasy genre. If you have not read that series, you are missing out. It has a nice "3 Musketeers" vibe. So, I went into the read with an inclination to like it. I also should admit I met Sebastian at World Con Helsinki and he is an extremely likable person.
I do not know if this is a tip of the cap to the great 1954 Japanese film classic Seven Samurai. Or maybe it just that seven has so many symbolic meanings that lends itself to being in the title that sells. I hope this is a good seller. It is a good, humorous read, perfect for summer.
Previous books I have read and love that have the same humorous writing style as this book are Nicholas Eames' King of the Wild, David Wragg's Black Hawks, and Mark Lawrence's Wheel of Osheim series. Not to mention everything Joe Abercrombie writes,
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