Traitor’s Blade

Knight’s Shadow

Saint’s Blood

Tyrant’s Throne

by Sebastien de Castell   My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If the 3 Musketeers, Scooby Doo, and Deadpool had a baby it’d be…weird.

It’d also be called The Greatcoats.

For every bit of awesome I found in these four books, I found something else that drove me crazy.

The brilliant sword fights? The witty banter? The complex relationships? The multi-layered characters?

Awesome.

The same plot over and over? The forced plot resolutions? The out of place f-bombs? The forced plot resolutions? The amazing abilities of the important characters to not die? The forced plot resolutions?

Finger nails on chalkboard. Did I mention that I hated the forced plot resolutions? (I just looked up “deus ex machina” in the dictionary and found a picture of these 4 books in place of a definition.)

Without a doubt, The Greatcoats quintet is great fun. The heroes struggle against all odds, fighting against evil and those who would oppress, motivated purely by their lofty ideals, respect for the law, and their love for their king. These guys know how to fight! Their friendship is enviable, and their witty banter is hilarious. The only thing missing was “All for one, and one for all!”

If only…

…I didn’t hear in my mind “…and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those pesky Greatcoats!” every time a tricky problem was solved miraculously—over and over and over again. It made Scooby Doo fun. It made The Greatcoats frustrating and unbelievable.

If only…

…I didn’t mind if D’Artagnan only knew one expletive, and it started with F and rhymed with duck. The language works for Deadpool’s brand of heroics. It would not have worked for The Three Musketeers, and it just doesn’t work for these guys. Uncouth. Uncomfortable. Unfortunate.

There’s violence, swearing, and a graphic rape scene in book two. Can you handle that? Can you overlook the easy outs? I say go for it. I bet you’ll love The Greatcoats.

Adults only.

Happy Reading!