A Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De
Castell is the first book in the Greatcoats Series. In the vein of The
Three Musketeers, this dark tale starts a trio of heroes after their
King was overthrown and killed by his own dukes. During the violent coup, his
greatest warriors, the Greatcoats, did not fight for him. These traveling
warriors, who also were judges that traveled the country dispensing justice, all
stood down at the King’s order and did not try to stop the overthrow. The King had
a plan that would trigger in the wake of his death. That plan activated with
his death and then things went sideways. The populace turned on the Greatcoats
and they scattered into hiding and the Dukes seized power over the country and
its people.
The story is
primarily told from the perspective of Falcio. He is a dark and troubled hero
who mourns the past and has lost all hope in the future. He sees the world
around him as broken beyond repair. His only goal is to die doing something
good.
He is joined in
this quest, if you will, by his trusted allies Kest and Brasti. Kest is a man who has been a friend since
childhood. A grim and bitter man who is an excellent swordsman and a worthy
companion. Also there is the master archer, Brasti, who is a womanizer of epic proportions.
As I explained, this is basically the three musketeers in a different format.
The story skips
around chronologically split between stories from the past and the present. Even
the more linear portions have a lot of twists and turns. A Traitor’s Blade by
Sebastien De Castell is a grim tale not for everyone, but, I enjoyed it a
lot.
A Traitor’s Blade
Sebastien De Castell
Joe Fletcher Books
Quercus
July 2014
ISBN# 9781623658090
Hardback (also available in audio, digital, and paperback formats)
384 Pages
Material was
supplied by the Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2020
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