The Red Knight has united the forces of Alba to combat the forces of evil from conquering Alba and led his forces to victory, but not without great cost. The enemy is moving to gather forces and this will cause Gabriel to take the battle field once again. In order to muster the troops he needs, Gabriel will need to cross the sea to gain an alliance with Galle but a new enemy is arising that will change the game as we know it. This will be a spoiler free review but I will be touching upon events from the previous three novels.
The true enemy has been revealed and has taken the battle field in the flesh. The Dread Wyrm Ash has launched a full scale assault on Alba only to be defeated by the alliance of the Red Knight. The sorcerer Thorn has been destroyed in the conflict but Ash will not give up on his plan that easily. Gabriel has endured great loss at the hands of the Dread Wyrm including one of his hands, but the time for rest has not come. He must take the battle field again and cross the sea to make a new alliance and combat the forces at play. Layers upon layers are starting to be revealed and the chess pieces will be moved into their final positions for the conflict to arrive.
The character work in this series continues to be top notch and will always keep you on the edge of your seat. Many different factions continue to be at play and they way the different threads blend together will set the stage for the final conflict. It was exciting to visit a new land and to gain a different perspective into how another country operates in the world of Alba. This movement of forces also shows us the macro power dynamic at play not only between the nations but the Wyrms as well. The mercenary group continues to be my favorite parts of the series including: Sauce, Bad Tom, and even Kromir started to get my attention.
With all of this being said, this is probably my least favorite book of the series due to some of the character decisions as well as the story feeling like a set up for the finale. The relationship between Gabriel and Blanche seemed a bit odd as well as the handling of Princess Irene even though she became an interesting character by the end. This is not to say the good isn’t a great read because it one hundred percent is. It just felt like a slight step back from the epic story of The Dread Wyrm.
To sum it all up, by the end of A Plague of Swords all the pieces will fall into place for the epic conclusion to this series. Some choices in this book may seem out of place, but the journey will be paid off in spades for the finale. The fate of Alba is at stake and the clash between good and evil will be out of this world.
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 