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The Craft Wars #1
Dead Country
Since her village chased her out with pitchforks, Tara Abernathy has resurrected gods, pulled down monsters, averted wars, and saved a city, twice. She thought she'd left her dusty little hometown forever. But that was before her father died.
As she makes her way home to bury him, she finds a girl, as powerful and vulnerable and lost as she once was. Saving her from the raiders that haunt the area, twisted by a remnant of the God Wars, Tara changes the course of the world.
Max Gladstone's world of the Craft is a fantasy setting like no other. When Craftspeople rose up to kill the gods, they built corporate Concerns from their corpses and ushered in a world of rapacious capital. Those who work the Craft wield laws like knives and weave chains from starlight and soulstuff. Dead Country is the first book in the Craft Wars Trilogy, a tight sequence of novels that will bring the sprawling saga of the Craft to its end, and the perfect entry point for this incomparable world.
As she makes her way home to bury him, she finds a girl, as powerful and vulnerable and lost as she once was. Saving her from the raiders that haunt the area, twisted by a remnant of the God Wars, Tara changes the course of the world.
Max Gladstone's world of the Craft is a fantasy setting like no other. When Craftspeople rose up to kill the gods, they built corporate Concerns from their corpses and ushered in a world of rapacious capital. Those who work the Craft wield laws like knives and weave chains from starlight and soulstuff. Dead Country is the first book in the Craft Wars Trilogy, a tight sequence of novels that will bring the sprawling saga of the Craft to its end, and the perfect entry point for this incomparable world.
239 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2023
148 people are currently reading
11102 people want to read
About the author
Max Gladstone
119 books2,551 followersMax Gladstone is the author of the Craft Sequence: THREE PARTS DEAD, TWO SERPENTS RISE, FULL FATHOM FIVE, and most recently, LAST FIRST SNOW. He's been twice nominated for the John W Campbell Best New Writer award, and nominated for the XYZZY and Lambda Awards.
Max has taught in southern Anhui, wrecked a bicycle in Angkor Wat, and been thrown from a horse in Mongolia. Max graduated from Yale University, where he studied Chinese.
Max has taught in southern Anhui, wrecked a bicycle in Angkor Wat, and been thrown from a horse in Mongolia. Max graduated from Yale University, where he studied Chinese.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
March 1, 2023
Leave it to Gladstone to make a liar out of me. I've been saying for a few years now that "I don't really read fantasy anymore," and honestly, it's pretty true, but then I went and finished Dead Country in two sittings. Maybe Gladstone shouldn't count either, because I'm a fan of his Craft series, although I feel he should, because still being totally honest here, I could not get into anything he's done since then. In other words, there's some reviewer bias here, but it might be a wash. This, though; this was lovely, just absolutely satisfying.
Dead Country doesn't have the frenetic pace or sarcastic banter of many urban fantasies; it's more like a book you cozy up with on a rainy day. Full of reflection, it feels a little like an old person's book (thinking of both readers and authors), although apparently, it's the first in a new trilogy in the Craft universe, so I'm not entirely sure where this contemplative tone comes from. Well, I have my suspicions: the pandemic, of course; Gladstone becoming a new father; his return to writing with pen and paper; and no doubt, being in his thirties all absolutely have something to do with it.
"There, on the sidewalk, in her small apartment, in boardrooms and at cocktail bars, the memories felt safe, like a story that was over."
If there was one theme this book has, its that you can't go home again, even when you do. Since Tara, the protagonist, literally left as a teen with a mob and pitchforks behind her, it is actually a good thing that she's not going home to the same overt hostility. It is hard for her or anyone else to see it in that light, however, as she is home for a funeral.
"Her memories of Edgemont were memories of distance, difference of being what she, a kid without much experience of hate, thought was hated. They sensed her as a thing apart, and they'd had two options, as any body has for a splinter lodged so deep: to consume the outsider, or reject it."
I loved the plotting, the inversion of the hero's quest. The action is slow in building, and I think for those who are looking for action-adventure, this will be a disappointment. This is deeply introspective narration, and every conflict, every encounter, every person brings back echoes of feelings and memories.
"Emotions formed like rocks, by layers, under pressure. On top of the first giddy flash of purpose she had felt when she took up the Craft, as a girl, she'd pressed years of work, sweat, mastery, joy, exhaustion, heartbreak and defeat, subversion, success, despair, self0hatred, all lithified into something she'd call love."
But she doesn't have the luxury of time. On the way to her hometown, she rescues a woman from an attack, and then discovers her village home is fortifying itself against the same raiders. Will she aid the people that cast her out?
The tone is fascinatingly philosophical, and when I say that its an 'old man's book,' I say it with a nod to the old man within me as well. I feel like Gladstone's been peeking at my reading list, looking at my readings on mindfulness, theories of the mind and existentialism.
"You can see which ball they're going to grab before they know they've decided. We think we know our mind. But we're just riding on a raft in an ocean in a storm, arguing which way the waves should take us."
For those new to the Craft series, I thought that more than all the other books, this lays out the theory of Craft, gods and the ordering of soul-stuff, so I don't think this is a bad place to begin at all. In fact, it may be the most comprehensible place to begin.
It's a sneaky, thoughtful, deeply satisfying book. I can absolutely see where it won't work for people. Read if you want some emotionally complex, person-centered fantasy (as opposed to a cluster of narratives, such a distressing phenomenon) with a really intriguing world view. I read it in two days. Honestly, I would have tried for one day, but I have this job situation...
Well. Now I'm all excited about fantasy again. Or at least re-reading The Craft sequence.
Many thanks to Netgalley and to Tor/Forge for the advance reader copy. My own opinions, naturally. You think these are the opinions of someone who is paid? And you know, advance copy, quotes may change and all that. But now you get the flavor of the writing.
Dead Country doesn't have the frenetic pace or sarcastic banter of many urban fantasies; it's more like a book you cozy up with on a rainy day. Full of reflection, it feels a little like an old person's book (thinking of both readers and authors), although apparently, it's the first in a new trilogy in the Craft universe, so I'm not entirely sure where this contemplative tone comes from. Well, I have my suspicions: the pandemic, of course; Gladstone becoming a new father; his return to writing with pen and paper; and no doubt, being in his thirties all absolutely have something to do with it.
"There, on the sidewalk, in her small apartment, in boardrooms and at cocktail bars, the memories felt safe, like a story that was over."
If there was one theme this book has, its that you can't go home again, even when you do. Since Tara, the protagonist, literally left as a teen with a mob and pitchforks behind her, it is actually a good thing that she's not going home to the same overt hostility. It is hard for her or anyone else to see it in that light, however, as she is home for a funeral.
"Her memories of Edgemont were memories of distance, difference of being what she, a kid without much experience of hate, thought was hated. They sensed her as a thing apart, and they'd had two options, as any body has for a splinter lodged so deep: to consume the outsider, or reject it."
I loved the plotting, the inversion of the hero's quest. The action is slow in building, and I think for those who are looking for action-adventure, this will be a disappointment. This is deeply introspective narration, and every conflict, every encounter, every person brings back echoes of feelings and memories.
"Emotions formed like rocks, by layers, under pressure. On top of the first giddy flash of purpose she had felt when she took up the Craft, as a girl, she'd pressed years of work, sweat, mastery, joy, exhaustion, heartbreak and defeat, subversion, success, despair, self0hatred, all lithified into something she'd call love."
But she doesn't have the luxury of time. On the way to her hometown, she rescues a woman from an attack, and then discovers her village home is fortifying itself against the same raiders. Will she aid the people that cast her out?
The tone is fascinatingly philosophical, and when I say that its an 'old man's book,' I say it with a nod to the old man within me as well. I feel like Gladstone's been peeking at my reading list, looking at my readings on mindfulness, theories of the mind and existentialism.
"You can see which ball they're going to grab before they know they've decided. We think we know our mind. But we're just riding on a raft in an ocean in a storm, arguing which way the waves should take us."
For those new to the Craft series, I thought that more than all the other books, this lays out the theory of Craft, gods and the ordering of soul-stuff, so I don't think this is a bad place to begin at all. In fact, it may be the most comprehensible place to begin.
It's a sneaky, thoughtful, deeply satisfying book. I can absolutely see where it won't work for people. Read if you want some emotionally complex, person-centered fantasy (as opposed to a cluster of narratives, such a distressing phenomenon) with a really intriguing world view. I read it in two days. Honestly, I would have tried for one day, but I have this job situation...
Well. Now I'm all excited about fantasy again. Or at least re-reading The Craft sequence.
Many thanks to Netgalley and to Tor/Forge for the advance reader copy. My own opinions, naturally. You think these are the opinions of someone who is paid? And you know, advance copy, quotes may change and all that. But now you get the flavor of the writing.
November 27, 2025
Opener for the series The Craft Wars
Character-Driven Fantasy with a unique blend of myth and modernity
Tara Abernathy's steel-edged talent and wit is back, but this time, it's more intimate. Tara goes into her small desert hometown to confront her past. Her vulnerabilities as a character are at play, giving us a much fuller scope of the complexities of her character.
Stand-Alone novel, but also fits into Craft Sequence series that opens with Tara in: Three Parts Dead. If Craft Sequence used a telescope to examine globe-spanning stakes, Dead Country is an opportunity to tenderly re-enter this world in a more narrow scope. The scale may be smaller due to the intimacy of Tara's journey, but the philosophical layers are as rich as any other Gladstone. Tara confronts that uneasy space of who you were and you are to become.
The cost of surviving systems designed to crush you
Tara meets a budding young Craftswoman in need of training. Dawn is a catalyst for Tara. Tara must confront her past and be independent. The necromancy scenes really stood out. This was a more careful unpacking of Tara as a character filled with the wit and wisdom of Gladstone. I love holding a space for Tara's strengths and weaknesses. I can't read his books fast enough :D
Character-Driven Fantasy with a unique blend of myth and modernity
Tara Abernathy's steel-edged talent and wit is back, but this time, it's more intimate. Tara goes into her small desert hometown to confront her past. Her vulnerabilities as a character are at play, giving us a much fuller scope of the complexities of her character.
Stand-Alone novel, but also fits into Craft Sequence series that opens with Tara in: Three Parts Dead. If Craft Sequence used a telescope to examine globe-spanning stakes, Dead Country is an opportunity to tenderly re-enter this world in a more narrow scope. The scale may be smaller due to the intimacy of Tara's journey, but the philosophical layers are as rich as any other Gladstone. Tara confronts that uneasy space of who you were and you are to become.
The cost of surviving systems designed to crush you
Tara meets a budding young Craftswoman in need of training. Dawn is a catalyst for Tara. Tara must confront her past and be independent. The necromancy scenes really stood out. This was a more careful unpacking of Tara as a character filled with the wit and wisdom of Gladstone. I love holding a space for Tara's strengths and weaknesses. I can't read his books fast enough :D
March 6, 2023
This book is the beginning of the Craft Wars trilogy, which marks the end of the Craft Sequence. I’ve been a fan of the Craft books for a long time, and I am *pumped* for the concluding trilogy after reading this.
Insofar as the Craft Sequence has a protagonist, it’s Tara Abernathy, and she’s front and center in this book. She’s on the way to her hometown for her father’s funeral when she picks up something she never expected: an apprentice. She comes across a small town that’s been attacked by the same raiders who have been attacking her hometown and killed her father (people living in the Badlands, twisted by the leftover energies from the God Wars) and is able to rescue a girl before she is taken. The girl, Dawn, has some native abilities in using the Craft, and Tara reluctantly takes her on as a student.
There are three threads woven together in this book. The primary one is a journey of self-discovery on Tara’s part. She’s returning to the hometown that she ran away from as a girl, and that drove her out when she returned after attending, and being cast out of, the Hidden Schools. Who she was and who she is are a challenge to reconcile, made more so by Dawn, who reminds Tara of herself in ways she is distinctly uncomfortable with. Dawn makes Tara confront not only her childhood and her present, but her own training. The abuse, trauma, and eventual revolt that got Tara expelled. I love a journey of self-discovery, and this is an excellent one.
The secondary thread, though the one with most of the “plot,” as it were, is Tara working to defend her town against the raiders. There’s a lot of influence here from stories like the Seven Samurai/the Magnificent Seven.
The third thread is almost a background, but it’s got a lot of weight to it. Tara has learned, over the course of the Craft Sequence proper, that … *something* … is coming. Something(s) big, alien, and very hungry are making their slow way towards her world, crossing the vast distances between the stars. Tara doesn’t know what they are, or when they’re going to get there, but she knows it’ll be bad, and that the world isn’t ready. Nothing like a pending eldritch horror-induced apocalypse to focus the mind.
I do not have a single criticism about this book, with the possible exception of this: it’s been long enough since I read the Craft Sequence proper that I think I’m going to give them a re-read. I’m thinking I’ll do so in chronological order, rather than publication order, just for a change. I am extremely eager for the next book, and I want to be prepared.
Comes out on March 7.
My blog
Insofar as the Craft Sequence has a protagonist, it’s Tara Abernathy, and she’s front and center in this book. She’s on the way to her hometown for her father’s funeral when she picks up something she never expected: an apprentice. She comes across a small town that’s been attacked by the same raiders who have been attacking her hometown and killed her father (people living in the Badlands, twisted by the leftover energies from the God Wars) and is able to rescue a girl before she is taken. The girl, Dawn, has some native abilities in using the Craft, and Tara reluctantly takes her on as a student.
There are three threads woven together in this book. The primary one is a journey of self-discovery on Tara’s part. She’s returning to the hometown that she ran away from as a girl, and that drove her out when she returned after attending, and being cast out of, the Hidden Schools. Who she was and who she is are a challenge to reconcile, made more so by Dawn, who reminds Tara of herself in ways she is distinctly uncomfortable with. Dawn makes Tara confront not only her childhood and her present, but her own training. The abuse, trauma, and eventual revolt that got Tara expelled. I love a journey of self-discovery, and this is an excellent one.
The secondary thread, though the one with most of the “plot,” as it were, is Tara working to defend her town against the raiders. There’s a lot of influence here from stories like the Seven Samurai/the Magnificent Seven.
The third thread is almost a background, but it’s got a lot of weight to it. Tara has learned, over the course of the Craft Sequence proper, that … *something* … is coming. Something(s) big, alien, and very hungry are making their slow way towards her world, crossing the vast distances between the stars. Tara doesn’t know what they are, or when they’re going to get there, but she knows it’ll be bad, and that the world isn’t ready. Nothing like a pending eldritch horror-induced apocalypse to focus the mind.
I do not have a single criticism about this book, with the possible exception of this: it’s been long enough since I read the Craft Sequence proper that I think I’m going to give them a re-read. I’m thinking I’ll do so in chronological order, rather than publication order, just for a change. I am extremely eager for the next book, and I want to be prepared.
Comes out on March 7.
My blog
February 9, 2024
I'm always up for a romp with necromantic lawyers, but this was not quite the romp I wanted. A sequel of sorts to Three Parts Dead, Dead Country is a continuation of Tara Abernathy's story as she returns home for her father's funeral. As home is comprised of people who are provincial, superstitious, and altogether unforgiving of the acts of Craft done by Tara in her youth (it was ONE time! geez, get over the sucking of life out of the cornfield already), it's not exactly a happy reunion.
This is a much more intimate, and at least initially, smaller scale story than Three Parts Dead, and it has more of a feel of a coming of age story in which Tara faces her past, buries her father, deals with villagers who don't particularly want her help, sees her parents as real people apart from their role in her life, and debates taking on an apprentice.
It's okay, but my eyeballs glided weirdly off much of this content - and I like introspection, usually. The new characters feel mostly flat, and the action doesn't pick up until the end, whereupon it abruptly stops and hangs you over a cliff. Gladstone's imagination is still audacious, and there's more in here about how Craft and Tara's world work, but it was still a bit of a struggle to get to the end (and then that ending! ugh!). A weak three stars; probably wouldn't read a sequel.
This is a much more intimate, and at least initially, smaller scale story than Three Parts Dead, and it has more of a feel of a coming of age story in which Tara faces her past, buries her father, deals with villagers who don't particularly want her help, sees her parents as real people apart from their role in her life, and debates taking on an apprentice.
It's okay, but my eyeballs glided weirdly off much of this content - and I like introspection, usually. The new characters feel mostly flat, and the action doesn't pick up until the end, whereupon it abruptly stops and hangs you over a cliff. Gladstone's imagination is still audacious, and there's more in here about how Craft and Tara's world work, but it was still a bit of a struggle to get to the end (and then that ending! ugh!). A weak three stars; probably wouldn't read a sequel.
July 5, 2023
Continuation of Tara Abernathy's story. The book feels a lot more intimate to me than all the others before.
Gladstone is gearing up to be one of the master storytellers of our time. This book is close to perfect, in my opinion, and I'm especially in awe at the sense of timing that the author presents in it. It's not easy to get the timing right when stories develop towards a dramatic climax. Often there are parts that drag and others that feel rushed. This is not the case here.
Another thing that I enjoyed immensely and that might play a big role in why I'm so very impressed by the book is the secondary, but very prominent topic of dealing with one's father's death. As someone who's lost my dad some time ago and am still dealing with the grief and pain, it just feels good to have a part of that reflected in a book I deeply enjoy reading.
So, I'm delighted and will for sure go on reading Gladstone's works.
Gladstone is gearing up to be one of the master storytellers of our time. This book is close to perfect, in my opinion, and I'm especially in awe at the sense of timing that the author presents in it. It's not easy to get the timing right when stories develop towards a dramatic climax. Often there are parts that drag and others that feel rushed. This is not the case here.
Another thing that I enjoyed immensely and that might play a big role in why I'm so very impressed by the book is the secondary, but very prominent topic of dealing with one's father's death. As someone who's lost my dad some time ago and am still dealing with the grief and pain, it just feels good to have a part of that reflected in a book I deeply enjoy reading.
So, I'm delighted and will for sure go on reading Gladstone's works.
March 8, 2025
Stars: 3 out of 5
I love the world of the Craft that the author so carefully crafted (pun totally intended). However, I didn't love this book as much as I loved the previous ones in the series.
It took me a while to figure out why. This book has all the right ingredients: a compelling protagonist (and I love Tara), a mystery that threatens something she cares about, so the personal stakes are front and center, and another facet of this complex world carefully painted and shown to the readers. I should have loved this as much as I loved the previous books! But instead, this book left me mildly irritated while I was reading it, and a bit dissatisfied when I finished.
The biggest reason is that, as much as I like Tara Abenati, she shines when given good secondary characters to bounce her ideas off of. Even though the previous book was mostly about Kai, Tara's brief appearances were memorable. Or her interactions with Abelar, Shale, and Selene in Alt Columb. Characters make good stories, and good characters make excellent ones.
Unfortunately, secondary characters are sorely lacking in this book. And by that I mean the relationship that is front and center in this story - the one between Tara and Dawn. I was actually looking forward to seeing how Tara in the role of a mentor for once. To see how she would approach this responsibility and what kind of teacher she would choose to be. And the answer is - a rather boring one.
Yes, I understand that the theory of the Craft is important to the story, but I think the lectures are a bit overdone here. It bogs down the story and kills the momentum. I mean, there is literally nothing going on in this book between the first attack of the Raiders on Tara's village and the last stand during which the Father is kidnapped. And that's about a third of the book. I admit that my attention started to wander in that section, and I had to put the book away for a bit and read something more exciting before I came back to it.
It would have been okay if Dawn was a more fleshed-out character. As it stands, we don't know anything about her apart from the fact that she wandered onto this farm with her father, and was not treated well after he died. We don't know about her dreams, her fears, or what she is like when she isn't trying very hard to be the best student Tara could want. Try as I may, I can't picture her in my head. She is not a person, but a concept. I don't feel a connection to her like I felt for other characters in previous books. And without that connection, everything that happens in the end of the book, and it supposed to have the impact of a gut punch... feels flat.
Same with Tara's home village. I know I was supposed to grow to care for it by the end of the book and understand why Tara would fight so hard to save it, but I was mostly irritated with everyone instead, including Tara. And since I didn't care for the stakes, I wasn't fully invested either.
Don't get me wrong, this is still a solid entry in the Craft series and it advances the story. It's just not the strongest entry to date.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love the world of the Craft that the author so carefully crafted (pun totally intended). However, I didn't love this book as much as I loved the previous ones in the series.
It took me a while to figure out why. This book has all the right ingredients: a compelling protagonist (and I love Tara), a mystery that threatens something she cares about, so the personal stakes are front and center, and another facet of this complex world carefully painted and shown to the readers. I should have loved this as much as I loved the previous books! But instead, this book left me mildly irritated while I was reading it, and a bit dissatisfied when I finished.
The biggest reason is that, as much as I like Tara Abenati, she shines when given good secondary characters to bounce her ideas off of. Even though the previous book was mostly about Kai, Tara's brief appearances were memorable. Or her interactions with Abelar, Shale, and Selene in Alt Columb. Characters make good stories, and good characters make excellent ones.
Unfortunately, secondary characters are sorely lacking in this book. And by that I mean the relationship that is front and center in this story - the one between Tara and Dawn. I was actually looking forward to seeing how Tara in the role of a mentor for once. To see how she would approach this responsibility and what kind of teacher she would choose to be. And the answer is - a rather boring one.
Yes, I understand that the theory of the Craft is important to the story, but I think the lectures are a bit overdone here. It bogs down the story and kills the momentum. I mean, there is literally nothing going on in this book between the first attack of the Raiders on Tara's village and the last stand during which the Father is kidnapped. And that's about a third of the book. I admit that my attention started to wander in that section, and I had to put the book away for a bit and read something more exciting before I came back to it.
It would have been okay if Dawn was a more fleshed-out character. As it stands, we don't know anything about her apart from the fact that she wandered onto this farm with her father, and was not treated well after he died. We don't know about her dreams, her fears, or what she is like when she isn't trying very hard to be the best student Tara could want. Try as I may, I can't picture her in my head. She is not a person, but a concept. I don't feel a connection to her like I felt for other characters in previous books. And without that connection, everything that happens in the end of the book, and it supposed to have the impact of a gut punch... feels flat.
Same with Tara's home village. I know I was supposed to grow to care for it by the end of the book and understand why Tara would fight so hard to save it, but I was mostly irritated with everyone instead, including Tara. And since I didn't care for the stakes, I wasn't fully invested either.
Don't get me wrong, this is still a solid entry in the Craft series and it advances the story. It's just not the strongest entry to date.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2023
Buddy read with the WBTM crew here.
March 8, 2023
I received an ARC from Netgalley
TW: accidental animal killing (goat), medical operation, referenced manipulation by a teacher, self-surgery, referenced torture
4.2
This was a weird one for me! I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
What I do know, is Max Gladstone is a wonderful writer. The writing in this is poetry- and if you enjoyed any of his prior work, including the co-authored This is How You Lost the Time War, you’ll fall right into the writing in this one. There is a certain philosophy here, a soft exploration with the hint of nails. And it’s really well done!
That vibe continues with the world itself. It is most definitely soft world building. We hear much more than we see, we get information without context to the point where it nearly negates the information, we are told of monstrous level stakes in a sprawling, living world, and are stuck in the corner of a small town instead. And- it’s lovely. I love the world we’re shown, for the most part, and I love the throw away moments of “wait, what did she just say happened to her” that are pushed under the rug for the strained normalcy of a homegoing.
This is what I like to call a “post” story- a story that begins where many other stories would’ve ended. Stories about heroes past their heroic coming of ages, chosen one’s post-prophecy, victors past victory. And they happen to be one of my all time favorite types of stories. I think Gladstone write these kinds of “post” stories extremely well. This is the second I’ve read from him (the first being Last Exit), and he injects that same level of depth in the characters, a true knowing of them even with the knowledge that you actually just got here. And he does it even more so with this book, because there is a key difference.
He makes it, instead of a end of days epic fantasy, a domestic story. And, for the most part, it works. Tara is a character we have no way of dreaming of relating to, and yet she is relatable. She is someone who has gone through so many impossible events they are throwaway references to her, moments she occasionally uses to remind herself of what she’s gone through in the face of something much more uncomfortable and unknown.
And while I love the idea of it, and it works in many ways, it also didn’t quite land for me. Because the domesticity of the story didn’t come with much plot. We have a base level story, and things do snap into place eventually, but there is just so little actually happening that all the referencing and padding of Tara’s past pushes things off balance and highlights just how little we’re actually reading about. It was a risky move, and it could’ve worked well, but it just didn’t hit where it needed to for me.
Things get thrown off, again, at the end. For a book that spends so long convincing us that the small town lives and homes are equally important- in this moment at least- so the potential ending of the world, and bringing us down to those stake levels, rocketing the stakes back up to catastrophe of the level given really just takes everything out of proportion. It makes the small town feel less connected and harder to care about, and it makes the big danger feel out of place. I especially was disappointed by the complete lack of closure given- I wanted this to feel like an epilogue, not the middle of a series.
There were things I really loved in this book, and it is, undeniably, beautifully written, but I had issues to the point where I’m not quite sure what to do with my feelings here.
TW: accidental animal killing (goat), medical operation, referenced manipulation by a teacher, self-surgery, referenced torture
4.2
This was a weird one for me! I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
What I do know, is Max Gladstone is a wonderful writer. The writing in this is poetry- and if you enjoyed any of his prior work, including the co-authored This is How You Lost the Time War, you’ll fall right into the writing in this one. There is a certain philosophy here, a soft exploration with the hint of nails. And it’s really well done!
That vibe continues with the world itself. It is most definitely soft world building. We hear much more than we see, we get information without context to the point where it nearly negates the information, we are told of monstrous level stakes in a sprawling, living world, and are stuck in the corner of a small town instead. And- it’s lovely. I love the world we’re shown, for the most part, and I love the throw away moments of “wait, what did she just say happened to her” that are pushed under the rug for the strained normalcy of a homegoing.
This is what I like to call a “post” story- a story that begins where many other stories would’ve ended. Stories about heroes past their heroic coming of ages, chosen one’s post-prophecy, victors past victory. And they happen to be one of my all time favorite types of stories. I think Gladstone write these kinds of “post” stories extremely well. This is the second I’ve read from him (the first being Last Exit), and he injects that same level of depth in the characters, a true knowing of them even with the knowledge that you actually just got here. And he does it even more so with this book, because there is a key difference.
He makes it, instead of a end of days epic fantasy, a domestic story. And, for the most part, it works. Tara is a character we have no way of dreaming of relating to, and yet she is relatable. She is someone who has gone through so many impossible events they are throwaway references to her, moments she occasionally uses to remind herself of what she’s gone through in the face of something much more uncomfortable and unknown.
And while I love the idea of it, and it works in many ways, it also didn’t quite land for me. Because the domesticity of the story didn’t come with much plot. We have a base level story, and things do snap into place eventually, but there is just so little actually happening that all the referencing and padding of Tara’s past pushes things off balance and highlights just how little we’re actually reading about. It was a risky move, and it could’ve worked well, but it just didn’t hit where it needed to for me.
Things get thrown off, again, at the end. For a book that spends so long convincing us that the small town lives and homes are equally important- in this moment at least- so the potential ending of the world, and bringing us down to those stake levels, rocketing the stakes back up to catastrophe of the level given really just takes everything out of proportion. It makes the small town feel less connected and harder to care about, and it makes the big danger feel out of place. I especially was disappointed by the complete lack of closure given- I wanted this to feel like an epilogue, not the middle of a series.
There were things I really loved in this book, and it is, undeniably, beautifully written, but I had issues to the point where I’m not quite sure what to do with my feelings here.
July 12, 2023
I don't even know where to begin. Gladstone is on some next level shit with this book. He's always been great at creating unique worlds and populating them with ideas so smart they'll make your brain itch, but in some of his earlier stuff I found the emotional connections within the stories to be a bit opaque. But this slim novel is full of pathos, beautiful writing, and a plot that not only explains more about the magic system of Craft but takes it to a new, terrifying outcome that provides a great launch for this new series.
DEAD COUNTRY centers on Tara Abernathy, a key character from Gladstone's Craft Sequence. She's gotten news that her father has died, so she returns to the small town of her birth, Edgemont, for the funeral - only to pick up a protégé and discover Edgemont is under attack, and needs her skills as a Craftswoman. Can she/will she stay in a town that has mistreated and mistrusted her in the past, and offer her help?
So, can you start reading this book, if you haven't read the Craft Sequence? I think so. If I'm trying to put my brain in that place, this book is a classic "coming home" and "stepping into a role as teacher" sort of story. And while it references other people and actions from the Craft Sequence books, I think it's okay that they're just references. If nothing else, this book has a more direct explanation of the Craft magic system and how it works than I can remember any of the earlier books having, where you sort of had to pick it up piecemeal.
But having read the Craft Sequence, as I have, I think the emotional resonance of this story for Tara is deeper. It's really satisfying to see her dealing with her origins and roots, and her mixed feelings (/trauma) about what it is to teach someone Craft. The first third of this book is full on nostalgia and dealing with outsider feeling, and the last third is very pace-y plot-thick action. It's a short book but each chapter has heft. And there's a very satisfying love story.
I think this book is such an accomplishment; not a word out of place. I'm eager for the next.
DEAD COUNTRY centers on Tara Abernathy, a key character from Gladstone's Craft Sequence. She's gotten news that her father has died, so she returns to the small town of her birth, Edgemont, for the funeral - only to pick up a protégé and discover Edgemont is under attack, and needs her skills as a Craftswoman. Can she/will she stay in a town that has mistreated and mistrusted her in the past, and offer her help?
So, can you start reading this book, if you haven't read the Craft Sequence? I think so. If I'm trying to put my brain in that place, this book is a classic "coming home" and "stepping into a role as teacher" sort of story. And while it references other people and actions from the Craft Sequence books, I think it's okay that they're just references. If nothing else, this book has a more direct explanation of the Craft magic system and how it works than I can remember any of the earlier books having, where you sort of had to pick it up piecemeal.
But having read the Craft Sequence, as I have, I think the emotional resonance of this story for Tara is deeper. It's really satisfying to see her dealing with her origins and roots, and her mixed feelings (/trauma) about what it is to teach someone Craft. The first third of this book is full on nostalgia and dealing with outsider feeling, and the last third is very pace-y plot-thick action. It's a short book but each chapter has heft. And there's a very satisfying love story.
I think this book is such an accomplishment; not a word out of place. I'm eager for the next.
April 2, 2023
Happy that Max Gladstone has returned to the world of the craft. I don't think I've enjoyed many of his novels as much as I enjoyed that series. I did feel like this book had a lot of good points (reintroducing the way magic systems run the Craft world, reminding me of past plot points, bringing Tara Abernathy back) but it also did feel very much like it was just setting up a trilogy. I did enjoy it but I'll see how it fits in with that trilogy.
December 3, 2022
This book kicks off a new series within Gladstone's established Craft universe and blends some old faces with some new. The scale of this book tucks in close as Tara returns to her hometown for her father's funeral and is forced to deal with her roots within a community that is less than happy to see her again. While the stakes feel very personal, and somewhat small, by the end of the story they have expanded far beyond expectation as Gladstone paves the way toward a conflict cosmic in scale. Richly imagined and intimate this book is sure to speak to both fans of the series and newcomers alike.
March 13, 2023
3 stars, without rounding. This was an interesting take, sort of a spaghetti western kinda take on the craft sequence. However, a lot of it felt like overbearing setup, and Denovo being the big baddy again is just tiresome. Some parts were alright, wouldn't re-read it probably, but makes for a passable flu read.
March 13, 2023
Preorder this one NOW! Whether you've already read the Craft Sequence, or just getting started in this world, DEAD COUNTRY is a marvelous read. It's been a couple years since I read the previous books and I was able to pop right in to this capstone trilogy with ease. A world of necromantic lawyers, where souls are currency, and finance is faith, property is king. A weird western about coming home, the ties that bind us, the lengths we'll go to save people who don't love us, and fierce precedent that underlies it all. I can't wait to see how the rest of the trilogy shapes up!
Update (3/13/23):
Here is the Bar Cart Bookshelf drink inspired by DEAD COUNTRY. The Edgemont Cooler is a refreshing spring highball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzT1m...
Update (3/13/23):
Here is the Bar Cart Bookshelf drink inspired by DEAD COUNTRY. The Edgemont Cooler is a refreshing spring highball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzT1m...
February 8, 2023
Got this book as part of an early release. No real spoiler here but marking to be cautious. Was excited to dive into a new world, but once I started I never got excited reading. The book started off slow. Really slow. It picked up in pace but never really in development. Tara is written as some overpowered character that never lives up to her hype. Every time her new companion is told not to do something, you can bet on her doing it. Overall the book wasn’t for me. It did get significantly better as the pages went on, but was still a lackluster performance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2026
This is not the beginning of anything -- it's the middle
I read this book because it is the first book of Max Gladstone's Craft Wars series. The Craft Wars is a finalist for the 2026 Best Series Hugo. Dead Country is also, not incidentally, the seventh book in the Craft Sequence.
The publisher's blurb for Dead Country ends thus
Dead Country begins with our hero, Tara, walking through the badlands to Edgemont, the town she comes from. If, like me, you have never read anything from the Craft Sequence, you have no idea who Tara is. You know nothing about Edgemont. You know nothing about the world they inhabit. Gladstone ain't gonna tell you.
Furthermore, the style doesn't help. Gladstone seems to be an author who prizes stylistic fireworks over making sense.
In rating Dead Country three stars, I'm giving the Craft Sequence the benefit of the doubt. I'm assuming that, read as the seventh book in a series, it would make a lot more sense. As a standalone novel, I would give it two stars.
I will not read any more novels from the Craft Sequence, It will probably be last ranked when I submit my Hugo Best Series vote.
Blog review.
I read this book because it is the first book of Max Gladstone's Craft Wars series. The Craft Wars is a finalist for the 2026 Best Series Hugo. Dead Country is also, not incidentally, the seventh book in the Craft Sequence.
The publisher's blurb for Dead Country ends thus
Dead Country is the first book in the Craft Wars Trilogy, a tight sequence of novels that will bring the sprawling saga of the Craft to its end, and the perfect entry point for this incomparable world.I'm here to tell you that, as an entry point to the Craft Sequence, Dead Country stinks. That's because it stinks as an entry point to anything.
Dead Country begins with our hero, Tara, walking through the badlands to Edgemont, the town she comes from. If, like me, you have never read anything from the Craft Sequence, you have no idea who Tara is. You know nothing about Edgemont. You know nothing about the world they inhabit. Gladstone ain't gonna tell you.
Furthermore, the style doesn't help. Gladstone seems to be an author who prizes stylistic fireworks over making sense.
In rating Dead Country three stars, I'm giving the Craft Sequence the benefit of the doubt. I'm assuming that, read as the seventh book in a series, it would make a lot more sense. As a standalone novel, I would give it two stars.
I will not read any more novels from the Craft Sequence, It will probably be last ranked when I submit my Hugo Best Series vote.
Blog review.
April 12, 2024
After so long, it's so refreshing to be back in the world of the Craft. Finding out more about Tara, setting up for a bigger conflict, it's all so good. Gladstone is a great writer, and he shines so much in his Craft books.
February 2, 2024
Utterly brilliant. It builds and builds, there are no accidents, no coincidences, and all of it delicious.
April 16, 2023
The previous book set in this world, Ruin of Angels, had finished with the discovery of a looming threat that could be potentially apocalyptic. As the book starts its lawyer/necromancer protagonist Tara is pre-occuppied by worrying about this threat but has to set it aside after she learns of a death in her family, leading her to return to her hometown. Since she had previously been chased out of that town by a mob wielding pitchforks and torches it's something of a tense homecoming. One of the defining features of the series has been its portrayal of a world-building that in many ways feels like a modern society but one whose economy is based on magic rather than technology. This book is a bit of a departure because there's little magic present in the frontier town it is set in, although it does face a threat from the supernatural Raiders. This means there is a bit less focus on the world-building than in previous books. The early parts of the book are often quite reflective as Tara tries to deal with the culture-clash of returning home, but things do get more tense in the latter stages as the Raiders threaten to obliterate the town. Tara also unexpectedly finds herself with an apprentice and I thought the interactions between Tara and Dawn had some of the best characterisation in the story. Although it mostly feels smaller in scope than earlier books in the setting I did think it was a compelling story and the ending is a good set-up for the rest of the trilogy.
March 11, 2023
My head is still spinning!
Not having read any of the previous books in the Craft Sequence, I fell into this super-intricate world and characters head first, and I didn't come up for air until the last page. Every time there was a flashback or a mention to Tara's past I was mesmerized and wanted to immediately read that book, and that one, and that one, and sure, it made for a dizzying reading experience but an overall great one. Gladstone's prose is, obviously highly accomplished and intense (I knew as much from Last Exit and from This Is How You Lose the Time War) and Tara Abernathy is a complicated character I definitely want to get to know better.
I'm sure readers who have already gone through the previous Craft Sequence books will have a much easier ride, but I don't regret using Dead Country as a starting point!
P.S. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Not having read any of the previous books in the Craft Sequence, I fell into this super-intricate world and characters head first, and I didn't come up for air until the last page. Every time there was a flashback or a mention to Tara's past I was mesmerized and wanted to immediately read that book, and that one, and that one, and sure, it made for a dizzying reading experience but an overall great one. Gladstone's prose is, obviously highly accomplished and intense (I knew as much from Last Exit and from This Is How You Lose the Time War) and Tara Abernathy is a complicated character I definitely want to get to know better.
I'm sure readers who have already gone through the previous Craft Sequence books will have a much easier ride, but I don't regret using Dead Country as a starting point!
P.S. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2023
Gladstone's Craft novels have been hit or miss for me, exhibiting several different flaws, some of which did serious damage to my enjoyment in a couple of cases. This one, for me, was a huge hit, the book that finally fulfilled the potential that the other books often hinted at but fell short of. I gave five stars to
Three Parts Dead
despite vocabulary glitches that were mostly not present in this one, and I happily give this one five stars again. I even gave four stars to
Two Serpents Rise
despite even more vocab issues and an alienated idiot protagonist, and to
Four Roads Cross
, despite the frequent absence of the past perfect tense (it's only missing a couple of times in this one); I dropped
Full Fathom Five
to three stars both because there were too many unmodified references to our world and because I didn't believe the protagonist could solve the story problem. Based on reviews, I haven't read
Last First Snow
.
There's still an occasional moment here when the secondary fantasy world is too this-worldly, like an office building full of cubicles, but they are fewer and further between. The protagonist is my favourite Craft protagonist, Tara Abernathy (who probably won Four Roads Cross its fourth star, to be honest), and she Granny Weatherwaxes through a tense plot with strong personal stakes, philosophizing with some depth and in beautiful prose about principle versus pragmatism and the dangers of both, without bogging the action down in angst or navel-gazing. The secondary characters are vivid, and all have hooks into Tara that she struggles against, sometimes successfully but other times not so much.
There's plenty of varied action that is never for its own sake, always about something important, and excellently told. I got a clear, strong sense of the threats already abroad in the world and the creeping cosmic threat that was on its way. There was also a resonance with our own society's existential struggles to solve crisis-level problems without making things much worse, and the hopefulness of people of goodwill that, by joining together, they can solve those problems, conveyed clearly without it being too on the nose or in my face and without preaching specific solutions.
The book also doesn't share in the flaw of many popular books being published at the moment of self-consciously and obviously performing the prevailing orthodoxy of this exact moment in history, despite the setting being another world entirely. Sure, there's a gay relationship, and nobody seems to have a problem with it, but it's not spotlighted or commented on. It's just there, in a way that makes sense in the story.
Overall, one of the best books I expect to read this year, an easy entry into the Platinum tier of my annual Best of the Year list, and a contender for my Goodreads Choice fantasy vote (and probably lots of other people's) for 2023.
There's still an occasional moment here when the secondary fantasy world is too this-worldly, like an office building full of cubicles, but they are fewer and further between. The protagonist is my favourite Craft protagonist, Tara Abernathy (who probably won Four Roads Cross its fourth star, to be honest), and she Granny Weatherwaxes through a tense plot with strong personal stakes, philosophizing with some depth and in beautiful prose about principle versus pragmatism and the dangers of both, without bogging the action down in angst or navel-gazing. The secondary characters are vivid, and all have hooks into Tara that she struggles against, sometimes successfully but other times not so much.
There's plenty of varied action that is never for its own sake, always about something important, and excellently told. I got a clear, strong sense of the threats already abroad in the world and the creeping cosmic threat that was on its way. There was also a resonance with our own society's existential struggles to solve crisis-level problems without making things much worse, and the hopefulness of people of goodwill that, by joining together, they can solve those problems, conveyed clearly without it being too on the nose or in my face and without preaching specific solutions.
The book also doesn't share in the flaw of many popular books being published at the moment of self-consciously and obviously performing the prevailing orthodoxy of this exact moment in history, despite the setting being another world entirely. Sure, there's a gay relationship, and nobody seems to have a problem with it, but it's not spotlighted or commented on. It's just there, in a way that makes sense in the story.
Overall, one of the best books I expect to read this year, an easy entry into the Platinum tier of my annual Best of the Year list, and a contender for my Goodreads Choice fantasy vote (and probably lots of other people's) for 2023.
March 6, 2023
Review based on an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Decades after being driven away from her hometown as a child, Tara Abernathy has resurrected gods, fought monsters, and saved the day on multiple locations. But when she returns to Edgemont for a family funeral, Tara finds the town under assault by evil remnants of old Craft workings and must work with an old friend and a young magic user to save the people who once tried to kill her.
Dead Country saw me coming, and laid out a series of tropes and vibes I (mostly) love that worked well together. At the broadest strokes it's a western - the gunmagicslinger comes to an isolated town, and must save it from the raiders. There's a bit of From Dusk Till Dawn (with demon zombies instead of vampires), a bit of Hellboy, a bit of Mad Max, and even a bit of a Hallmark movie. At one point, I was even convinced that the successful city woman back home in the small town she resented would wind up finding love and settling down, if only because Tara kept insisting so hard that she was going to leave.
But the strongest connection (and for me, the most important) was to Discworld, specifically Night Watch. This influence plays out in several ways, including the overall vibe of "this is a story universe where powerful beings regularly threaten the world's existence so the current events may seem small by consideration, but these people deserve protection, too." There are also meditations on power (as Tara becomes a teacher and reflects on the ways her instructors used and abused their students) and the ethical obligations people have to each other just for being people (lines like "we've failed each other a lot, this town and me. Someone has to suck it up and do the work," and "what do we become, when we see people as things to be owned or traded?" especially bring Vimes and Granny Weatherwax to mind). So while the setting may initially feel very different from the previous Craft books, this turns out to be a way of saying that the big problems of the world need to be confronted everywhere and not just the "important" places.
It's worth noting that while this is the seventh book in the Craft universe, it's intended to be new entry point and the beginning of The Craft Wars - a new subseries in the world of the Craft Sequence.
Decades after being driven away from her hometown as a child, Tara Abernathy has resurrected gods, fought monsters, and saved the day on multiple locations. But when she returns to Edgemont for a family funeral, Tara finds the town under assault by evil remnants of old Craft workings and must work with an old friend and a young magic user to save the people who once tried to kill her.
Dead Country saw me coming, and laid out a series of tropes and vibes I (mostly) love that worked well together. At the broadest strokes it's a western - the gunmagicslinger comes to an isolated town, and must save it from the raiders. There's a bit of From Dusk Till Dawn (with demon zombies instead of vampires), a bit of Hellboy, a bit of Mad Max, and even a bit of a Hallmark movie. At one point, I was even convinced that the successful city woman back home in the small town she resented would wind up finding love and settling down, if only because Tara kept insisting so hard that she was going to leave.
But the strongest connection (and for me, the most important) was to Discworld, specifically Night Watch. This influence plays out in several ways, including the overall vibe of "this is a story universe where powerful beings regularly threaten the world's existence so the current events may seem small by consideration, but these people deserve protection, too." There are also meditations on power (as Tara becomes a teacher and reflects on the ways her instructors used and abused their students) and the ethical obligations people have to each other just for being people (lines like "we've failed each other a lot, this town and me. Someone has to suck it up and do the work," and "what do we become, when we see people as things to be owned or traded?" especially bring Vimes and Granny Weatherwax to mind). So while the setting may initially feel very different from the previous Craft books, this turns out to be a way of saying that the big problems of the world need to be confronted everywhere and not just the "important" places.
It's worth noting that while this is the seventh book in the Craft universe, it's intended to be new entry point and the beginning of The Craft Wars - a new subseries in the world of the Craft Sequence.
May 16, 2023
The Craft series up until this book has been some of my favorite speculative fiction. As others have said, this book is smaller and more personal. The high concepts are still there but nowhere near as prominent. I enjoyed the book and related to the lead as someone who also grew up in the country and found themself in the city.
Having said all that, it just fell a little flat for me. The main character seems less fleshed out than in previous books and the side characters don't feel fleshed out at all. Not a lot happens until the last act and there's a weird side plot involving Tara's least favorite townsperson that doesn't quite work.
A bad Max Gladstone book is still a good book (with the exception of Last Exit) but this just didn't have the magic I was expecting. It felt more like a conventional fantasy novel. Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for.
Having said all that, it just fell a little flat for me. The main character seems less fleshed out than in previous books and the side characters don't feel fleshed out at all. Not a lot happens until the last act and there's a weird side plot involving Tara's least favorite townsperson that doesn't quite work.
A bad Max Gladstone book is still a good book (with the exception of Last Exit) but this just didn't have the magic I was expecting. It felt more like a conventional fantasy novel. Again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for.
May 5, 2023
I wanted to like this more. I haven't read the earlier series if that matters. I wasn't convinced by the world Tara existed within - there were details that didn't stack up for me. I love some kinds of fantasy, alternative realities, worlds with magic and time travel and things like that, but this felt like a random world - with a city and office cubicles, dragons used for commercial flights, and isolated villages... but no other technology? no phones or long-range communications?
From the beginnning: she was dropped off by a magical flying dragon, but why was it still more than a full day's walk to her village? (Obviously so that she could pick up Dawn, but it felt clunky to me given so much attention to her long walk after leaving home before, plus dangerous Raiders.) Later: they needed Connor to guide them to avoid dangers when going after the Pastor, but on the way back they somehow got along fine without him.
I think just overall even though some aspects were really great, the language itself fell short. I'm just re-reading the ending and here is an example.
From the beginnning: she was dropped off by a magical flying dragon, but why was it still more than a full day's walk to her village? (Obviously so that she could pick up Dawn, but it felt clunky to me given so much attention to her long walk after leaving home before, plus dangerous Raiders.) Later: they needed Connor to guide them to avoid dangers when going after the Pastor, but on the way back they somehow got along fine without him.
I think just overall even though some aspects were really great, the language itself fell short. I'm just re-reading the ending and here is an example.
December 30, 2022
RTC - thank you to Tor.com for the surprise ARC.
What a wonderful way to kick off the end of the Craft.
What a wonderful way to kick off the end of the Craft.
February 2, 2025
Max Gladstone I love you but this has the plot of a Hallmark movie
February 28, 2023
Tara Abernathy is back in Dead Country, a new Craft Sequence book that starts the Craft Wars trilogy. She’s returning home to bury her father she hasn’t seen since she was driven away from her village with pitchforks. It’s not a happy homecoming, but she’s not planning to stay.
Fate has other plans. The village is in Badlands and under siege by undead people affected by a curse. Half out of duty, half out of defiance, Tara decides to save the village. It would be easier if she weren’t affected by the curse herself.
Helping her are her new apprentice, Dawn, whom she’s saved from the cursed raiders, and Connor, a childhood friend who might become more. Dawn is talented, filled with the need to learn, and infinitely angry. Not a good combination when they face an enemy neither them had believed possible.
This was an excellent start for a trilogy that will take the series to a new direction. It’s not like the previous books in the series, which had a complicated mystery at their core that were solved with Craft. This is about family, trauma and forgiveness. It’s not quite as exciting or mind-boggling as the original series, but enjoyable. The Craft isn’t very complicated, so people new to the series might be able to enjoy the book too, but it’s best read after the original series.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Fate has other plans. The village is in Badlands and under siege by undead people affected by a curse. Half out of duty, half out of defiance, Tara decides to save the village. It would be easier if she weren’t affected by the curse herself.
Helping her are her new apprentice, Dawn, whom she’s saved from the cursed raiders, and Connor, a childhood friend who might become more. Dawn is talented, filled with the need to learn, and infinitely angry. Not a good combination when they face an enemy neither them had believed possible.
This was an excellent start for a trilogy that will take the series to a new direction. It’s not like the previous books in the series, which had a complicated mystery at their core that were solved with Craft. This is about family, trauma and forgiveness. It’s not quite as exciting or mind-boggling as the original series, but enjoyable. The Craft isn’t very complicated, so people new to the series might be able to enjoy the book too, but it’s best read after the original series.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 2, 2023
I really like the Craft series' fantasy take on service sector economies and I was excited to hear that Max Gladstone was writing an epic trilogy to conclude it.
However, as a first volume of the concluding trilogy, this feels kind of weird. It almost felt like a Hallmark movie . This isn't A New Hope or The Force Awakens, this feels more like A Feast for Crows where the characters are mostly standing still so big pieces can be moved into place around them somewhat off screen.
This book also mostly ignored the series' (in my mind) greatest strength, the big city magic, in favor of a much more traditional fantasy journey and story.
That being said, it seems like the pieces are in place and the setup is done so I have high hopes for the next book.
Summer book bingo square: Read with friends
However, as a first volume of the concluding trilogy, this feels kind of weird. It almost felt like a Hallmark movie . This isn't A New Hope or The Force Awakens, this feels more like A Feast for Crows where the characters are mostly standing still so big pieces can be moved into place around them somewhat off screen.
This book also mostly ignored the series' (in my mind) greatest strength, the big city magic, in favor of a much more traditional fantasy journey and story.
That being said, it seems like the pieces are in place and the setup is done so I have high hopes for the next book.
Summer book bingo square: Read with friends
May 17, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. I love the world of The Craft and I'm so happy to be back. This was an intimate story on a much smaller scale in a rural setting, so it didn't have the grand urbanity that I enjoyed so much from the Craft Sequence. But it's book one, and I imagine books two and three will head to the city.
The tone was a little too ponderous, but maybe that's just my mood right now. There were some beautiful turns of phrase and descriptions in there among the weightiness.
The tone was a little too ponderous, but maybe that's just my mood right now. There were some beautiful turns of phrase and descriptions in there among the weightiness.
April 1, 2023
I really enjoyed Gladstone's Craft Sequence and this is the first in a new series set in the same universe. Tara Abernathy is back and headed back home for the first time in years after the death of her father. Of course, things aren't that simple. The book has big events and small moments and self-reflection and people using their power. It's good, of course. I look forward to the next one.
July 26, 2023
So far I've loved every Max Gladstone story I've read, and this is no exception. I haven't read any of his other Craft books, so I wasn't sure if Tara is from the other ones (it's clear now she is) but other than some specific characters being referenced, it stands alone perfectly. Dense, rich, and complicated. A delightful read.
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