Daniel Abraham’s The Dagger and the Coin series has gone from a bonus title included when I bought Leviathan Wakes to a day-one read. I really, really enjoy Marcus Wester’s chapters as he and Master Kit hunt the Spider Goddess (and the reveal there, wow). Cithrin gets caught between the advances of Geder and trying to help people get out from under his heel. Clara Kalliam continues to try and build support to take on Geder and the Spider priests, and makes a shocking discovery as to the identity of a potential ally. All of this is framed by a story from the time of the dragons that hints at their downfall, and just what the heck the Drowned might be doing.
The thing I’m liking about this series is you are actually finding out answers as you go – you aren’t waiting 6 books to learn what happened to someone or find the significance of an event. Sometimes with a middle book in a series it’s all continuation and little satisfaction. Not so, here. If there’s a weak spot, it’s keeping Cithrin an alcoholic. She’s got enough on her plate (and enough potential to make mistakes without it) that the mentions of it seem a bit forced. Let it slide.
If you enjoy epic fantasy tales, this is definitely a series to check out. The Tyrant’s Law is third in a series, here are links to the first and second books.
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