McLean ("Burned Man" series) sets this dark fantasy series opener in the aftermath of a bitter war. Tomas Piety meets up with brother Jochan and they return to the devastated streets of their home city. Tomas, a warrior and reluctant priest, promised his soldiers work in one of the many taverns, brothels, and other enterprises controlled by his family, but finds that his businesses have been taken from him. The fantasy world is rooted in an industrial-era setting: most battles are fought with swords, but guns and explosives are present. Magic exists but is peripheral. Though the plot contains potentially triggering incidents, Tomas himself doesn't condone rape or violence against women. He is a somewhat whitewashed antihero who thinks in Machiavellian ways about leadership and bringing his family back into power. The stakes are small in fantasy terms (organized crime within one small city); power struggles and a corrupt social order dominate the atmosphere.
VERDICT Swiftly plotted and presented in a smooth first-person narrative, this novel will appeal to those who like their fantasy light on magic and heavy on violence and intrigue.
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