Summary
Tobias Longdirk, hob-ridden but defiant enemy of the demon know as the Fiend, and masquerading as King of England, is making a last stand in fractious Italy, trying to gather the city states for a united defense.
Review
Duncan mostly sticks to his template in this final book of the trilogy, and largely that’s a good thing – the strong characters and camaraderie he built up in the prior books keeps things together. However, he also takes some chances, and there I felt he fared less well. One crucial element, revealed at the end, felt to me like a cheat of the reader, insufficiently grounded in the story.
The end, as well, is a little muddled and rushed. While Duncan avoids a pat happy ending, the resolution he does offer also doesn’t feel quite satisfying, and I’d have wished he put as much effort into that as he does into the machinations of war and politics. Overall, a decent ending to a pleasant but not outstanding series.
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