As I said in my reflections of [b:Lord of the Fire lands|57704|Lord of the Fire Lands (King's Blades, #2)|Dave Duncan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170476084s/57704.jpg|529691] (which is the second of this connected threesome), the only question I had coming out was of the apparent double dying of King Ambros. Superbly spun and masterfully orated, this third installment wraps everything up quite neatly.

I'd give it a five star rating, if it weren't for the fact that it was one very short, and two made little show of the blades themselves, who are key in the series. of course given the length factor the amount of onstage presence is perhaps appropriate, so maybe it's only one gripe.

Even so, a very thrilling series indeed, full of intense swordplay, mystical magic and daring politics. The rightness of people and actions are turned on their heads (necromancy is generally bad, as is piracy, but both used with laudable results). for a series where you can almost hear the clash of steel and creek of timbers, pick this one up.