Crusade

The Book in 1 Sentence

An overwhelming amount of build up for it all to come crashing together in a single sentence.

Brief Review

This is the final book in the Paladin Trilogy, which I have enjoyed until this book. The story builds and builds tell a grand series of political intrigue and a final battle. However, it fails to deliver the promise of an epic finish by instead wrapping up the final battle with a Mother's helping of Deus Ex Machina and a monologue.

Why I Read this book

I have enjoyed this series

In-Depth Review (Favorite Quotes)

This book is right around 800 pages and the first half is really well done. I was expecting this grand epic fight, but honestly this thing just fell on its face and I don't know why.

The story for this has been built up for two other books, [[Ordination]] and [[Stillbright]]. Bringing together large fights, a grand landscape, and a looming threat from two different opposing forces. These forces seemed formidable with the control of magic from the Elder, and the priest of Braech. There is also the peace conference that went swimmingly, and the events of that left another threat on whether people would keep the accord.

The characters really do not grow and have settled into their roles. For a man who doesn't want to get involved, Alistair constantly keeps manipulating and almost gaslighting people to do what he wants. There is one story line that Alistair tries to push, that I am frustrated it didn't happen based on the amount of grandstanding there was with it. But the way it was kiboshed and how it was referenced afterward was even more aggravating. The characters just stopped caring. They characters quickly slide into stupid roles without the bravado and courage that they started with which made their relationships matter.

Rating

I was really enjoying this book, finishing it on a road trip with the wife and she didn't mind it. However, even she, who listened to maybe the last hour or so of the book, felt like what was supposed to be pivotal, was thrown away. What a way to kill the trilogy. It is a 7.

Whomever did the cover art, did not talk to the author. It specifically says that he wields the hammer one-handed with a shield. The cover art shows a dude with a GIANT hammer and a sword. I'm going to call it AI generated and that just pisses me off.

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