A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex MarshallMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a 3-star review. I think it is closer to 3.5 stars, but I have a hard time rounding it up to 4 in this case. I made it to the end, but it was a close thing.
A while back, I read the "Evil is a Matter of Perspective" anthology that included a story written by Alex Marshall from the Crimson Empire universe. (also, read that anthology. It's great!)
Like Veruca Salt seeing a boat driven by Oompa Loompas, I so wanted to read A Crown for Cold Silver. I want it, daddy! I want it nooowwww! I did not break out into song.
The short story told of the ascension of the new Black Pope to her current office.
But then I got roughly halfway through the book.
I changed my mind, daddy. I do _not_ want a boat driven by Oompa Loompas.
While the book is reasonably well written, well-paced, and with relatable characters, there were a couple of features that undermined my experience.
The first feature was the use of modern phraseology coming from characters that are obviously not living in our modern world. That approach works when the book is obviously riffing on a modern cultural feature such as Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. It creates a disjointed reading experience when characters in a fantasy setting are using modern vernacular.
The second feature was the abundance of drug use. Almost everyone was almost always high/drunk on something despite either wandering in dangerous wastelands or on the brink of martial combat where a drug-addled mind almost certainly will lead to disaster rather than success.
The combination of the two led to the observation that the characters really were just playthings allowing the author to have a series of "wouldn't that be cool" moments; periodically driven by a smattering of identitarianism.
The third feature is that this was obviously written as the first book of a larger series. It ends with none of the plot threads resolved. I like the Peter V. Brett approach of the first book being a standalone novel with few (if any) cliffhangers.
If those features do not interrupt your reading experience, then give this book a read as it is otherwise well written. I doubt I will be returning to this series anytime soon.
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