Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell should be on your TBR
The series so far
This is the original swashbuckling fantasy series. In fact, I did not even know swashbuckling term until I read Sebastien de Castell using this term to define his own series. And it is just so accurate!
Greatcoasts has four books in this series, all published. The quartet has the following books: Traitor’s blade (which is also the first published novel by this author), Knight’s shadow, Saint’s Blood and Tyrant’s Throne.
So why should this series be in your TBR?
Do you want excitement, in a violent and unfair world where irony can make a different for your survival? If this is not enough, think about Zorro (and his vigilante role) combined with the Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas; add a promise to a dead king that will put the protagonists in all types of danger, face devious foes and deal with religious zealots.
This is a wonderful story, a story of comradery (?) and sacrifice, altruism and difficult choices. It is a story where the good guys need to work really hard to avoid pitfalls and poor decisions.
More details about world building
“When every noble is a tyrant and every knight is a thug, the only thing you can really trust is a traitor’s blade.”
The Greatcoats were an elite group of individuals who travel to administer the King’s Law. They were trained in the fighting arts and in the laws of their empire, called Tristia. And then the king was killed by ungrateful nobles.
This is where the protagonist, Falcio, starts his story; he is still working his job, upholding the law. Until he gets in with the wrong crowd that tries to get him framed for a crime Falcio did not commit.
Also, the land of Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the Greatcoats are divided. So Falcio needs to work on the next steps to uphold the request of the dead king, his last request prior to dying. Falcio will assemble a group of friends and fellow Greatcoats, Kest and Brasti, to keep a promise to their beloved king.
This is a story with of pathos and excitement. The stakes (both for the characters and this land) are incredibly high, the world as they characters know it is at risk. The protagonists will also need to protect a young girl (making this one of the first stories I have ever read on father-like figures) and this will become the most important job that Falcio, Kest and Brasti ever took.
Sebatien de Castell
He is a prolific author; I loved reading the Greatcoats the first time around and I cannot wait to re- read it (and I will start towards the end of September with Fantasy Buddy Reads - once again, if you are looking for a welcoming and inclusive group to buddy read fantasy, head over there) to see how it holds over time.
I have also recently enjoyed The Malevolent Seven, by the same author, a stand alone novel; what impressed me the most is the fact that the author was able to build an in-depth world in a relatively short space; plus, I loved the amount of irony and sarcasm that was packed in this powerful story. I am looking forward to revisit his early works and see how they compare!
Last but not least, there is a brand new series, starting with Play of Shadows that will be published in a few weeks (from the date of publishing this post). I cannot wait to keep reading more from this author!
Have you read Sebastien de Castell’s work? Have you read the Greatcoats? What are the cool things that I did not mention? If you did not read it, are you going to add this series to your TBR? What is appealing to you? Comment down below with a coat emoji!
