Last Light

 

The fourth volume of the Sacred Arc series starts immediately where both the second and third volume left off.  It is a classic (if always fun) trope - two heroes meet in circumstances that look suspicious, and of course they fight before explaining that they are both after the same thing.  They then are partners to save the day.  Or not in this case.  Estelle and Kateryn do meet and fight (and chase each other), but never get past the initial animosity, even though they are both after the same thing.  

Of course we know that Tancred, Orion and the Basilean paladins are coming, and will meet up with the Estelle because it wouldn't be a series after all if it were new, random characters in each book.

The advantage of any ongoing series (or shared "universe") is seeing familiar characters again in new situations, even as new characters are introduced.   Pannithor has a lot of history already, and seeing some of the classic characters "in person" helps to bring them completely to life, and not just names in a rule book.  Gnaeus Sallustis goes from just being a name referenced in a paragraph (who used to have a very cool miniature (unfortunately now out of print)) to a living, breathing person.  Even Nakir, his lion mount, has a genuine personality.  (Is it just me or does anyone else want to see a litter of cubs from Nakir and Seeba (the gur panther that has adopted Estelle)).  (It is said you should never act with children or animals, and it seems that may be true for good books, as they can steal the scene or your hearts.  The scene with Seeba in the tent is simply hilarious.  "Well f..."!

It isn't just the heroes that are full and rich characters though.  Cixus the necromancer ends up with so much more depth than you would ever expect - even musing philosophically - which is worse sending living men and women to their deaths in battle, or raising the unfeeling, unliving dead who no one mourns any longer to fight instead.

Being set in a "fantasy wargame" universe there is also some obligator battle scenes (in fact, I wonder if there are any fantasy stories that do not involve fighting of some type).  Being a Kings of War player, I did notice how all the armies were split into "legal" units for the game.  I don't know how "realistic" those are compared to what you would see in actual ancient / medieval battles, but this isn't history it is entertainment, and it is not something I notice (except for over analyzing it for a review of the book).  The fun callback (because the audience is players of the game after all) to the game override any historical inaccuracy there may be.  (And in a world where there are animated skeletons, magic, demons and angels (technically named "abyssals" and "elohi" so as to avoid any modern religious significance),  anyone complaining about inaccuracies with the real world is truly looking for issues that do not exist).

There are great moments of both humor and pathos because the characters are so well written that you truly care about them.  Knowing that this is the final chapter, it is a given that not everyone will be going home increases the stakes, because no one has "plot armor.  It is a little disappointing that a significant death occurs "off screen" however.  Not that I want to see more detailed battle descriptions, but going from "charging into battle" to the "bodies strewn on the ground".  

I was a little disappointed that someone who I expected to be a major character in the book (after the amount of "screen time" they have in the previous book) (of course there are 2 parallel previous books - so it is up to the reader to figure out who I mean) only be in three scenes.  It felt like they were shoved to the background when I was hoping to see more tension between them and other characters.  But I guess not everyone gets to be in the spotlight every time.

I really enjoy it when common tropes can be avoided or subverted.  For example, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" where someone that you fought against earlier will come back to help you at the climatic moment.  Just because your enemy is also the enemy of a third enemy, does not mean you will suddenly get along with them, even briefly.  To NOT have them arrive and save the day at the climatic moment is a bit refreshing.  

It is nice to close out this saga without answering absolutely everything.  The final vignettes in the epilogue do a great job of wrapping the characters.  There are still some questions, and most of these characters definitely have more to their lives (thought that may be something as simple as just living without more adventures).  Just because the a story has a satisfying ending does not mean you don't want more.  I also enjoyed another brief callback to an earlier book in the series.

The pacing is strong, though I'm not sure if the first half is too slow or the second half is too fast, but it seems to be a little inconsistent (or it may simply be that I have had difficulty finding time to sit down and read).  

While I did have to go back and review a few things in the previous books (when did that happen?) (it has been over six years since the first book came out after all), it actually makes me want to go back and re-read them all together since there are some things that seem to be fairly minor in one book (or is that book one?) that are much more important later.

Overall an excellent end to an excellent series.  

Last Light can be found in both ebook and dead tree versions online at Amazon, Winged Hussar Publishing, and Mantic Games, as well as your flgs (Friendly Local Game Store) or flbs (Friendly Local Book Store).

Because it is all fun and games . . .