Books › The Trouble with Peace
The Trouble with Peace
544 pages
A masterclass in dark fantasy where peace is just a brief, tense intermission between bloody betrayals and biting punchlines.
What it feels like
Reading this feels like sitting in a smoke-filled tavern with a loaded pistol under the table, waiting to see who draws first. It is a masterclass in tension and character work, plunging you into an industrializing world where progress is just a new way to exploit the vulnerable. The narrative moves at a brisk, relentless clip, driven by razor-sharp dialogue and a deeply cynical sense of humor that makes you laugh even as things go horribly wrong. You are trapped in the heads of deeply flawed, ambitious, and morally bankrupt people, yet you cannot help but root for them. It is a gritty, volatile, and immensely satisfying experience for anyone who loves their fantasy served with a side of brutal realism and pitch-black wit.
- Mood
- grimy
- volatile
- tense
- treacherous
- Tone
- cynical
- wry
- darkly comedic
- pragmatic
- unforgiving
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the illusion of progress · corrupting ambition · generational legacy · the inevitability of war · moral ambiguity
- The writing
- The prose is razor-sharp and dripping with cynical wit, seamlessly shifting to match the distinct, deeply flawed perspectives of its cast.
- The arc
- The reader is lured into a false sense of political stability before being plunged into a chaotic, heart-pounding spiral of betrayal and brutal consequences.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave character-driven grimdark fantasy where the humor is pitch-black and the heroes are just villains with better PR.
Content notes
- graphic violence
- gore
- profanity
- substance abuse
- sexual content
About the book
Conspiracy. Betrayal. Rebellion.
Peace is just another kind of battlefield...
Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.
For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye... before it kills her.
Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.
The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever.
(Publisher's Synopsis)
Description from Open Library.
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