Just a brief (negative) review of this sequel to Blood Song, by Anthony Ryan.

A couple of months ago I read Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, which was an excellent, gritty exploration of the warrior side of fantasy literature. Magic was rare and distant and the story focused on warrior culture and a slowly-exposed, intriguing geopolitical environment.

Alas, Tower Lord didn’t work out, and I gave up before the end (and won’t be reading the third book, Queen of Fire). The warrior culture was left behind, magic became common and overpowering and inescapable, and the protagonists became trapped by circumstances beyond their control — all cliches that I find generally off-putting.

And apparently I’m not the only one who thought so, as this Reddit discussion suggests.

Oh well, that’s how it goes sometimes. I’m open to reading other books by Ryan.