Last First Snow is the fourth published book in Max Gladstone’s fantastic Craft Sequence, but it is the first chronologically. It features characters from the first published novel in the series, Three Parts Dead and events that inform the plot of the Two Serpents Rise (second published and second chronologically) but manages to be supremely inviting for new readers. Is that enough of a preamble?
Much of the novel reads like a legal thriller, except that the legality involves a revolutionary and an 8-foot tall skeleton god. That may sound outrageous, but Gladstone makes the premise supremely natural and plausible. The city-state of Dresdiel Lex has not quite recovered from its liberation from the gods, despite their wards still being present. Enter three parties with great interest: The King in Red afore mentioned 10-foot skeletal god (what a simple, effective and cool name with gravitas, and yes, I gave two measurements for him, his size fluctuates); a local figure named Tan Batac; and a holy man named Temoc. A lawyer named Elayne Kevarian tries to keep the peace between the conflicting parties and ensure a peaceful deal can be had.
On one hand, Last First Snow is a novel that delves deeply into civil inequities and land management, the challenges inherit in both keeping the peace in the face of those inequities while also changing those inequities. On the other, this relatively common conflict is heightened because of the socio-religious-political-financial situation of the world, specifically the poor Skittersill district, the relatively small section of Dresediel Lex where much of the contention exists between a being who has defeated gods, a priest, and a powerful landholder. After introducing these characters and hinting at a possible peaceable resolution, an event changes that course and sets in motion some very tragic paths for these characters to tread. That really isn’t a spoiler since peace talks in the middle of a novel rarely lead to peace.
Gladstone keeps the tension high throughout the novel in scenes between the King in Red and Elayne as they try to reach some kind of agreement about what is best for the city. There is also palpable tension in scenes featuring Temoc and his family, especially after the lengths to which he goes in the hopes of securing some kind of peace for the city while striking at the heart of his enemies. Through these characters, Gladstone shows the weight of the changing world on their shoulders, how much a war in the past affects the survivors and informs their every action. Max does a great job of setting a relatively measured pace for the middle portion of the novel – the fall out of that aforementioned event – until the novel builds to a powerful climax that was pure fantasy adrenaline.
If Max Gladstone gave readers a story whose strength was the nuanced characters he created and developed, Last First Snow would be a perfectly acceptable novel. If he simply did half of the world-building in the Craft Sequence and featured it as the backdrop for those aforementioned nuanced characters, then Last First Snow would be more than that, an excellent novel. Those elements, combined with the twisty plot and balanced tension make Last First Snow a gem of a novel. If you’ve read previous novels in the Craft Sequence and can’t wait for the next one, then you should be very satisfied with Last First Snow as it features Max’s strengths and provides some added depth to both the world and characters who are familiar. If you haven’t read anything by Max Gladstone, then Last First Snow is a great place to jump into his fictional world and discover a smart, engaging, captivating, and imaginative storyteller.
Hardcover, July 14, 2014, 352 Pages
ISBN 978-0-765-379-40-5
Excerpts: http://www.tor.com/2015/06/24/excerpt-last-first-snow-max-gladstone/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Tor
Yup. Gladstone is the real deal, isn’t he?