benlehman

I just recieved books 4-5 of Thieves and Kings in the mail, complete with a little "Thanks for your order" sticky note from the author (gotta love those independent publishers.)

The first books of the series are impressive but, as it moves on, it grows in complexity and depth of characterization. At the same time, the author gets more sophisticated in his art and panel layouts. By the most recent volume, T&K has become one of the most mature and interesting fantasy stories I have ever read. The scope of the characters and the enormous moral weight which centers the story are both extraordinarily well done. The latter, in particular, is impressive. Both Evil and Good are often done poorly in fantasy. T&K presents a fascinating, realistic picture of both sides of the spectrum, including the problems of love and happiness and the methods of darkness, only rarely descending to platitude for the one side and never descending to numb, mindless atrocity for the other.

Anyway, this is just a shout out to a fine series. Cheers!

Thieves and Kings