4 solid stars until the ending. When they turned 5. The final book of the Copper Cat trilogy keeps the flair of its predecessors, like unremitting action, witty repartee, an engaging plot and very, very interesting characters. Yet it's also different, there is a definite development of all the story threads weaved that far (resolved or otherwise) and they converge well. It is still a light read, with more emphasis on action than on motivations (Sebastian. Seriously?), but this installment offers more complexity and the story at large wraps up satisfyingly.
The first book was an interesting start, but it's truly only an appetizer. The second is my favorite and it doesn't suffer from all the typical weaknesses of middle books. The third is inspired and the author has several surprises in store, some easily anticipated and some less so, all the while following a memorable group of adventurers and a nice cast of secondary characters.
My earlier impressions are confirmed: if you pay strict attention to details, loose ends, arbitrary plot devices and/or if you are looking for depth&scope this may not be the book for you, but as I said there is lots of action, lots, tons of things happening, likeable heroes, healthy doses of blood and rum so really, no need to fuss over details, right?
The story is not profound or anything and it doesn’t try to pretend otherwise, rather, the author takes care of all the elements that matter and delivers impeccable entertainment.
This is one of the best sword&sorcery series I've read lately.
Why ruin what they have now? All happiness ends in death anyway.