The brutal, engrossing, twisty finale to the Wounded Kingdom trilogy

And so the Wounded Kingdom trilogy comes to a close… It’s been a fantastic journey, to follow these characters from their youth to the ultimately tragic end of King of Assassins. Easily one of my favourite recent fantasy series, this finale did not disappoint.

Just as the second novel Blood of Assassins jumped the story of the Wounded Kingdom ahead by a handful of years, so too does King of Assassins. Quite a few years have passed, actually, and the characters have all really grown up. Some have drawn closer together, while others have seen widening gulfs appear between them. In this novel, King Rufra makes his push to become the king of kings. It is a goal that requires Rufra and his court to mingle with the corrupt, sometimes-deviant denizens of the capital, and navigate its twisty and twisted politics. A plague has devastated the population, and it is time for new leadership. Along for the ride, of course, is Girton Clubfoot: assassin, confidante, and man who always seems to find himself in the middle of the action.

Girton is still King Rufra’s “heartblade”, but their relationship has become very strained since last we spent time with them. Barker does a great job of showing us this distance — Girton is clearly hurting that his friend has pulled away, grown colder towards him. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, however, and unfortunately Girton is not allowed to help carry any of that weight.

“I still hoped, almost every day, that I would see my friend emerge from beneath the shell of royalty he closed around himself.”

On the other hand, Girton has grown ever-closer with Aydor, his tormentor in Age of Assassins. They engage in plenty of good, light-hearted and affectionate banter, but also have each others’ backs at all times. It’s been nice to see how their friendship has developed over the series. Aydor is one of the most well-rounded characters in the series, with many hidden, surprise layers that he reveals at interesting moments. In fact, Barker has done a great job in general of allowing his characters to grow: the Girton of book three is by no means the same as the character we met in the first book, and the same is true for all of the recurring characters. Boros’s story deserves a special mention, too, but I won’t spoil anything: his is an interesting journey, and through his experiences we get us an excellent, if deeply disturbing look at the politics and psychologies at work in the city.

The satisfying ending was also quite wrenching. In fact, there are quite a few punches to the gut as we near the end, and the final chapters are especially tragic. A long game is brought a close. Personal tragedies shatter lives. It was a lot to happen so quickly, but Barker handles it brilliantly.

If you are a fan of fantasy, then I would highly recommend this series. It has a bit of everything. It is filled with interesting, well-drawn characters. Barker’s writing is excellent, as is his ability to let a story unfold at just the right pace. I can’t wait to see what Barker writes next!

Thanks to Orbit for an ARC of ‘King of Assassins (The Wounded Kingdom #3)’ in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC in no way influences my thoughts or opinions on the novel or author.

The Wounded Kingdom is, to date, one of the BEST fantasy trilogies I have ever read. Girton Club-Foot is, hands-down, one of my favorite characters of all-time and will forever hold a place in my heart. RJ Barker has absolutely earned his place on my ‘must-read’ list for years to come.

The King is Dead. Long Live the King.

Fifteen (15) years have passed since the conclusion of Blood of Assassins (The Wounded Kingdom #2). Maniydoc continues to live peacefully under King Rufra ap Vthyr’s reign, even with the Forgetting Plague sweeping across the rest of the kingdoms and thinning out their populations at an extraordinary rate, which seemed to just pass them by without so much as a sneeze from one of its civilians.

The High-King’s throne now sits vacant and several look to set themselves upon it, whether that simply means by vote or through the use of blades. King Rufra takes his court to the capital in the hopes that he will one day reign, though there are many obstacles set in his path that will hinder his progress. Fortunately for him, Girton is by his side, but even he has his own demons to exorcise and gods to please.

One, My Master…Two, My Master…Three, My Master…

The only thing I am disappointed about with KoA is the fact that it concludes this trilogy. The capital is an evil place, full of enemies to not only Rufra, but to Girton as well for many know of his talents. Another assassin lurks in the background of the main plot, creating constant havoc and turmoil, and pointing all fingers at Girton. But he makes the best of his bad situation, or at least attempts to. He does receive assistance from some of the unlikeliest of places, which makes for a consistently puzzling adventure. It is the mystery that surrounds this entire novel that makes it so intriguing, though it does have some very grimdark moments and intense fight scenes.

The characters of the Wounded Kingdom are truly what shine in these novels. Girton and his master have one of the greatest relationships I have ever seen in fantasy; one of great care, compassion, and grace. I also loved that the author gave us a glimpse into Merela’s past, culminating in such a heart-wrenching ending that I had to pause the audiobook and ball up into the fetal position.

Barker has written a sensational finale to his first series as an author and I simply can’t commend him enough. At this point last year, I thought to put Age of Assassins to the side in order to get on to something else. Now, I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. It’s funny how we judge books before we give them chances, only to be completely enamored by what is written. If you haven’t given this series a chance, you are missing out on something truly special.

King of Assassins is without doubt the best installment in a trilogy that was both an amazing discovery and an engrossing read from the very beginning, although it saddens me to acknowledge the fact that there will be no more stories about Girton Clubfoot and his journey.

Looking back, I now see how each book gave us a different version of Girton in his evolution as a person: at first he was an almost innocent boy, schooled in the subtle ways of the assassins, granted, but still very naïve where interactions with other people were concerned, and I warmed instantly to him, particularly in light of the flashbacks to his early childhood; in the second volume he was more of a sullen teenager, the weight of his nature keeping him apart from others and adding an unwelcome surliness and a stubborn streak that often made me want to slap him; and finally, in this last book, he’s a grown man, more at peace with himself and the magic abilities he must hide, but at the same time very world-weary and burdened by a veneer of sadness that I found quite touching.

Set several years after Blood of Assassins, the story opens with the preparations for the assembly that will decide the coronation of the next High King, after the death of the former ruler in the aftermath of the Forgetting Plague: this scourge left a further painful mark on the Tired Lands, so that tensions run high due to the political infighting between the contenders and the rise of new powers that threaten the already fragile equilibrium of the land. King Rufra intends to gather his allies and make his play for the seat of the High King, convinced that the reforms he was able to effect in his own realm must be extended to everyone, but knows he’s walking on an uphill road, since not everyone is onboard with his new course. Moreover, the years have not been kind to him: his first wife died in childbirth, and even though a new spouse just gave him another heir, he’s suffering from that loss, the physical injuries sustained in battle and the weight of his office.

Once more, Girton finds himself torn between his loyalty to Rufra, his duty as the king’s heartblade and assassin, and the need to keep the magic inside himself concealed even when he chooses to use it: it’s not an easy balancing act, especially since the dynamics between Girton and Rufra have changed, and not for the better. Already, in the previous book, I was able to observe some distance growing between the two friends, mostly due to some misunderstandings and Girton’s morose attitude, but here it’s something deeper and far more damaging for the friendship that bound these two people since their youth. If Rufra’s duties require that he keeps himself aloof even from his most trusted advisers, the way he relates to Girton makes it plain that there is more than the need to be king first and friend second: it’s plain that there is a form of resentment there, poisoning Rufra’s mindset, and it seems to come from acknowledging his need for Girton’s assassin skills while begrudging this very necessity because it runs contrary to his principles. This comes to light quite clearly when Rufra requires that Girton act as he was trained, but does not openly ask for that, maybe as a form of plausible deniability, granted, but also because he hates himself for needing that kind of intervention, and therefore places the loathing for it on the man who executes the unspoken orders rather than the one who issued them. It’s all very convoluted – and very human – but still it hurt me to see how their friendship is soured by this necessity, and even more seeing how Girton acknowledges this with sad acceptance.

The coldness in the relationship with Rufra is however balanced by another reversal in behavior, one that started in the previous book and here reaches its completion: Aydor began his journey as the heir of Manyadoc’s ruler, an uncouth, cruel bully who delighted in inflicting pain and humiliation on others, but after being ousted by Rufra he changed and slowly but surely transformed into an ally. In Blood of Assassins, Girton was wary of this transformation, and kept Aydor at a distance, but in this last book the intervening years have changed that, and theirs is a friendship based on trust, on shared dangers and on Aydor’s boisterous geniality that acts as a wonderful counterpart to Girton’s surliness. I was surprised at the depth of my sympathy for Aydor and even more at the ease with which the author was able to change my feelings for this character while presenting his evolution in a believable, organic way: it’s far from easy to effect such a transformation with plausible effectiveness, and R.J. Barker managed the feat with admirable skill, as Aydor’s segments of the story ended up being like the proverbial rays of light in a dark, stormy background.

And this time around the main narrative thread is indeed darker than usual: in the aftermath of the High King’s death there is not just the customary unrest due to the disappearance of a ruler, nor are either the political maneuvering or some of its bloodier applications anything new or particularly shocking; what’s really troublesome is the feeling that some sinister forces are at play here and that their success will plunge the Tired Lands into an even worse situation than the one they are already suffering from. Girton’s job appears more difficult than before, and the price to be paid for any mistake far higher than it could have been before, which makes for a quite compelling reading until the very end, where some unexpected revelations shed a completely different light on past events.

There is another element that captivated me deeply, and it’s Merela’s back story, given in bits and pieces in the customary interludes between chapters: one of the reasons for my fascination for her character was the aura of mystery surrounding her, and here we are finally afforded a look into her past and a better understanding of the person she became, both as an assassin and as Girton’s mentor. Placing this information here, at the end of the series, makes some of the events take on deeper meaning and it’s also the source of the most emotionally wrenching moment of all three books: just thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes, and I’m not usually prone to crying…

Despite the heartache, and the sadness I already mentioned for the end of the series, this was an enormously engrossing read, and one I cannot recommend enough to all lovers of fantasy.

It’s all lead to this one. This review is going to be a bit difficult to word in a way that is not going to spoil anything that was revealed in Age of Assassins, or further revealed in Blood of Assassins but I will do my level best to not be spoilery here. I want you to have all the surprises that I had, and there were plenty! So, I’m not going to give any sort of plot summary, because even the basics are going to spoil at least some part of the first two books for you.

This one was one of those books that was very difficult to put down. Each volume of the series has its own mystery within. They all add to the overall story of the entire trilogy, but each book resolves its own mystery by the end, and this one was no exception. I was only 20% or so in and I had to pry the damn book out of my own hands to make dinner. All kinds of stuff happens that keeps this one a fantastic read from beginning to end.

I love a good story that’s told in the first person, and this one is fantastic example of it. I especially like first person POV when there is a mystery involved and the person whose perspective you are seeing the story from might not see or learn all the parts of it. Girton is a great character to follow, as he is interesting and has very interesting things happen to him… or at least in and around him. He’s such a unique person in this world, and has unique problems within it, and getting the inside scoop, so to speak, is awesome. But seeing this story from Girton’s perspective gives us the chance to uncover the mystery as he does. Gain clues as he does. Maybe see things happen that are a clue but not realize it until it is clearly a clue! Things have happened and now they are smacking you in the face because they matter! Things like that. :)

Like the other books in the series, this one also has interludes every now and then, which are told in a different point of view than the rest of the story, and usually give us a bit of insight into events that aren’t happening right at the time that the rest of the story takes place, but events that tie into those events somehow. The interludes are one of my favorite parts of this series, and the interludes in this one especially give me some backstory on events that I have been really hoping to learn since the very beginning of the whole story.

This book, like Blood of Assassins (and I assume Age of Assassins as well, though I wouldn’t really know because I listened to the audiobook) uses text formatting to its advantage. Clever use of text formatting gave some of the book a bit of flair. In this one, there is a set of dialogue that uses formatting as a tool to show how… odd it is. Out of place, or odd. And it worked. In the specific example I am thinking of, it made it a bit difficult to read, but in a way that definitely shows that what is being said is difficult to understand. There is another section of text that is formatted in a way that shows two definite points of view in one place. This series is, maybe not the first example I’ve known of, but definitely one of the best remembered examples I can think of where text formatting has added to the narrative in some way.

This particular volume is also the darkest of the three books. There are events that happen is this volume that certainly seemed darker or… perhaps more gruesome than in previous installments, and I say that even knowing that this is a story about assassins. Things are coming to light in this one that… well they aren’t great. You learn about things that have happened which are quite shocking, and things that do happen that are quite shocking. There are consequences to things that have happened over the course of the book, and those consequences are catching up.

All told, I thought this was a fantastic conclusion to the series. This series is an example of one of the very best assassin stories I have ever read! Girton is one of those characters that I just can’t help but like. Even when he sometimes makes a decision too hastily, or does something that I don’t necessarily agree with, he’s one of those characters that I just root for. The last few chapters of this one had me very nearly in tears. An emotional and very well put together conclusion.

Thanks to the author, as well as Orbit via NetGalley for the review copy!