Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Tor Books (2015), 382 pages
Description
"Forty years after the God Wars, Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation--especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still bound by the fallen gods' decaying edicts. As long as the gods' wards last, they strangle development; when they fail, demons will be loosed upon the city. The King in Red hires Elayne Kevarian of the Craft firm Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao to fix the wards, but the Skittersill's people have their own ideas. A protest rises against Elayne's work, led by Temoc, a warrior-priest turned community organizer who wants to build a peaceful future for his city, his wife, and his young son. As Elayne drags Temoc and the King in Red to the bargaining table, old wounds reopen, old gods stir in their graves, civil blood breaks to new mutiny, and profiteers circle in the desert sky. Elayne and Temoc must fight conspiracy, dark magic, and their own demons to save the peace--or failing that, to save as many people as they can"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: interesting characters, brilliant world-building, some clever plot twists
Cons: tension lost if read previous novels, ending of final battle is a let down
Forty years ago the King in Red, Elayne Kevarian and Temoc Almotil met in battle in the Gods’ War. Now Elayne is back in Dresediel Lex, a
This is the fourth published novel in the Craft Sequence, but the first chronologically. This book takes place in the same city, with many of the same characters (only younger) as the second published book, Two Serpents Rise. Having read that book, some of the narrative tension of this one is lost, as I already knew certain characters would survive. Similarly, though I don’t remember that book as well as I’d like, I had to reevaluate the relationships I remembered with the new, ‘prior’ relationships of this book. When the books are all out I look forward to reading them in order to see how well they follow each other, and how characters develop across the books.
The characters are fascinating and the world-building sound, as usual with Gladstone’s books. And that’s good, because there’s less judicial mystery in this story, with the centre being more character than plot focused. Both Elayne and the King in Red perform some interesting Craft, and you see the power of the defeated Gods in play at the end.
The big battle is quite apocalyptic, but ends somewhat disappointingly. It felt like the author’s hands were tied, needing certain people to survive for book two, and couldn’t quite figure out how to end the battle well as a result. There are some clever plot twists in the book, including the final battle, that were great though.
Despite its few faults it’s a great book and this is a wonderful series.
Cons: tension lost if read previous novels, ending of final battle is a let down
Forty years ago the King in Red, Elayne Kevarian and Temoc Almotil met in battle in the Gods’ War. Now Elayne is back in Dresediel Lex, a
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Craftswoman and consultant for the King in Red on a contract to fix the Skittersill, the old temple slave’s quarter. But the people of the Skittersill haven’t been included in the deal, and their massed discontent could break the world. So Elayne goes to meet with its various representatives, including Temoc, the last Eagle Knight and priest of the old Gods, in hopes of resolving the tension peacefully. Temoc meanwhile struggles with the different demands of priesthood and fatherhood in this time of crisis. This is the fourth published novel in the Craft Sequence, but the first chronologically. This book takes place in the same city, with many of the same characters (only younger) as the second published book, Two Serpents Rise. Having read that book, some of the narrative tension of this one is lost, as I already knew certain characters would survive. Similarly, though I don’t remember that book as well as I’d like, I had to reevaluate the relationships I remembered with the new, ‘prior’ relationships of this book. When the books are all out I look forward to reading them in order to see how well they follow each other, and how characters develop across the books.
The characters are fascinating and the world-building sound, as usual with Gladstone’s books. And that’s good, because there’s less judicial mystery in this story, with the centre being more character than plot focused. Both Elayne and the King in Red perform some interesting Craft, and you see the power of the defeated Gods in play at the end.
The big battle is quite apocalyptic, but ends somewhat disappointingly. It felt like the author’s hands were tied, needing certain people to survive for book two, and couldn’t quite figure out how to end the battle well as a result. There are some clever plot twists in the book, including the final battle, that were great though.
Despite its few faults it’s a great book and this is a wonderful series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Strider66
Pros: interesting characters, brilliant world-building, some clever plot twists
Cons: tension lost if read previous novels, ending of final battle is a let down
Forty years ago the King in Red, Elayne Kevarian and Temoc Almotil met in battle in the Gods’ War. Now Elayne is back in Dresediel Lex, a
This is the fourth published novel in the Craft Sequence, but the first chronologically. This book takes place in the same city, with many of the same characters (only younger) as the second published book, Two Serpents Rise. Having read that book, some of the narrative tension of this one is lost, as I already knew certain characters would survive. Similarly, though I don’t remember that book as well as I’d like, I had to reevaluate the relationships I remembered with the new, ‘prior’ relationships of this book. When the books are all out I look forward to reading them in order to see how well they follow each other, and how characters develop across the books.
The characters are fascinating and the world-building sound, as usual with Gladstone’s books. And that’s good, because there’s less judicial mystery in this story, with the centre being more character than plot focused. Both Elayne and the King in Red perform some interesting Craft, and you see the power of the defeated Gods in play at the end.
The big battle is quite apocalyptic, but ends somewhat disappointingly. It felt like the author’s hands were tied, needing certain people to survive for book two, and couldn’t quite figure out how to end the battle well as a result. There are some clever plot twists in the book, including the final battle, that were great though.
Despite its few faults it’s a great book and this is a wonderful series.
Cons: tension lost if read previous novels, ending of final battle is a let down
Forty years ago the King in Red, Elayne Kevarian and Temoc Almotil met in battle in the Gods’ War. Now Elayne is back in Dresediel Lex, a
Show More
Craftswoman and consultant for the King in Red on a contract to fix the Skittersill, the old temple slave’s quarter. But the people of the Skittersill haven’t been included in the deal, and their massed discontent could break the world. So Elayne goes to meet with its various representatives, including Temoc, the last Eagle Knight and priest of the old Gods, in hopes of resolving the tension peacefully. Temoc meanwhile struggles with the different demands of priesthood and fatherhood in this time of crisis. This is the fourth published novel in the Craft Sequence, but the first chronologically. This book takes place in the same city, with many of the same characters (only younger) as the second published book, Two Serpents Rise. Having read that book, some of the narrative tension of this one is lost, as I already knew certain characters would survive. Similarly, though I don’t remember that book as well as I’d like, I had to reevaluate the relationships I remembered with the new, ‘prior’ relationships of this book. When the books are all out I look forward to reading them in order to see how well they follow each other, and how characters develop across the books.
The characters are fascinating and the world-building sound, as usual with Gladstone’s books. And that’s good, because there’s less judicial mystery in this story, with the centre being more character than plot focused. Both Elayne and the King in Red perform some interesting Craft, and you see the power of the defeated Gods in play at the end.
The big battle is quite apocalyptic, but ends somewhat disappointingly. It felt like the author’s hands were tied, needing certain people to survive for book two, and couldn’t quite figure out how to end the battle well as a result. There are some clever plot twists in the book, including the final battle, that were great though.
Despite its few faults it’s a great book and this is a wonderful series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member stefferoo
The Craft Sequence is unlike many conventional fantasy series in that each book can be read as a stand-alone, their stories ping-ponging unapologetically all over time and place, focusing on different characters. It makes it an unusual, albeit very special series. That said, many of these
Last First Snow, for instance, is technically a prequel, taking place before the other three books, but it still felt like I was reaching a “crossroads” of sorts, on account of some of the familiar faces. The two main protagonists, Elayne and Temoc, are characters we’ve met before, though both appeared in their respective books in a supporting capacity only. It is also only forty years after the God Wars, and the city of Dresediel Lex still feels its effects, not least of all the poor population in the district of Skittersill, constrained by the old gods’ wards. Elayne Kevarian, a craftswoman, necromancer, and lawyer (not necessarily in that order) is retained by the King in Red to repair the wards, but the people of Skittersill rise up against her efforts, led by the warrior-priest Temoc.
Something had to be done, so Elayne organizes a meeting between all the parties in the hopes of negotiating a deal. After long days of bargaining back and forth and against all odds, an agreement is finally reached. However, no sooner had the ink dried on the contract than an assassination attempt throws all possibility of peace out the window. An all-out battle ensues. Gods and mortals, law and tradition, magic and reason, duty and family – it all comes to a head as both Elayne and Temoc must decide what they fight for.
In spite of all the cool ideas and fiery clashes, so far in the series Last First Snow was probably the toughest book for me to get into. Each installment has focused on a different theme, and something about this one just didn’t quite capture me right off the bat. We got started on a lethargic note, establishing the situation and mood in the Dresediel Lex. I didn’t feel what we were supposed to feel: a growing pressure, a sense of a city on the brink of losing control, the citizenry holding its collective breath. I don’t think I felt much of a connection to the people of Skittersill, not if I spent half the book actually rooting for the King in Red – whom, I might add, is not the villain in my eyes. In truth, there are no villains in this story. It also means no good guys either, but more on that later.
In essence, it felt like Max Gladstone tried to save all the good stuff for the second half of the novel. It wasn’t until the negotiations went sideways that I found myself full engaged; those scenes following the assassination attempt featured some of the best writing I’ve seen from Gladstone in this series so far. Once those floodgates were open, the story became more interesting, but still only because the main characters’ potentials were unlocked and not because I felt much for the nameless, faceless crowds of Skitterskill. Bottom line, Last First Snow is all about Elayne and Temoc, both of whom valiantly propped up the narrative.
Let’s start with Elayne Kevarian. You don’t mess with her. For readers who’ve been following this series since the beginning, that’s a lesson we learned early. There’s a certain satisfaction seeing her take center stage in this book, because though we’ve already taken her measure, there are still clearly so many ways in which she can surprise you. While Elayne remains one of my favorite Craft Sequence personalities, Temoc on the other hand stirred up plenty of mixed emotions. Seeing him with his young son Caleb, who will grow up to be the main character in Two Serpents Rise, was both a treat and a dreadful reminder of how things will turn out. Temoc’s personal journey in Last First Snow puts him in the difficult situation of choosing between two things that mean everything to him. Is he right for choosing one over the other? Just as difficult as it is to call the King in Red a villain, I too find it hard to get a bead on Temoc; for all the reasons there are to support him, I can probably find just as many to condemn him.
I enjoy books that throw me curve balls. Last First Snow by Max Gladstone is such a book. Is it my favorite of the series? Probably not. Still, as I say, there’s no such thing as a bad Craft Sequence book, just that some are better than others. Taking place before all the other books, Last First Snow was perhaps disadvantaged from the start, because the future is known for a lot of the characters. We already know who will make it out alive, how events will come to pass, how certain relationships will play out. For a book that’s mostly for filling the gaps in history though, it paints a rather fulfilling picture of two important characters who have thus far been on the periphery of our attention. I still love this series, and I can’t recommend it enough.
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characters and events connect to each other, and there is a clear advantage to reading these books in the order in which they are published.Last First Snow, for instance, is technically a prequel, taking place before the other three books, but it still felt like I was reaching a “crossroads” of sorts, on account of some of the familiar faces. The two main protagonists, Elayne and Temoc, are characters we’ve met before, though both appeared in their respective books in a supporting capacity only. It is also only forty years after the God Wars, and the city of Dresediel Lex still feels its effects, not least of all the poor population in the district of Skittersill, constrained by the old gods’ wards. Elayne Kevarian, a craftswoman, necromancer, and lawyer (not necessarily in that order) is retained by the King in Red to repair the wards, but the people of Skittersill rise up against her efforts, led by the warrior-priest Temoc.
Something had to be done, so Elayne organizes a meeting between all the parties in the hopes of negotiating a deal. After long days of bargaining back and forth and against all odds, an agreement is finally reached. However, no sooner had the ink dried on the contract than an assassination attempt throws all possibility of peace out the window. An all-out battle ensues. Gods and mortals, law and tradition, magic and reason, duty and family – it all comes to a head as both Elayne and Temoc must decide what they fight for.
In spite of all the cool ideas and fiery clashes, so far in the series Last First Snow was probably the toughest book for me to get into. Each installment has focused on a different theme, and something about this one just didn’t quite capture me right off the bat. We got started on a lethargic note, establishing the situation and mood in the Dresediel Lex. I didn’t feel what we were supposed to feel: a growing pressure, a sense of a city on the brink of losing control, the citizenry holding its collective breath. I don’t think I felt much of a connection to the people of Skittersill, not if I spent half the book actually rooting for the King in Red – whom, I might add, is not the villain in my eyes. In truth, there are no villains in this story. It also means no good guys either, but more on that later.
In essence, it felt like Max Gladstone tried to save all the good stuff for the second half of the novel. It wasn’t until the negotiations went sideways that I found myself full engaged; those scenes following the assassination attempt featured some of the best writing I’ve seen from Gladstone in this series so far. Once those floodgates were open, the story became more interesting, but still only because the main characters’ potentials were unlocked and not because I felt much for the nameless, faceless crowds of Skitterskill. Bottom line, Last First Snow is all about Elayne and Temoc, both of whom valiantly propped up the narrative.
Let’s start with Elayne Kevarian. You don’t mess with her. For readers who’ve been following this series since the beginning, that’s a lesson we learned early. There’s a certain satisfaction seeing her take center stage in this book, because though we’ve already taken her measure, there are still clearly so many ways in which she can surprise you. While Elayne remains one of my favorite Craft Sequence personalities, Temoc on the other hand stirred up plenty of mixed emotions. Seeing him with his young son Caleb, who will grow up to be the main character in Two Serpents Rise, was both a treat and a dreadful reminder of how things will turn out. Temoc’s personal journey in Last First Snow puts him in the difficult situation of choosing between two things that mean everything to him. Is he right for choosing one over the other? Just as difficult as it is to call the King in Red a villain, I too find it hard to get a bead on Temoc; for all the reasons there are to support him, I can probably find just as many to condemn him.
I enjoy books that throw me curve balls. Last First Snow by Max Gladstone is such a book. Is it my favorite of the series? Probably not. Still, as I say, there’s no such thing as a bad Craft Sequence book, just that some are better than others. Taking place before all the other books, Last First Snow was perhaps disadvantaged from the start, because the future is known for a lot of the characters. We already know who will make it out alive, how events will come to pass, how certain relationships will play out. For a book that’s mostly for filling the gaps in history though, it paints a rather fulfilling picture of two important characters who have thus far been on the periphery of our attention. I still love this series, and I can’t recommend it enough.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Gladstone has said that he has reasons for writing his Craft Sequence out of chronological order, but I can’t say I see what they are. Here, we learn some backstory of Elayne Kevarian, the King in Red, and Temoc, who are brought together as part of a city redevelopment plan that threatens to
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throw longtime residents out of their homes. Gentrification, it turns out, is controversial even in a world where law is a kind of magic. It’s well-told, but I felt that knowing how it had to end took some of the air out of the story. And then, when I was writing up my review, I found out that Gladstone has a Craft short story in a collection put together by the Sad Puppies dude, and now I am sad. Show Less
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This book was excellent. Elayne Kevarian and Temoc, relegated to fascinating supporting characters in earlier books, take center stage here. It's great to see things from their POV, and how they navigate situations with no good options. I liked this book a lot better than [Two Serpents Rise], which
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was set in the same city. Show Less
LibraryThing member pwaites
Last First Snow was amazing. Is Max Gladstone getting better with each book he writes? It sure feels like it.
Forty years ago the world was changed forever during the God Wars, and the city of Dresediel Lex was either conquered or liberated, depending on who you ask. The King in Red, Temoc, and
Last First Snow is a prequel chronologically the first in Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence. Elayne, Temoc and the King in Red are supporting characters from two earlier books, Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise. Last First Snow stands completely independent, and it might be a good idea to read it before Two Serpents Rise so that you won’t know some plot points. The entire series is fantastic and doesn’t get the love it deserves, so I highly encourage you to try it, which ever book you pick up first.
Max Gladstone is an amazing writer. He has a knack for flowing prose and beautiful descriptions. See this description of a printer’s workshop:
“Copper, iron, steel, and lead clacked, clattered, and convulsed. Gears realigned and pistons pounded. Torrents of paper surged over drums the size of carriages. Folding machines snapped their jaws. Guillotine blades cut long strips of newsprint into pages. Surgical lights slammed into every surface and edge. She breathed a lungful of hot paper and vaporized ink and melting lead.”
However, I think the greatest strength of Last First Snow is the complicated characters at it’s center. I hadn’t liked Temoc in Two Serpents Rise, but he’s a very different person in Last First Snow. Yet he’s making choices that set him on the path towards becoming who he was in Two Serpents Rise. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s excellent character development.
Elayne is a craftswoman, which is sort of like a cross between lawyer and magic user. She’s easily the most sympathetic of the three main characters, mainly due to her desire for peace and belief in the importance of individual lives. It’s interesting to see some of her reflections on her background – she fought in the wars when still a teenager, and it’s clearly had an impact on who she is in Last First Snow.
Kopil, the King in Red, never gets POV sections like Temoc or Elayne, but he is clearly a major player in Last First Snow. The King in Red is interesting because it would be so easy for him to be completely horrible and unhuman. He does come close to it sometimes but on the whole I’d say he isn’t. Kopil is nostalgic for the wars, when everything seemed much clearer to him, and he reacts like he’s still in them. He’s a hard character to get a hold of. Is he a villain? You can see why he does the things he does, even if you can’t agree with them. I think for these reasons he’s my favorite character.
“And you would have the blood of thousands on your hands.”
“That blood’s already there. I’d add a fresh coat to what’s left over from the Wars.”
“Do you think our colleagues will look kindly on a mass murderer?”
“What is war but mass murder? And they called me a hero for that.”
The world Max Gladstone’s created is absolutely phenomenal. There’s so much originality here, from the setting to the magic system to… everything. It mirrors our own world in many ways – Dresediel Lex is a city from an Aztec based culture that was never conquered by the Spanish – but is different in so many ways. I love how Max Gladstone doesn’t try to write a single epic that spans the breadth of the world but instead creates a tapestry made out of the experiences of fairly ordinary people, if talking skeletons can be considered “ordinary” I suppose.
“Wars beget wars.”
Last First Snow starts slow but steadily builds up to an intense, heart stopping finale that brought tears to my eyes. This is a phenomenal book that strikes many of the same cords for me as Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch. I can’t recommend it enough.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Forty years ago the world was changed forever during the God Wars, and the city of Dresediel Lex was either conquered or liberated, depending on who you ask. The King in Red, Temoc, and
Show More
Elayne are all veterans of that war. But now they meet again – at a bargaining table over an urban renewal project in the Skittersill district in an effort to find a peaceful solution to the Skittersill residents protests. However, there are many fractions who don’t want peace, and blood is soon to be spilled.Last First Snow is a prequel chronologically the first in Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence. Elayne, Temoc and the King in Red are supporting characters from two earlier books, Three Parts Dead and Two Serpents Rise. Last First Snow stands completely independent, and it might be a good idea to read it before Two Serpents Rise so that you won’t know some plot points. The entire series is fantastic and doesn’t get the love it deserves, so I highly encourage you to try it, which ever book you pick up first.
Max Gladstone is an amazing writer. He has a knack for flowing prose and beautiful descriptions. See this description of a printer’s workshop:
“Copper, iron, steel, and lead clacked, clattered, and convulsed. Gears realigned and pistons pounded. Torrents of paper surged over drums the size of carriages. Folding machines snapped their jaws. Guillotine blades cut long strips of newsprint into pages. Surgical lights slammed into every surface and edge. She breathed a lungful of hot paper and vaporized ink and melting lead.”
However, I think the greatest strength of Last First Snow is the complicated characters at it’s center. I hadn’t liked Temoc in Two Serpents Rise, but he’s a very different person in Last First Snow. Yet he’s making choices that set him on the path towards becoming who he was in Two Serpents Rise. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s excellent character development.
Elayne is a craftswoman, which is sort of like a cross between lawyer and magic user. She’s easily the most sympathetic of the three main characters, mainly due to her desire for peace and belief in the importance of individual lives. It’s interesting to see some of her reflections on her background – she fought in the wars when still a teenager, and it’s clearly had an impact on who she is in Last First Snow.
Kopil, the King in Red, never gets POV sections like Temoc or Elayne, but he is clearly a major player in Last First Snow. The King in Red is interesting because it would be so easy for him to be completely horrible and unhuman. He does come close to it sometimes but on the whole I’d say he isn’t. Kopil is nostalgic for the wars, when everything seemed much clearer to him, and he reacts like he’s still in them. He’s a hard character to get a hold of. Is he a villain? You can see why he does the things he does, even if you can’t agree with them. I think for these reasons he’s my favorite character.
“And you would have the blood of thousands on your hands.”
“That blood’s already there. I’d add a fresh coat to what’s left over from the Wars.”
“Do you think our colleagues will look kindly on a mass murderer?”
“What is war but mass murder? And they called me a hero for that.”
The world Max Gladstone’s created is absolutely phenomenal. There’s so much originality here, from the setting to the magic system to… everything. It mirrors our own world in many ways – Dresediel Lex is a city from an Aztec based culture that was never conquered by the Spanish – but is different in so many ways. I love how Max Gladstone doesn’t try to write a single epic that spans the breadth of the world but instead creates a tapestry made out of the experiences of fairly ordinary people, if talking skeletons can be considered “ordinary” I suppose.
“Wars beget wars.”
Last First Snow starts slow but steadily builds up to an intense, heart stopping finale that brought tears to my eyes. This is a phenomenal book that strikes many of the same cords for me as Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch. I can’t recommend it enough.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member elenaj
Once I got far enough into this book that I realized what it was going to be about, I stopped expecting that I would love it.
And then I loved it anyway. Brutal, and beautiful, and the best book yet in this series.
And then I loved it anyway. Brutal, and beautiful, and the best book yet in this series.
LibraryThing member Caragen87
Masterpiece.
Magic effceted as the work of Corporate Lawyers, and done just as coldly. And as with all matters Legally Contractual as well as Metaphysical-- every clause is written in blood...with Religious Belief as an act of Rebellion and, ironically, Freedom.
The writing itself, as in any of the
Magic effceted as the work of Corporate Lawyers, and done just as coldly. And as with all matters Legally Contractual as well as Metaphysical-- every clause is written in blood...with Religious Belief as an act of Rebellion and, ironically, Freedom.
The writing itself, as in any of the
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Craft Sequence books is a multi-layered symphony of language. This is NOT a lazy, lite read. In-depth, critical comprehension is required. Show Less
LibraryThing member jercox
Good book, well written. Interesting world, with interesting magic and good characters.
LibraryThing member mmparker
A really striking book about gentrification, lawyers, activists, religion, the aftermath of war, and MAGIC.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-07
Physical description
8.44 inches
ISBN
0765379406 / 9780765379405