Conclusion to this six-book epic fantasy about the lost prince rising to power in the land overrun by creepy hive-minded spider thingies.

It's not romanesque, it's romanish. Which explains everything you really need to know about this series, except that it's predictable and has quietly annoying gender issues and is deeply, deeply satisfying. Like dolphin noises satisfying. Like Anne McCaffrey when you're twelve satisfying, only more swords.

No, wait, I do actually have something else to say. There's a moment in the epilogue where one of the characters explains Jim Butcher's books to us. He's talking about writing a history of the war, and he says the bits they're living now – everything since the very last second victory at the OMG! Last! Stand! Of brave! Men! – is the boring stuff, and all Jim Butcher cares about the interesting bits are the heroic battles and close calls and fights to the death. Forget about the reconstruction and the politics and the reunions and relationships.

Jim Butcher is wrong, and wow did he drop the ball on the denouement here, which is, you know, what he does every. Single. time.

But I dolphin noise anyway.