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The Tyrant's Law

(The Dagger and the Coin #3)

Daniel Abraham

4.07 · Rating details · 9,848 ratings · 519 reviews

The great war cannot be stopped.

The tyrant Geder Palliako had led his nation to war, but every victory has called forth another conflict. Now the greater war spreads out before him, and he is bent on bringing peace. No matter how many people he has to kill to do it.

Cithrin bel Sarcour, rogue banker of the Medean Bank, has returned to the fold. Her apprenticeship has plac ...more

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Paperback, 497 pages

Published May 14th 2013 by Orbit

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· 9,848 ratings · 519 reviews

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Aug 02, 2021 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

There’s no doubt for me that this was another great read, but I also have to admit that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The King’s Blood.

“Knowing something another man wanted to know was a kind of power. Maybe the best kind.”

The Tyrant’s Law is the third book in The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham. This means that I’m halfway through the series now. The Tyrant’s Law did feel like it’s inflicted with the middle book of a series syndrome. The story in The Tyrant’s Law ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy-all, own

I'm going to go with 3 for something that rubbed me wrong. And no, don't ask 😊 ...more

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Dec 04, 2018 Mayim de Vries rated it it was amazing

“How can we win against a mistaken belief?”

If you are looking for a fantasy series to binge read, The Dagger and the Coin is a perfect choice: it is not too long (5 volumes), already finished and has all the classic fantasy hallmarks. I gobbled The Tyrant’s Law within a day and I am hungry for more.

I have said it many times already, but contemporary fantasy, being dominated by cocky adolescents, suffers a shortage of mature protagonists. Now, this does not concern males so much (because the seas ...more

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Dec 08, 2018 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this book quite a bit despite the fact that not much happened. Well, that’s not strictly true… there were a lot of moving parts within the characters – internal revelations and forming convictions. There was just less focus on the external mechanisms (until maybe the last 10%). I can’t put my finger on exactly why Abraham’s exploration of character absorbs me so completely, but he has once again managed to capture my attention.

The characters really are the selling points of this series ...more

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Nov 05, 2016 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

4.5 stars.
I think for the first time, my system of having 4 books on the go at once let me down..that plus a busy week at work, meant that I read the first half of the book a couple of short chapters at a time. This meant I couldn't get into it as fast as I did with the previous volumes and so I presumed this book wasn't as good.
Thankfully I was really wrong. The second half of this book I read almost in one go and it was great. The ending was fabulous and I can't wait to read the next book.
Thi ...more

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Aug 16, 2017 Paul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2017

This series has everything I want from a fantasy story. EVERYTHING.

Oh, and the ending to this one? So great I nearly peed a little...

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Nov 08, 2016 Scott Hitchcock rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Each of these books has gotten a little bit better. The tension a little tauter. From the beginning the writing, world and characters have been excellent. Now the action is starting to accelerate. Every character given a cliffhanger, a purpose and something to fear. And then there's that one word ending in the final scene which was epic. The first two were 4*'s and this one is close to a 5. ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Algernon (Darth Anyan) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013

"Come!" she cried, her voice filling the darkness. "Gather near, my friends, or if you are faint of heart, move on. For our tale is one of grand adventure. Love, war, betrayal, and vengeance shall spill out now upon these boards, and I warn you not all that are good end well. Not all that are evil are punished" Clara felt her throat growing thick, her heart beating faster. The words seemed like a threat. Or worse, a promise. "Come close, my friends, and know that in our tale as in the world, an
"Come!" she cried, her voice filling the darkness. "Gather near, my friends, or if you are faint of heart, move on. For our tale is one of grand adventure. Love, war, betrayal, and vengeance shall spill out now upon these boards, and I warn you not all that are good end well. Not all that are evil are punished" Clara felt her throat growing thick, her heart beating faster. The words seemed like a threat. Or worse, a promise. "Come close, my friends, and know that in our tale as in the world, anything may happen."

The world that Daniel Abraham created here is indeed a place where you can expect the unexpected. Abraham started as a disciple of George R R Martin, but he has found his own voice and handles with consummate skill a massive character driven epic. He is not afraid to kill off a major actor now and then and prefers shades of grey instead of black & white morality. There are no knights in shining armour here, and even the most malefic evil overlord still has the option to mend his ways and to follow a different path in a future development.

The nature of the story makes it difficult to discuss the plot without giving away spoilers to readers who have yet to read the first books in the series. Even mentioning who are the POV characters may reveal who is no longer among the living. I will point out that The Dagger and Coin series is NOT built as a colection of self-contained story arcs that can be read as standalones (as is the case with Abraham's Expanse books and partially with his Long Price quartet). New readers are advised to start at the beginning (with The Dragon Path ). The third book relies heavily on the character built-up and on the political machinations from the previous volume. It suffers a little from the 'middle-of-the-series' syndrome as it is interested more in continuing with the character study and the worldbuilding rather than in action intensive scenes or radical plot swings. Battle scenes happen mostly off screen and we follow instead the decision makers (the tyrant in the title) and the consequences of war on the ordinary people. There's also a more traditional subplot about a quest through exotic lands for magic swords and powerful, ancient artefacts.

The core of the epic has two components : the use of violence and the use of money. In this third book we see how the desired goal of security and peace is translated in the mind of a paranoid, insecure and easily manipulated leader into a continuous aggression against neighbouring countries until none of them is left with the military means of challenging the Antean Empire. This has been done before in fantasy epics. It is the second branch that has proved of more interest to me, the one dealing with the role of banks in creating prosperity (first book), in influencing political decisions and regulating social order (the second book) and in providing a safety net in a time of crisis (this third one). It is a given that the more we focus on secondary world realms and imaginary societies, the more we are really trying to deal with current affairs issues. The recent international banking crisis has forced us to reassess the role of the banking industry and the kind of trust that can be applied to a business run only for profit. Daniel Abraham manages to see both the positive aspects of the money circulation and the ethical traps that are waiting just around the corner. On the whole, I can see him as a circumspect optimist, still believing that the system can be made to work and that people have the ability to distinguish between good and evil and make the right choices.

There is great nobility in ordinary people. The world disappoints us all, and the way we change our own stories to survive that disappointment are beautiful and tragic and hilarious. On balance, I find much more to admire about humanity than to despise.

This positive mindset is what distinguished this epic for me from the more pessimist ones who claim that war is the natural state of humanity and that the only possible future for us is a dystopian one.

Having mentioned that the book is slightly slower paced with little action and a lot of intrigue, I will close with a remark about one of the signature moves of the author : very strong endings. The epilogue here is worth the whole journey and not only sheds light on the taxonomy of the twelve humanoid races and brings the magic back into the story but opens up a whole new range of possible futures (view spoiler)

Luckily for me, Daniel Abraham is a real fast writer, and I won't have too long to wait for the fourth book.
...more

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Aug 18, 2014 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2014, own, fantasy, author-male, audio-book

Executive Summary: Probably my favorite book of the series so far. It just keeps getting better.

Audio book: Once again another great performance by Pete Bradbury, making this a great series to do in audio.

Full Review
So in book two of a three book series, it's easy to suffer from "middle book syndrome". So with this being the middle book of five book series, I wondered if that would be the case here. I'm happy to report that it's not. This book is easily my favorite so far.

Once again Mr. Abra ...more

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Dec 17, 2018 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2018

This series just gets better and better with each book!

RTC

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Jan 23, 2022 Lauren rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star, adventure, fantasy, non-romance, ok-to-good

Series went down hill
Read:2115

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Apr 24, 2013 Ross rated it liked it

Picking up right where “The King’s Blood” left off, The Tyrant’s Law continues the tale of Cithrin, Marcus Wester, Kit, Geder and Clara. This was by far the weakest entry in The Dagger and the Coin series, and I was a little shocked due to the fact that I enjoyed the first two books so much.

Geder steals the show for the third consecutive time with this entry and there is no doubt that he is destined to become the villain of the series. His chapters were my favorite throughout the book and Abra Picking up right where “The King’s Blood” left off, The Tyrant’s Law continues the tale of Cithrin, Marcus Wester, Kit, Geder and Clara. This was by far the weakest entry in The Dagger and the Coin series, and I was a little shocked due to the fact that I enjoyed the first two books so much.

Geder steals the show for the third consecutive time with this entry and there is no doubt that he is destined to become the villain of the series. His chapters were my favorite throughout the book and Abraham does a great job with his progression from clumsy ruler to paranoid tyrant. Unfortunately Cithrin, Marcus, and Clara were a little less enjoyable this go around. In the previous entries Cithrin was similar to Arya from George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. She has gone from the likeable tomboy to a person of political power and I thought this transition made her chapters feel sluggish.

Marcus has been a favorite POV next to Geder, but his arc in The Tyrant’s Law felt confused and unnecessary. The story starts to have a bit of a “Dungeons & Dragons” feel to it when Marcus journeys with Master Kit to “fetch a magical sword that can defeat the Spider Goddess”. I was excited to read about this journey as it was set up in book two, but after having seen its completion I can’t help but feel disappointed.

The impression I had reading the first two books of this series were that Daniel Abraham’s writing felt confident. You could tell that the plot had been carefully laid out and nothing felt out of place or unnecessary. The Tyrant’s Law feels like a transition book and not a whole lot of plot progression happens, and that’s why it feels out of place compared to the first two. Truthfully it was a bit of a chore to read at times and I didn’t have the same sense of suspense and worry I had in the previous entries. Thankfully there is a really good cliffhanger at the end of the novel that convinced me to not completely abandon the series. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Abraham needs to introduce another character, someone to spice things up a bit. I’ll check out book 4 when it comes out, but I defiantly won’t be pre-ordering it.
...more

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Sep 12, 2015 Lindsay rated it really liked it

I thought the first half of this book was uncharacteristically slow for a series that's moved on with such a steady rhythm, but the second half was a happy return to pace.

Marcus and Kit are marching off to find a weapon capable of killing the Spider Goddess with a plan to visit the temple of the cult to use it. Cithrin begins her apprenticeship in the city of Suddupal which is bang in the middle of Geder's insane warpath. That fits in well, because Cithrin's apprenticeship is clearly not to be i ...more

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Jul 09, 2017 Dan rated it really liked it

This book was a little bit slower than the others, and in truth I don't think a whole lot happened until the final 100 pages. Even still, I love the characters and the story here, and I want more! I want to know what's going to happen next.

For a lot of the book, there was a lot of build-up for things that were in the works, but when they happened they happened so fast that it was a bit of a let-down. That, until the final part, where everything culminates into a terrific plot with enough twists ...more

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Dec 14, 2021 Marc *Dark Reader of the Woods* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: high-fantasy, fantasy

This is a very good book, third in a very good quintology, with very good POV characters across the board, very good writing, all very good.

Was it good?

Very.

This is what attempting to review the mid-book in a series brings me to.

It flows wonderfully from the previous volumes. Cithrin arrives in Suddapal to begin her agreed apprenticeship for the Medean bank, and finds herself in a very different kind of branch. War threatens her new temporary home, as regent Palliako Geder continues his petulant ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Mihir rated it really liked it

Full review originally over at Fantasy Book Critic (with analysis by Liviu)

ANALYSIS: I would be lying if I didn't mention that this book was heavily anticipated by lots of book bloggers, including me. Daniel Abraham since the start of this series has become more and more of a fantasy writing star. His debut series had established his writing credentials but with the Dagger And The Coin series he has really established himself as an epic fantasy writer. This series is a proper visitation of med
Full review originally over at Fantasy Book Critic (with analysis by Liviu)

ANALYSIS: I would be lying if I didn't mention that this book was heavily anticipated by lots of book bloggers, including me. Daniel Abraham since the start of this series has become more and more of a fantasy writing star. His debut series had established his writing credentials but with the Dagger And The Coin series he has really established himself as an epic fantasy writer. This series is a proper visitation of medieval epic fantasy tropes but with the author's slant.

The story is now firmly in the middle of the planned arc of five books and we open with Kit and Marcus who are taking their journey together to destroy the Spider goddess and all those who would worship her. Kit and Marcus have their hands full as they covertly try to reach where Kit became an apostate. The second thread opens up with Cithrin who is now apprenticed to another Medean bank but far away in and she discovers that she has a lot to learn about banking as well as inter-personal relations. Clara Dawson is slowly becoming what she was accused of previously but slowly decided to save her nation by betraying it. Lastly we have Geder who is learning more about his role, the fate of Antea and the function of spider priests and vagaries of fate vis-a-vis his personal life.

These are the POV characters since the last book barring one-off prologue ones and a rare epilogue-ish one. Daniel Abraham has kept a tight hold of his story and his refusal to exponentially increase the POV list has helped this series tremendously. This narrow focus helps center the story and now that the story is slowly evolving beyond the confines of traditional fantasy. It has become an absolute pleasure to read. Last time around I had mentioned that the story needs to be a bit more epic, well with the prologue and the climax of the story; the author really swings the epic part back into the story. So far we have only heard about what happened in the past but within the pages we get a very solid look at what could have possibly happened. This was my favorite part of the book as the author easily shows what lies ahead and it is mouthwatering to say the least. Characterization has been Daniel Abraham’s signature as world building has been Brandon Sanderson's forte and he continues to allow his characters to evolve naturally without it seeming to be convoluted. Geder, Cithrin and Marcus are the main POV characters however the others share remarkable page time and thus every chapter pushes the story arc significantly and keeps the readers entertained on all levels.

This book clearly takes a look at the journey trope with this being explored by Marcus and Kit. I enjoyed this section of the story the most as Daniel Abraham subverts this trope and then makes the reader confused as we can never guess where their thread is going. For me their thread was the most lucrative plot thread this time around. Also I was looking forward to the meeting between Marcus and Yardem especially after the second book but the event was not much of a showdown. Also this book does another spectacularly is that it brings into play some characters from the first book as well as the legends which were talked/discussed in the first book. So readers that don't recall the previous story, I would suggest that a re-read of the first book might be of vital importance.

I don’t think I had any complaints with this book as it doesn't suffer from the middle volume syndrome and offers a near complete story but of course ending in such a fashion for you to hunger for the penultimate volume immediately. Maybe another drawback could be that readers expecting all out action and mayhem may not find it as for majority of the book, the characters are often scheming or traveling to new places. This perhaps can be something of a deterrent for readers expecting an action-packed story-line.

Overall I'm highly impressed with Daniel Abraham and his storytelling efforts. This series is his version of epic fantasy and is a spectacular one. For folks who have to discover him, kindly do so at the earliest as the Dagger and the Coin quintet is epic fantasy handled by an exquisite writer who is at the top of his writing game. The Tyrant's Law is a very good book and also manages to upend the scales of the over all story arc significantly, making the wait for The Widow's House (4th book) a very hard one. Highly recommended for series fans. ...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read_2013, 2013_release_read, genre-fantasy, t_notable_books_2013

this is really good so far - expands very well the universe

a choice early quote with persons removed though it's easily guessed who is talking with whom; fantasy version of science clashing with religion...

“That can’t be right, can it?” **** said.
***** raised querying eyebrows.
“The three-year fire,” **** explained. “A fire that went on that long would have left a layer of ash all over the world. And there are cities that stood where they are now since before the dragons fell.”
“If it must be, it this is really good so far - expands very well the universe

a choice early quote with persons removed though it's easily guessed who is talking with whom; fantasy version of science clashing with religion...

“That can’t be right, can it?” **** said.
***** raised querying eyebrows.
“The three-year fire,” **** explained. “A fire that went on that long would have left a layer of ash all over the world. And there are cities that stood where they are now since before the dragons fell.”
“If it must be, it must be,” **** said. “But the fire years are truth.”
“But there are forests in Northcoast that have trees older than that. Not many, maybe, but I read an essay about how you can tell the age of a tree by the number of rings, and it said the largest of the redwoods in Northcoast—”

excellent stuff and one that definitely begs the next installment The Widow's House of which we get quite a stunning snippet in the extras

universe expansion, quite a few twists and turns - one that I really did not expect and that plays well with the fantasy tropes - and of course the superb characters (all 4 pov's are outstanding in this installment and finally Marcus gets to truly shine) and the literate style of the author and a series to enjoy a lot

this being said I still have a feeling that I should rate this slightly higher (while a top 25 it won't be a top 10 for various reasons and despite being possibly the "best written" as literary qualities go from the epic fantasies I rate higher this year)

there are 2 reasons, one more personal - I tend to prefer either first person/main character followed closely or maybe 2 main characters (with say a less important 3rd) or an expanding cast and this series with the four current pov's seems static from that angle

the other is structural, namely the decision of the author to imbue his world with modern ideology (hey ho everyone prefers diversity until of course the spider priests and their "universal conformity" and racial cleansing agenda we start seeing in this volume) which of course in an ironic (and at a guess I would say unintentional though of course here I could be wrong) way, illustrates precisely the main weakness of "live and let live', namely that when genocidal but charismatic and pseudo-secular baddies come, most people do not see a reason to oppose them if they are not their target (see communism, nazism, etc...); in our modern world there are structural reasons why "live and live" is workable though of course it's way too early to tell for how long (mostly the ability of technology to deliver only when combined with a relatively free society as the ultimate failure of communism showed), but in any pre-industrial world only tradition and faith were bulwarks against such and the series essentially lacks both, with only the doomed Dawson as embodiment of tradition but with a notable lack of serious religions ...more

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Dec 05, 2014 Mark rated it liked it

Yet another great installment of THE DAGGER AND THE COIN. I didn't like this one as much as it's predecessors though. The story is getting a little bogged down and muddled in this book.

There have been many comparisons to A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. I don't really see it. I couldn't really put my finger on it before but after three books I get it. These books lack the elegance of ASOIF. The world and the characters and these books seem clunky and over done. There are mother fucking thirteen races! Ha ...more

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Apr 06, 2021 Thomas rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Daniel Abraham is an author I’ve been wanting to get back to for a while, especially after re-reading A Game of Thrones, which bears a number of similarities to his work. I thoroughly enjoyed book 3 of The Dagger and Coin series and I want to congratulate Mr Abraham on his ability to tie fantasy literature, finance and banking together so well and in such an entertaining manner. Not an easy task.

The Tyrant’s Law picks up almost exactly where The King’s Blood left off. After the execution of Daw ...more

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Jun 21, 2022 Natalie Monroe rated it really liked it

Shelves: surf-n-turf, pleasantly-surprised, protagonists-i-want-to-laser-face, my-inner-feminist-cries-with-joy

70% of my reading experience is me screaming DIE GEDER DIE

Random opinions I have about this series:

-The spider priests' power to distinguish truth from lies is actually the ability to tell if someone is believes what they are saying is the truth

-Clara is my favorite. She reminds me a little of Sansa Stark: thrown out of her element, but adapts and thrives

-organized religion (which is different from spirituality) is portrayed as a scam

-Geder is a whiny incel ("HoW daRE yOu LaUgH aT Me????") and a ...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Milo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013-releases-read, fantasy, epic-fantasy, orbit

The Review Can Also Be Found Here, in its preferred format: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/07/...

“A Wonderful read. Three Books in, Daniel Abraham’s Epic Fantasy series is just as compelling as his and Ty Frank’s The Expanse. Easily one of the highlights of 2013.” ~The Founding Fields

Another year, another Daniel Abraham fantasy novel, another James SA Corey Novel. In the past three years, all books have managed to make it onto my Best of… lists, and it looks like this year is going to be The Review Can Also Be Found Here, in its preferred format: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/07/...

“A Wonderful read. Three Books in, Daniel Abraham’s Epic Fantasy series is just as compelling as his and Ty Frank’s The Expanse. Easily one of the highlights of 2013.” ~The Founding Fields

Another year, another Daniel Abraham fantasy novel, another James SA Corey Novel. In the past three years, all books have managed to make it onto my Best of… lists, and it looks like this year is going to be no different. The Tyrant’s Law is compelling, epic, and a really strong third installment to the series that ranks as one of my favourite. There are several standout moments in this novel – and one of the best things about it is that the characters have really been fleshed out by this point, really memorable and have undergone large chunks of character development. Nobody that you saw in The Dragon’s Path is the same that you see in The Tyrant’s Law, and I really look forward to seeing what Daniel Abraham can throw at his characters in future instalments.

"The great war cannot be stopped.

The tyrant Geder Palliako had led his nation to war, but every victory has called forth another conflict. Now the greater war spreads out before him, and he is bent on bringing peace. No matter how many people he has to kill to do it.

Cithrin bel Sarcour, rogue banker of the Medean Bank, has returned to the fold. Her apprenticeship has placed her in the path of war, but the greater dangers are the ones in her past and in her soul.

Widowed and disgraced at the heart of the Empire, Clara Kalliam has become a loyal traitor, defending her nation against itself. And in the shadows of the world, Captain Marcus Wester tracks an ancient secret that will change the war in ways not even he can forsee.

Return to the critically acclaimed epic by master storyteller Daniel Abraham, The Dagger and the Coin."

Like the previous two books, The Tyrant’s Law is told in a style that George RR Martin fans will be familiar with. Each Chapter is focused on the Third Person POV of a Character, but by this point – especially if you’ve been reading The Expanse as well, you’ll be used to Daniel Abraham’s style – and you certainly won’t be flicking through various chapters to get to characters that you find more interesting than the other, for example – Geder’s story is as equally interesting as Cithrin’s, and Marcus’s tale is as awesome as Clara’s. He really draws you in and tells a compelling story, and at the end only manages to leave the reader wanting more.

The novel itself really focuses on the scale and diversity of the story that Abraham is telling – it runs across many genres. Love, action, epic, gritty,cultural analysis – These are some things that could take up a whole novel, yet Abraham manages to wind them all into one, with an unrelenting pace that readers of The Dragon’s Path and The King’s Blood will be used to. This is far from your average fantasy tale of heroes and Chosen Ones, and it certainly steps above the average gritty fantasy novel that looks like somebody was just simply trying to copy A Song of Ice and Fire. Its characters are unique and original, and the setting is wonderfully created. And we don’t have to wait five years for the next book.

The beauty of Daniel Abraham’s novels is that as well as being the third book in an ongoing series, The Tyrant’s Law could be read as a standalone without the reader having to go back and catch up on the first two books, but it’s probably best to start at the beginning, as you can tell that the books are clearly building on one another to create a vast plotline, and the story takes its time with the characters so that whilst you’ll find yourself turning the pages more and more, The Tyrant’s Law won’t be have the lightning-fast pace of other epic fantasies. Abraham spends some time analysing the characters and we continue to get a better connection of the characters in question. There is no ‘evil overlord’ cliché to be found here, and each of the main cast are far from perfect characters, the supposed heroes will not always make the right decisions etc, and this leads to an unpredictable atmosphere that not many fantasy novels have been able to capture.

Whilst the hype surrounding this series’ release may have perhaps died down since the first book, the series doesn’t get worse – in fact, in my opinion, it gets better. I really can’t wait to see where the series goes with future installments, and if the previous three books have been anything to go by, then book four in The Dagger and the Coin will most certainly be on my Best of 2014 list if Abraham keeps to the pattern of releasing a book a year for this series.

VERDICT: 5/5

THE DAGGER AND THE COIN: The Dragon’s Path, The King’s Blood, The Tyrant’s Law. ...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Pauline Ross rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-fantasy, year-2013, 5-star, price-full

This is the third volume of the Dagger and Coin Quintet, the difficult middle book - the one that drags the weight of two books’ worth of previous history, that also has to begin arranging all the pieces for the endgame and still has to make sense by itself. It should be an impossible task, an experience as dense and heavy and glutinous as treacle. Yet it flows like cream, tastes like chocolate and slips down just as easily. Abraham’s prose is a joy to read, elegant and spare, every word in its This is the third volume of the Dagger and Coin Quintet, the difficult middle book - the one that drags the weight of two books’ worth of previous history, that also has to begin arranging all the pieces for the endgame and still has to make sense by itself. It should be an impossible task, an experience as dense and heavy and glutinous as treacle. Yet it flows like cream, tastes like chocolate and slips down just as easily. Abraham’s prose is a joy to read, elegant and spare, every word in its proper place.

As before, the cast of point of view characters is limited - Clara is finding her feet amongst the nobodies of Camnipol after her noble husband was executed for treason; Cithrin is in another new city learning more about banking; Geder the unstable Regent of Antea is making war again, aided by his spider-goddess priest; and Marcus the former soldier is hiking through the southern jungles with escaped spider-goddess man Kit looking for a magic sword. And as before, the story jumps about from one to another, but the individual plotlines are not independent, so one chapter will show the events of that character is close-up, while also revealing something of events elsewhere, glimpsed from afar in rumour and hearsay. This is done very cleverly, so the overall plot flows beautifully from chapter to chapter.

This is industrial-strength fantasy, so Geder's war is spilling across the whole northern continent, and is seemingly unstoppable. This is the third campaign to feature in the story. The first book centred on the fall of the city of Vanai. In the second, Antea conquered neighbouring Asterilhold. This time, Geder (or rather, his spider-priest adviser) has his sights set on Sarakal. There is inevitably some sense of repetition in all this, but Abraham gives the events a new perspective to keep things fresh. This time, Geder's capabilities are well understood, and there are no illusions about the consequences.

The series is called The Dagger and the Coin, and is presumably intended to contrast the two powerful forces of conquest, by armed force, or by economics. Geder's military ambitions continue to roll onwards, but for the first time there are signs that the financial clout of the bank can have an impact. There are hints about the difficulties of maintaining long supply lines, and getting the staple crops planted and harvested when so many men are tied up in the war. There are hints, too, that the bank can help indirectly with the refugee and resettlement problem, and more directly, in supporting covert acts of rebellion. However, it’s still not obvious how economics will bring a real direct challenge to bear against military might. Perhaps this isn’t Abraham’s intention, but if not, the whole banking plot becomes marginalised.

Abraham has a nice way of subverting the tropes of the genre. Most fantasy is (in the broadest sense) about swords and sorcery, so that all problems are eventually disposed of by one or other of these elements (or occasionally both). The evil villain is bent on global domination for vague reasons, and the hero (or occasionally a heroine) tools up with a magic sword or else learns to use the magic powers they’ve mysteriously been endowed with. Here, the evil villain is sort of bent on global domination, but it’s a role he more or less reversed into accidentally, and all with the very best of intentions. What could be so malign about spreading the spider-goddess’s message of truth across the world? Meanwhile, Marcus and Kit go on a traditional fantasy quest to track down the magic sword which will kill the goddess, but (without giving too much away) that doesn’t go quite as they expected. As for magic, there’s very little around at all. Proponents are called ‘cunning men’ and have minor roles as showmen and healers.

One nice aspect is that we have two interesting female characters taking strong leadership roles in the fight against Geder the war-making Regent. Clara is now released from the stifling conformity of court rules and taking advantage of her freedom to plot and scheme in Camnipol, as well as enjoying a degree of personal freedom. I very much like Clara, her subtlety, her cleverness and her determination. It makes a nice counterpoint to her husband’s more ham-fisted efforts in the previous books. Even though things don’t always go quite as anticipated (what ever does in an Abraham book?), she always makes well-considered decisions.

In contrast, Cithrin... Look, I’m going to have a bit of a rant about Cithrin, so feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph if you want. Cithrin, you stupid, stupid woman. When will you ever learn? Your entire character arc has been defined by short-sightedness and downright bad decision-making. You find yourself stuck in the wrong city with the bank’s wealth? Why not forge a few papers to set yourself up as a pretend bank? After all, it would be too simple just to write to the bank’s head and await instructions, wouldn’t it? And if you find yourself trapped during an uprising with a powerful but totally unstable character who wants sex? Well, why not? This book is quite a good explanation of why not, actually. And then, given a one-time opportunity to get close to the Regent, to influence the events of history and do some good, could you actually, just once in your life, do something sensible? Course not. Gah. Stupid woman. I mean, what exactly does she think Geder is going to do now? Smile sweetly and forget all about her? He already burned one city because he felt slighted.

Geder himself is a fascinating character. Of course he makes dumb decisions as well, but in his case his motives are entirely understandable and believable, and it’s possible to feel very sympathetic towards him, and appalled at the same time. Being the focus of everyone’s amusement is dispiriting and annoying, and being the patsy for other people’s political games would get anyone riled. His response to the Vanai problem, although it was more a fit of petulance than a rational decision, was not an unusual way to deal with a recalcitrant conquest. Even when he’s behaving very badly, it’s easy to see exactly how and why it happened. He’s a social incompetent, who would be very much at home in the modern world, head buried in his iPad or harmlessly slaughtering orcs in World of Warcraft. It’s only in his fantasy setting that he is the tyrant of the title.

Marcus - meh. I like the banter, and the low-key cynicism which sometimes borders on suicidal fatalism, but it’s not an original character trait, and the whole tragic wife and child history is a bit over-used. I like Yardem a lot better, in fact, because although he has baggage (why did he leave the priesthood, exactly?) he doesn’t let it define him. Although that may simply be an artefact of not being a point of view character; because we never get inside Yardem’s head, we never see how tortured his soul is. Or it may just be the ears. Gotta love a character with such speaking ears.

This is not a high-action book. Even though there’s a war going on, and a new religion spreading like a stain from Camnipol, and the whole continent is in turmoil, it still feels like an intimate, close-up portrait of the characters before all else. A whole chapter may feature nothing but Clara walking about Camnipol, Clara taking tea with a friend, Clara going home again, but this gives the characters the space to breathe, to live, to think, to feel. Between paces, Clara can contemplate a great many subjects without it becoming heavy philosophising. Abraham doesn’t ever tell his readers what to think about anything (religion, war, slavery, inherited monarchies), and those who want can simply enjoy the story and the author’s exquisite prose, but the deeper themes are there to be explored by those who wish, usually by the contrast of one approach with another. For example, Kit and Basrahip are both spider-infested; one is using that to control people so that he can take over the world in the spider-goddess’s name, while the other goes to great lengths not to control people at all, and is trying to find a way to end the spider regime altogether. Is it evil to remove lies from the world and impose honesty? Good question.

The ending? Awesome. A great big bowl of awesomeness, with lashings of awesome sauce on top. The first two books I had some settling down reservations about, but this one, none at all. It’s a quieter book than the previous ones, but in my view it’s all the better for that. Perhaps the series is just getting into its stride, or the characters have grown into their roles (even Cithrin, maybe, possibly), or perhaps it’s just that, after a lot of circling round, we’re getting to know something about the dragons at last. Dragons make everything better. So unquestionably five stars. And now the long wait until the next book... ...more

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May 04, 2013 Mark rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. And so, with book three of the Dagger and the Coin series, we return to the increasingly complex world of Geder Palliako, Cithrin bel Sarcour, Clara Kalliam and Captain Marcus Wester. And as this is the third book, please be warned: if you haven’t read the previous books, here below be spoilers!

At the end of book two (The King’s Blood) things were moving along mightily quick, heading into the Great War. Now, in The Tyrant’s Law, we find things developing further and casting a wider net. This i ...more

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Aug 09, 2013 Jacqie rated it really liked it

We continue with the viewpoints of Marcus, Cithrin, Clara, and Geder.

Clara is trying to find her feet as a "loyal traitor". There was a lot of interior change on her part, but I frankly found her thread the least interesting of our POV characters. She is trying out baby steps of manipulation and revolution. I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic, but I suppose that drama is not Clara's thing. I wonder if she's an answer to Caitlin in GOT. Caitlin tried to brew a revolution and was bad at We continue with the viewpoints of Marcus, Cithrin, Clara, and Geder.

Clara is trying to find her feet as a "loyal traitor". There was a lot of interior change on her part, but I frankly found her thread the least interesting of our POV characters. She is trying out baby steps of manipulation and revolution. I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic, but I suppose that drama is not Clara's thing. I wonder if she's an answer to Caitlin in GOT. Caitlin tried to brew a revolution and was bad at it. Time will tell if Clara will be any more competent.

Geder, our Tyrant, continues his frightening oblivious destructive ways. His weak longing for acceptance and affection both made me more sympathetic than I wanted to be and made him a terrifying character. Because he reacts violently to fear and rejection, and because he's entirely unsuited to wielding power. In another role, Geder wouldn't be dangerous, but as Regent, he's as bad as Joffrey in GOT, for entirely different reasons.

Unfortunately for Cithrin, Geder is fixated on her as a love interest. He couldn't have chosen more poorly, for Cithrin is as closed down and calculating as they come. In this book, she begins to learn to access her heart, and she becomes much more interesting and likable because of it. She's a polar opposite of Sansa in GOT. Sansa bought into the whole romance angle and became brutally disillusioned. Cithrin started out with a firm understanding of the difference between sex and love.

Marcus was much more interesting in this book. His wheel of fortune is beginning to carry him upward, at least it appears that way. I'm not sure Marcus has an easy GOT analogue. He's too experienced for Jon Snow, isn't noble like Ned Stark or Jaime. He's really an exploration of hero-protagonist, I suppose. Our author neatly plays with the readers' expectations about magic swords and climactic battles in an amusing way.

At the end of the book, we get a new player in the game. The question to be answered in the next book is if the cure that the characters have been seeking is worse than the disease of the spider priests. I look forward to finding out the answer. ...more

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May 31, 2013 John rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf-fantasy

A certain amount of middle-volumitis here, as characters undertake a couple of loooong physical or maturational journeys that could have been cut down considerable. Still, the main plot moves along at least a little, Geder gets easier to despise, Clara is wresting the role of main female character away from Cithrin, and (though he's not on stage all that much) Yardem Hane is becoming more of a Player than Marcus Wester. Though there's a nice major development at the end, I think this series is s ...more

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Jul 17, 2015 Jody rated it really liked it

This book has really got me anticipating the next one. The story kind of dragged out in the middle, but things got rolling the last 100 pages. I have to say if I didn't already have the next book ready to start I would be pretty upset with myself.

As war begins to spread the priests of the spider goddess are sinking their claws deeper into the future of this world. Kit and Marcus are on a journey to find an object that will help them fight against the spreading darkness. Cithrin has become an app ...more

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May 22, 2013 Iain rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Third instalment of the 'Dagger and the Coin' series, and it does not disappoint. High points: Geder, who continues to be an absolutely fascinating monster, a man who you can almost sympathise with, until out of nowhere he makes the most appalling moves as if they were unremarkable. And Clara, who really grows into herself in this book - gaining a kind of freedom unknown to her before losing it all again, in the service of her goals. Really, we get too few characters like either of these in fant ...more

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Apr 07, 2015 Mike rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The series just keeps on, moving through a fascinating world with many races and a little magic. You get a little better view of some of the other races but the characters are still mainly "FirstBlood", i.e., regular humans. Not as much action in this story but still exciting. 4 Stars ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Justine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-read

A great continuation of the series. Abraham continues to write interesting and surprising characters and a well paced story.

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Jan 27, 2022 Solseit rated it really liked it

That ending was everything!

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Play Book Tag: Tyrant's Law 5 stars	3	9	Dec 18, 2021 04:10PM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Tyrant's Law [Dec 15, 2018]	55	39	Dec 19, 2018 06:06AM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: The Tyrant's Law	36	20	Nov 08, 2016 01:14PM
The Not a Book Cl...: TTL: Section 4: 9th Cithrin - Entr’acte (Full Spoilers)	4	15	Sep 21, 2015 06:42AM
The Not a Book Cl...: TTL: Section 3: 6th Marcus - 8th Geder	4	11	Sep 21, 2015 06:39AM
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The Not a Book Cl...: TTL: Section 1: Prologue - 3rd Geder	7	12	Sep 19, 2015 05:45PM

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About Daniel Abraham

Daniel Abraham

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Daniel James Abraham, pen names M.L.N. Hanover and James S.A. Corey, is an American novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known as the author of The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin fantasy series, and with Ty Franck, as the co-author of The Expanse series of science fiction novels, written under the joint pseudonym James S.A. Co ...more

Other books in the series

The Dagger and the Coin (5 books)

Books by Daniel Abraham

A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, Volume One

The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1)

The King's Blood (The Dagger and the Coin, #2)

A Shadow in Summer (Long Price Quartet, #1)

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Quotes from The Tyrant's Law

“The weapon is poison,' Kit said. 'I believe that the cause we carry it in is just, but that will not protect you. It is not only death to those whose skin it cuts; it holds a deeper violence within it. If you carry it-just that, carry it and nothing more-the poison will still affect you. In time, you will grow ill from it, and eventually, inevitably, it will kill you.'

'It's a sword, Kit,' Marcus said, lifting the green scabbard from it's place. They're all like that.” — 14 likes

“There is great nobility in ordinary people. The world disappoints us all, and the ways we change our own stories to survive that disappointment are beautiful and tragic and hilarious. On balance, I find much more to admire about humanity than to despise.” — 8 likes

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