The Instruments of Control

Revanche Cycle #2

by Craig Schaefer

Livia Serafini must die.

To the Church she is a heretic, tried in absentia and sentenced to burn. To her brother Carlo, she stands as a threat to his corrupt rule and a symbol of resistance. To her new "allies" in the east, she is a pawn to be played and sacrificed as they see fit. They don't hear the whispers that follow her in the streets: whispers of hope, and the name of a long-dead saint.

When Livia rises up to fight, she will not rise alone.

Across the ocean, Felix struggles for control of his family's fate against the crime lord Basilio Grimaldi. Basilio is wealthy, ruthless, and the master of a hundred killers. All Felix has are his wits and his courage. It won't be enough. To break free, and to save the lives of everyone he loves, he'll have to face the darkness that followed him home from Winter's Reach.

And as the Owl's horrific vengeance unfolds, her coven teeters on the brink of civil war. All the dominoes are in place now, lined up from the frozen north to the swamps and ruins of a dead empire, and set to tumble at one man's command. When they do, a world will fall with them.

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Action, Politics, Magic, Dark Fantasy

410 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2015

About the author

Craig Schaefer's books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow (the Daniel Faust series), to a world torn by war, poison and witchcraft (the Revanche Cycle), and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies (the Harmony Black series).

Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this reread is: The Murderous Crustaceans Award for Most Despicably Despicable Character Ever goes to...

Drumroll, please!



Nessa Fieri aka The Owl aka the Evil Bitch From Hell! Congratulations on your outstanding achievement, Nessa dear! You shall forever be remembered as the most manipulative, selfish, heartless, hateful, vile, loathsome, contemptible, abject, shameless, detestable abhorrent, and hateable protagonist ever! Go you and stuff!



👋 To be continued and stuff.



[April 2021]

😈 Machiavellian Shenanigans For the Win Buddy Reread (MSFtWBR™) with the MacHalos Hoopla Kitty and stuff 😈

➽ And the moral of this reread is: this series features the most glorious collection of lying liars, traitorous traitors, cheating cheaters, and backstabbing backstabbers ever. And that, my Tiny Decapods, makes my black, withered (and slightly nefarious) heart soar a little very much.



👋 To be continued and stuff.



[December 2016]

😍 Oooh Yeah We Want More Buddy Read (OOOFbCSYYYBR™) with Nafeeza, Emma and Shelly 😍

Okay, so I pretty much said it all in my pre-review for this book, but since I just deleted it (in a delightfully devious way, if I may say so myself), you shall be none the wiser. Muahahaha and stuff.

So. If you still have hope in humanity, think there is good in all of us and all that crap, you obviously haven't read this book. There were a few genuinely good characters at the beginning of the series, but now? *cue dramatic funeral march* Hahahaha. They are falling one by one, like shrimping dominoes, and joining the dark side of the force!!! It's glorious!!!! Even those who seemed the most innocent, inoffensive ones become deliciously devious and cunning and ruthless and stuff! Okay, it's true that by the end of this book a couple of them still seem to be slightly redeemable. But knowing Schaefer, and seeing how things are going, I doubt there will be a single moral not entirely immoral character to be had when this series finishes. If there are still characters left by then, that is. Because, bloody hell, do they drop like flies!



So beautiful. No, not beautiful, beautifully ironic. Because I'm pretty sure Craig Schaefer I Worship Thee (CSIWT™) is thinking something along the lines of #sorrynotsorry right now. The guy is evil like that. Which is beautiful. So QED and stuff.

Okay, so up until now this series has been more alternate history than fantasy. There was a hint of sorcery/magic/witching/whatever in book one, but little else. It's pretty much the same in this instalment, except that spoiler spoiler spoiler oh wow spoiler spoiler spoiler what the shrimp was that spoiler spoiler spoiler I need book 3 NOW and stuff. But I'm getting ahead of my little self here. Anyway, what this series lacks (so far) in fantasy, it more than makes up for in yummy Machiavellian intrigues, exquisite scheming, delightful mercilessness, savory blood-shedding, luscious rrrrrrevenge, tasty double-crossings, and all sorts of heavenly evil, unethical, corrupt, duplicitous, sly, calculating stuff. Plus, the Awesome Schaefer Chicks (ASC™) are as kick-ass and wondrous as ever. And probably the mostest wickedest, cunningest, deceitfullest of all the characters in the story. Which of course makes me want to dance the night away.



Yeah, I know I've already used that gif, but I also happen to know how much you Barnacles love it when I shake it. You're welcome.

In case this book wasn't awesome enough as it was, there's also the Boom Boom Boom Plot (BBBP™). With its Woot Woot Woot Scenes (WWWS™). And its Damn Damn Damn Twists (DDDT™). And its Oh My Shrimp Oh My Shrimp Oh My Shrimp Scenes (OMSOMSOMSS™). AND its Oh No Oh No Oh No Moments (OHOHONM™). Which loosely translates to mean: this book is bloody freaking unputdownable. The kind of book that makes you harbour slightly murderous feelings towards anyone who dares interrupt your reading ☢ Warning! Mother of all digressions straight ahead! ☢



As you may already know, I was born feeling slightly murderous. So imagine what happened when my lovely neighbor Albert (may he rest in peace) rang my doorbell to borrow some salt as I was devouring the last chapters of this book. Such a tragic affair. I have to rethink my home color scheme now. Because let me tell you, my Little Barnacles, blood-red stains on white walls and carpets are a real bitch to get rid of. But I digress. At least my dear neighbors now know to leave me alone at all times when I'm reading, so I guess my being so outrageously interrupted poor Albert's death was not in vain. But since you can never trust suicidal people, I decided to purchase a hamster with homicidal maniac tendencies to guard my door. Her name is Lucinda. She's the mostest awesomest pet ever. She's super bright, too and I've trained her to give the warmest of welcomes to anyone who enters my building comes to my door. Sorry, what? Do I have Lucinda's pic? Of course! I love her so much, I always keep one in my wallet. Just hold on a sec, I'll scan it for you. Here it is:



My baby. Isn't she the cutest thing ever?!

Did I get just a teensy little bit off track here? Oops. So sorry about that. Well, not really, no, but it never hurts to be polite and pretend you give damn, does it? That's what I thought. Come on, let's move it, we're not getting any younger and I still have tons of stuff to say about this book [insert screams of sheer horror and complete petrification here] Hahahahaha and bahahahaha and stuff. I'm just kidding, my Little Barnacles! I'm just kidding! Hahahahaha and bahahahaha and stuff again. You should have seen the looks on your faces! Pretty priceless in a Hilarious Oh No Please Don't Let her Do this Lord Have Mercy on Us Way (HONPDLhDtLHMoUW™). Don't you just love my sense of humor?! Damn, I'm so funny sometimes, I crack my little self up. Thou shalt not worry, my Lovely Decapods, for this review thing has come to its end at last! Cheer and rejoice, people! Cheer and rejoice!

➽ And the much awaited moral of this I Wanted this to Be a Crap Cutting Express Review but I Failed Miserably Crappy Non Review (IWttBaCCERbIFMCNR™) is:



Obviously.



Obviously.

· Book 1: Winter's Reach ★★★★★
· Book 3: Terms of Surrender ★★★★★
· Book 4: Queen of the Night ★★★★★

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.35 ***

A Buddy Read with the MacHalo Freaks, since obviously we need to lose all faith in humanity!

WTH???! I am completely stunned and broken right now... When did Schaefer become a grim-dark writer? He must have done it behind my back because I always thought of his work as a Dark UF, but with some humor and hope at the end of the tunnel outcomes. I know this is straight Fantasy, but I still thought.... Alas, this story, which started as the story of several young people who were on their way to better their future and those of their families, turned into a tale of how the world could crush down and rip apart every last drop of humanity even from the most well meaning soul, destroy the dreams that make us better, and leave us empty and soiled in a puddle of our own fluids and waist... Death is the easy way out. Schaefer leaves us wishing to get inside the story and destroy those characters who hurt our protagonists, but even more, hurt us... 👿... Oooo, the pain of futility!

Mr. Schaefer, I really love your work, but I really, really wish that with this book we are done with the spirit-crushing stuff and the next two books you have dedicated to building our faith in humanity once again! Leave us at least one, hopefully more, characters of which we could be proud of and even care for. Maybe, possibly even give us some, I am even afraid to say it, happy ending??? Please?... Oh, well, they have been written already and I am just crying in the wind... I will fearfully attempt the next volume... Let's hope for the best!

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic instalment. I remember with the first novel in the series that while the story for it was completed, there were a lot of threads leading to the next book. Well the same thing here but as a result it does feel a little unfinished.
The writing is sharp and witty. Schaefer can write interesting fantasy and world building without being overly wordy. The action comes fast and furious and before the second chapter was out, the backstabbing, plotting, scheming and double crossing was well underway! An entertaining read. Recommended.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read at BB&B 29Apr19

Craig Shaefer is an author that I find under read and underrated. His stories, both in UF and Fantasy, are captivating, intricate and usually have a few unexpected twists. I’m loving the Revanche Cycle so far. There are so many plots a foot and backstabbing happening that you’re never sure where the next betrayal is coming from and you might not see that particular backstab coming.

There are Multiple PoVs in the story and every single one of them is important to get the full scope of the action. This has some bright moments in it, but for the most part it has gritty and dark moments too.

Mari and Werner once took a bounty on a Witch and turned her into the city Kettlesands. They thought she would get a fair trial, but instead the town gagged her and burned her alive. Mari is devastated by their part in the witches capture since she was so young, didn’t get a trial and didn’t seem like a bad person. They are now, unbeknownst to them traveling with some of that witches Coven mates and they have a very intricate ruse to break both Mari and Werner before destroying everything they are.

Mari and Werner’s plot arc was probably my favorite for the book. You just knew they were in danger the entire time, wondering what Nessa had planned for them and if they would get out of it alive. Plus, they are traveling through the decimated Terri land, where there was a prior war and most of the people live under a form of Tyranny now disguised as taming the savages. I do love Mari and how bloodthirsty she can be in the right moment.

“Lay one hand on her,” Mari said, “and I break every bone from the tip of your index finger to your shoulder.”
He stared down at her, momentarily caught off guard. He tried to smirk, but he couldn’t quite hide the nervous edge in his eyes. “That’s a big boast for a little girl.”
“Not a boast. A statement of fact. So that when you force me to cripple you, you’ll understand exactly what’s happening to you and why. I wouldn’t want there to be any confusion.”

Felix and Renata are the star-crossed lovers separated and both struggling to stay alive long enough to make it back to each other. Renata’s being hunted by the people who want to control Felix and has left her home to hide until Felix can sort it out. She is on her way to a different city to see if she can’t cause some trouble for the people are after Felix when captured by Marauders. Now she and a young witch Hedy must find a way to survive and escape the men that have captured them.

Renata is fantastic. I really love the strength of her character and how even in a horrible situation she keeps her head and tries to protect Hedy. I really liked how the two women teamed up together and even though Hedy could have left Renata to a terrible fate, she decided to help her instead.

“We fooled him once,” Hedy said, her voice soft. “And that was luck. My master isn’t coming to save us, Renata. We’re all alone.”
Chains rattled as Renata turned. She took gentle hold of Hedy’s chin, lifting her face. “Fine, then,” Renata told her. “We’ll just have to save ourselves.”

Felix is in his own trouble. Forced to marry another by family obligation and coercion he is trying to find a way get the upper hand and keep it. Good thing his wife to be is just as happy about the union and has teamed up with him to take down her father. But the thing about working with criminals is that they can’t be trusted and someone else is out for Felix’s head. Simon is the assassin with a perfect record save one, Felix is the one that got away and has now become an obsession in Simon’s mind.

“I have not failed, because the contract is still open. I am still murdering him. I am in the process of murdering him as we speak. I am murdering him right now, with my mind.”

The other major plot arc belongs to Livia and the escaped refugees from the poor district who barely escaped with their lives. Now in Verinia Livia is a pawn in a bigger plot and must play her cards carefully and make some hard decisions and sacrifices along the way.

Livia was my favorite arc in the first book of the series, but there seemed to be so much going on with the other arcs that this one just didn’t hold my interest as much. I did like seeing another city and how that opened up the political machinations and the world. It just took a while for this arc to get to where it was going and no one was in as great a danger as the other arcs.

There is so much more happening in this books and every PoV adds so much to the story. There were some things that broke my heart and others that I thought were going great, until they weren’t. Craig Shaefer really knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout a story. This ends at a good spot but there isn’t any closure to anything so you know it is just one more part of a larger story and I can’t wait to jump into the next book. Good thing they are all complete.

If you like your fantasy a little unexpected, with strong women characters and treachery around every corner, then this book could be for you.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second instalment of Craig Schaefer's dark fantasy Revanche Cycle is of equal quality to the first book. I actually think this one might be even darker in tone than the first book in the series but I fared better with it because I was more prepared for the tone of this series to be different to Schaefer's UF stuff this time around!

This was a dark fantasy filled with a great mix of intrigue, action, and mystery. There is a lot of scheming and murder as the characters seek to gain power for themselves, gain vengeance for wrongs done to them in the past, or simply just try to survive their enemies! It keeps the whole book and exciting read.

There was four major story arcs going on in this one. Livia has fled to a kingdom in the East but has not escaped her brother wrath. Lucky for her she has the scheming mind of Dante to help keep her alive and perhaps to offer her more than she could ever have dreamed. Ludivico, Basillio, and Felix and the others in their families are still caught up in an intertwined game of cat and mouse in the ever scheming city of Marenzie. The Owl continues her elaborate game of revenge on the unsuspecting Marie and Verner while in the 4th story arc Renatta falls into the clutches of bandits while fleeing from Basillio!

It was exciting and enjoyable stuff for the most part. I think I enjoy the Ludivico, Basilio, and Felix battle of wits the most but I also quite enjoyed Renatta's bits as she proved super easy to like. Livia and Dante are an interesting contrast and it was fun to see how their differing ideology clashed and paired. The least enjoyable part of the story for me was the Nesta/Marie/Verner parts though only because I felt like that story arc got way to dark towards the end!

This fantasy world is definitely a fun one. It is reminiscent of an alternate Italy with a Pope ruling over a bunch of lesser city states and minor kingdoms in a society where religion holds more sway than local politics. At least it does most of the time! The addition of the witches and their magic and own internal bickering just adds a different dimension to the world.

All an all I liked this a lot even if I'd have preferred a few of the story arcs to be slightly less grim and dark. Schaefer has a super engaging writing style and a real talent for creating fun and interesting villains. I just feel like this book would have had a better balance with a few more likeable characters and a few more uplifting moments. When you have two different characters orgasming while torturing people to death and another reacting like a 6 year old on Christmas Day you know with certainty the the balance in a story has been fucked up by the author. Pity as with a few changes this could be a 5 star favourite series!

Rating: 4.5 stars. A higher rating than the first book even though they are probably similar in quality. The difference this time is I was shocked by the dark tone and disappointed by a few of the late developments in the first book but since I had a feel of the story this time I knew what to expect from it so was less shocked and disappointed by how some story arcs played out.

Audio Note: I feel like Susanna Jones did a decent job with the audio.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking after right after book 1, I would say that I did enjoy this more. After reading the second book, which takes me to halfway through this cycle, I would say that the fantasy elements, such as worldbuilding, the lore and the magic system is not this series strong suit just yet, however, it is great for anybody looking for lots of political intrigue, morally grey characters and a load of betrayals and plot twists. It’s the sort of fantasy that is quite heavy in the amount of action that it has and the amount of different things it had going on at the one time, and not the sort of fantasy that takes the time to really set the world and scene properly.

For a surprisingly short book that I devoured in just 24 hours, there are lots of plot threads that are intertwined together, and nothing is really resolved by the end of it, much so like book 2. In fact, these four shorter books so far seem to act as one really long fantasy book combined together, with each book acting as each individual parts to the overall arc, instead of individual books, or at least, that is how I am currently perceiving the series.

I don’t feel close or am rooting for any individual characters as of yet, perhaps expect for Livia, since while some of them are just trying their best for what they want out of life, simultaneously, they also want to murder other people for it at the same time, which like, okay? Essentially all the characters all want to go around and murder each other for their own personal interests and it is just hard to readily support any of them in their actions since they are pretty wrong.

While everything is interconnected in the overall arc, with different characters popping in and out of different arcs all the time, they are at times, fairly disjointed and like I stated, nothing is resolved by the end of the book at all. In fact, some of the major plot points initiated at the end of book 1, we don’t even see the results of yet, just the start of, which bothers me a bit, but I suppose it is all right, considering the amount of POV’s the author has included in it. I think the amount of POV’s is both a negative and positive for me right now. On one hand, while lots of things happen in each chapter, the amount of POV’s make the total amount of things occurring in the book to actually not be that much, simply because of the amount of changing, which I normally have no problem with, yet since the book is so short, it does mean despite the amount of action, it really amounts to not that much in the long run.

Like I mentioned briefly in my review for book 1: Winter’s Heart, I do still think that the world building is nice, but I suppose, after two books, it’s not a whole lot more than that. I do like that we do get random facts get thrown at us, to show that there is lots of history and whatnot in the world, yet it is also pretty standard. It’s clear that the Holy Empire is based of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope calling on the crusade is exactly what occurred in medieval history, especially since it is against the ‘Caliphate’ in terms of this book. I still don’t know much about the magic system and it seems more to be a soft magic system where there does not really seem to be grounded rules, which I happen to be perfectly fine with and it does work well enough within the book. I will say that apart from the snippets of magic, there really is not that many things that actually make the series fantastical so far. It could almost be seen as an alternate Earth/history book set in the medieval era if there wasn’t the occasional witch popping up. However, from what I got from the end of this book, we may be learning more about magic in the near future.

Overall, I am definitely enjoying myself and am really enjoying the whole political aspect, though I will say, that the amount of POV’s is dragging it down a bit, as well as the mediocre worldbuilding. 7.5/10

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read! Heroes win, villains die, everybody gets a cake.

Oh, wait.

I’ve mistaken books.

Let’s try again.

Instruments of Control is a sequel to Craig Schaefer’s Winter Reach book that I read as part of my SPFBO challenge. It’s one of few series from the contest that I plan to finish. The book starts soon after the events presented in Winter Reach. Felix struggles for control of his family's fate against the crime lord Basilio Grimaldi. Church plans to kill Livia Serafini whop is considered a heretic and sentenced to burn. To her brother Carlo, she stands as a threat to his corrupt rule and a symbol of resistance. To her new "allies" in the east, she is a pawn to be played and sacrificed as they see fit. Also, she gets the attention of some nefarious forces that shouldn’t be toyed with.

The book features a vast character cast and focuses on political, religious and magical intrigue. I won’t write about the plot as it’s difficult to do it without spoiling book one in the series. What I can say is that Instruments of Control raises the stakes and the author doesn’t toy with his characters. He kills them, maims them, twists their minds. No one is safe. The characters are morally ambiguous. Almost every character in the book has to make some difficult choices and embrace some darkness. Some of the characters choose or are manipulated into dark fate.

Characterization is strong in this book. I must confess I liked bad guys most. The chapters featuring sociopathic Simon Koertig and manipulative Dante Ucello were my favorites. Simon is basically a psycho for whom killing is an art. He embraced the darkness in him years ago and wears it like the well-tailored suit. He’s cold, analytical and dangerous. Dante, on the other hand, is a silver-tongued devil, highly intelligent, manipulative and with his own agenda. I like the guy, even though I should, probably, despise him.

Female characters are presented in a way that doesn’t stick to tropes – women seem stronger than men in this series. I liked most of them. Probably Livia is my favorite one, but I like Renata and Aita as well (Aita isn’t good person, but she’s resourceful and consequently plays her game).

Despite having a lot of characters pacing is very good. Plot twists are surprising and tension never slackens. As a reader, I never felt that characters were safe. It’s a good thing. It makes you turn pages and ask yourself what will happen next. It has to be said that there’s a lot of brutality in the book. There are shocking deaths.

The prose is precise and serves the story well. There are some “purplish” sentences but they’re done well.

The Revanche Cycle is a sweeping epic fantasy with multiple viewpoint characters, set in a fantasy world vaguely reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance. It's about a lot of things - conspiracies, political intrigue, relationship between church and state, how religion is used (and abused) to shape policy. It's about faith and culture, and overcoming the obstacles society throws in your path. It's a story about women. It is also, as the title hints, a story about revenge. And how a single violent act, buried in the past, can have devastating global consequences.

The only drawback I can see is the fact that none of the books Works as a standalone. If you plan to read WInter Reach bear it in mind. There’s no satisfying closure. The same is true for Instruments of Control. On the other hand, the books are well paced and engrossing, so I don’t really mind. I enjoy every single page and plan to read whole series.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

CLASSIFICATION: Featuring a vast character cast, and focusing on political, religious and magical intrigue. The Revanche Cycle is very reminiscent of the works of Jennifer Fallon, Tad Williams and Daniel Abraham.

ANALYSIS: The Instruments Of Control is the sequel to Winter's Reach and a cracking read in itself. We are back with all our POV characters who survived the last book. Livia has had to flee to a neighboring country which has its own designs about the seat of Papal power a la the France-Rome situation with multiple popes and Anti-popes. Felix is stuck with his bargain to save his family and now has to deal with Basilio Grimaldi and his Faustian pact. Faced with a marriage proposal, he can't avoid, he learns that all might not be lost as his Grimaldi bride-to-be; Aita has ambitions of her own.

There's also Mari and Werner who are now returning to Mari's land of birth in the search for a certain sect of Knights. What they don't know is the people hunting them are getting ever so close. Simon Koertig is still upset about his supposed failure and is incensed now that Lodovico has made Felix off limits to him. Simon being Simon will not let that be and endeavors to bring his morbid plans to fruition. Think of him as Coyote to Felix’s Roadrunner with the only difference being that this isn’t a cartoon. Lodovico's revenge is slowly becoming sharper in clarity and that doesn't bode well for the merchant lords of the city of Mirenze. Lodovico's plans are revealed and it all boils down to a Bruce Wayne concept but with a major Lex Luthor outlook.

Renata is the new POV character introduced in this sequel and she's on the run for her life. Forced to do so due to her closeness with Felix, she encounters a strange person on the road who might be her salvation but also doom her all the same. Amadeo Lagorio is forced to witness a schism in the church that he loves however he believes he's on the right side of things even though he doesn't quite agree with Livia's methods. Lastly there's Owl the witch who is hunting Mari & Werner for the death of her pupil and things slowly become a bit clearer on the magic that's secretly prevalent in the world.

Overall the second volume builds upon the tension strewn across the various threads and the readers get to see further twists and newer sides to all the characters, which we have seen so far. Once again the characterization is the story’s forte. From Simon, Livia, Mari, Werner, Dante, Felix and the rest, each and every POV character gets their chance to shine and shine they do. This volume is more about the personal hardships that individuals have to face & the bleak choices they have to make. There’s a horrible death in the book that the author doesn’t show but you can feel its effects immediately afterward and throughout the story. There are a couple of characters whose lives take a dark turn. One by choice and the other by someone’s manipulation, both paths are very sad to read but riveting nonetheless. Full marks to the author for writing about female characters in a way that doesn’t stick to tropes and even trying their hardest to go their own in a hard, patriarchal society.

Craig Schafer know how to pace his story and even with a big cast of characters as these, he still manages to keep the narrative ted down tightly. The pace never slackens and the reader will be consistently surprised with all the plot twists of this second volume. There are quite a few and none more than the shocker of a twist in the last third, which then continues on to a very shocking climax. I liked how the author inverts various tropes (about characters) and keeps the reader guessing about the track that will be taken by the POV characters. This book is truly dark because of all the brutality that is showcased within the story. Not all of it is physical, much of it is also psychological and the rest is just people making the best of bad decisions that they face.

As for drawbacks, I didn’t find any besides the lack of a map, which would certainly helped in understanding the story from a geopolitical standpoint. Sure some folks might find the darkness of the story a bit too much for their liking but it’s entirely subjective. There’ s also the increased focus on political machinations and slow increase of magical intrigue. Overall this is a nuanced story set in a dark, medieval world that is very reminiscent of our own. In this regard, it’s very similar to ASOIAF in its political situations and the influence of clergy/royalty in affecting the lives of commoners.

CONCLUSION: The Instruments Of Control is a dark sequel that further lays bare the author’s intentions. The Revanche Cycle is a grand mix of human ambition, political ambition, greed and many more elements that are the basis of most famous historical sagas. Be sure to grab this series as it’s turning out to be something special. As for me, I can’t wait to get my hands on the 3rd volume Terms Of Surrender.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.50

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this book did -not- hold back on the emotional gut-punches, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Tone and plot-wise, the second entry in the Revanche Cycle holds up equally as well as the first; the story is filled with political intrigue, religious upheaval, and a murderous coven of witches. But now, with the reader more familiar with the cast of characters- the honorable Mari, the noble Felix, the faithful Livia- Schaefer takes this opportunity to add more depth and moral complexity to their conflicts, but in a way that manages to feel natural rather than contrived.

The twists are solid, and some of the plots (staying vague to prevent spoilers) are actually rather unsettling. Overall, the book manages to keep the forward progress of multiple plot-lines heading in the right direction, while still dangling some interesting plot hooks to be developed in the next entry.

A rather suspenseful book that had me insisting "just one more chapter" time and time again.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come. A book hasn't blown my mind like this since.. I can't even remember, but it was AMAZING.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 StarsThe Instruments of Control is the second book in the Revanche Cycle by Craig Schaefer. It takes place in the same universe as the other two amazing series of Schaefer's, Harmony Black and Daniel Faust. Faust is one of my favorite fictional characters and his series is also a favorite of mine. The FBI Witch series that is Harmony Black is awesome just not up to the level of the anti hero Daniel Faust.

This series centers on the pope and is much more dialed down in tone and scope. It has very minimal supernatural. The characters are all small compared with Faust and Black. Thankfully, this is still a Schafer novel and his writing does not disappoint.

I am a huge Craig Schaefer fan and if you enjoy urban fantasy than he is an author not to be missed.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

A great follow on novel which carries on the fun style and excellent characters from the last outing in this underrated series. Come on guys, give it a shot!

Every character has a knife and a plan to put it in someone’s back, then remove the knife and find another unsuspecting back to make the knife a new home. I can’t really say much about plot as it’s a direct follow on to the first book and it’s going to be straight into the third one, no real plot resolutions unless you count people meeting their maker as a resolution.

I can’t wait to get back into the series, I’m glad that I’ve got this lined up next along with the last a few weeks after. Another big thanks to Robin for buddy reading this with me and getting me to read a Schaefer. I’m becoming a fan! On to the next.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE INTRIIIIIGUE.

Reading this series is like watching open-cog machinery, or perhaps a chess match. Everyone - EVERYONE - has their own agenda and motivations and are fully developed characters, and we as readers are able to understand via multi-POV why they do what they do, and thus how it all drives the larger story.

I'm in love with the coven, bye.

Crusty MacHalo BR with the Crustaceous One

[༶ Laura ༶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es geht stark weiter. Das backstabbing wurde nochmal ordentlich angezogen 🔪🔪🩸

[kartik narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-fU

“A man who scorns weeping,” she said, “is a man who knows that no one will weep for him”.

The “Revanche Cycle”, written by Craig Schaefer, is a low fantasy quadrilogy. It consists of the following books – “Winter’s Reach”, “The Instruments of Control”, “Terms of Surrender” and “Queen of the Night”. The series weaves a complex tapestry of magic, politics, religion, intrigue and action ranging across multiple characters and lands. I will be reviewing the entire series instead of each book since that gives a more complete perspective on whether you ought to read this series.

I have not seen such brilliant low fantasy since A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones for you heathens out there). There have been many high fantasy series which are good like Shadows of the Apt or The Malazan Book of the Fallen, but not so much on the low fantasy side. The Revanche Cycle blows everything else I have read out of the water, in its coming together of various elements of low fantasy, story, plot, writing and character development. I will explore these elements one by one.

Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-fU

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another solid installment of the series. I enjoyed the engaging storytelling. The world that Schaefer created is interesting and I'm looking forward to continuing with this series. However, given the many povs the author gave the reader, I had a hard time caring much about any one character. And the way that some of the characters were killed was so cavalier in brutality that I had to force myself to stop feeling the wee bit I already did. Because if I didn't, all I would feel was rage against the author, not against the characters themselves.

I guess I'm also saddened by the idea that many of the influential players in politics and religion were certifiable sociopaths. While quite a few of the characters in this book started out as decent people, almost every single one of them did what some would describe as unforgivable things. And unfortunately, many of the villains in this book were completely single-faceted. They were just pure evil with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And while I don't think of myself as naive, I'd also like to believe that there might be something good inside each of us, no matter how messed up we are. As a reader, if there's nothing redeeming about a villain, it's hard for me to not imagine them like Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. I defy you to tell me that's not distracting.

[Timelord Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

...momentum's building...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felix is growing on me. And Livia as well.

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Love it! Love it!

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heretics

•••NOT for the homophobic, transphobic, closedminded or faint of heart!•••


This series must be read in order. The first book is "Winter's Reach". This is the second book. I can't wait to read "Terms Of Surrender"!



Livia has fled the massacre with the survivors from her brother the Pope. He has declared her a heretic and sentenced her to death in absentia. She has used witchcraft, but only too late to be truly effective. It has always gone wrong. She is determined to be a priest and save her people. Is she wrong? Can she pull it off? What will the price of her witchcraft be? Will she be truly caught? Or will she manage to become the Gardener's first female priest? First female Pope?

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of four books in this series .... it was good, not great. I realised about two thirds of the way through what it is about this series that's stopping me from really connecting with it - I don't actually like any of the characters enough to care wether or not they live or die. They all are either too easily manipulated and/ or have completely unrestrained egos. The plot however is deliciously convoluted and I think that is what is holding most of my interest at present. Maybe that will change with book three and I'll start rooting for someone. Here's hoping.

[Nirkatze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry goes to a lot of dark places. Each storyline--Felix, Renata, Marie, and Livia all get stuck in corners that made me wonder how the hell they were going to get out. My favorite storyline was Renata & Hetti, but each was entertaining, and there was even some good comeuppance. I felt like Livia was somewhat sidelined though, for all the hype up to her position--I'm expecting her story to get a lot more punch next entry.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this a higher rating. I loved the political intrigue, and I liked Felix's and Livia's stories, but ooh boy, do I hate Nessa, and I hate Marie when she's with Nessa. Just as in Schaefer's other novels with these characters, Nessa here has no redeeming qualities, not even as an antagonist, and Marie becomes so passive and pliant when they're together, which is contrary to her character before they meet. Sadly, they taint everything they touch.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza
So I picked up The Revanche Cycle books after finding out that they are related to this author's Daniel Faust books. I didn't think I'd be into the politicking and papal scandal but OMGardener, I can't stop reading these! There's plenty of magic and murder to go around. Craig Schaefer's style is wonderful, and the surprises never end. Highly recommend!

[Janice Albert]

Not as interesting as the first installment, despite having the same characters. Maybe just more politics than action this time around? Or possibly, I just didn't like the changes in the characters, though I expect some of those characters will change again later in the series. I won't abandon the series yet - it's a good enough read to try at least one more.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't really know where the plot is going, but the book is highly entertaining

[Pedro Marroquín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y la serie sigue absorbiendo mis horas

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good not as good as I was led to believe

[Harvey Wickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5