Point of Knives

Astreiant #2

by Melissa Scott

A welcome return to the vividly realized city of Astreiant with its intricate magics and deadly politics, Point of Knives takes place in the interval between the widely praised earlier novels Point of Hopes and Point of Dreams. A fantastical mystery and a rousing adventure, Point of Knives also reveals for the first time the beginning of the romance between Adjunct Point Nicolas Rathe and the Leaguer Philip Eslingen.

The events of Midsummer have not been forgotten by the Fall Balance, and Nicolas Rathe can hardly complain that they’ve done any harm to his reputation, or to the reputation of the Points in general. However, newfound fame has meant that he’s more in demand as an investigator, and the increased recognition and workload make it difficult to pursue friendship, or anything more, with the handsome former soldier Philip Eslingen, his comrade in the rescue of the stolen children. Eslingen’s employer Hanselin Caiazzo is still deeply involved in any number of questionably legal ventures. Any association between Rathe, a representative of Astreiant’s queen, and Caiazzo’s bodyguard Eslingen is regarded with suspicion from both sides of the law.

When a father and son rumored to be “summer-sailors,” or pirates, are murdered on the same night and Rathe finds Eslingen standing over the son’s body, Eslingen proves his innocence easily enough, despite loyally refusing to say exactly what errand he’s running for Caiazzo at that untimely hour of the morning. But when the old man’s grandson and the son’s self-proclaimed wife quarrel over the son’s meager belongings, and Caiazzo dispatches Eslingen to represent his interests in the investigation, Rathe begins to wonder if their friendship is going to survive. Or whether he and Eslingen will survive at all.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, M M Romance, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Fiction

122 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Scott studied history at Harvard College and Brandeis University, and earned her PhD. in comparative history. She published her first novel in 1984, and has since written some two dozen science fiction and fantasy works, including three co-authored with her partner, Lisa A. Barnett.

Scott's work is known for the elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, this is perfectly integrated into the rest of the story and is rarely a major focus of the story. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.

She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.

In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide.

Scott lived with her partner, author Lisa A. Barnett, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 27 years, until the latter's death of breast cancer on May 2, 2006.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

The novella we all wanted, as Nico and Philip find a way to establish a relationship in the teeth of their competing professions (policeman vs bodyguard to a notorious criminal). As with all this series, elegantly written, wonderfully built world, lovely understated romance along with a nice intriguing plot.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this long, lovely novella. It is set in the time between the first (Point of Hopes) and second (Point of Dreams) books and adds a lot of depth to Nico's and Philip's respective characters. The mystery is engaging and we learn more about the fascinating world of Astreiant. The world-building, like in the rest of these books, is magnificent and so thorough. Also like the other books, this story is not a romance, it's an engrossing police procedural where the two main characters fancy each other a whole lot while solving crime (and also trying to convince themselves that they don't actually fancy the other very much at all, but mostly, it's the crime-solving). Watching the small glimpses of them quietly dancing around their feelings is quite delightful. While these books could maybe stand alone, for comprehension's sake and to fully understand this complex world and its characters, starting at the beginning is definitely recommended.

A side note concerning the romance: The blurb is a little misleading, as Nico and Philip's relationship starts before this story begins, though it's still very early days. The author has written a charming little extra scene showing the actual beginning of their affair (which happens not long after the finish of the first book), which you can read here.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ok so I know we're secretly dating but now my boss WANTS us to secretly date, while solving murders."

"Perfect."

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was better than the first book. It was far less ramble-prone, but it's also a third the length of the first book and most other books in this series. Even with the shorter length, there was still a tendency to dilly-dally. For all that this missing gold could potentially launch a political coup, there wasn't really a sense of urgency in finding it.

And definitely no one should read these for the romance. After having zero hint of a romantic relationship - or even romantic feelings - between the MCs in the first book, suddenly they've been involved and messing around with each other, and now have an arrangement to carry on with each other while they're on this assignment. (There's a short story in between these when they kiss for the first time, but the relationship development is still next to non-existent in this series so far.) I can't deny that they work well together, but I'm not really feeling it.

The world building continues to be haphazard. The city is well-realized, and there's that astrology nonsense that I conveniently forgot about. They keep thanking gods/deities/angels/demigods/IDK at random, with no indication of why those specific whatevers were the best ones to call in those particular instances.

I'm tempted to get the next one while the series is on sale, but I'll give it a week to see if the impulse is still there.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can overstate how much I love the circle made by how the intricate worldbuilding informs the plot informs the worldbuilding. And how much I love everybody in this bar. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get my horoscope read.

[heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely bridge novella between the two existing novels of Astreiant. It is very much a story of transitions -- Phillip is moving from one employer to another, Rathe is being moved from one posting to another, and they are moving emotionally closer to each other.

The mystery in this one is a little less compelling than the other two, but the characterization is lovely and bittersweet. I think it is especially thought-provoking to realize Scott wrote this after the death of her long-time partner, and to read this (a little) as a tribute to falling in love.

I laughed at the obligatory stakeout scene, when Rathe, man of action, is incredibly twitchy and impatient. It reminded me of buddy-cop movies in the best way.

Read if: You have enjoyed the other books of Astreiant, or if you are looking for a standalone introduction to the world.

Skip if: You will not enjoy the world-and-relationship building of an alternate matriarchal fantasy world.

Also read: Point of Hopes

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable novella sequel that futhers the ~romance~ aspect of the series, showing how Rathe and Eslingen progress in their relationship. Case was interesting, and I enjoyed the further worldbuilding, though I did find myself wishing for a smidge more in the relationship department. I've resigned myself to the fact that this series is much more world/plot-focused than character/relationship-focused, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it still makes for a very enjoyable read, even if it's not totally my personal preference!

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a novella and if you only read this and not the first story you won't like the people and the place as much, so definitely read book. i having read the first one, loved this as well, seeing a little snippet of rathe and eslingen and how they are doing. the mystery was ok, though really this was a short story about now the two main characters are getting on and i look forward to the third book (with some book i need to read in between, so that i enjoy the third book more :))

[Hilcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in an alternate pseudo-Renaissance world full of magics, pointsmen, wizards, necromancers and deadly political games, Point of Knives by Melissa Scott is a brand new novella that links the classic original fantasy Astreiant duology -- Point of Hopes and Point of Dreams -- by closing the gaps between the two books.

In Point of Knives, Scott's main characters Adjunct Point Nicolas Rathe and ex-soldier Philip Eslingen, now Caiazzo's knife or bodyguard, are thrown together again by unusual circumstances surrounding the double murders of father and son Grandad Steen and Old Steen, both rumored to have been pirates.

Circumstances are further complicated when Old Steen's son, Young Steen, claims his personal effects and an until-then-unknown wife shows up making the same claim. Seeking compensation for moneys owed, Caiazzo also lays claim to the man's possessions and dispatches Eslingen to represent his interests and to help Rathe with the investigation.

Nico and Philip can't help but be glad to be close again after last summer's affair, and although they know that neither can afford too close a relationship, both hope that the circumstances don't affect their friendship or their feelings for each other. Rathe is known for his excellent insight and trusts Philip even as he knows that as Caiazzo's knife, thug or blade for hire, Philip owes him loyalty. However, his feelings are deeply involved.

[...] he would only sound besotted. And I'm not, he thought. Not besotted. Fond of him, friendly with him --- gods, it was easy to slip into the habit of the summer, too easy to treat him as comrade and friend --- and if he was honest with himself, yes, he could become besotted. Could even --- He refused to utter the betraying verb, even in his own mind.

Nico and Philip agree that during the investigation they will take advantage of their time together as winter-lovers with a promise not to ask more from each other when that time ends. But will they? The murder investigation takes them from Point of Hopes' narrow streets into the dangerous neighborhood that is Point of Knives, and slowly becomes a coil that involves a deadly political game, gold, magists, alchemists, necromancers, and that when unraveled might prove deadly to Nico and Philip.

Point of Knives picks up on events a few months right after Point of Hopes ends and expands on the already established relationship between Nico and Philip. I was taken with the complexity of the world building in this fantasy, as well as with the excellent characterization. The police-procedural aspect of the novel is intricate and complete, with a gruesome beginning, excellent investigative work and a surprising, satisfying resolution. More importantly, it is through this key aspect of the story that Scott cleverly incorporates fantasy, adds details to her world, and develops a lovely romance.

The characters that populate this fantasy are regular folk that somehow stand out in this world where magics and alternate history intertwine so seamlessly and are so well crafted, that after a while all of it seems possible.

Points of Knives is a gorgeous addition to the Astreiant series. Melissa Scott takes this fantasy, fills it with memorable characters, and gives the reader more by incorporating a fully developed romance and a police procedural with enough twists and turns to satisfy the most finicky of readers. Highly recommended.

Originally reviewed @ Impressions of a Reader

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a devoted fan of the first two books in the Points series, I was absolutely delighted to learn that Melissa Scott would be writing a novella to fill in the blanks between book one (Point of Hopes) and book two (Point of Dreams). This book definitely didn't disappoint.

I could go on endlessly about how much I love the setting of this series (the Renaissance Europe-esque world; the incorporation of astronomy, ghosts, and magic as almost mundane aspects of daily life; the female-centric social structure; etc.) but for me, it's the characters that make the difference between merely "liking" a series to "loving" it, and this novella gives so many fascinating insights into the two main characters and their relationship.

Probably my one disappointment when reading Point of Dreams (book 2) was that it leapt forward from the end of book one, which barely hinted at the possibility of a romantic relationship between Nico and Philip, to a point where the two are considering "lemanry." Point of Knives gives us a glimpse of that time in between, and in my opinion, not only gives added depth to the characters and their relationship in this novella, but also makes their emotional struggles in book 2 all the more real.
Nico and Philip are both such fundamentally pragmatic, practical, sensible people -- with real jobs, responsibilities, and duties that they take very seriously -- that it's all the more endearing to read along as as they recognize the danger of liking each other too much and yet are helpless to resist that pull.

Of course, as with all books in the series, it's the mystery that drives the plot... and while this wasn't as much of a "whodunnit" as the other two books, I still very much enjoyed the story of the characters trying to piece together the villain's plan so that they could put it to a stop.

All in all, a wonderful addition to a wonderful series, and I can't wait for the next book! (which I believe may be coming in 2013?)

[Sineala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy that we are finally, finally getting more stories in the Points world, and I really loved this. Set between Hopes and Dreams, this novella explores Rathe and Eslingen's relationship, how exactly Rathe ends up transferred to Point of Dreams, and of course a murder or two to solve, with some magic.

My only real complaint is that I wish we had seen Rathe and Eslingen first becoming romantically involved, which this book still doesn't provide; the beginning establishes that they had gotten together after the events of Hopes but then broken up again because it was generally not a good idea for a pointsman and Caiazzo's knife to be together. I would have liked to have seen that, but on the other hand, I did enjoy all the angsty developing feelings they seemed to be having for one another while trying to keep their relationship short-term.

The plot is, as always, solid, all the characters are excellent, even the minor ones -- I find myself liking Monteia more and more -- I actually like the matriarchy stuff, and plus we got Nico and Philip skulking around Astreiant and being devious, which is, frankly, awesome. Basically, if you like the series, you should be reading this. If you've never read the series, though, start with the first book. And then read this. Because, really, you need more queer fantasy police procedural mystery in your life. No, really, you do.

Now I'm off to reread the second book and wait impatiently for more! :)

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting mystery, the start of the romance we have all been waiting for, more on the mysterious Point of Knives. More of the characters I've come to love and care for. What more could I wish for? ;)

[Eva Müller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick fun read with much better pacing than the first one (but it's also "just" a novella so there wasn't as much space for extensive descriptions of everything). The mystery was again intriguing and the characters charming. I don't think I'll wait quite as long to read the next one as I did after the first.

[Heather Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently picked up the third novel in the Astreiant series (Fair’s Point) I realized that I had somehow missed the Novella Point of Knives that fits between the first two books in the series. This has now been corrected. (When I started reading, I suddenly wondered if I’d simply forgotten that I’d read it, but realized that I’d heard the opening at an author reading, probably at Darkovercon.)

I love Scott’s writing style--especially the way the world of Astreiant is unfolded for us on a need-to-know basis, as if the reader were exploring a dark warehouse with a flashlight. I have an inordinate fondness for world-building that plunges in and simply expects me to keep up. The setting is Renaissancey in feel, both in terms of tech and social politics, with the interesting twist that political and economic power is dominated by women. (This is never explained--that wouldn’t fit with the exposition style--it simply “is”.) But there are plenty of clues that we’ve stepped entirely out of the world we know, in particular the way the astrology (which has great social importance) relies on the movements of an entirely different set of heavenly bodies than ours.

But this is all by-the-by. What we have is, in essence, a bit of a mystery, a bit of police procedural, and a bit of romance. The police-equivalent Nicholas Rathe once again finds himself investigating a crime in which his one-time lover Philip Eslingen is entangled. This time involving murdered sailors and missing smuggled gold. If I had one complaint about the writing, it would be that the reader rather gets hammered over the head with the reasons why Rathe and Eslingen struggle to keep their emotional distance (if not, as the story evolves, their physical distance). Both characters seem to spend an inordinate amount of interior monologue reminding themselves of these reasons.

The crime plot itself proceeds quickly, though not predictably. This is not the sort of whodunnit where the reader can guess ahead to the outcome. Too many of the forces and factors in play are part of the alien setting and hard to evaluate. The most suspicious figure turns out, indeed, to be the culprit, though the specific motivations seem to get lost in the shuffle and several clue-threads are dropped without resolution. The personal relationship between the two men is delightfully real and engaging, and we’re left for the set-up (seen in the earlier-written but later-in-timeline Point of Dreams) where they are free to have a more open partnership.

As an aside that has nothing to do with this specific story: I confess to a wistful desire to have Scott write some Astreiant stories about women. Given the gender politics of the setting, there must be a lot of intriguing possibilities. There are plenty of minor female characters, but the series is clearly all about the men.

[Karen Wellsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is my favourite fantasy series, the world building is so good. Detailed and rich while feeling real, I know that sounds a bit daft but my major gripe with a lot of books is that I struggle to believe that people would behave like they do. But not here.
There is romance, integrated into the mystery and world but it's not the primary focus, the writing is as always involving and beautiful.

[Karen Rós · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun little mystery. I think my favourite part about this book (besides everyone teasing Rathe about Eslingen) is that we get more worldbuilding! It becomes clearer in this book that this society leans matriarchal rather than patriarchal, with women in key positions of power and the concept of 'motherless child' being somewhat equivalent to our 'fatherless child', i.e. instead of the father being unknown or having abandoned the family, and that being a source of shame, it's the other way around. It's not 1:1 though - the worldbuilding here is so deeply satisfying because it's not just patriarchy, but mirrored - it's matriarchy, with its own sets of problems. The classic issues we are familiar with from our reality, misogyny and sexism, aren't present at all. That's not to say that the society in the Astreiant books is perfect, but it's just so refreshing to have personal relationships and personal frictions that *aren't* rooted in misogyny or sexism in any way.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep on giving these books three stars, and I keep on coming back to edit them. /o\

A novella set between Hopes and Dreams, where I first expected Ms Scott to talk about how Rathe and Eslingen got together, but which didn't (they were mostly together at this time. Ms Scott describes Knives as 'a courtship interrupted by murder' which I think is very apt). BUT FEAR NOT MY FRIEND. Ms Scott has written such a story, which you can find here.

This one has more police procedural than the others (they actually have more scenes at the morgue than the Dreams novel). And some activities of grey legality at work. Funny, political, and sexy.

[Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay more Astreiant! Slightly more emotional content (yay!) than the novels, but still, there are so many holes in the relationship aspect (and a whole lot of fade-to-black) that I desperately want fanfic for it. I suppose this was deliberate on Scott's part. It works, damn her.

Scott's writing style has improved a bit, but she still uses way too many epithets. I am really sick of 'the Leaguer', is what I mean. But oh, the world is so nifty, and the details so clever and interesting, and the actual casefic aspect is well enough done, although nothing special.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the five books in the series in a weekend. Consummate world-building—I lived in Astreiant, knew the streets, feared the river, ducked into taverns out of the rain. Effortless layering of small details to create an immersive experience. The plots kept things rattling along, with a suitable blend of decent / amoral / villainous / stupid characters. Yes, the romance is just a bit too understated and yes, that was mildly disappointing. But I pulled myself out of Scott's world just long enough to subscribe to her Patreon and start to look forward to book 6.

[Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is still engaging but it's lacking the level of detail that previous books had. It reads like a draft and I started disliking the word "russet" by the end.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't mind me, I'm just sneaking into the second book in the series without reading the first one because I found this in a library sale for like 50 cents and it was a fantasy/mystery with two guys who are romantically interested in each other. So sue me, I couldn't help myself.

This was good, but it didn't blow me away. I'm sure I would've been more invested if I had read the first book (which I am tempted to do even though my socks are still solidly on post-reading), but even so I enjoyed coming back to it. I did find myself thinking about the plot and characters throughout the day, and more than once I went to bed early because I just wanted to get reading - both of which are good signs. But of course, this book isn't rated 5 stars, so I'll get to what I didn't like.

I pondered a while after finishing this as to why I wasn't more excited, and I think it's just that I wanted more. I am very aware, of course, that this is a novella book-ending full-length novels, so often that's a hazard that comes with the territory. Still, I can't help being frustrated, especially when it comes to the romance. We saw Nico (who has an excellent name btw) and Philip agree to be lovers again, and yet we never see them kiss. Heck, we don't even see them embrace! We did get Philip kissing Nico's hand (which was rather cute), but beyond that, we got a few flirtatious remarks and a several "come to bed"s. I'm not demanding a gratuitous sex scene, but it really felt like Melissa Scott was holding back and I'm not exactly sure why. I really would've liked to see more. The chemistry was absolutely there but the reader didn't really get much payoff in print, only in what we could imagine.

The mystery itself was good, but it didn't really get me on the edge of my seat until the finale. The characters were interesting, and I was excited when I realized we'd get to see certain characters again as the plot progressed. The ending felt a little rushed, which was also frustrating. I wanted to see the repercussions from the case and get reactions first-hand from a few characters, which we barely got from our main characters.

Overall, I don't regret picking this up, but I'm also not racing to read more in the series.

[Nightbow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh heavens, this is such an enjoyable series. This one is so rich and intricate it may as well not be a novella, but I guess that's our only label for short novel, so we're stuck with it. It's Melissa Scott writing on her own in this series some years after POINT OF DREAMS--her late partner had co-authored the first two with her. As far as I can discern, the only noticeable difference in voice is a relative lack of French-esque names, and an abundance of Dutch-esque ones, where before when the couple co-wrote there had been more of a mix. I appreciate Scott's light and witty hand in the matter of romance; it is entirely congruent with the characters as we've come to know them, and as a reader I don't actually seek graphic sex scenes (if you do, I commend you to the delightful CK Charles). Wit and romance work fine for moi. In any case: a worthy and welcome return to Astreiant, where all the women are strong, all the men are beautiful, and now there are dogs. There will be more dogs in the fourth volume :)

A note: for readers new to this series, my two cents is that it works jolly fine to read them in order published rather than in order of events. So if, as was the case with me, you get books 1 and 3 from your library but books 2, 4, and 5 aren't there (because someone in acquisitions wasn't paying attention), go on and order those more recent 3 books online and don't make yourself wait to read book 3 if you have it in hand. (I ended up buying the whole series, and you can pick up the original 2 volumes used very cheaply, which makes up for the price of the newer 3 paperbacks.)

[Susanna Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and loved the first two Pointsman books, uh, some time ago, like when they first came out, but it wasn't till last month that I finally caught up with the series. Thank the stars that Melissa Scott has continued to explore Astreiant since the 2006 death of her partner and co-writer, Lisa A. Barnett. The writing, the world-building, and the characterization are as outstanding as ever.

Though published in 2012, in series time Point of Knives comes between Point of Dreams, the first Astreiant novel, and what is now #3, Point of Hopes. Protagonists Nicolas Rathe and Philip Eslingen are thrown together once again by circumstance -- in this case, two apparently related murders. The attraction between the two remains mutual, but since Rathe is a pointsman, i.e., in law enforcement, and Eslingen is a "knife" (bodyguard) for one Hanselin Caiazzo, a fellow known for his shady dealings, it also presents big challenges.

If you've read subsequent Astreiant books, you know they'll work it out, but that doesn't detract in the least from the unfolding of how. The how is embedded in a complex web of skullduggery, which in turn is embedded in a satisfyingly complex fantasy world.

[Mary Soon Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella-length sequel to "Point of Hopes," fantasy set in a world of magic and politics, where astrology is based in truth. It returns to the two main viewpoint characters from "Point of Hopes," entwining them in the investigation of a double-murder that also rekindles their interest in each other.

I found it a most pleasant read. Having just read an interesting but brutal book ("The Mercy of Gods"), it was lovely to slip into a world with sweetness to balance the dark, a world where I liked both the main characters, and they liked each other, where the deaths of two people sufficed to fuel the plot, rather than the deaths of thousands.

Four out of five pointed stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE FANTASY RENAISSANCE CSI. now with added romo!

this series continues to be EVERYTHING. i know that this novella was written after the first two books but takes place between them, so that's the order i chose to read it in, and i'm so happy it was written! rathe and eslingen are charming together - they have easy, natural chemistry, and they're so much fun to read about. their understated but obvious affection for each other is just lovely. the mystery in this one was super fun - nothing very complex, but it was a novella after all, and i enjoyed it! and it (however briefly) had pirates!!!! it felt too short, not because the story suffered from the length, but because i liked it so much that i just wanted more. delightful.

random side-note: i really, really want a map of astreiant, and i'm not even normally a huge fan of maps in fantasy novels! but astreiant is such a large and interesting and well-realized city that i would love to have one. @ melissa scott hook a girl up please!!!!

[Pernilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Advertised on the blurb as the novella where Rathe and Eslingen get together, which is brutally misleading, because apparently they have already got together off-page and split up again, since their respective positions clash in a major way. Which they still do, but they are once again thrown together in order to solve a murder mystery, and they fall back into bed again, with the agreement that it's a temporary arrangement. It's still not a romance, and anything beyond flirting is off-page, but if you like fantasy and crime mysteries, this is a good story. For my part, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series, despite the good writing and the excellent world-building.
Another reviewer linked to an unprinted short extra which is the story of how they initially got together, and it's cute, but didn't satisfy my disappointment that this novella wasn't what it claimed to be. (Can't paste links in the Android app, for some stupid reason, so you'll have to go trawling through other reviews yourself to find the link, if you want it.)

[Amy Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing for this was sooo much better than for Point of Hopes. Point of Hopes was still quite good, with a few things that needed worked out. Those have all been worked out here. Unfortunately, this one was written after #2 and #3 in the series, so the writing will probably backslide a bit from my POV when I move on.

I find it a bit odd that this was billed as showing the initial formation of the romantic relationship between Rathe and Eslington, but actually that happened offscreen between Hopes and Knives. Yes, they'd called it off due to conflict of interest issues, but, still, this was not the very beginning. In the other series I've read by this Melissa Scott (Death by Silver, Death at the Dionysus Club), the protags also start off already involved, so I wonder if she's just not comfortable with writing the very beginnings of such things.

Still, it's quite enjoyable for what it is, with a fascinating world that revolves around astrological magic.

[Jess Hale · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the world of Astreiant is very well-thought-out, something about this series leaves me a little cold. I think, perhaps, it’s because it meanders. There’s a mystery, with characters referred to and interviewed and suspected, and wrapped up a little too fast at the end without much of a satisfying confrontation (much like book #1, now I think of it).

I could forgive this if the meandering meant we were allowed to wallow in character development and the tension of the growing relationship between Rathe and Eslingen but no, we don’t get that either. All the interesting getting-together stuff has happened off-screen, and I felt we were more told-than-shown that they were pining and wanted to be together. It comes across a bit flat, and doesn’t leave me with any urge to keep up with the series to see how things turn out for them.

Overall, it’s a good book for those who like a detailed and unique fantasy setting, but I’m not in the right mood to keep going.

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicolas Rathe is the Adjunct Point, holding up the law in the city of Astreiant. He’s somewhat of a private man, who stays calm and patient in a world that has it’s dark side of crime. He works under Chief Pointmaster Monteia, and struggles with those pointsmen that take fee’s. He only want’s to find justice. His last case was of missing children and with help from a friend the case was solved.

Phillip Eslingen was once a soldier, a Leaguer and became a knife at the Old Brown Dog. It was a job that fit him perfectly until the hateful people of Hopes caused trouble for him. Although Eslingen was new in the city, Nicolas Rathe helped him get the position of knife for a supposed crime lord, Hanselin Caiazzo. Nico has always been suspicious of Caiazzo but has never proven Caiazzo’s guilt. Now, he has to worry about Eslingen because he’s again in a dangerous position. He and Eslingen grew to be friends and after the missing children’s case became more. They had to be careful, not only about their relationship, but their professions of Adjunct and knife cross a precarious line and finally put a halt to it.

Rathe has become involved in a case of double murder. Grandad Steen has been murdered and maybe robbed at the house of Dame Lulli. As Nico picks up on a blood trail it leads him to a dead end alley and Eslingen kneeling over a body. The body is the son of Grandad Steen, Old Steen. Old Steen has been shot with a bird bolt. Luckily for Eslingen he was doing a job for Caiazzo. He was to meet with Old Steen at Bay Tree and he never showed. He explains to Nico how he came to be in the alley. They find Old Steen is not alone as “little captain" has stayed with his body.

One more Steen becomes involved in the murder case: Young Steen, son of Old Steen. Grandad Steen, Old Steen and Young Steen have always been summer-sailors or better known as pirates. Young Steen is Master of Soeuraine Bedarres. He had been at sea for the last six months. When Young Steen meets with Rathe and Eslingen, little captain goes to Young Steen immediately. Young Steen knows of Rathe being the point that doesn’t except fee’s, he’s just a bit wary of Eslingen. As they have a discussion about the murders with Young Steen, they can only think the case has to do with business. As Young Steen is ready to claim his father’s body another wrench is thrown into the chaos. A women has come to claim the body, Old Steen’s wife, Dame van Duiren! Young Steen swears his father, Old Steen, was never married.

It seems the tales of treasure by Grandad Steen had spread amongst the claimants and especially his son Old Steen. All claims will come to a screeching halt as: Young Steen, Dame Lulli, Caiazzo and Dame van Duiren all await the solving of the murders. It will bring Rathe and Eslingen together again to work on the case. They will find themselves going to the most dangersous part of the city: Point of Knives. Will they survive the case and will they survive the pressure of a short lived relationship?

Melissa Scott created a fantastic tale from the city of Astreiant with “Point of Knives”. The first book is “Point of Hopes” “A Tale of Astrieant” and was somewhat more difficult to read because it explained more about this strange city. There are several Points: Hopes, Knives, Sighs, Hearts and Dreams. The people of the city also have belief in: the stars, sun, planets, zodiac, solar signs, wards, horoscopes and more. They also heavily depend on: Weekly Almanac, Starsmith, Birth signs, Broadsheets Horoscopes, Astrologers predictions, alchemists and Magist. They also have altars in the homes that honor their individual gods. This is not about witches or warlocks but the people do use magic, wards, spells and there are gargoyles and high-flyers.
The story is surrounded with talk of aurichalcum and how coins are bound by realm of the face design: Chenedolle, Chadron, League by their individual cities, unstable foreign coin and tax and tax mark that bind them. Royal Fellows Taxes: metallurgy and related arts that Caillavet Vair is involved in.

There’s a host of characters, suspicious and interesting: University Necromancer, Istre b’Estorr, ability to see and have his own personal ghost(s); Hanselin Caiazzo, Advocate Lunele, Dead-House, Alchemist Magist, Nianne Castera, Magist Aicelin Denizard, Chief Point, Mirremany and the Court of 32-Knives and junior adjunct, Chaudet.

The author also opens the door to: Nicolas Rathe and Phillip Eslingen. “Point of Hopes” only addressed a growing friendship. “Point of Knives” opens up to a “fade to black” as there was more between Nico and Phillip. There are still some things I’m curious about. Eslingen always is reading the Broadsheets and horoscopes and he’s concerned that Rathe has never spoken of his signs. Is Rathe hiding something? There’s also a romance this time, but it seems both are worried how it will end after the case is solved. I like the scenes of romance, that leave the readers to their own imagination, they really work in this novella. I like the opposites attract, not only in their personalities but in their professions.

I highly recommend “Point of Knives” it’s a great mystery with many intense moments as Rathe and Eslingen put their heads together and lives on the line. This time there is a questionable romance, snark and banter especially from Eslingen. Melissa Scott did outstanding with this novella and I’m excited about the next book “Point of Dreams.” Although, “Point of Hopes” was a complex read and without a romance, it was very informative about Astreiant. It made reading “Point of Knives” easy because there was so much explained in that first book. Absolutely outstanding and a thoroughly entertaining read.

[Stephen Poltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don’t find these novels of Astreiant very satisfying. They are police procedurals set in an alternative Renaissance-ish period with mages and necromancers. I don’t quite know if it’s the police procedural part or the period, but I found this book very boring. Even the gay relationship in it doesn’t help. I figure I must be missing something because these books have a lot of fans. I’m going to keep trudging through them though to get to the book that won the Gaylactic Spectrum award for best novel. Hopefully, I’ll be so familiar with the universe that I might actually start to like it.

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