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Greatcoats #1-4
Greatcoats book traitor's blade, knight's shadow, saint's blood 3 books collection set
Greatcoats book traitor's blade, knight's shadow, saint's blood 3 books collection set Description: Traitor's Blade: The Greatcoats Book 1: The Greatcoats are travelling magistrates bringing justice to all . . . or at least they were, before they watched the Dukes impale their King's head on a spike. Now the land's heroes are reviled as traitors, their Greatcoats in tatters.Knight's Shadow: The Greatcoats Book 2: Falcio Val Mond has completed the final task given to him by the late King Paelis: he has found the King's Charoites (well, one at least). But his task isn't over, and now he, Kest and Brasti must protect the girl from those her want her dead., Saint's Blood: The Greatcoats Book 3: The Dukes were already looking for ways to weasel out of their promise to put Aline on her father's throne - but with Saints turning up dead, and Church Inquistitors pushing for control - rumours are spreading that the Gods themselves oppose her ascension.
- GenresFantasy
Paperback
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About the author
Sebastien de Castell
58 books4,987 followersHi Folks!
My eighteenth novel, MALEVOLENT EIGHT is now available. Cade Ombra and his misfit band of mercenary war mages are determined to prevent a cataclysmic war between supernatural beings. But peace at any price might mean killing an awful lot of people. The Malevolent Seven might be heroes, but they'll be the good guys . . .
My seventeenth novel is titled PLAY OF SHADOWS. A swashbuckling fantasy set in the world of mystical theatre where exalted actors can channel the spirits of the historical figures they portray on stage. But Damelas Chademantaigne seems to be summoning the spirit of a notorious villain whose secrets could unleash a civil war!
My sixteenth novel is CRUCIBLE OF CHAOS. Estevar Borros is my favourite swashbuckling investigator of the supernatural, so come investigate alongside him and his dauntless mule, Imperious inside a mysterious abbey where the gods seem to be driving the monks mad!
My fifteenth novel is FATE OF THE ARGOSI. The Argosi series is one of my favourites and I hope you'll come along for Ferius Parfax's adventures!
You can get a pair of free stories here.
The best way to stay up to date is at www.decastell.com, but I'm also on that Facebook thing. Also that Twitter thing. One day I'll even remember to get on that Instagram thing.
As to who I am? Well . . .
Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.
Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats. was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.
Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. You can reach him at www.decastell.com
My eighteenth novel, MALEVOLENT EIGHT is now available. Cade Ombra and his misfit band of mercenary war mages are determined to prevent a cataclysmic war between supernatural beings. But peace at any price might mean killing an awful lot of people. The Malevolent Seven might be heroes, but they'll be the good guys . . .
My seventeenth novel is titled PLAY OF SHADOWS. A swashbuckling fantasy set in the world of mystical theatre where exalted actors can channel the spirits of the historical figures they portray on stage. But Damelas Chademantaigne seems to be summoning the spirit of a notorious villain whose secrets could unleash a civil war!
My sixteenth novel is CRUCIBLE OF CHAOS. Estevar Borros is my favourite swashbuckling investigator of the supernatural, so come investigate alongside him and his dauntless mule, Imperious inside a mysterious abbey where the gods seem to be driving the monks mad!
My fifteenth novel is FATE OF THE ARGOSI. The Argosi series is one of my favourites and I hope you'll come along for Ferius Parfax's adventures!
You can get a pair of free stories here.
The best way to stay up to date is at www.decastell.com, but I'm also on that Facebook thing. Also that Twitter thing. One day I'll even remember to get on that Instagram thing.
As to who I am? Well . . .
Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.
Sebastien's acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats. was shortlisted for both the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work, and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series, Spellslinger, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.
Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats. You can reach him at www.decastell.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 3, 2018
A fun read.
June 11, 2019
Perhaps I should preface this review with the tentative caveat that I'm one of those many, many eager sods that hopes to make a living with this writing thing someday. As such, I approached this series with a somewhat academic mindset (I even wrote a paper on the first book. Best assignment ever.) Since I read the series, I've recommended it to all my other writer friends because, though there are areas where it could improve (what book doesn't have a few of those?), it has some unmatched strengths that just aren't often paralleled in other works:
1) Action scenes. This de Castell guy can write a fight scene like nobody's business. Almost like he, I dunno, has some kind of experience in the field. I generally find such scenes pretty dull after the third time "so-and-so's iron fist collides with (insert brave hero)'s square jaw" and "they danced around each other, nimble as acrobats and/or cats and/or acrobatic cats" blahdy blah.
Not so here. Fight scene after fight scene I was engaged, edge of my seat, never confused by blocking, convinced that THIS REALLY COULD BE IT. I had to know how de Castell had managed it, so I looked up his reader's digest article on fight scenes. Among his excellent advice was a piece I've tried to implement in all my own work: treat each fight scene as a unique problem to be solved. He's quite right: The medium of literature doesn't lend itself well to an action play-by-play, but it's perhaps the best means mankind has ever devised to put one human inside the head and heart of another human. By turning each action scene into a battle of wits and values, de Castell managed to put me in the position, not of passive observer, but of active participant. I as the reader was also trying to out-think the other party, and decide which philosophy I supported in this conflict. It was a masterstroke.
Also swords. Swords are really cool. Did I mention there are really cool swords in this book? Yeah. Loads of 'em.
2) Suspense. de Castell has got pacing DOWN. He has a real knack for giving the reader a few moments of breathing space, of bringing tension down with a well-timed joke, and then ratcheting it up again before you get too comfortable. While he's at it, he manages to maintain a real sense of jeopardy. You're pretty convinced that this character, despite the fact you have about a hundred pages left, might really lose this round, and messily too. It'll pull you right through.
3) Humor. The dialogue, in particular, has that tantalizing whiff of Joss Whedon, that eau de pith which may cause public displays of unladylike snorting. The characters are quick and clever, and their banter underscores a bond which we, as readers, get to vicariously experience. Ensemble fiction is generally my favorite, and this is an admirable example.
And if that's not enough to convince you to pick this series up, did I mention the swords?
Then there's his Shadowblack series. All I'll say here: make sure you copy the somatic shapes with your own hands. Preferably in public. No, not in the privacy of your own room, ya pansy.
1) Action scenes. This de Castell guy can write a fight scene like nobody's business. Almost like he, I dunno, has some kind of experience in the field. I generally find such scenes pretty dull after the third time "so-and-so's iron fist collides with (insert brave hero)'s square jaw" and "they danced around each other, nimble as acrobats and/or cats and/or acrobatic cats" blahdy blah.
Not so here. Fight scene after fight scene I was engaged, edge of my seat, never confused by blocking, convinced that THIS REALLY COULD BE IT. I had to know how de Castell had managed it, so I looked up his reader's digest article on fight scenes. Among his excellent advice was a piece I've tried to implement in all my own work: treat each fight scene as a unique problem to be solved. He's quite right: The medium of literature doesn't lend itself well to an action play-by-play, but it's perhaps the best means mankind has ever devised to put one human inside the head and heart of another human. By turning each action scene into a battle of wits and values, de Castell managed to put me in the position, not of passive observer, but of active participant. I as the reader was also trying to out-think the other party, and decide which philosophy I supported in this conflict. It was a masterstroke.
Also swords. Swords are really cool. Did I mention there are really cool swords in this book? Yeah. Loads of 'em.
2) Suspense. de Castell has got pacing DOWN. He has a real knack for giving the reader a few moments of breathing space, of bringing tension down with a well-timed joke, and then ratcheting it up again before you get too comfortable. While he's at it, he manages to maintain a real sense of jeopardy. You're pretty convinced that this character, despite the fact you have about a hundred pages left, might really lose this round, and messily too. It'll pull you right through.
3) Humor. The dialogue, in particular, has that tantalizing whiff of Joss Whedon, that eau de pith which may cause public displays of unladylike snorting. The characters are quick and clever, and their banter underscores a bond which we, as readers, get to vicariously experience. Ensemble fiction is generally my favorite, and this is an admirable example.
And if that's not enough to convince you to pick this series up, did I mention the swords?
Then there's his Shadowblack series. All I'll say here: make sure you copy the somatic shapes with your own hands. Preferably in public. No, not in the privacy of your own room, ya pansy.
November 16, 2022
Great story. Recomend it!
November 10, 2018
read them all then re-read them
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews