Tyrant Baru Cormorant

The Masquerade #3

by Seth Dickinson

"The hunt is over. After fifteen years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them. But the Cancrioth's weapon cannot distinguish the guilty from the innocent. If it escapes quarantine, the ancient hemorrhagic plague called the Kettling will kill hundreds of millions...not just in Falcrest, but all across the world. History will end in a black bloodstain. Is that justice? Is this really what Tain Hu hoped for when she sacrificed herself? Baru's enemies close in from all sides. Baru's own mind teeters on the edge of madness or shattering revelation. Now she must choose between genocidal revenge and a far more difficult path - a conspiracy of judges, kings, spies and immortals, puppeteering the world's riches and two great wars in a gambit for the ultimate prize. If Baru had absolute power over the Imperial Republic, she could force Falcrest to abandon its colonies and make right its crimes"--

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

656 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2020

About the author

Since his 2012 debut, Seth's fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Analog, and nearly every other major science fiction and fantasy market.

He's a lapsed student of social neuroscience, where he studied the role of racial bias in police shootings, and the writer of much of the lore and fictional flavor for Bungie Studios' smash hit Destiny. In his spare time he works on the collaborative space opera Blue Planet: War in Heaven.

THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT is his first novel.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first two books in the Masquerade, the third would have to pull off a miracle to outdo what has already been done.

I mean, seriously, I've never read a more grimdark tale of friendship and betrayal in the name of a cause. The second one already blew my mind with a certain bloody scene, so I was frankly a little worried that this one would be yet another huge build-up and betrayal.

Strangely, I got the feeling that the author was worried about the same thing. And, indeed, he went out of the way to surprise and delight me with the kinds of twists and turns in this book.

What other books would have me sit on the edge of my seat with SEVERAL lobotomies?

What? The book lobotomized me? ;) Perhaps, but I feel all the smarter for it. Tons of economic theories, lots of time on the sea, and even more time building alliances. And I was amazed almost the entire time.

Few books go all out to worldbuild the way this one has, and few do it with genetics, gene warfare, unique mutations, economic warfare, and naval battles.

This read is not for the faint of heart, but it is a very worthy sequel. If you've come this far, don't miss out on this one. :)

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up.

I am sorry, I do. I knew I will never love this book the way I absolutely loved the first instalment in the series, but I hoped that at least it was going to be a challenging opponent or, in the worst case scenario, it would be going to be fun to hate it.

It turned out I didn't even know the worst scenario. The worst scenario killed me with indifference. This book is so offensively boring, so neutered by verbosity, so insultingly monotonous, and so, so preposterously empty that I could not even bring myself to shrug with distaste. In truth, I kept forgetting I was reading this book! And I kept forgetting why was I actually doing it.

It's like when there is some obnoxiously drunk person at the party doing stupid things, and while you feel it's somewhat embarrassing to watch, you still do, for the horrified laughs. But then, when instead of the expected low-cost circus, all that's left is a prematurely passed-out stranger, you are angry at yourself that you brought yourself so low for nothing.

Well, I am angry at myself. This book has nothing to offer, and it was my sheer stubborn stupidity that prevented me from admitting that I do not care for Baru and everything she is supposed to represent, I do not care for any of the other protagonists whose names, mainly consisting of an ungodly number of consonants (like Zsvtchvimake or something similarly unpronounceable), already in the previous instalment melted in an amalgam of faceless nobodys, and to my charging, I do not even care for the empire, whose destiny was sealed the moment Baru put the mask on.

Maybe I wanted to live up to my reputation of never abandoning a series. Ah, but that was pride and pride cometh before a fall. And here I lie, fallen and defeated.

Farewell, Baru. I am sure you will do splendidly over the next thousand pages or so. Diversity will win, love will triumph, and the conqueror will be conquered through the power of small kindnesses wielded by the singular they. And perhaps you will even have your own family of three mothers, two fathers, and a pet cancer whale.

It's just that I will not be there to cheer. I will be busy reading good books for a change.

Also in the series:

1. The Traitor Baru Cormorant ★★★★☆
2. Monster Baru Cormorant ☆☆☆★★
4. Untitled Baru Cormorant who cares?

[Charlotte Kersten]

“The only way to a good world is for all people to put themselves second so that all people will be put first.”

So What’s It About?

The hunt is over. After fifteen years of lies and sacrifice, Baru Cormorant has the power to destroy the Imperial Republic of Falcrest that she pretends to serve. The secret society called the Cancrioth is real, and Baru is among them.

But the Cancrioth's weapon cannot distinguish the guilty from the innocent. If it escapes quarantine, the ancient hemorrhagic plague called the Kettling will kill hundreds of millions...not just in Falcrest, but all across the world. History will end in a black bloodstain.

Is that justice? Is this really what Tain Hu hoped for when she sacrificed herself?

Baru's enemies close in from all sides. Baru's own mind teeters on the edge of madness or shattering revelation. Now she must choose between genocidal revenge and a far more difficult path—a conspiracy of judges, kings, spies and immortals, puppeteering the world's riches and two great wars in a gambit for the ultimate prize.

If Baru had absolute power over the Imperial Republic, she could force Falcrest to abandon its colonies and make right its crimes.

What I Thought

I am finally caught up with this series, and I can now say that it is now one of my favorites of all time. I can’t think of many books that are so unique and resonate with me as much as these ones do. It seems like the first book is many people’s favorite of the series, but Tyrant might be mine.

A large part of this is that Baru’s character development in Tyrant is my absolute favorite of the books so far. The period of time where she is Barhu is absolutely essential to help her work through what she has done and what has happened to her and the people she cares about, and we see her come out of a period of despair and helplessness to realize how she has been controlled by Farrier. Book one Baru was arrogant and virtually emotionless in the pursuit of her goals and book two Baru was a directionless, self-destructive wreck, but in book three, Baru emerges with a new sense of purpose, strength and, dare I say, humanity. There are many lovely moments, including the interlude segments with Tain Hu and Baru’s reunion with her family.

The book’s engagement with its anti-colonialist themes is just as excellent here as it was in the previous books. One of Baru’s realizations here is the value of ideological warfare against Facrest - the power of disproving Incrastic theories about race, gender, and sexuality. There are a few conversations in the book that are just Baru and other characters working through Incrasticism and their beliefs about it, and I really loved these, especially when Baru talks about and disproves Incrastic theories of unequal investment in mates/parenting and she and Xe explore the ways that different cultures are brilliantly adapted to their environments’ needs and are clever in ways that aren’t valued by the Masquerade. There are also really excellent moments where Aminata and Kinda deal differently with how they are sexualized and racialized as women and an early feminist was pushed out of the movement for “dividing” it by bringing matters of race into the picture. The book is clear about how false so-called equality predicated on the idea of fundamental differences between the sexes is, and how seeds of inferiority are planted:
“Do you ever think - maybe they teach us that we can overcome our race just to make us think our race is something we have to overcome?”

There are more meditations on what justice looks like, with Baru ultimately including that there is no such thing. She still believes that the best way to defeat Falcrest is to use their own methods against them and is well on her way with this plan at the end of the book, but how this will ultimately go is yet to be seen. Generally speaking, it’s just amazing to see how all the pieces of the puzzle come together so satisfyingly. I loved the ending and would be happy with it as the end of the series - though of course I will not complain that there is more to come!

A final few notes - the Cancrioth are fascinating and viscerally horrible and I am extremely grossed out by everything to do with tumors and pigs. Ascend’s character arc, while given less time than Baru’s and Tau’s (which I would say are the two given the most time) is so fascinating with the way she reclaims her conditioning, trying to have sex with Baru so that she will have a strong positive association with her and will be able to help her more. And I still love Dickinson’s sense of humor, especially when it comes to Baru and how much of a disaster she is:
“I have a question for you.”
“What?”
“Do you understand that other people exist?”

I'm so grateful that these books exist, and I can't wait for whatever comes next.

[Christopher Yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely don't know how this book/series/author can exist.

I legitimately have no idea how Seth Dickinson wrote this.

There are so many different threads he has to maintain and weave together--not just plot threads, but character, culture, commerce, geography, history, weather, disease, etc. And somehow he does it. He knows instinctively the lesson Baru is brutally taught, that other people exist, that they aren't just vectors of plot but individual agents with their own motives and interiorities, and so every character in this enormous book feels incredibly, viscerally alive.

I didn’t realize how much I’d come to love Tau, how effectively Tau’s character is shown through the ways in which they’re perceived by the other characters. I didn’t expect the pathos and fury of Aminata’s arc in this book, so painfully relevant. I did not anticipate how much I would enjoy Yawa’s acid humor and non-Baru savantry. But it all works so beautifully, so exquisitely plotted, without ever feeling like Seth is unfairly manipulating events to follow his desired plot--the events of the novel happen because of people being people, in all their weaknesses and foibles and history and strength.

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant feels dense enough to encompass several books. This is a joy; multiple times it felt like based on the events I should be reaching a climax (e.g. an incredible scene not even a third of the way through where Baru, familiarly, starts to count the birds), and yet there was still so much more to go. The climaxes never disappoint, and yet even when internal arcs reach their resolution there is still so much tension, still so much at stake, still so many threads to unravel, that I never wanted to stop reading. I was continuously grateful for the abundance of this book.

And it’s dense not just in content but in style. Again, I have no idea how someone like Seth Dickinson can exist, because he is a master at everything. If you want epic battles at sea with cannonfire and mines and torpedos and defensive kites and nautical maneuvering? Check. If you want devious machinations of finance and politics? Check. If you want body horror and secret cults? Check (The pigs! Iraji vs the Brain!). If you want gorgeous, breathtakingly poetic prose? Check. If you want tense action sequences of hand-to-hand combat? Check. If you want fictional cultures and nations so detailed and lived in that it seems Seth himself must not be a novelist but a historian and/or anthropologist from the Ashen Sea? Check. If you want redemption arcs with enemies becoming friends and friends becoming enemies? Check. If you want some of the wildest, trippiest, most poetically written dream/drug-induced hallucination sequences? Check. If you want seduction, devastation, heartbreak, catharsis, conspiracy? Check.

It’s all just so expansive, so epic and intimate at once. Seth is absurdly skilled at maintaining tension; you always feel the stakes, the weight of Tain Hu’s sacrifice, the burden of all Baru’s crimes, the menace of Falcrest’s nested secrets and atrocities of empire. But he’s also exquisite at relieving the tension, even if the relief is brief. Quiet moments, like between Baru and an unexpected not-quite ally meditating together on the night shores of Kyprananoke. Or an unexpected reunion between Baru and another foul-mouthed character important to her, perfectly placed in the narrative because of how it reframes Baru the traitor/monster/tyrant/cryptarch, and because it’s legitimately funny. I’m in awe of how funny this book can be, despite all the grimness.

This is nothing to say even of the ethos of the series, the central question of empire, which is so incredibly, so thoroughly, so unflinchingly developed, imbued in every sentence and every character and every turning of the plot. Two quotes explain this ethos. First:

“Empire required a will, a brain to move the beast, to reach out with appetite, to see other people as the answer to that appetite, to justify the devouring of other peoples as right and necessary and good, to frame slavery and conquest as acts of grace and charity.”

And second: “The world is made of people.” This is not a refutation of empire’s appetites, but an explanation of culpability, and an opportunity to choose other than atrocity.

These two quotes outline the shape of Baru’s arc, and it’s truly glorious to watch this arc play out. Baru’s last scene in Tyrant, before the epilogue, is so well-earned, unexpected, funny, beautiful. It’s a capstone to the series thus far, and while it may be a while before we get the final installment in the series, I will follow Seth anywhere no matter how long. The Masquerade series is already a masterpiece. The only books I can think to compare it to, not in terms of content but sheer quality, are Daniel Abraham’s Coin and Dagger Series and Long Price Quartet, and N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy.

I’ll end this review with one more quote, which is almost just a throwaway paragraph in that it’s not really relevant to any of the major characters or plot, but nothing is really irrelevant when people are people, and this quote demonstrates a lot about Seth’s acuity.

“A race mob had attacked the Tahari Spill, where certain more affluent Oriati federati lived; the city constabulary had already taken the family there into protective custody, and they would be resettled in the Brine City slums, where they could help improve the lot of their racemates. A dog had died in the fire and that had caused much public sorrow. The mob, all the rhetorics agreed, should have expressed its anger more civilly.” – Seth notes in his acknowledgments that he draws a lot on history for his depictions of empire. American history is no exception.

Last thing--please buy every book in this series optimally from a non-monopolistic vendor! Support indie book stores and not empire!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a lot to say about this book. TLDR: it was great.

Now for the long version.

I read *Monster* immediately before reading *Tyrant*. *Monster* had been lurking on Mt. Readmore since it came out, and getting an ARC of *Tyrant* finally pushed it to the top of the queue, for obvious reasons. So I basically read them as one big book, and I’m glad that I did.

*Monster* is about a broken Baru. Bluntly, I didn’t *like* Baru in *Monster*. I could certainly empathize with her, but I didn’t *like* her. She was simply in too dark a place. She was prepared to do anything that would punish herself (because she felt she deserved it, because of Tain Hu’s death) and she was prepared to do ANYTHING to further her goal of destroying Falcrest (because to do any less would have meant Tain Hu’s death wasn’t worth it). I can appreciate a character crossing a moral event horizon, but it’s not exactly pleasant when that person is the protagonist, she’s judging herself far too harshly, and you’re spending most of the time in her head.

Plus, she just wasn’t the same Baru as we had in *Traitor*. That Baru was clever, she was a problem solver. She was an *accountant*. Baru the would-be bioterrorist just wasn’t a good fit. There were flashes of clever Baru, but only brief ones. She was too absorbed in her grief.

I’m happy to say that we get the old Baru back in *Tyrant*. She’s changed by her experiences, certainly, but no longer shattered by them. She is still seeking the downfall of Falcrest, but she’s trying to cause it by means of economics and trade routes rather than unleashing plagues. She wants to dismantle Incrasticism without destroying the Falcresti people. She would like to preserve things like Falcresti trade routes and covered sewers without keeping things like Falresti eugenics and corrective rape. It was a refreshing, and uplifting, change to see her really come alive again.

Parts of this gave me the same feeling as watching *Memento* for the first time. Wheels within wheels doesn’t begin to cover it. We don’t know what Baru’s plans are in any detail, and the nature of her head injury means that Baru herself doesn’t necessarily know them either. We don’t know what Heyschast and Farrier are planning, we don’t know what Svir and Yawa are planning, and we don’t know if Baru is working her own will, or Farrier’s. As people remark more than once, for someone who is trying so hard to undercut Farrier and Falcrest, her actions do seem to always be just what Farrier would have liked her to do. The gradual unravelling is certainly a brain bender.

We get a frame story, which is new. The book begins with a confused, very clearly not-OK Baru recounting recent events to Farrier, who is both sorrowful and very, very proud of her. I’ve worried from the beginning of this series that Baru would end up lobotomized and on the Imperial Throne. Seth wasn’t making me feel any better about that literally from the first page. Been rather upset about it, in fact, which is not a commentary on how anything turns out. Just that Seth had me worrying over it.

We learn more about the Cancrioth, and Farrier and Tau and Heyschast’s backstory. The past gets filled in even as things move forward. And while there is one hell of an interesting sequel hook, I’d also be content with the story ending here.

All in all a great read. Comes out on August 11, and highly recommended.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I loved this political fantasy series but I will admit that I didn't love this third book as much as the first two. However I loved how this one ended and am very excited to see how it ends in the final book.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm tired now.
What bogs this book down are the endless discussions between various people about how their loyalties are not the ones they think they are, how their motives are not those they think they are, why their goals, hopes, and dreams, are not what they think their are, the endless turn after turn after turn of the truth behind the lies behind the truth behind the lies, that removes so much solid ground for the characters and indeed the entire story.
There's some mad brilliance in here. But it's very tiresome to read.

[Katie.dorny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

The way the author can weave such intricate geo-political fantasy plots, character development and subjects AS WELL as keeping them all memorable and intriguing - I’ve tried a lot of other books like this where threads get lost or the entire book stops making sense.

Make my Baru ruler of them all in the next one.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

That author’s note at the end made me very scared for the next book.

If Baru reveals the Cancrioth, alive and powerful after a thousand years in hiding, the Oriati Mbo will look to the cancer cultists for protection against Falcrest. They will abandon trim.
This would cause a civil war.
A democlysm: death like no dying the world has ever seen. And once the old ways are torn down, once the Princes are overthrown and the mbo is shattered... then Falcrest can get inside whatever's left. Digest them, make them the Imperial’s possession.

However, Baru really sought the Cancrioth to obtain a weapon or an advantage that could destroy Falcrest. To root them out of her home.

”You were in deepest despair yesterday. You thought that all was lost, that you were going to die. You struck the bottom of your fall. And suddenly you were so high, so free, and everything was all right. But really what's happened is that you struck bottom so hard you bounced. Now you're sinking again. This is how it goes, Baru. There's no magical way out.”

You can clearly see how Falcrest is like a parasite. It needs to grow stronger and bigger to sustain itself which means consuming and destroying others.

Dickenson brings together characters in such a dynamic and incredible way to test loyalties, reveal truths, lies, and the innermost desires and plans of characters they deny even to themselves.
It’s paralysing. Breathtaking. Genius.

This entire book, this series, is a whole conversation debating nature v nurture. This will decide the fate of the world, of how Falcrest will proceed and invade and conquer.
I find it so interesting and I want to know the outcome too!!!

”Hesychast the eugenicist says, we must breed the perfect citizen. "And against him, Itinerant the trader says, we must teach them to rule themselves.”

I do think this was my personal least liked of the three books out yet, with book two being my favourite.

I did not realise this was an uncompleted series and now I am feeling unmoored.

Bookstagram

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my MOST anticipated book out of all the upcoming in 2020 books. Can’t wait to see a cover and summary blurb. The title is awesome.

EDIT 09/26/2019 LOOK AT THAT COVER! It’s gorgeous! The hype is so real.

EDIT 11/16/2019 FINALLY WE HAVE A SUMMARY. Oh my gosh. Baru, what have you gotten yourself into? And that Tain Hu mention ... my heart. :(

EDIT 08/13/2020 I HAVE READ IT AND IT IS AMAZING.

[nisa esen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The brain survives. I see men shot through the head live long enough to die of fever. I see children with nothing but water in their skulls grow up to be mathematicians. I see brains pierced by arrows, fishing hooks, mine shrapnel: all of them healed in time. I meet you, Baru, struck in the head but perfectly clever. Poison the brain, and sometimes you just ... change it. Does destroying Falcrest really destroy its empire?"

and

"I do not like pineapple!" Baru snapped, because she was so bemused at being called a slut.

"YOU DO!" Tau screamed, and the blood rushed into their eye like poured wine. "I ASKED YOUR PARENTS WHAT FOOD YOU LIKED! AND THEY SAID PINEAPPLE!"

and

" The thought of maggots in a cock bothers us more than ten thousand dead innocents. So I thought I would evoke the necessary revulsion. "

and

"Your science has explained some things, so you believe that science must explain all things. You can't understand what they did to me. So you say nothing was done to me at all."

patiently waiting for book 4 <3

Song on loop: Black Widow - Martin Phipps

[Heather M · Rating 4 out of 5]

i want to write expansively abt this series because i do think dickinson did his absolute best on it but all my shitty brain wants to do is loop RETURN OF THE MACK DOT MP3 continuously...but it's accounting. return of the accountant.

anyway this installment really works, and structurally it delivers on Monster's potential, is more like its much-needed second half and you can tell that this is one middle book split in two. i don't think the pacing is perfect but ultimately i found it super rewarding to reach this point. there's not a character in the bunch who didn't have room to breathe. tau, aminata, and yawa especially were pivotal and i don't know how the hell dickinson managed to hit some of the specific notes he did with aminata especially. like how does he know. who has he been talking to lmao.

i was too invested in the characters and stakes to pick apart the worldbuilding/how dickinson has handled all of these cultures and their clear analogues. in the end i'm too overwhelmed for that rn; there are four acts and they each made me cry somewhere. and yes it WAS gayer than ever. somehow, baru is gayer than BEFORE she lost her right index and middle fingers. this is a 4.5/5 but if i could give it eleven stars for a certain meditation scene i would.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why did you come here?” To destroy Falcrest! To betray Cairdine Farrier, avenge Tain Hu, and liberate her home!

Actual rating 4.5

On my blog.

Rep: lesbian mc with hemilateral neglect, depression & epilepsy, bi mc, nonbinary mc, bi side characters, polyamory

CWs: violence, gore, descriptions of brain surgery

Galley provided by publisher

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant picks up immediately from where The Monster left off. Baru has located the Cancrioth, with whose help she hopes to release the Kettling into Falcrest and thus bring down the Empire. With her is Tau-indi Bosoka, while Svir, Yawa, Tain Shir, and numerous other…currently antagonistic characters are on her tail.

The Masquerade series is a densely political fantasy series and book three of it is no different from the previous two in that respect. Only in this one, we get to the crux of the matter. Baru’s guilt, and Baru’s plan for revenge. If you could call any of the books truly action-packed (and I do not mean that negatively), this one is a lot more thoughtful in comparison. A good chunk of the book at the start is taken up with Baru confronting her feelings over Tain Hu, and subsequent chapters deal with the formation of her plan.

Interspersed with the main narrative – albeit one told in the past, since the present Baru is telling this story – are journeys 23 years back with the Mbo, continuing from The Monster in this respect, and interludes which take us to various other, currently bit-part, players in the world, including the Necessary King. But throughout, you get the sense of all the pieces slowly coming together across the two books.

Because this book, on the whole, felt a lot like a set-up for the final installment of the series. Not in a bad way, because it was a very slowburning set-up and got me so excited for book four, and it definitely wasn’t a filler book – plot strands were resolved in this, even as more developed – but everything in this book led to the start of Baru’s plan taking shape. There were times where I thought maybe a spanner would be thrown in the works, but everything came together smoothly. There were some big revelations at the end, but not on the same level as those in the first two books.

This sounds like a complaint, but it is not, I promise. I was entirely drawn back into the world and I couldn’t care less that this happened. All it did was make me even more excited about how everything would unfold. Namely, will Baru’s plan succeed? I mean, let’s be real, it wouldn’t be much of a conclusion if everything came off without a hitch. So, where will it go wrong?

All in all then, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant more than satisfied me as the third book in the series. I guess all that’s left to do now is wait impatiently for the fourth.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Masquerade series holds a place on my shelves as one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. As such, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant was my most anticipated book of 2020. While the book goes a different direction than I expected and I'm not fully satisfied with the ending, I still very much enjoyed it and believe fans of the series will too.

The tone of Tyrant does a complete 180 from its predecessors. If Monster is  the lowest low, Tyrant is the manic high that follows. While I still wouldn't call this book (or this series really) "happy", the overall tone is certainly more upbeat. Baru has come to accept Tain Hu's death and is now on a path for revenge against Falcrest, revenge to make Tain Hu's death count. There's a new flame of determination that drives Baru, giddy with excitement that a plan will work. This is the first time we really see Baru in control of a situation and it's fascinating.

I was surprised by the humor in this book and it's a humor I vibe with. It's dry, sarcastic, sometimes meta in a way that cryptarchs would be, and often unexpected. Yet the jokes never felt out of place and served as a bit of tension relief in an otherwise tense scene. My favorite was a quick dig at pure mathematicians. Definitely saving that for future use. Likewise, there was an underlying sexual element that I didn't notice in prior books. Maybe it's because Baru needs to get laid without hating herself after. Maybe it's because Aminata just needs to get laid period. Either way, there's definitely an underlying element of horny. 

Of the other characters, my surprise favorite turned out to be Xate Yawa. We get more from her perspective. Her conflicts over keeping her brother safe, her determination to free Aurdwynn from Falcrest, and her friendship with Heingyl Ri made her a surprisingly compelling character this time around. I've apparently either ignored age or it wasn't really specified because I always assumed Yawa was way younger than she actually is. Also Tau is forty! Speaking of Tau, if Baru goes from depressed to determined With A Plan™, Tau goes from annoyingly cheerful to just full-on depression. I really have to give credit to Dickinson's character development because Tau sans trim was one of the most fascinating, yet disturbing character flips I've read in a long time.

Going to take a quick interlude to throw in that my man Apparitor deserves so much better. Please give this poor man his husband, his boyfriend, a ship, and some fat stacks of cash and let him go exploring.


Readers who complained that Monster was too slow-paced and introspective will be happy to know that Tyrant has a much faster pacing, and is generally more action-driven. Similarly, those that complained that Baru didn't use enough of her economic savant-ness should be happy to know that Baru flexes those skills here. In fact, one of my favorites parts of this book is how Dickinson addresses war as a means to expand trade, and the drive of trade and economics to those actions.

The worldbuilding in this series is part of what draws me to is and Tyrant is no exception. In particular, the cancer-worshipping Cancrioth are an absolutely fascinating group of people. I believe it's best for the reader to learn about them on their own, so I won't say more about them. We also finally get a dive into Falcresti society, and in particular I enjoyed seeing the minds of their averages citizens. I do wish we got to see more of the Stakhieczi, but with the direction this series is going, I suspect they'll be a big player in book four. Having read this book, I still have absolutely no idea if magic actually exists in this world if or if it's all a case of psychology and science so advanced it seems like magic.

As always, Tyrant delves into some heavy themes, and at a 250K wordcount, Dickinson has plenty of time to explore them. There's a heavy exploration of colonialism, its motivation and effects. With Tyrant, the conversation turns to the aftermath: what happens ten, twenty years down the line, when a group of people and a place have been colonized. Baru, living off her childhood memories of Taranoke, slowly discovers how much she has forgotten of the culture she's trying to save. Kyprananoke, a discarded Falcresti colony, exists in dying embers, its past self forgotten. On the flip side, Xate Yawa lives in the consequences of an Aurdwynn forged in Falcrests views and even the Oriati Mbo, yet unconquered, have been forced changes to accommodate Falcrest. Secondary are discussions of rebellions, and the people behind them, feminism in Falcresti society and its intersectionality with the treatment of minorities or lackthereof, and the exotification of other cultures in the eyes of colonizers.

My one dislike with Tyrant is that I didn't like the ending. Not in a, ruined the series kind of way, but just, after the previous too, the ending felt way too easy. Too clean, one could say. It really can't say more without giving things away, but the last fourth felt rushed.

Overall, I rate this book a 4/5. Loved the characters and this new flip on Baru's POV, loved the worldbuilding and the tie-ins from previous books, and I was enthralled with the exploration of colonialism, rebellion against ones oppressors and those many facets. Fans of the series will not be disappointed

[h · Rating 5 out of 5]

iscend @ baru: PLEASEEEE fuck my pussy

lmfao that was one of the funniest things in this book which is normally pretty dark and heavy. this was surprising the least heartbreaking of the books and ended somewhat happily.

[Randal · Rating 2 out of 5]

No mas ... I give up.

In a book / series with this many characters, almost none of them stood out. With about 100 pages to go, there's what's clearly supposed to be an ah-ha moment, a little chapter where Dickinson puts the reader in the head of a new character, and there's a little guessing game as to who it is. It's such a muddle that a) I didn't have a coherent guess; b) when the character was revealed, it meant nothing to me. It's someone Baru betrayed, apparently. About half the speaking characters are former lovers of Baru / Barhu who she has betrayed, so what makes this one different? Why does it matter? I don't know. And it is building up to yet another episode of is Baru following the Falcrest master plan or is she really a traitor this time. But I don't care. And I looked at the author's Wiki and saw the series is four books, not the trilogy I was expecting, so I'm packing it in with fewer than 100 pages left. I would also peek at the ending, but what's the point? It will be some character whose back story eludes me, aside from the part where Baru betrayed them, saving Baru so she can be enigmatic through another 700 pages.

No. No. I give up. If I had binge-read the books, I might be able to keep the characters straight, but I read them as they came out, and my chances of remembering why who hates Baru from book one might as well be the 97th number of pi. It's a number between 0-9.

When the author threw in a little flashback of Barutrayals at about page 100 of this one, I got (briefly) caught up, but lack of caring about what happens to any of the characters (except the cute young man whose announced destiny is to get cancer-as-a-weapon; he seemed nice) made it impossible to follow the machinations. I'm so done here, it's a physical relief to toss this series aside.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

On balance I think this latest Baru Cormorant sequel is probably an improvement over the previous volume, but it's still nowhere near as electrifying as the original novel. The more fantastical additions like self-aware cancers continue to not quite work for me, and too often a character seems to get reduced to a single sentence of motivation that supposedly unlocks and manipulates their entire history but -- for me as a reader, at least -- actually renders them shallow and unrealistic as a person. A number of lobotomies and other brain injuries further obscure some of the reasoning herein, which is a striking but not always satisfying narrative choice.

There are a handful of truly powerful scenes in this book, and I remain invested in both the protagonist's arc and the fate of the overall setting. Author Seth Dickinson is putting forward some interesting arguments about the resilience of queer life under a repressive empire, and as with many of the other elements in this series, that's not a topic that I see often in genre fiction. Yet I miss the intimate focus that first drew me into this sprawling world, and the feeling that all the court intrigue was based in legible relationships that wouldn't shift with the wind. I've reached the point with this cast where no new betrayal particularly stings anymore, which makes for a somewhat tedious read.

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[Sina Tavousi Masrour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most enlightening reads in my entire life.
Dickinson has built a fascinating world which seems to be made entirely of intrigue. I find it sad that some people think he did not deliver on the promise of The Traitor Baru Cormorant, I think he did exactly that and more. We just didn't know how complex the world was. This is the book where Baru really finds herself and grows so much as a character. And apart from her, there are many interesting characters that are not only unconventional, but brilliant as well.
I hope he finds the energy to finish this tremendous series, but even if he doesn't, I'm satisfied.

[Tasula · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series, liked the second, but this one taxed my poor little brain. There were too many characters that I recalled imperfectly, too much political jockeying, too much philosophical/religious friction between factions, frequent shifting of alliances and enemies, and too much whining from our heroine, Baru. The backstory about young Tau, Abdumasi, Kindalana and their ideals of "trim" (a philosophy of putting others first, being honorable, turning the other cheek, etc.) was tedious.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first Baru Cormorant novel, The Traitor, then was disappointed with the second, The Monster. A comment on my review of the latter convinced me to read The Tyrant and I'm glad that I did. Although it was grim as fuck, I found Baru a much more compelling character than in The Monster. A lot of stuff set up there plays out here, yet I was surprised to find this isn't the final book in the series. (Technically I knew this, but had forgotten.) In that case, I have to wonder, why is it quite so long? Could a few of the torture scenes have been cut, perhaps? Even Iain M. Banks' Culture novels confined themselves to one or two extended scenes of horrific torture. In The Tyrant, from memory, the reader finds several lobotomies, keelhauling, poisoning with an abortifacient, poisoning with datura, and drowning in a tiny torture chamber. There is also lots of horrific business with cancer tumours and plenty of good old-fashioned violence. But the important thing is that Baru is plotting again, rather than being drunk and depressed on a boat.

The political and economic machinations that began in The Traitor continue to be highly compelling. The detailed and thoughtful world-building provides plenty of scope for socioeconomic change, which is great as I dislike stasis in fantasy novels. I really appreciate that the world of the Masquerade doesn't have magic (unless you count uranium) but does have its own versions of free market economics, eugenics, and biological warfare. There may be a lot of gore and body horror, but it all exists in interesting and well-developed contexts. The characterisation is likewise thoughtful, as it explores the quandaries of conflicting cultural, political, and ethnic allegiances under colonialism.

Although The Tyrant is generally quite a heavy read, there are also some lighter moments when Baru flirts with women, sleeps with women, awkwardly encounters women she slept with, etc. Now that she's far from Falcrest scrutiny her internalised homophobia can relax a bit:

There was not one hint in the wide river or the slow wind that the world was about to change. Because a few tired, angry people had gathered in a room and, through frustration, terror, and slow concession of principle, come to a bargain.
Was that how history should happen? It seemed uncouth.
Maybe she and Yawa and the onkos were just avatars of impersonal and inhuman forces. Little sinewy joints in the skeleton of the world, bent by huge muscles of need and excess, mistaking the motions forced upon them for the action of their own wills.
Maybe what was about to happen was like the loose scree of el-Tsunuqbe's face. A huge potential pent up and waiting to move. And Barhu was the little bomb that started the avalanche.
She felt exactly like she had on that last night after the victory at Sieroch. Giddy. Bent near to breaking. At least at Sieroch she'd gotten laid before the worst.
"Barhu!" Solit called, from the river pump where she was drawing water. As if moved by trim: "There's a woman here! She says she's your lover!"
Barhu was immediately and excruciatingly embarrassed. "It's not Shao Lune, is it?"
"Who's Shao Lune?" Solit repeated, innocently. "There's another one?"

I also appreciated Tain Shir dialling it back, as her hyperbolic threats became absurd in The Monster. Baru gathers a variety of allies in The Tyrant, which involves difficult negotiations. The Devi-Naga Mbo continue to be of great significance; they were the most interesting feature of The Monster. Although it probably did not need to be 750 pages long, The Tyrant's sea of blood was rewarding to wade through. I definitely want to find out where Baru's plans take her in the final book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Wanting things is the beginning of suffering”

5/5 stars! SPOILERS AHEAD

Trigger warnings: mentions of rape and sexual assault, gore, violence, death, plague, lobotomy, forced abortion, miscarriage, child death & murder, genocide(?), cannibalism, torture, drugs, suicide ideation, cancer, body horror.

Heads up: Sexism, homophobia, racism are present in this world.

I did it. I finally did it! I´m in a stage of utter happiness and also mourning because this has got to be one of the best fucking fantasy series I´ve ever read : It´s complex, haunting, addictive, unique, and most importantly: it dares to do what others have not.

The Masquerade series, (especially its first book) is just an utter success through and through, Baru Cormorant is one of the best characters I´ve ever read about and, unlike The Monster, Tyrant gives answers, wraps up events neatly and the character development is on point.

"Everyone has a blindness somewhere, very few remember it"

Having found the Cancrioth, Baru is now in search of the weapon that could single handedly wipe out the Empire: plague. But to have it, Baru must sacrifice not only millions of people to reach her ultimate goal, but herself: to gain access to the Kettling, she must take baneflesh into her and be willing to die for it.

The Cancrioth, much to Falcrest´s disappintment, is not a single united cult as they were expecting, but rather a cult divided into two main factions: The Eye´s and The Brain´s. The Eye´s faction want to return home with Abdumasi Abd, still one of the most powerful and wanted men in the Empire. The Brain´s faction, on the other hand, wish to fight Falcrest on a war that might wipe out the entire civilization. As the Cancrioth unveils itself, there is also risk of an Oriati civil war ,since Cancrioth have no trim and are therefore "not human".

Baru, still a puppet cryptarch to Farrier and Renascent, must win the Reckoning of Ways: a competition between Hesychast´s and Farrier´s theory of government and behaviour for the betterment of the Empire. The Cancrioth present the opportunity of proof for both protegés: Baru and Yawa. Baru needs proof of the Cancrioth to push Oriati into civil war, weaken them and conquer and establish the Empire as a "saviour". Yawa, on the other hand, needs proof of the Cancrioth to demonstrate that traits and behaviours can be passed down through the flesh. As time draws closer to present proof, Baru must find a way to seem compliant to Falcrest even though she is planning certain destruction.

“We need a brain to deny ourselves what we want. Sometimes we must choose hate over love. Sometimes we must choose death over life"

Juris Ormsment is still in mutiny, still searching for Baru and still risking the navy, which is close to being purged by the Parliament.

Apparitor also known as Svirakir, still wants nothing more than to disappear with Lindon and his family, but through Baru and Yawa, he is forced to establish a marriage proposal between the Stakhi king (his brother) and Heingyl Ri. (Aurdwynn´s governor) This marriage proposal would let Atakhazir remain as the Necessary King, have claim to mansion Uzenith and a potential alliance with Aurdwynn.

Atakhazir (the Necessary King) is fighting to keep his crown, since Stakhi mansions are known to unseat and scalp open their king after they no longer deem him "necessary". Among the people who want him unseated is Mansion Uzenith, rivals to Hussacht. Uzenith however, faces one big problem: their leader left to Aurdwynn and was never seen again, therefore, a possibility exists that someone from Aurdwynn has claim to their mansion. Akahazir must choose then, between distinct proposals: the return of his brother, the conquer and plunder of grain in Aurdwynn, Baru Cormorant as dowry or old fashioned invasion.

Aminata is still searching for Baru and joins Ormsment in hopes that she will get to Baru and uncover the truth of both their friendship and Baru´s loyalty to Falcrest.

Xate Yawa is now a bound cryptarch to Hesychast (though not at all loyal). To avoid her brother being lobotomized, she must follow Hesychast´s plan and win the Reckoning of ways, even if she has to destroy Baru in the process.

Tau Indi is now a prisioner on the Cancrioth´s ship, cut off of trim and disappointed at the decision their friend (Abdumasi Abd) of taking Undionash´s line into him, making him a part of the Cancrioth.

Farrier and Hesychast are still in competition and still wanting Renascent´s favour and files of blackmail on each other. It gets juicy Just kidding.

Renascent and Stargazer are still very much a mystery. (which adds up to the fear, I suppose) There is little known about Stargazer, but Renascent is revealed to having made Hesychast certain requests over the years, making Hesychast believe she is not even a person anymore.

Faham Execarne a Morrow Ministry agent is just there to fuck things up. Aside from that, he has revealed that he is a cryptarch as well. It is unlikely he is Stargazer, so as revelations go, he is probably a cryptarch from another cell.

Kindalana (Segu´s Prince) is also a key pawn now: gone over to Falcrest, she believes that she can unite Falcrest and the Mbo without the costs of war. She is Abdumasi´s ex wife and Farrier´s ex lover (I know ya´ll probably know that but I will need to read this before book 4 comes out, bear with me, please)

Tain Shir (Hu´s cousin and Farrier´s ex apprentice) who is no longer actively trying to kill Baru. She believes Baru has learned the lesson but will still linger if she decides Baru is no longer keeping Tain Hu´s faith.

And finally, Shao Lune, Xe, and Heia I hate you (obviously, even though I drastically changed opinion, I still believe she is an amazingly written character!) , I love you and I love you respectively. Seriously though, I loved Heia. When I was reading the Traitor, I did not like Heingyl at all or rather, I did not have an opinion on her but OHHHH! Reading her was such a pleasure: she is ambitious, fierce, so smart and so open and she deserves the world <3 such a shame she is married to Bel Latheman or was, hehe I am also aware I shouldn´t have a grudge or even hate him but I still do. A shame.

"Taranoke, taranoke, I am the burnt and unpeopled husk of Taranoke, I am your home as you deserve to find it, I am the true and empty shape of your heart"

As with the Monster,we get multiple places described at once and as with the Monster, the world building is out of this fucking world.

Kyprananoke is now a central setting: The Cancrioth released The Kettling there, after all. This little island has such an important role because, not only is it full of Kettling but, if you recall correctly, there was a revolution against the Kyprists so: a) It characterizes how people tend to act on some cases (i.e: People infecting other people on purpose) b) It brings into play the matter of context that is, of course, the matter of the Empire and the conditions that were created in order for people to behave the way they do. (i.e: The Pranist) and c) The costs someone is willing to pay to end a plague. (i.e: Water hammer)

Oriati Mbo also plays an important role, since its the place where Abdu, Kinda and Tau grew up. Its also the place Falcrest once attacked and still wants to conquer either through trade (like they did on Taranoke) or through civil war and salvation. Its also one of my favourite places. (Aurdwynn has my heart though)

Aurdwynn my love, my heart and my favourite place in the whole Empire. Aurdwynn is important because it has fertile lands, rivers and grains. Luring the Stakhi into Aurdwynn would let the Masquerade get rid of them, as it has been stated that they have tried to conquer for several years. Its both in Yawa´s and Baru´s best interest to protect it: Baru´s because it was Hu´s home (CURRENTLY CRYING) and because it helps her with the newly established trade concern and Yawa because its her homeland

Unlike the Monster, Cauteria now is central too. Its where Abdumasi Abd is kept, where Aminata conducted torture and where a few Taranoki (including Solit and Pinion) have migrated to smuggle other people that have been threatened by Falcrest.

“Power can’t be separated from its history. A choice can’t be taken in isolation from its context. Power is the ability to set the terms of the riddle. To arrange the rewards and punishments by which the choice is judged.”

The character development is just chef´s kiss Especially Aminata´s, Yawa´s, Tau´s and Baru´s But oh my, my little, shriveling heart Aminata´s was the one that broke my heart the most: She was orphaned, she fought and repressed who she was and where she came from, she joined the navy, helped torture her own people, risked her life, etc etc and still, after helping (and saving) Faham and the Morrow Ministry get out of the Cancrioth´s ship, she gets shot and is sent to trial. Seeing her realize how she has been treated is just *cries*, don´t talk to me.

Yawa helping Baru, Baru calling Yawa: "Auntie Yawa"or the jokes they make with each other make my heart burst with happiness and Tau *cries again*they grew so much, what with the Oriati considering Cancrioth are not human. Spot on.

This is also, my formal apology for saying some POVS did not help expand the world.They do and in this book it is so much clearer why the POVS were needed in the first place. I still think Abd is kinda meh but oh well, he is important to the whole of the story regardless.

The banter between the characters again, is perfect. But by far, my favourite banter and interaction was between Baru and Hingyl Ri and Baru´s parents. Heingyl Ri is so fascinating and the fact that she was introduced at a Ball makes it so incredibly better: the dances, the tension and interaction. It is by far too, my favourite scene. She gave so much depth to the story, and also provided with incredible dialogues (mainly regarding gender). I hope we see more of her. I really do, and she better not die Im serious.

I´m also a sentimental and seeing Baru cry: "Mother" when she heard Pinion breaks my heart into pieces so small I will not be able to put them back together ever again. I love her parents, I love the jokes they made in front of her and how horrified she was at the comments (LMAO) Pinion and Solit deserve the entire world: they help other people escape Falcrest as best as they can, they accept what their daughter did, help her continue with her work even though they know the risk and even carry out difficult tasks, like casting her out (*more cry*) of her own culture for her sake. They better not die, either

Farrier and Baru´s encounters proved to be the most interesting too! You know Farrier is Falcrest´s but (I would argue) he is also in a precarious position, he also has people he doesn´t want to lose and people he has lost because of his service to the Empire. He is bad, truly a piece of shit, but after learning his secret I couldn´t help but to feel sorry for him. Baru however, shined. When I tell you I threw my copy across the room, I mean it. And ooof, if she shined with Farrier, she was beyond splendid with how she handled and blackmailed Hesychast Truly a remarkable scene.

And please, don´t get me started with TAAAAAINNNN HUUUUUU My precious Tain Hu. I loved the aspect of the "split" but that final moment, when Hu asks her to let her go, will be the death of me. I´m also one of those b*tches who like to suffer more than she should so, the fact that Duchy Vultjag was one of the few places during the Stakhi invasion that survived sent me because *deep breath* BARU SAVED HER HOME EXPLAINING WHAT A FUTURE CONTRACT WAS *stops breathing*

And Baru :( I love Baru with all my heart as well. She is so brilliant and I felt so sorry for her, truly. Morally grey (if you can call her that, I´m still not exactly sure) characters are so fascinating to read about and Baru is no exception. She pulls herself out of her grief to think about the actual consequences of unleashing a plague (she who was prepared to pay and sacrifice anything) and decides against it. She still wants to take down Falcrest but she decides to take the route that she knows how to handle: trade and economics. Again * character development*

People bent. You hit them hard enough and they just bent.

I can´t go without posting my favorite scenes:
- The Ball
-The forest
-Baru and parent´s reunion
-Baru taking the Emperors place
-Farrier, Hesychast and Barus interactions
-Baru´s birthday party
-Baru letting go and actually showing what she felt
-Baru saying goodbye to Xe
-Baru and Tain Hu´s goodbye
-Auntie Yawa :3
-Iscend´s dialogues (gender and overall dismantling of Falcrest´s ideology)

Finally, I´m just stating that there was not a single thing that I disliked in this book. It truly is spendid. I finished it in 4 days. I finished a 700 page beast in 4 days. Its a spectacular book. English and Spanish and every fucking language in this entire universe fails to explain how much I love and cherish this book. Please read this series.

“I died so that you could be free”

[celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

i thought nothing could top the masquerade sequel... but then tyrant baru happened and everything changed. holy shit? seth dickinson has mastered in my humble opinion the art of raw, organic dialogues that mess up with your head because the line of thought is difussed but remains rich and mesmerizing. i couldn't stop reading even when i had no idea what was going on. but then again, the plot? eugenics? women? TAIN HU? FARRIER? those plot twist... and that end! i covered my mouth so many times from the very beginning i've lost count.

i'm extremely glad (i've said this 100 times) i gave this series another chance after my struggles with the first book. i also found out quite recently that there will be a fourth book releasing some day... seth hurry up please and thank you.

[Peyton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever known an evil man, Baru? A criminal, a wife-beater, an incompetent or a drunk, who sits behind his desk every day, guilty in all eyes but legally untouchable? Everyone knows what he’s done but no one can prove it, no one can act. His reputation simmers but never boils. Have you ever known a man like that? […] Imagine that man is an entire nation. A confederation of nations…”

I adored The Traitor Baru Cormorant, which is one of the best speculative fiction novels I have ever read. The complex worldbuilding and storyline drew me in from the first page, and I’m a sucker for a well-written anti-hero. I was deeply disappointed by the sequel The Monster Baru Cormorant, however. Baru Cormorant continued to compel me, but many of the new characters and former secondary characters promoted to main character status did not. It has been a year since I read the first two books, and Baru Cormorant has been living in my head rent-free ever since. It was only inevitable that I would eventually pick up the third book in the Masquerade series to see what became of Baru after the bombshell cliff-hanger ending of the second book.

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant is a nautical journey across the islands of the Ashen Sea. The narrative follows Baru Cormorant and a cast of other collaborators and rebels. The mysterious Cancrioth sect take centre stage when they offer Baru Cormorant the Kettling, a biological weapon that could destroy Falcrest. The Kettling is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that originated in bat colonies in the underground caverns of the Cancrioth’s jungle homeland. The disease gets its name from how swarms of infected bats fly upwards out of the caverns like steam from a kettle. Baru must choose between agreeing to the Cancrioth’s terms or continuing to collaborate with Falcrest to destroy the empire from the inside out.

So begins a turbulent story about grief, regrets, and indecision. Rumi once said, “Perplexity in the heart is like war,” and I have yet to come across another book that so perfectly encapsulates his meaning. Baru continues to grapple with the question of how to fight for what is right when the only way to ensure her success is to close herself off from her conscience. The death of Tain Hu, who was a rare voice of idealism and integrity in the first book, continues to haunt Baru and the reader. Baru Cormorant’s frequent attempts to rationalize her complicity in this death do not detract from how harrowingly unfair it is that Baru Cormorant lives on after condemning others to die for crimes she is equally guilty of.

Some reviewers have criticized this series for being too heavy-handed in its condemnation of homophobia and racism, while others find that its ruthless characters embody negative stereotypes that detract from the overall message. While I wouldn’t dismiss either of these perspectives, I think that they both reflect discomfort with the fundamentally uncomfortable perspective Dickinson has chosen for his characters. The Masquerade is unflinchingly a story about colonialism as it is seen through the eyes of collaborators - those who sell out their own people to an occupying force for personal gain. Colonialism is not simply a story of colonizers and victims, but also of people who play both sides and stand to gain from almost any outcome.

Human sacrifice, practiced by the Cancrioth, is a major theme of this book. In a world where people give their lives for wars and revolutions out of a sense of duty or moral obligation, giving one’s life for a higher power is not so absurd. In one heart-rending scene, the dying Cancrioth leader Incrisiath says to Baru, “Sometimes we must choose hate over love. Sometimes we must choose death over life. […] Are you ready to choose death?”

Conceptually, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant is strong; but unfortunately, Dickinson repeats many of the same narrative missteps he made in The Monster Baru Cormorant. Like its prequel, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant feels unnecessarily bloated. The Story of Ash, which continues in this installment, was clearly intended to be only a chapter or two recounted to Baru by Tau. The Masquerade has always been about the literal and figurative masks that its characters wear, which is why I am disappointed by Dickinson’s choice to make his characters constantly discuss their identities, motives, and plans. If Dickinson left a few more characters’ inner worlds to the reader’s imagination, the book would easily be half its length and more satisfying to untangle.

Characterization and plot are also not always convincing. Baru Cormorant’s big plan regarding trade in the Ashen Sea is overly facile, which some minor characters point out. Characters that have survived the series so far have an undue amount of plot armour in this installment, which feels incongruous when you think about the quite literal massacres of major characters earlier in the series. (Dickinson also actually admits, in a rather meta scene, that Duchess Nayauru deserved more character development. I discussed this in my review of the first book.)

Fortunately for Baru fans with the patience to traverse this book’s waters, Dickinson answers numerous questions raised in previous volumes. For example, he reveals the contents of the blackmail palimpsest from the first book, which contains a seemingly inconsequential confession that provides Baru Cormorant with a vital piece of intelligence. Overall, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant maintained enough suspense and intrigue that I was compelled to finish its 650 pages.

The ending ultimately delivered what I hoped for. At long last, Baru Cormorant arrives in the famed city of Falcrest. She places herself upon the Emperor’s throne and uses the authority and anonymity of the mask to begin unseating Falcresti aristocrats, starting with her mentor and tormentor Cairdine Farrier. I always expected this of Baru Cormorant, and it was cathartic and surreal to read.

It has been a long journey since Baru Cormorant first donned her mask. The story as a whole is flawed, but the ending is worth it.

Side note: Dickinson mentions in the afterword that he struggled with perfectionism and self-doubt while writing this series, but that he is determined to write a more concise final installment. I can relate to how he feels, and although I am eager to read the final installment, I am happy to wait if it means he is more confident with the final product.

My review of The Traitor Baru Cormorant
My review of The Monster Baru Cormorant

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update, September 14: This was probably a 4.5 star read for me—I’d put it behind Traitor and before Monster. It was much more hopeful? than the last two books, and that was a nice palate cleanser. The author, in the Afterword, notes that these books are exhausting for him to write, and if this is the last one, if the fourth is never released, I’ll still be satisfied with the series overall.

—-

Update, August 24: My anxiety about what's going to happen to some of these characters isn't good for me right now, so I'm going to put this aside at the 15% mark. I'm absolutely going to come back to it--I must know what happens--but I'm not in the right headspace for what I'm sure is going to be a brutal read.

---

I am so stupidly excited for this, and I'm reading this refresher in preparation: https://www.tor.com/2020/08/11/what-y...

[Thomas Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 140 pages. Very similar to book #2 and all the flaws that came with that one. A shame because I loved the first one. I would still recommend reading ‘The Traitor’ because it’s fairly stand alone, with the option to continue. And I would recommend stopping there.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered the Baru Cormorant series in 2020 or so and immediately fell in love. It became one of my most favorite fantasy novels of all time. The sequel disappointed me, so it took a while to pick up Book 3. But I'm so happy that Book 3 redeemed itself. It's reminded me of why I love this series so much!!

Baru, my beloved Baru, so scarred and traumatized but for once trying to change her fate. The third book feels familiar in many ways (complex conspiracies, nonstop betrayals, creepy as hell worldbuilding, friends turned enemies turned allies turned enemies, Baru's weakness for wily women, Baru's inability to let go of her true love Tain Hu) but it also takes a very serious turn away from the grimdark themes and vibes of the previous two books.

Don't get me wrong. The Tyrant is still very dark, violent, spooky, and heartbreaking. But it's Baru herself who has changed. She wants to be a better person now. She is no longer so careless about human life. She has learned her lesson, and she'll put her own life on the line to protect the people around her. It's a novel about unlearning a lifetime's worth of conditioning. Falcrest molded her into a ruthless, one-track-minded savant who cares for nothing and nobody except her goals. Falcrest made her hate herself: her race, her body, her sexuality. But maybe to defeat Falcrest she must become who she truly is -- and become the complete opposite of everything it had molded her to be.

I've noticed this trend of grimdark fantasy series learning to become more hopeful and loving in the later books. I don't know if this is due to the pandemic (what's the point of glorifying the end goal of violence and savagery after the awfullness of real life these past few years), but at least in Baru, it feels natural, makes sense, and for once... Baru is happy. It might not stay for long. But she is young, and hopeful, and I am excited to see where her journey ends. She deserves the world. <3

[Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
I just finished an ARC of this book 30 seconds ago and I swear this is going to be the best book of 2020. Mark my words. I know that Stormlight 4 is coming out and another Malazan book I believe but this book was just that good!

So I have a lot to say about this book. First off, I'm excited to say I think we're getting a 4th book?! I was under the impression this was a trilogy but maybe not.

So what I liked about it:
•Seth Dickenson is clearly an incredibly intelligent guy. His series has a ton of really amazing themes throughout it. We see these two great cultures' polar opposite philosophies, we talk a lot about the power of trade, power structures and systems to keep other people down, we see racist eugenics, and we talk about decolonization.
Seth had a lot to say about all of it and he made some very cogent points throughout this book and the whole series.

•The stakes! The stakes in this book were SO high and it truly kept me on edge, filled with fear of almost everything that happened, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were so many terrifying moments in this book, from the constant threat of lobotomy, to the Kettling, to the Cancrioth.

•The Cancrioth. Jeeez, they are soo scary. Honestly as a people they were all actually very sympathetic and well characterized but as a concept, they terrify me with their practices. Nothing scares me more than 1) Immortality 2) Sharks and 3) growths, tumors, protuberances. What are the Cancrioth but an immortal cancer cult with a murderous cancer whale that acts like a shark!

•Baru's character begins to grow in this book. In book two she's kind of an unrelentingly bad person, even if she feels bad about it. But in this book she really starts to make some changes and we get to see her happy.

•The other character work in this book was really good. I feel like I got an amazing sense of who everyone was, even people we hardly see from.

•The humour! This book was surprisingly very funny. It was the kind of humour that subverts your expectations of what's going to happen by just throwing a shocking non sequitur of a joke that just takes you by surprise. There were honestly a few moments when I just burst out laughing in public because a joke caught me so off guard and I really loved that. When Baru is caught with Iscend in what should be a really serious moment and suddenly ______ who caught them comes out and says the funniest thing. That literally had me just cackling for like 5min. So Dickenson really came through with some good jokes in this book! I wasn't expecting that.

•That last chapter. It was sooo intriguing. We get a new continent full of lightning? What does it mean? Will Baru's story have anything to do with it or is that final chapter simply there to intrigue us about his next book set in the same world? I have no idea but I'm excited to find out.

There's really only one thing I didn't like about this book and that was the writing style in the beginning.
If you've read the book Nevernight you'll truly feel what I'm about to describe. For whatever reason, the writing style in the first maybe 50 or 100pgs of the book had some very purple prose. There were a lot of lines that just had me scratching my head trying to figure out what they meant.

"Their eyes meeting like summer sun through a loose slat"

Like that really doesn't make much sense. And there was a lot of that going on throughout the first chunk. The other issue with the writing style was the way some information was I guess supposed to be implied? I'm honestly not even sure how to describe it other than to say those first 100pgs made me feel very stupid. I just constantly felt like things were going over my head. I was confused with the story at all but I felt like there was a lot of context and nuance I just couldn't see for some reason, even having reread Monster before starting Tyrant. It just made me feel like a child when your parents are talking about something and you have no idea what they're talking about because you're missing out on the necessary context.
Thankfully this only persisted for the start of the book and soon enough, he decided to leave that behind and go back to his normal writing style from the last two books.

All in all though, Tyrant was an amazing continuation of Baru's story and with some of the hugely cathartic moments we get at the end, I can honestly say, I'd still feel satisfied even if this was the end of her story and that last chapter was just set-up for another series Seth plans to write in this world. I love the book so much and I am truly convinced this will be my favorite of 2020! You have to read it!

[Vigasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite book of this year so far. I heard that Seth Dickinson is unsure about his writing and I have no idea why. Masquarade books are probably the most scrupulate and and deatiled works I've read since Malazan. Also I love Seth's prose, he has very unique way in words and it makes reading even more enjoyable.

I first loved this series, because of the worldbuilding and emotional impact it had on me. And now we are on 3rd book wchich definitely shines in character development. And not only Baru (though she probably changes the most), but also other prominent and less prominent characters.

There are so many interesting people in this book and it's awesome, how, almost every one of them has good motives for their behaviours. Sometimes I wonder how would we perceive Baru if the main protagonist was, say, Juris Orsment. She totally opposes Baru, but she has her reasons, and she is actually a good woman, loyal to her people who faces betrayal on every side.

The story is of course more focused on other people, who are also great. I loved development of Tau-Indi and Aminata. And I am glad that we can see Baru growing out of her grief and finding her strength again. Also, she finds kind of family and this is good as well. I think that finally, I can sincerely root for her to achieve her goals.

The story took a turn from being rather grimdark, to being something much less depressing. I have interesting theories to the future of the story, but for now I keep them for myself to not spoil anything.

I know there's going to be only one more book in Baru story, but I think that Seth developed so good world that it creates an opportunity to many more novels, maybe with different protagonists.

5 stars.

[Alex O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book- it definitely felt like part 2 of a duology, and a lot of the threads started in Monster were completed here. It was really nice to have Baru rediscover her sense of purpose- her purposelessness in the last book was hard. Seeing her final plan to take down the Masquerade was really pleasing, and I can't wait to watch it unfold. The growth of her relationship with Iscend and Yawa was also wonderful. However, the body horror elements... really were quite extreme, and I almost dock a star for it. Because wow, it was really nasty. Also, the pacing of this book wasn't quite right. It was rather slow at times and there was a lot of plodding along in the beginning and middle. Still, it was very good especially for a middle book, and I am looking forward to finishing the series when it is released!

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book so specifically interested in having a dialogue about empire and colonialism, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant unfortunately doesn't have much to contribute, despite it occupying an enormous amount of space in the narrative. Politically-charged fantasy can absolutely be done well (see Meiville's Bas Lag series), but Cormorant's bog standard critique doesn't really justify the interminable series of inner-monologues and outer-dialogues required to support it. The imaginative world-buiding and scene-coloring remain a silver lining.