Full Fathom Five (Craft Sequence #3)

Another great sequel to the series. I suppose it is a sequel, I dont know if I like the time jump between the books. Thought it does help to read each book separately, on its own merits. I do like that each book introduces different part of the world with different philosophy and different vision. The same is true about the characters. They are even, sometimes, on a different side of this post-war universe. What stays unchanged is that Gladstone created strong, motivated, deep characters, who are always essentially good in their hearts. This series, while has excellent world building and quiet character driven, in its core is about the world and how this assembled various cast of characters tries to make said world a better place. I liked the 3rd part quiet a lot. Loved the new character, liked the appearances from the characters I enjoyed in previous two books. However, the thing I enjoy the most about the series is how it makes me to live inside each character and feel the world through their eyes.

Another Craft Sequence book, another destination. Kavekana is a small island with one basic industry. Having established itself as a neutral territory in the conflict concerning the gods and craftsmen, it proceeded to create itself as a financial haven. It is the Mauritius of the Craft Sequence world, an emerging player in the offshore banking business where priests are trustees or account managers, soulstuff is the currency and created idols are the vaults. Clients entrust their wealth to Kavekana in exchange for privacy, security and avoiding scrutiny. Kavekana is the paragon of order, everything and everyone in their respective places. Infractions are dealt with swiftly and severely– the owner is imprisoned in a literal stone suit of punishment and rehabilitation referred to as Penitents. Trapped inside a Penitent, a person is conditioned to conform to state-approved behavior and ideas, any contrary or subversive thought quashed by a barrage of dogma and, barring that, the infliction of physical pain. Kai is a gifted priestess catering to the constructed idols of Kavekana. After the gods of old were killed or incapacitated in the gods war, Kavekana began its industry of constructing idols that serve the basic purposes of the old gods but lacking full consciousness, will and sentience. Kai comes to the aid of an idol close to death but fails to rescue her and is injured in the attempt. In the aftermath of the idol\’s death, an investigation of the incident is undertaken and Kai is effectively served up as a scapegoat. But the incident raises Kai\’s suspicions leading her to believe that the fabricated idols may be developing in a manner beyond their limited design. Izza is a teenage transplant to Kavekana, de facto leader of a group of street urchins. She is a tough, independent and resourceful thief with a strong instinct to protect the weak. She was a faithful and used to hear the gods and goddesses speak to her, she worships their memory still and remembers their words. Kai and Izza\’s paths meet seemingly at cross-purposes yet they have more in common than they know. Their devotion to the gods/goddesses, real or constructed, as well as their love of Kavekana, whether they are aware of it or not, may just be the only chance the island has to survive its current predicament. Though led by a cast of new characters, a few characters from the two previous books make crucial appearances establishing certain connections with the incidents that occurred in Alt Coulumb and Dresediel Lex. The larger blueprint of the Craft Sequence story is slowly being unraveled. However, even though each novel in the series occupies a unique place in the whole, FULL FATHOM FIVE can be read as a standalone similar to the two earlier books. Interestingly, I recently read that, while the series has a publication order and is numbered accordingly, there is a different underlying sequence in terms of chronology. This variant sequencing is indicated by the number that appears in the titles. Thus, the events in Last First Snow precede those of Two Serpents Rise, followed by Three Parts Dead, with Full Fathom Five dealing with events much later in the story arc. This indicates that the next book has \’Four\” in the title providing an account of events occurring between TPD and FF5. Having read three books now in this series, I see the greater chronological design. This is part of the genius of Max Gladwell. Apart from its structural uniqueness, this book continues this series\’ tradition of complexity, sophistication and entertainment. The blend of modern banking and finance, politics and religious faith is truly singular. The fascination is compounded by the employment of magic in the form of Craft where practitioners can alter matter, enter dreams (and nightmares) and metaphysically analyze and breach the world of contracts and obligations. As a final compliment, this series is one of the few I have read almost in succession, only briefly pausing between TPD and TSR, a briefer interlude before FF5, and directly proceeding to LFS. It has been a few years since I have been compelled not to jump between series. In short, Max Gladstone is indeed a…crafty little bugger.

Gladstone calls his series the Craft Sequence, but I think of it as the Gods series, because it mainly seems to be about the relationship of humans to the gods they care for and feedor dont. Craft, or magic, plays a role too, but in this particular book it is minimal. In this and the other volumes in the series, Gladstone does two things extremely well. One is create instantly likeable characters: I took to Issa, a street child of about 14, and Kai, a priestess, probably in her 30s, immediately. Of course their separate stories eventually become entangled with each other, and also with those of two other women: Cat, whom Issa befriends, and Teo, initially a client of Kais. Male characters, including Margot, a poet; Mako, an old man who is a friend of Kais; Jase, the head of Kais order; and Claude, Kais ex-lover, also play important parts in the story, but they are not point-of-view characters. Gladstones other skill is to create a very interesting world background, which he tells us about in tiny, rather mysterious installments; I still dont feel that I understand some aspects very well. The capital-G gods have mostly been destroyed in the long-ago God Wars, leaving priestly orders like Jase and Kais to create and manage idols, minimally sentient substitutes, in a scenario in which religion has somehow come to overlap investment banking. Despite exotic names, Gladstones world is a lot like ours in some waysKavekana, the island on which this story takes place, bears a strong resemblance to modern Hawaiibut it lacks some kinds of technology, such as automobiles. On the other hand, it has some kinds of technology that Im glad our world doesnt have, notably the Penitents, huge stone figures in which criminals are painfully imprisoned; one character sums them up by calling them brainwash golems. I found trying to understand how this world works and how it is being changed by the events in the story to be just as compelling as waiting to find out what happens to Kai and Issa and what they will do about it. I recommend this book and others in Gladstones series to anyone who enjoys more-or-less urban fantasy with richly drawn characters and an intriguing, thought-provoking background.

Bought this plus the 5 others that make up the \”Craft Sequence\” whilst on offer from Amazon (6 books, 10). I\’d say at that price these books are definitely worth the read. They\’re fast paced, slightly steam punk and filled with some good characters and world building. I find the magic system to be fairly convoluted and at times difficult to grasp, at times this leads to an ex machina situation which ruins the plausibility of the plot

Rather better than _Two Serpents Rise_, perhaps because the characters we\’re following have a better understanding of what\’s going on underneath. The inspired-poetry and street-children plot lines are splendid.

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