'Best Served Cold' hooked me from the start – I'm a big fan of this brutal, brilliant world, and this instalment didn’t disappoint.
The story is set several years after the events of the first trilogy in a renaissance Italy-type setting and fuses a vicious revenge arc from a brilliant new character, Monza, with the stories of a range of B, C, and D tier characters from the original books – with varying degrees of success.
But overall I did not feel it was as good as the first trilogy. I think this is because I love fewer characters, and the plot, while twisting and surprising, is not as mysterious or complex. More black and white compared to shades of grey.
While I'm sure all fans were as happy as me to see more of Nicomo Cosca, I was not as thrilled to find more of the acrid Vitari. Caul Shivers, the other main protagonist, has a compelling story – though it occasionally feels a little like "Logen lite" – the tough, unlucky but good-hearted (and occasionally very angry) Northerner, who, lacking purpose, embarks on a terrible downward spiral.
Revenge is the main theme of the book, and we do viscerally feel it. It feels good as a reader, but not so much for the characters themselves – is it an empty motivator?
The A-cast characters from the original trilogy have either walk-on parts or exist only in the thoughts of our current players. I respect the artistic choice there – much more to come, of course.
As with the trilogy, this book doesn’t shy away from gritty detail – the violence and sex scenes are raw, vivid, and often brilliantly uncomfortable. One passage, with two of the stars who turn out to be with other people, was brilliantly executed. Wonderful writing.
On a grander scale, the eternal war rages on. We learn quite a bit more without interacting with any main players. This was fun, but one new player in this game felt very deus ex machina. I'm unsure of his future in the series and if I will like it. Five star even if not quite as good as the first three, more please sir!