BOOK REVIEW: The Oldest Trick - Auston Habershaw (2015)
Books 1-2 (The Iron Ring & Iron and Blood) of the Saga of the Redeemed
This review was originally written in 2014 and posted on Goodreads
This was a great book, though it was slow to start. It took me ages to like the main character, who is a bit like Han Solo but more of a dick and rather less likable. As well, Artus is a bit unlikable, as is Myreon, and... well, I liked Hool a lot from the beginning.
However, as the story progresses, these characters really grow on you! For all their idiotic or dickish behavior, they have their merits and these things shine through time and time again. I applaud Habershaw for making characters I really didn't like into characters that I really did like.
The story does kind of spam worldbuilding on you in the first half, puking tons of laws of magic and so on via character dialogue, to the point that it's a bit overwhelming (and not particularly subtle). However, it does become necessary, as when the action finally starts around the halfway point, you don't want a bunch of exposition, and the pacing for the majority of the second half is fierce.
Ultimately, this is a really good book and a really good read. I don't recommend reading the divided version though—the first book would be really boring on its own.
A big thanks to Auston Habershaw for coming to WorldCon 75 with books to sell (since the vendors there were, frankly, shit), and convincing me that his story would be worth my time and money.
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