Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett

Locklands

3/5. Conclusion of this trilogy that basically goes okay but what if we did the computing revolution in a fantasy setting? Eight years on from the last book, they are at war, and desperation has spurred further developments in magical programming, such as networked groups of people.

Am I the only one who found this an entertaining story, but lacking largely the depth and complexity and bittersweetness of his prior trilogy? I did enjoy this, and yes of course the magic system is by turns clever and funny. There’s a particular bit which basically amounts to the villain filing a support ticket with God that made me laugh. I would recommend this to someone who wants something different out of a fantasy trilogy. But I wouldn’t recommend it to someone looking for, you know. All the things the Divine Cities books are.

Content notes: War, death, recollection of plague and crimes against humanity.