The first two books in this trilogy, The Fallen Blade and The Outcast Blade, were excellent; characters, action, Machiavellian intrigue, and gothic fantasy honed razor sharp. The Mike Carey quote on the back captured the first two books perfectly : "Sharp as a stiletto, dark and dazzling as a masquerade." The Exiled Blade for me was a disappointment, too much kitchen sink at the expense of the complex yet focused story telling in the first two novels.

The elder-gods-Tycho-origin chapter was entirely unnecessary. Part of the attraction of Tycho in the first two books was his mystery: a man, vampire, angel or other? There was no need to answer this question in The Exiled Blade. Leaving it open to the end would have left the reader interested and inviting discussion long after the last page. I also found the voi elements to be unnecessary. The straight up battles in the first to novels gave the books a gritty realism that was much more interesting, than the rather silly Disney-esque contribution of the voi in this novel.

Tycho's power in this installment is also wildly inconsistent. Tycho slaughtered the crew of an entire ship in minutes in the first novel, a pack of krieghund and Byzantine knights in the second and a pack on demons early in this novel yet seems incapable of besting anyone in the last few chapters. He takes no part at all in the battle at the Red Cathedral where he could have easily killed Alonzo, and at the final battle along the mountain path he struggles to challenge a few battle worn soldiers. Rosayln returns instead and saves the day in minutes.

The book did end on a positive note for me. The resolution of Guilietta's and Fredrick's relationship was o.k. but predictable. The fate of Marco on the other hand and the mystery of his future was a great finale. Mr Grimwood left intact the mystery of Marco, that he otherwise ruined with Tycho.

Overall, a very good series. Well worth reading. Readers of fantasy novels George R. R. Martin's The Game of Thrones; Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, Paul Hoffman's Left Hand of God series and Peter Watts Rifters novels will love this series. As a follow-up to this series, I recommend Mr Grimwood's Arabesk novels that begin with Pashazade.5 s Roxanne1,055 75

Great trilogy! 2 s Manda ScottAuthor 27 books635

Glorious series finale

Would love to see more of these, but if we hear no more of Tycho, this was a brilliant, beautifully contrived ending for a series that has taken the concepts of the genre and lifted them to heights not normally reached in fantasy - this is literate, emotionally engaging, beautiful writing with strong, characters, both male and female, and a city at its heart that has a life of its own. 1 Gordon277 3

The third book in the trilogy takes a turn for the strange, leaving Venice for a good chunk of the story, becoming very folklore fantasy in places and hinting at a much more epic background than the supposed vampire- actions of Tycho would have you believe.

Pace was better, and coming direct from Outcast Blade the story read better straight off. There was a little stretching to close off a few storylines/characters, but it all ended well. Or did it. 1 John McDermott405 73

Nowhere near as good as the first two books in the series as i found it heavy on Deus ex machina in order to resolve various dilemmas. Having said that I still enjoyed the story and the brilliance of the previous books was a tough act to follow. Well written with a good conclusion, I would certainly recommend to fellow readers to give the Assassani trilogy a go. It's just that this book didn't hit the heights of the previous two.camelot-its-only-a-model orbit Moni43 2

Loved the book, hated the ending.


1 Zac57 1 follower

Pretty good, but I thought the conclusion was a little bit of a let down.1 ParadiseAvenger329 2

It was nice to see everyone ride into battle to defend their homeland. It's just unfortunate that it takes them so very long to get there.

Meanwhile, Tycho is still tying himself into knots to please Giulietta, who really couldn't care less about him. I mean, Tycho spent three books trying to get with Giulietta, but decides to take and turn her cousin, Marco, at the end of this one instead? And where was Rosalyn the entirety of this book? Off making an army of vampires? But why? Since Rosalyn was my favorite character, I was happy to see her, but her arrival smacked of confusion. Even she didn't seem to know why she had arrived int he middle of nowhere in time to save Tycho. Needless to say, I think these books focused too much on the political schemes when its strength was in the vampire-werewolf parts.

I finished this series off, but only because I had already purchased all the books and wanted to see if Tycho ever got to be happy. 2/5 Annabelle372 4

The final instalment of the Assassini trilogy pits Tycho against murderous ex-Regent Alonzo to protect his love Giulietta and her young son Leo. In the elaborate chess game that is Venetian politics, enemies become friends, friends are betrayed and a lot of knives find their way into a lot of backs. Can Tycho end the war once and for all? And will it cost him Giulietta?

Visceral and gruesome as its predecessors, Grimwood continues to be unflinching in his portrayal of the horrors of life in his alternate 15th Century Venice. A satisfying conclusion to a gritty trilogy. Highly enjoyable.quick- read-in-2013 Robert218

A character walks into a cave and a trilogy turns to shit. The character having spent the best part of three books fighting just gives up.

One of the main problems with this book was a change in the scales. The previous books were mostly realistic, (for certain values of realistic), with a sprinkling of magic and mystery on the top. This one reversed the equation but in the process made the magic less mysterious and more mundane than the reality. Pulling back the curtain failed. Very disappointing, (and all the more so as up 'til that point it was excellent). Bob237 1 follower

This book was such a terrible disappointment. The trilogy had such potential. It could have been a really interesting story. The first book was pretty disjointed. The second started to bring the story together but then this last book completely bombed. Ridiculously lazy writing to try and force an ending. Characters acting in absurd ways to progress the story, inconsistencies all over the place...boo Ken Richards757 3

3.5 stars
A fitting conclusion to the tale of Tycho and an alternate Venice, the political intrigue artfully leavened with vampires, werewolves, elemental daemons and a touch of mystery. Grimwood keeps the narrative moving steadily through a bitterly cold winter of war and treachery. In the nend, La Serenissima soils on though, and at least for me, each character finds a fitting fate. Dark Matter360 29

This and more , interviews etc on Dark Matter Zine, an online magazine. http://www.darkmatterzine.com. This review was written by Nalini Haynes for Dark Matter Zine.

Exiled Blade is the third and final Assassini book, the first of which is Fallen Blade and the second is Outcast Blade. As a review of the third book, there will be spoilers of the first two books.

Update:

I had a sneaking suspicion I went out on a limb because Jon Courtney Grimwood seems to be a thorough researcher. The facts caught up with me as the limb broke under my weight. Although I still dis a feature mentioned in Exiled Blade and in this review, I concede HISTORICAL REFERENCE with apology to the author. I must read and research before being qualified to comment on that particular feature.

Corrected review:

Set in Medieval Venice, the Blade in question is Tycho, an unknown quantity whose past is a mystery even to himself. Tycho is Princess Giulietta Millioni’s lover at a time when the choice of consort for the princess could decide the future of Venice.

Allonso had Giulietta impregnated with his seed via a goosequill to ensure his child would sit upon a foreign throne after Giulietta’s marriage and the prompt death (via poisoning) of her new husband. International politics developed apace since those events in the first novel.

In Exiled Blade Allonso abducts Leo, his son by Giulietta, in order to claim Leo as his own after a coup.

Alexa, the widowed co-regent of Venice, schemes for her family and for Venice. Her cold disposition and ruthlessness obscures her love for her family.

[SPOILERS, SWEETIE]

Tycho pursues Allonso to recapture Leo and return Leo to his mother. Along the way Tycho discovers a peculiar fortress that, in The Keep, is built to keep something in, in a cave behind the fortress.

Tycho discovers mythical beings, possibly elder gods, in the cave that is the world’s cunt. ‘World’s cunt’ is exactly the title Grimwood uses, along with descriptions ning the cave to female genitalia.

Not long after the discovery of the cave, its inhabitants determine Tycho’s future without further intervention then promptly vanish from the narrative.

During his encounter with these creatures Tycho suddenly starts remembering events he has never experienced. These memories hint at possible origins of Tycho’s super-nature although the memories have no bearing on this story.

[SPOILER ENDS]

Although vampires and werewolves were becoming a bit passé at the time of Outcast Blade, I loved the first novel because Grimwood developed such a strong sense of place that medieval Venice was almost a character in the novel.

Representations of Gender

Gender issues can arguably be excused (?) with a medieval setting because REALITY. Women are chaperoned, abused (for example, Giulietta’s sexual abuse and forced impregnation) and controlled (Giulietta’s arranged marriage).

In spite of this, Alexa is the most powerful woman in Venice, equal in power to the most powerful man, her co-regeant Allonso. Giulietta’s development includes lessons in power, perceptions of power and perceptions of people masked by power.

If this story was a movie, it’d pass the Bechdel test because women talk to one another and not just about the menz.

[SPOILERS, SWEETIE]

In my original review I made opinionated comments about the ‘World’s Cunt’, the cave with supernatural inhabitants; my comments stemmed from ignorance. It has been pointed out to me that:

‘The Heraion, the temple of Hera, the cunt-place, was for centuries in ancient Greece the sanctuary of the whole country…’ (reference: The Wise Wound: Menstruation and Everywoman by Penelope Shuttle)

This new information significantly changes my interpretation of the cave and its inhabitants. It also adds to my already-intimidating TBR pile.

From Gender to Plot

Considering there was no intervention by the inhabitants of the cave later, in spite of Tycho’s subsequent actions, that interlude appears superfluous unless you’re aware of the added layers of meaning. I cannot comment further until I’ve done more research so I can fully grasp Grimwood’s reference to historical beliefs.

[SPOILER ENDS]

Editing

The editors seem to have gone on holiday instead of proof-reading Exiled Blade. My copy is a retail copy so imagine my horror when my reading was disrupted by these gems:

‘it it’ – instead of ‘with it’
‘hand to hard’ – presumably hand to hand
‘don”t’ – more than once.
These are just a few examples. The first several pages are by far the worst – it does improve – but errors are scattered throughout.

The wrap

The first book was creative and engaging. From memory I think it might have been possible to read it as a stand-alone but I’m not sure, it’s been two years since I read it. I’d highly recommend the first. The second novel was still good; there’s an odd change in the pace towards the end then a wrap-up that could have been a conclusion to the story.

Exiled Blade, the third in the trilogy, is an enjoyable read. I’m guessing I would have enjoyed it more if I’d been as aware of the World’s Cunt as I am of Plato’s Cave. My ignorance detracted from my enjoyment, so, ONWARD. MORE READING.fantasy Eliza545 13

{2.5]library Chris Edwards85 1 follower

Very goodfantasy Stephen Mcafee31

Great story, great trilogy, great settings and pacing, final third I'd argue was too short but overall well worth a read Sidsel SanderAuthor 13 books60

En fin afslutning på serien. Janice Bonczek170 23

Well, I just typed up a huge lovely review of this book and somehow Goodreads lost it when I clicked 'save'. :( Now I'm upset and don't feel typing the whole thing again.

This book is the third in The Assassini Trilogy. To tell the truth, I d the 2nd Book, The Outcast Blade, better than this one, and feel that the story could have ended there. I was a bit disappointed with the end of this book. However, I realize that it is a tragic love story (the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were pretty easy to spot), and therefore can't really have a happy ending, so I am resigned to what happened and it makes sense. So, although I d the 2nd Book better than this one, I don't think this book was bad.

This book picks up where Book 2 left off, where Tycho and Giulietta are in love, have seemingly defeated all their enemies, and are planning their marriage. Evil Uncle Alonzo has been exiled from Venice, and Tycho made a Baron so his marriage to Giulietta is actually a possibility. Duke Marco, the "Simpleton", has started coming to his senses. And Prince Frederick zum Bas Friedland is under orders from his father, the Emperor Sigismund, to return to Venice and try again to woo Lady Giulietta.

As the book starts, Giulietta's child is stolen by Alonzo in a scheme made to look as though the boy was murdered. The Duchess Alexa becomes afraid that Alonzo & his new wife (the richest heiress in Venice) are going to try to pass the child off as their own and claim Venice. Tycho vows to save the child or die trying.

As Tycho and Amelia are fighting for their lives in the frozen wilderness of Montenegro (in a winter so harsh that most people believe it is the end of the world), Giulietta is reeling from two "betrayals" she believes to have suffered. This pushes her right into the arms of Prince Frederick, and she is further confused and saddened while trying to choose between her love for Tycho and her budding friendship with Frederick.

As the characters try to sort through all the intrigue to decide what is real and what is not, all the plots are finally figured out and the secrets revealed. Except for one secret, which is kept especially from Giulietta, for her own good. The ending is bittersweet, but hopeful. Although part of me wished to have a happier ending, I did it, and realize it is more realistic. (Or as realistic as you can get for an alternate-history story with strong fantasy and supernatural elements!) I think this book deserves a solid 4 stars, and the Trilogy also, overall. (Although the 2nd Book will always be my favorite).

So there are some aspects of the ending which I consider hopeful, such as the fact that now Tycho is definitely immortal, Grimwood can possibly write more interesting stories about him in the future! I would definitely to see that. And in the sequence where Tycho saves Marco, it seems that it is purposely left open-ended, possibly so the author can pick up where he left off in a new book?? We can only hope !alternate-history court-intrigue dark ...more Joy1,685 26

I have read several good fantasy stories set in old Venice. It seems to lend its self to the supernatural much New Orleans, being a major seaport, having a diverse culture of its own flavor, and a unique, magical character.

This Venice is ripe with deadly politics and power struggles that are often solved with poison or a blade. Into this comes a beautiful, unworldly youth, who has no memory of who or what he is, with the powers of "The Fallen" (devil or angel?) Enlisted into the 'Blade' who work for the Regents of Venice as their behind the scenes assassins/enforcers, he finds himself drawn to the troubled niece of the royals who is their pawn in a power struggle. This author seems to empathizes with women as property, to marry off to whom will bring the most political influence. His other book I'm now reading, The Arabesk Trilogy has a similar flavor, though it falls in the alternative history, Urban fantasy slot.

Throughout the 3 books will appear Werewolves, Witches, a very bad-ass Magician plus some demon creatures. I was impressed with the quality of the writing; which reminded me of an Anne Rice style in the detailed period atmosphere, antique or foreign words without the pretentiousness of a 'dialect.' The supernatural flows in and out of the plot subtlety. Its not in-your-face as too many fantasy novels I've read where it is feels I've opened a Monster Manuel and every other listing has to be thrown into the plot.

One of the best Series I've encountered in a longtime.series sff-books vampire-werewolf Deborah Otway88 1 follower

I really enjoyed this series of books, but dropped a star because there were some things which were confusing, didn't seem consistent or make sense in terms of the plot/characters. Tycho seemed to be rather inept at the end of this book as he did not help at all with the final battle, even though he definitely had the ability to do more and would not have been able to be killed. Even daylight would not have killed him, yet he continued to hide. My only thoughts on why he didn't do much is that maybe he was fed up of being a pawn in other people's battles or that he needed to stand aside and let Federick be the hero in the battle.
Don't really understand why he also needed Rosalyn and her children to come to the rescue. In terms of Rosalyn I still don't think she ever drank his blood although I do remember him giving his blood to Guilietta when he nearly drank her to death but Guilietta did not become him.
Guilietta reverted back to being unbearable in this book, although I appreciate that was her character.
I do not understand the cave. It was good in some way to try to get an explanation of Tycho's origin, although it wasn't necessary. Were the other creatures also 'Fallen', but these were the forms they chose? They referred to Tycho as 'your highness', suggesting that he has some authority as one of the leaders of the battle between the gods, but they demanded two things from him.
I especially d the characters of Tycho and Marco. It felt a shame that Tycho could not have happiness himself at the end after so much suffering, but the end did seem to make the most sense. Glad Marco is still about. Paul2,160

Venice has always been the gateway between the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. It is feeling strong too as it has held these two powers back, and the regent, Duchess Alexa holds a strong position. As she ages she is lining up Lady Giulietta to take over as regent, or maybe even Duchess. But they are still threatened, this time by the exiled regent and traitor Prince Alonzo. His plotting and anger over what is really a Millioni family dispute, will bring Alexa’s empire the closest it has ever come to destruction. To add to their problems, Venice is gripped by the coldest winter in living memory, wolves have returned across the ice. As they teeter on the edge of the abyss, the future of Venice is in the hands of Lord Tycho, former slave, kreighund and Assassini.

It is atmospheric, brutal and fast paced with great twists and turns. I am a fan of Grimwood’s writing anyway, but I do the way that he has deeply embedded a fantasy story into a historical setting. Characterisation is not strong, but good enough to carry the story along. It is a fitting conclusion to the series, but does suffer the similar problem that more series have in that it is a tad predictable. Good though; just need him to get back to writing more sci fi! books-read-2016 Karine Darnessy717 7

Au départ, j'avais perdu espoir de voir ce troisième tome se faire publier. Et à ma grande joie, il a fini par arriver. J'avais beaucoup aimé les deux premiers tomes.

Or, j'avoue que ce troisième tome ne m'a pas vraiment conquise. J'ai trouvé certaines situations tirées par les cheveux et l'intrigue en général ne m'a pas plu plus que ça. Est-ce parce qu'il y a eu autant de temps avant que je ne replonge dans cette série? Je ne peux le dire.

Bref , ce dernier tome ne m'a pas passionné autant que je l'aurais voulu. Malgré tout, j'ai été ravie de retrouver Tycho, Amélia et Marco. La girouette Giulietta m'a énervée. Alonzo aurait mérité bien pire que le dénouement fait par l'auteur. Venise m'a paru toujours plus ignoble et une ville à fuir.

Pour conclure, un tome attendu, mais qui n'aura pas réussi à combler mes attentes. Des passages qui m'ont ennuyé et une histoire qui tourne en eau de boudin. Dommage, je vais tout de même rester sur mes bonnes impressions concernant les tomes précédents. Fantasy Literature3,226 164

"But the real battle was with himself. All the battles that really mattered were with yourself."

Jon Courtenay Grimwood ends The Exiled Blade, book three in his Acts of the Assassini series, with a spectacular three-act battle, and a wedding. This is a pleasing, sad, and haunting ending to his alternate history fifteenth century Venetian tale, where political intrigue and martial prowess function side by side with shape-shifters, demons and magic.

At the end of the second book, The Outcast Blade, Duchess Alexa, Regent of Venice, had prevailed over Duke Alonzo and was preparing to have him exiled. Giulietta and Tycho, the demon-orphan hero of the trilogy, were together, and were happy. It didn’t seem there was anywhere left for the third book to go, but by page 36 Grimwood has pulverized Giulietta’s and Tycho’s chances for ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... Ruth4,210

c2013: FWFTB: Tycho, Venice, abduction, demons, cave. Certainly for me, this was the best of the series. Lots of resolutions with a little bit of a wiggle room just in case the author wants to return to this world. I still don't the main female character but she turns out ok in the end. I started to understand Tycho just a little bit better and I really d poor young Frederick. The ages of the characters were still a bit off putting for me but I would struggle to classify this as YA - but perhaps NA would do it. Gritty and dark but enough sardonic humour to carry the day. Recommended to the normal crew. "Those who'd once been powerful were more dangerous than those who still were. Being diminished by circumstance made you cling harder to what little you still had. The rule applied to people and cities, kingdoms and empires."<?i>spec-fic NyxShadow2,198 71

Ne vaut pas le précédent mais réponds à la majorité des interrogations

http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2016/04/ass...

The last volume of this saga and... I have questions! I think the author can write other books with his characters, even if this story is complete.
Tycho was tied to Venise but now? He is free, or as free as he can be.
It can be interesting to see him through the ages.
Anyway, we have some answers. I particularly Marco. The Duke is not so mad and more more smart than anyone, his mother included, could think. He makes some... revelations that surprises me, but which make sense.
I prefer the second volume, but it was a good read and I enjoy the moment.fin-de-serie J. SaundersAuthor 21 books37

I loved this book (as evidenced by the five-star rating). It's the kind of writing that gets under your skin and invades your dreams. Grimwood is masterful in his prose, and his worldbuilding is so intricate that I didn't realize until well into the trilogy that it was alternate history (vampires and werewolves aside). And I'm a European history geek.

I want to point out, though, that if I were Grimwood, I would be livid, and if I were any of his editors at Orbit Books, I would be embarrassed, because my edition was riddled with typos.historical-and-urban-fantasy vampires Gary355 5

The end of a trilogy and not the best of the three I'm afraid. Still an enjoyable fast read but Mr Grimwood seems to have been influenced by the ghost of Barbara Cartland more than the spirit of David Gemmell in this last book of the Assassini saga. A little too much touchy feely emotional guff for my liking and not enough death dealing fallen angel malarkey! Still I love his books and will gladly shell out for the next one whenever it appears.... Sdluvingit128

The political intrigue in 14th century Venice continues to a twisting climax. This is a good end to the series; it ties up the story lines satisfactorily and even throws out hope for another visit to some of these characters. In spite of spotty writing, or ly editing, the story managed to keep my attention for the entire series. Benjamin750 26

Bought this at Dolar Tree. Now, of course, I want to read the first two books. Based loosely on political machinations in medieval Venice, though with were-animals thrown into the mix. As with some of the new fantasy writers (e.g., Brent Weeks and Joe Abercrombie) there is a brutal realism to the battle scenes, so not for the faint of heart or stomach. Terry MartinAuthor 12 books18

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