So last week was my Octobercation and I took the opportunity to dive into this work.
I found it a very enjoyable read, Batt's has crafted an interesting world and characters that I hope are relished with future attention.
His use of language is superlative, smooth and delicious like the Kingkiller Chronicles, and one of the few literary works in recent memory that managed to utilize words not in my vocabulary. On a side note, as a student of the sword proper terminology for the guards always deserves kudos. I do wonder how punchy the ending would have been if I hadn't read the original short story and got to approach it cold. Given my foreknowledge of the ending I was half expecting experience similar to Joe Abercrombie's work, however, while the story was indeed tragic, Baru's character remained fundamentally sympathetic and the narrative did not reach the utter grimness of The First Law Trilogy. By the end of novel I could still root for the protagonist and was invested in what would occur in the future. I personally preferred it this way since by the time I wrapped up Last Argument of Kings the series was deftly crafted misery.
The Empire of Masks was in and of itself a very interesting concept. In a world of roughly Renaissance Era technology, a society leveraging an advanced understanding of economics, psychology, conditioning, and eugenics as it primary weapon set was terrible to behold. It's almost like someone went back in time and handed Habsburg Spain the keys to sociopath Ubuntu. Given how many literary empires rely on their grim implacable legions, the Masquerade's doctrine is very innovative and frightening. Seriously how scary and **** awesome were the brief forays into the Cold Cellar? I very much would like to learn more about Falcrest and its interactions with the Necessary King and the murky darkness across the ocean. This is a unique setting and some serious fodder for future tales.
If there was one thing I might have preferred was a little more of Tain Hu and her relationship with Baru. Granted the proscriptions on tribadism may have factored in their interactions but Baru's camaraderie with Murie Lo in some ways felt more fleshed out than with Tain Hu. I don't know, perhaps my knowledge of the outcome unintentionally colored my reading but I really wanted to be more invested in their relationship as I approached its inevitable conclusion so that the knife twisted that much harder.
Still that's a minor personal quibble in an otherwise fantastic first outing. I've enjoyed all Batt's short story works so far and Traitor Baru definitely proves in my mind he can make splendid use of the additional breadth of a full length novel. I sincerely hope it gets the recognition it deserves and Batt's the go ahead for future novel projects.
