"Equal rights for sentient weapons is a dream that will never die," Hyrm said solemnly. ( )

Tim Pratt returns to the Pathfinder Tales franchise with this Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser homage which is a rollicking adventure that retains Pratt's gift for sneaking in unexpected originality and characterisation.

Rodrick is a swindler more than a thief. With his enchanted sword Hrym, the two are conning their way over Golarion. When a squishy priest and his nice-yet-creepy sidekick hire them to help find a religious artifact, it seems like easy money. But nothing is ever easy...

This was a pretty good one. The debt to Lieber is clear and Pratt has a lot of fun with it. His banter is reasonable, but I found his situational comedy the most amusing. A pleasant bonus - as was the case with Pratt's previous Pathfinder book - is his efforts to render all the characters three dimensional, with their own struggles and goals etc. It lends the party and their interactions a depth that wouldn't be present otherwise, and it really elevates the book.

This would count for little, of course, if it wasn't for Pratt's deft - almost seamless - sense of pace and structure. These are well built book's and the conclusion is very satisfying.

It's hard to rate the Pathfinder books - I mean, no one would confuse this as high literature, but they are really good at delivering what they promise. On that metric, they are very successful indeed. ( )