Sworn in Steel

The Kin once known as Drothe is coming to terms with his recent advancement to a Gray Prince at the start of Hulick’s middling sequel to Among Thieves. Coming home to the city of Ildrecca with his companion, Fowler Jess, Drothe knows that he will be framed for the murder of fellow underworld leader Crook Eye, but he doesn’t realize the levels of intrigue and double-crossing that will attend his return. The scope of the conspiracy and the scope of the world expand together. Unfortunately, the characters lack the roguish qualities needed to make a story of a thieves’ guild entertaining; Drothe doesn’t show enough wit or intelligence to allow the reader to believe he would survive, let alone rise to power. Ildrecca is a shadow of some of the great settings in fantasy literature, possessing only a passing acquaintance with the richness of culture and detail that made Lankhmar and Sanctuary thriving locales. (May)