Book three in Peter McLean’s phenomenal War for the Rose Throne series, Priest of Gallows delivers another gripping tale of gangsters, intrigue and espionage, family bonds, harsh justice and escalating danger. Picking up where Priest of Lies left off, it begins with Tomas Piety – army priest, businessman, Queen’s Man – in the uncomfortable position of governor of Ellinburg. When word arrives of the Queen’s untimely death, however, Tomas returns to Dannsburg with his closest companions, where he finds himself pulled ever deeper into the murky world of the Queen’s Men. Under the orders of Provost Marshall Dieter Vogel, Tomas sinks further into the role of Queen’s Man while rising higher in Dannsburg society, but even as he does so he’s forced to consider how far he’s prepared to go in the pursuit of respect, power and authority.
After Priest of Lies took Tomas away from the familiar streets of Ellinburg and thrust him into the new, dangerous territory of Dannsburg, this time around we get to see more of the capital and the wider setting (including a brief but memorable visit to Varnburg) as he comes to understand more of how the world around him works. Tomas is gradually moving away from his role as head of the Pious Men, and as a result there are interesting new faces coming into the story – in particular a number of his fellow Queen’s Men – while many of the original supporting cast take a bit of a back seat. In a sense it’s a shame that characters like Jochan, Cutter and the rest of the crew aren’t around as much, although thankfully Bloody Anne, Fat Luka and Billy are still present and correct, but the trade off is a fascinating – if grim – opportunity to learn more about the Queen’s Men and watch Tomas struggle with his feelings for his estranged wife Ailsa.
Right from the beginning this series has been about consequences, about the aftermath of violence as much as the act itself, and the impossible choices that people have to make to survive. Priest of Gallows is no different in that respect, but it does mark the point in the series where Tomas is starting to accept the changes in his life. In his characteristically rough and open voice he’s brutally honest about his struggle to come to terms with what he’s becoming, as he learns more about the realities of power, about just how powerful the Queen’s Men are, what they’re capable of and what he’s expected to do. There’s still plenty of bloody violence here but as Tomas’ role becomes increasingly political, so too does the conflict being portrayed, with the sinister Vogel turning to tools of misinformation and quiet oppression to maintain control of Dannsburg. For every riot in the streets or brutal sword fight, there’s a careful rumour started or an inconvenient enemy quietly disappeared.
As Tomas wrestles with his place in all of this he also comes to understand the similarities between his old life as a gangster and his new life in the Queen’s Men and the court, and just how perfectly suited he actually is to his role. It might take him a while to understand it, but as readers we can see that this is as much a natural next step in his personal journey as it is in the wider narrative, which at this point – three quarters of the way through the series – is really starting to escalate. The violence might be tempered with intrigue, but if anything this is the darkest instalment so far, in terms of both the direction that the series is going and some of the individual scenes in the book (Tomas’ introduction to one of his fellow Queen’s Men is genuinely disturbing, for example). Tomas’ narration also takes on a slightly more reflective tone than before, hinting heavily that however bad things have become, what’s to come is going to be even worse.
It’s not all darkness of course, and Tomas finds moments of happiness from time to time with his family and friends, but if anything these scenes only add to the ominous sense of impending darkness. This is, after all, a series which digs deep into the realities of life for veterans of a horrific war, many of them struggling to cope with battleshock (essentially PTSD) even as the world around them veers ever closer to the possibility of yet another war. With its topical themes of political manipulation and the costs of power, and a sense of escalating pace and danger that builds and builds throughout, Priest of Gallows sets things up brilliantly for what promises to be a ferocious finale when Priest of Crowns arrives. On the one hand it does feel a little like the first half of the series’ final act, and it’s hard not to feel the frustration of wanting to know how it all ends. On the other hand, it’s a brilliant story in its own right that’s full of invention, surprise and McLean’s knack for complex, morally grey characters – and if it leaves the reader wanting more, that’s exactly as it should be!
Priest of Gallows is due to be published by Jo Fletcher Books on the 27th May 2021.
Review copy provided by the publisher: many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Peter McLean for providing me with an advance copy of Priest of Gallows, in exchange for my honest review.
See also: all of the other War for the Rose Throne reviews and interviews on Track of Words.
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