2024 is starting really strong for me, with back to back to back great books right out of the gate. Today’s contestant is Crucible of Chaos, a semi-stand-alone Greatcoats adventure from the incredible Sebastien de Castell. Crucible is a bridge book that spans the gap between his last Greatcoats quartet and his new series (also coming out this year) set in the same world. It takes a look at the events following one of my absolute favorite books of all time, Saint’s Blood, but is also designed as a very self-contained story about a murder mystery with an all-new cast. I definitely recommend reading the earlier books first, as the context of those stories helps define Crucible in a wonderful context.
One of the things I really like about Crucible is how it feels like an interesting aside in a world that I already know and love. The first series was all about greater things that affected the world as a whole, while Crucible feels a lot more localized. It’s about one Greatcoat doing his duty to make the world a more just and fair place, and it follows the story of a singular case. So, who is our new traveling magistrate who keeps falling on swords? Estevar Borros is his name, and solving strange occult mysteries is his game. Estevar, known as the King’s Crucible, is a more solitary Greatcoat compared to those we have known before. He is older, loves to travel, and is more eccentric than any Greatcoat we have yet seen. His particular calling is the occult, or rather, debunking the occult. Estevar is the man you call in when something paranormal is happening, and you need to corner the ghost, pull off his rubber mask, and reveal the unscrupulous real estate tycoon underneath.
So, when the fractious monks of an abbey begin warring over claims of a new pantheon arising, the frantic abbot summons Estevar to settle the dispute. Yet, there is a small wrench in Estevar’s normal plans. Everyone knows that the gods of this world are real, and can (rarely) manifest. The abbey that he travels to is rumored to be the birthplace of the original gods, and the abbot claims that strange paranormal madness has begun to afflict the monastery and its grounds. Armed only with his famed investigative talents, his skill with a blade, and his ornery mule, Estevar must root out the source of the madness lurking inside the once-sacred walls of Isola Sombra before its chaos spreads to the country he’s sworn to protect.
Right off the bat, this mystery is juicy. The suspects are interesting, the clues are bizarre, the setting is terrifying, and the twists are twisty. The big picture of this book is a descent into madness, and wow, does de Castell deliver thematically on his mystery. Estevar is a delightful investigator with an interesting personality who is less a gifted observant prodigy and more a blustery politician who doesn’t know when to quit. Some of his circumstances feel a little contrived, but frankly, I had a great time with him at all points in the story, so if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. When looking at de Castell’s work, it is clear that he has a very consistent author’s voice, with all of his leads being wise-cracking rogues and rakes with charisma and a touch of idiocy. It is a character type I absolutely love, and often why I am such a big fan of de Castell’s work, and I am constantly delighted at how his characters don’t seem to blend together. It takes real foresight and planning to make all of them feel distinct yet cut from the same cloth, and I haven’t got tired of it yet.
While I adore Estevar, I do think the one drawback is a lack of other Greatcoats to catalyze with. There are a number of great side characters and even some assistants to the great detective, but this tale lacked the incredible chemistry that overflows from some of de Castell’s other work. Yet, at the same time, I find myself thinking that this story format is both refreshing and has legs. This singular chapter in a larger series does a wonderful job of making the Greatcoat organization feel bigger and more real. I would love to see more one-offs set in the same world with different Greatcoats (as solo or groups) heading out and conducting the kinds of business they are best at. Crucible added a lot of volume to the worldbuilding of this setting, which makes it a very powerful and successful bridge book between the series, even before you start considering the setups in the plot itself. I simultaneously don’t need to spend any more time with Estevar and would be delighted if he returned for more. Crucible just makes me want more stories, any stories, from this vast and interesting world–which is not a feeling I often have.
At the end of the day, the best thing I can say about Crucible of Chaos is I had fun the entire way through (even with it having a number of horror elements). I really enjoy steeping myself in de Castell’s worlds, stories, and storytelling style. His characters are always compelling, his dialogue is always funny, and his ideas are always interesting. I love how emotive and romantic his stories are and I always find myself getting deeply invested no matter what the book is about. Crucible of Chaos is another success in a long line of winners from this fabulous author, and I can’t believe we will also get the first book in the new Greatcoats series later this year.
Rating: Crucible of Chaos – 9.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
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