Short, sweet, and to the point: this is one of my favorite books I have ever read. It feels very odd to be reviewing the ninth book in a series, but Dead Hand Rule is a strong contender for my best book of 2025, and that is saying something in a year that is so unbelievably stacked. Max Gladstone has been on an absolute tear recently with his Craft Sequence series. I recently went from being underwhelmed with Craft book seven (Dead Country) to giving book eight (Wicked Problems) my 3rd place spot in the best of 2024. I was wondering if Gladstone was going to be able to reach the same heights he achieved last year, but then he completely blew me out of the water with Dead Hand Rule.
Dead Hand Rule is both a bridge and a setup book, planned to be the penultimate chapter in what I believe is a ten-book series. Usually, books in this position tend to be fairly similar. They spend their time maneuvering the pre-established elements from the story into their obvious places for the clearly outlined final book. This often involves lengthy sequences of mustering resources and preparing for doomsday. There is definitely some of that here, but Dead Hand Rule feels more like Gladstone putting all the pieces of a puzzle together than checking off things on a list.
The first half of this story is essentially a long peace summit between 50 rivaling factions that hate each other beyond mortal understanding, a situation Gladstone has been establishing for thousands of pages. Throughout all the other Craft books, Gladstone has woven poetic myths and stories about the power, machinations, and vitriol of various background groups that have a strong influence on the workings of the world. Usually, these groups serve as a backdrop to color the motivations of our protagonists and never actually take center stage despite the pervasive smell of curiosity that permeates everything they do. Well, no longer. Dead Hand Rule is a roll call for every god, horror, and tyrant across the entire series (as well as every protagonist) to see if they can work together to save the world.
The second half of this book is an explosive climax that feels end-of-series epic, with so many metaphorical explosions that it left me reeling. I was so surprised at the level of intensity in this climax that I had to check that there was another book coming. The sum of both halves is an avalanche of character moments that buried me. I typically read about 150 pages a day, but I found myself unable to read more than 40 pages of Dead Hand Rule in a sitting because there was so much to take in on every single page. There were so many incredible quotes and character moments that I gave up on highlighting things because I was just highlighting the entire book. It spoke to me in my heart in a way few books have, and I think it fulfills the previously unrealized promise of everything this series could be.
Gladstone’s lyrical prose is on full display here, with the full cast giving monologues galore. They never got tiring, each one building upon the previous and making me feel like I was immersed in a high-quality opera right up against the stage. The plot weaves together threads from all eight earlier books in ways that now demand I reread the full series to unlock the full potential of Dead Hand Rule. It is a book overflowing with heart, despair, humor, and tragedy. Gladstone has assembled quite a large cast of protagonists over the course of the story, and they are balanced masterfully. Each lead feels like they shine in their own unique way, while their wonder combines to burn brighter than a star.
I don’t want to dig too much further into a book packed to the brim with surprises. By now, you can tell that I absolutely adored Dead Hand Rule, although I know that recommending nine books may be a bit much for some of you. Yet, that is also a marker of how much I enjoyed this entry in the series. The Craft Sequence is such a unique story that feels remarkably relevant in today’s world. It is wonderfully rewarding to see that these books that have been on my mind since the day I read Three Parts Dead are getting the magical ending that they deserve.
Rating: Dead Hand Rule – 10/10
-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.
