Privateer by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes

This is the second of a trilogy, the first being Spymaster which I might add, I thoroughly enjoyed.   Well nothing changed with the second volume, I loved it as well.   The plot thickens for the man who doesn’t want to be king who is engaged to someone who is in love with his best friend.  While that is complicated, the man who doesn’t want to be king is in love with a person of questionable antecedents.  Said questionable person is best friends with a dragon who has issues of his own.   Now this may sound cumbersome but it comes together beautifully in a book full of action and intrigue.

The complex and confusing loyalties and goals demonstrated by the authors may seem on first blush to be true fantasy.  However, consider for a moment the complexity of the U.S. government doing back door negotiations with a socialist dictator want-to-be while decrying socialism from the highest platform at home.  As complex as this plot is, you can follow it if you pay attention unlike realities current events.

The dragon, Dalgren, plays a large part in the first half of the book but seemingly disappears in the second half.   I was a bit disappointed that he had such little word time in the second half but I am known to be inordinately fond of dragons.

The relationships between characters provide much of the interest to this book.  Friends become enemies, enemies become friends and subordinates forget to subordinate.

The book was delightfully complex, interesting and captivating.

I highly recommend the trilogy. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.