Author : Nathan Long
Series: First of Black Hearts
Pubilsher: Black Library
Pages : 254
Reiner Hetsau once made a bad decision and now he's been condemned for the rest of his life, and that doesn't look like it's going to be very long. Sitting in the stockade, his only thoughts are of escape and a return to a simple life of card-sharking.The appearance of Captain Viert changes all that. Reiner and his fellow prisoners are given a simple choice; volunteer for an ‘errand’ or be executed right away. Now Reiner must try and survive a suicide mission whose purpose just gets darker and more sinister whilst the only people to watch his back are cutthroats and murderers.
This book is a cliche. Lol. This is my first word to came to my mind. This is a book about men who are about to die and they are given a chance to be free again... Now.. Tell a movie where this happens? Dirty Dozen.. That's right.
Now the story begins with the main character Reiner a man of noble birth contemplating which of the prisioners would do well in a attempt to escape. Afterwards he and others ( the ruthless and bloodthirsty Knight, the pair of villanous pikemen, the cowardly savant Artilleryman, the downtrodden Engineer, the malicious Barber-Surgeon, the plucky young archer and the unfortunate Tilean Rogue)
I didn't like one thing only... the knight. He has no character and he sounds like a stupid person. If that is the point Nathan Long wanted to made then he is okay too. lol
The story itself it's a good one. The main story focus on the attempt to recover a banner which will help the empire won the battle that is coming.
The book also focus on betrayal and the instability of the whole pack. Several of the characters die. Some I didn't feel any remorses others I did. Another good thing was their mismatched personalities leading to good dialogues and thoughts.
Even if they are carcerated they are not in the whole ideia evil.
I read afterwards the second book of this series... So you can say I like it a lot. 8/10
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