Review: The Hand That Casts the Bone

The Hand That Casts the Bone The Hand That Casts the Bone by H.L.Tinsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this superb follow up to We Men of Ash and Shadow, the focus pans out from the city of D'Orsee, showing us how the events of that first book have sent a ripple to other cities. Argent Cooke has escaped the chaos of D'Orsee and is spreading the word, hoping to gather a following to resist Captain Sanquain as the other man makes a bid for martial control of the entire region.

John Vanguard narrowly survived the events of the last book, and as he hides and heals he observes how the Black Zone of the city is mired in uncertainty. The crime lords of the city are restless and making power moves against one another.

"Sometimes people didn't need to do anything particular to make you want to kill them, they just had that sort of face."


This book brought all of the great imagery that was present in book one, adding layers of scope as we see things from different points of view throughout. We see more of the politics and criminal mechanics of not only the city, but the surrounding areas too. While this is a bridge book two of a trilogy, it raises the level of worldbuilding right along with the stakes involved in the setting.

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