Wild Dog and Loan

Having read all three books (Mouse, Cat, and Dog), I must admit that Dan Crawford has done well in his world of Rosacotta. This is an excellent fantasy series. The land of Rosacotta is one of extremes of good and bad. People are cutthroat and mercenary, yet some actually care about their land. Who is who and what one's real agenda are is something else. This story, though confined largely to one city and one castle complex, never lacks for characters and depth. The main characters, Polijn and Nimnestl, are both outsiders to the royal court yet both become nearly indispensable in foiling plots and helping the young king and his regent. I admit that at times I was a bit confused as to who was who and whose plot was whose, but, then again, that's probably what the main characters were feeling, too. And the scenes about life in the Swamp, especially those that feature the wizrd the Vielfrass, are worth reading the book in their own right.I hope that this isn't the end. Both Polijn and the king are so young. They both deserve future volumes, maybe focusing on the realms beyond Rosacotta and on life when the regency ends and the king comes into his own.A very good read. (Though it may get harder to find). If you can get it read it. You won't be sorry.

I generally dislike split perspective writing, (i.e. two protagonists and two points of view) but I love this one. Crawford takes a unique POV on life in the dregs and makes it very interesting and even more entertaining. Fair warning however Rossacota is not a place for the squeamish.

I've just finished reading this book and the two that precede it, _The Sure Death of a Mouse_ and _Rouse a Sleeping Cat_, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I thought was going to be another throwaway fantasy. This was not helped by the publisher who, inexplicably, decided to publish the second book first and the first second. This didn't throw me, though--even reading them out of order was enjoyable! The author has put together a society with plenty of backstabbing and political intrigue, and given us solid, three dimensional main characters who have to deal with it all. He has a nice touch with the dialogue, sometimes making me laugh out loud. All in all, I was very pleased, and would like to see something else by this author!