****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. It took me three times to get into it, mostly, I think, because I prefer a lusher writing style that dumps me richly into a new world. Many people will prefer Burk's stripped-down prose, however, so I chalk that up to personal taste. I also was unsure of his premise: the ruling council of a beleaguered city invites the general who just took away the richest part of their territory to join the council? But Burk makes it work, and along the way I began to be charmed by the deft way that this outsider forces every member of "the Twelve" to step up in ways they hadn't before. I also was struck several times (enough to sort of stop and savor the moment) by bits of genuine wisdom that fall casually out of conversation or introspection by the various characters. Burk tells the story from all twelve viewpoints without ever once losing the reader, and some of the characters have good things to say about life, governing, relationships, and other pertinent things. I get a sense of an author who has been around the block a few times and has something to say, albeit in an understated way.The story moves right along, though it could have been improved, in my opinion, by much more intrigue and tension, as the setup is quite good. One city-state has managed to field a tyrant who is intent on stealing as much as he can from his neighbors; the other has descended into squalor and petty concerns with appearances and comfort while its army deteriorates and the poor have no hope. The possibilities for pushback against the changes instituted by The Twelve from various special interests would have been fun to watch, but The Warrior doesn't meet many obstacles on his way to charming the council or solving the book's Big Problem. Nonetheless, you enjoy the ride anyway, because watching the characters get beyond themselves while still maintaining the role dictated by the masks they wear is interesting, generally well done (if a little too smooth), and, I think, the larger point of the book. Anybody can write action; writing subtle character growth is much harder, and Burk has upped the ante by putting ordinary people into masks that don't necessarily reflect who they are. The Fool is in an especial quandary in that regard, and I quite liked him. The changes Burk forces are to the inner person as well as in the outer role they must wear in front of the world, which I found sort of fascinating in its possibilities. You also see the potential in some of these characters as they evolve to wear different masks in the future if they are selected for the council again. That process was never made clear, however, so perhaps they will never get the chance.I think this world Burk has created has the potential for a sequel of great fun and more depth where we would get to see the characters use what they learned in this book to combat new problems. I especially liked The Fool and The Crone, as well as the growth trajectory seen in The Priest, The Harlot, and The Rash Youth. They are quite a long way from the end of their eighteenth-month tour of duty, after all, so it would interesting to see what they do with their newfound wisdom. I would certainly read it if such a book ever became available.A few nits: the characters gallop or canter their horses everywhere, for hours on end, leagues upon leagues, in the heat, in the cold, sometimes walking, but never ever trotting to save the poor beast's strength. As a lifelong horse person, this bugged me from the beginning, but not enough to set the book aside. Burk (or his editor) is also careless with pronouns, so that the reader is often confused as to whom "he" may be referring to in the text, and there were several typos and grammatical errors (a special problem with lay, laid, and lain); again, not enough to really detract from the read.This is a solid 3½ stars, and I'd rather bump it up than down, so it gets four.
