Where a Lawful Good Guy Politely Kicks Ass

The Way of the Shield by Marshall Ryan Maresca
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very satisfying novel in the Maradaine series. Like all the books (so far, anyway) in the series, it has interesting, round characters, a well imagined setting, an engaging plot, and lots of good action.

My favorite thing in books--which I've said elsewhere--is seeing awesome characters be awesome. Other people may like novels where the main character is a sad sack getting kicked around for the first 100,000 words, making everybody miserable, but I don't. I like to see the good guys using their gifts to do amazing things, which is how this novel works. That doesn't mean anything's easy here; Dayne's got real troubles, and things aren't going right for him. But he's an upstanding guy who uses his exceptional skill to protect and save those around him, and it's great fun to cheer for him and his allies.

With lots of action and sympathetic characters, this is a quick, fun read. Part of a group of interconnected series, the novel has a longer story arc that is not resolved here, but the central plot of this one has a satisfying ending with a hint toward future developments. That works for me.

Keeping it real, I only have one criticism. (A matter of personal preference.) I don't care for spending much time in the POV of the bad guys. I don't like them; I don't want to hang out with them. I know that's necessary to some degree, but it was the only thing that I didn't enjoy here. A little of that goes a long way.

Overall, though, it was a lot of fun, a pleasure to sit down with for half an hour here and there, and I'm encouraged to get the rest of the novels. Recommended.

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