Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Fantastic read for fans of historical fiction and fantasy too. A great conclusion to the empire of salt trilogy that started with Darien

I feel like the quality and standard of Conn Iggulden's books (both historical and fantasy) has been slowlygetting worse, and has sadly crashed with The Sword Saint.

The entire series, from Darien to Shiang to TSS, has lacked quality and depth. Conn is famously a big fan of David Gemmell, and it feels like he's trying too hard to emulate the great man in this series. Sadly he falls so short. The characters lack depth, as does the plot. The world building is week, The story felt rushed.

Sadly, i cant see myself picking up another new Iggulden book for some time. Such a disappointment and fall from grace.

A thrilling conclusion to the Salt Trilogy. Fast paced, action packed story, spanning three books. Great characters and a fascinating storyline.

The third in the 'Empire of Salt' series, this book brings the main characters from the previous two books together in another brilliant novel. I really liked the first two books and this one doesn't disappoint. Although it's a fantasy novel the characters seem almost real and they are so well described that it doesn't take much to imagine how they'd look. (In my mind Tellius is a bit like an old Fagin).
A new character, Prince Louis of Feal is introduced at the start of this book - he's nasty and manipulative but the really evil one is his father, King Jean Brieland, who assisted by magic, plans to conquer Darien. Tellius, with the help of Lady Sallet, brings together the mismatch of heroes who ultimately work together to foil King Jean Brieland and bring about his downfall.
I can't recommend this book (and the previous two in the series) highly enough, I wonder how long it will be before some film/TV producer realises that these series of books will make terrific viewing!

An enjoyable final book, although perhaps not particularly novel. It felt like much of what had passed before. Whilst entertaining and easy to read, there wasn’t anything radically new. Some of the scenes as they developed felt like they were going towards a big reveal, but the ending was a little flat.
Essentially Darien is a fantasy trading city. There is a legacy of families that hold power, wealth and magic that has been used collectively to protect the city. Now Darien faces an invasion from a hostile kingdom by a king who has his own abundance of magic, so the stakes have changed. Many of the characters in the previous book band together to try and save the city. There are some good battle scenes and enjoyable dialogue. The pace is comfortable but overall it lacked luster for me

A solid conclusion to the Empire of Salt series.

As with all these books, it took a little while to draw me into the story but then I was steadily propelled to the end.

Onto the plot:

A foreign nation - at first seemingly eager to trade but secretly planning war - sets its sights on war with the city of Darien. Tellius, once an outsider and now one of the rulers, gathers a team of his best warriors and magic users to save the city...

And so the scene is set. By now the reader 'knows' Tellius's team from previous books and it's a pleasure to be reunited with them and see them use their myriad skills to the max.

There are a few characters I'd like to have seen more of - the young golem king, even the city of Shiang. It might've been nice to go deeper into the more intriguing magic skills on show too.

But never mind - as I said the plot is a solid way to bring characters back together for one last adventure (or one last city defense), tying up some loose ends along the way. It's not spectacular, but it is comforting and sometimes that's what you need.

I loved 'Darien', the first book of the Empire of Salt trilogy; it was the first book I'd read from C.F Iggulden and the mixture of fantasy and battles engrossed me. I reached eagerly for 'Shiang,' which was not up to the standard of 'Darien,' but was...okay. I was very disappointed by 'The Sword Saint,' the final book of the trilogy which I feel ended the series with a whimper rather than a bang.
My personal feeling was that the author was trying to recreate the visual effects of an epic film with words, and the result was complicated and messy. I found the plot difficult to follow and as a result became quickly disengaged.
I give 'The Sword Saint' just the two stars.

Like other reviewers I thought this a fitting end to a great series. It held my attention thoughout. The book could be stand alone but it is better read as a third. The characters, both familiar and not, were well developed and the reader is drawn in to the story. There are many elements and it is not just the standard battle that becomes the focus of too many fantasy books. I feel there is a further book there and would welcome this.

Dark, complex, engaging, complictaed to follow in places, but a worthy read and one i very much enjoyed.

The final installment of this hugely enjoyable trilogy. Just as things have settled down, a new threat emerges from the Kingdom of Feal. We get a prologue which goes some way to explaining where the King comes from and how he manages to seize power but I would have really liked more time spent on this rather than just seeing the repercussions on Darien.
That said, the battle scenes are very well described although the ending is a little rushed.
I can't help feeling there was maybe another book in here.
My thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this copy.

A satisfying close to an excellent trilogy, Perfect for anybody who thinks they don't enjoy the sci-fy/fantasy genre.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire collection of three stories and recommend that readers start with book one, rather than attempt to jump in late. Iggulden is so good at creating characters that are deep, interesting and connect with much of our own understanding of ourselves and others. His melding of fantasy and our world history is very clever. If you loved Harry Potter, this is a series for you - at once a very human tale and a world of fantastical imagining and excitement.

This is the third and final instalment in the Empire of Salt trilogy.

The great cities of Darien and Shiang are separated by thousands of miles and the taut political differences between them. They believe themselves their only enemy. But this belief is proven false when one member from the twelve leading families is slaughtered and marks the beginning of either a strained alliance, that would see Darien beggared to their neighbour, or delivers them a new foe to deal with, and this one right upon their doorstep.

The Sword Saint takes place eight years after the tumultuous events the second series instalment, Shiang, closed on. It was intriguing seeing how the world had altered and the character come accustomed to their new lives, in this time. It pained me however, as I was longing to see characters I had grown close to and events I had spent so long reading about come to full and complete resolution. This new political threat pulled focus from what much of the series had previously spent detailing but this did return and become more of a central plot point, later in the novel.

I adored the characters we did spend time with. Their relationships to each other, whether close-knit or fraught, were all of equal intrigue. I did, however, find this heavily character-focused and this left the pacing to feel a little too slow for my personal tastes. I was anticipating a ramped-up and action-packed finale and, instead, this delivered a read that was far more like Shiang than Darien, with its plodding narrative and close-focus character study. It also left a few details unexplored, such as those concerning magic, and, whilst enjoyable, I was ultimately left wanting a little more from it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, C. F. Igguldon, the publisher, Penguin, for this opportunity.

The Sword Saint is the third in the Empire of Salt trilogy by C.F Iggulden and is an excellent end to a gripping series. I’ll definitely look out for more fantasy from Iggulden, but also will try out his historical fiction.

Although I was looking forward to this one, I tried not to get my hopes too high. Shiang had a slow start and it took time for the pacing to establish itself; I wasn’t certain if the same would be true here.

Thankfully, it wasn’t. The Sword Saint goes straight into the drama as a trade treaty is brokered despite characters’ misgivings and we quickly learn that the treaty is just a front: war is coming to Darien and the odds, more than ever, seem impossible.

It’s made clear early on that the stakes are going to be high and this enemy will show no mercy. Unlike book two, this is an entire army marching on Darien, led by a man that has sorcerery at his fingertips that protects him from harm.

Despite the gripping plot, the tension and the action-packed scenes, what made this book for me were the characters. Tellius has been a favourite from the beginning and he shows the perfect balance between a shrewd man determined to protect his city, and an old man in love, wanting to find some peace and quiet.

Tellius takes centre stage from the start. But this final book brings back all the heroes from before: the swordsmen from book two (Hondo, Bosin and Taeshin) but also those from book one: Elias Post with his knack to see the future, Nancy and her ability to drain magic and Vic Deeds, in way over his head as per usual but with his guns in his hands and a will to live.

The characters come in a full circle; Elias realises he almost met Nancy that night, so many years ago, that dragged him into this. There is a strong dynamic between them all and the conflicting personalities work. Deeds acts as light relief; he plays his part, but nearly all of the others threaten to kill him just for being annoying. Taeshin is in awe of Hondo and Bosin struggles to find his humanity again.

I couldn’t put this book down. Iggulden handles the tension with masterful suspense – you grab a few seconds here and there to catch your breath before you are plunged back into the drama. It’s violent, but not in an explicit way, and you sense the determination and drive of all the characters: they have their reasons for wanting to survive the night. There’s large-scale battles, one-to-one fights, swords, guns, explosions… everything you’d expect to find.

But not everyone you love can survive. There are heartfelt and emotional moments scattered throughout, complementing with the fast-pace fights erupting all over Darien.

A fantastic series, with the third book being the strongest of them all. If you’re looking for a new fantasy series, I can’t recommend this enough!

Didn’t realise this was the end of a series so dozy me, seemed an entertaining read although I was lost due to this, not going to mark down because I’m not paying attention. Well written and entertaining

The city of Darien has weathered some strange things over the past decade: the magic stones of the Twelve families, individuals with a 'knack' - for slipping into the safest future, or for absorbing magic and turning it into fire. The city has a boy king who never ages, has developed guns and expert swordsmen who trained in the imperial city of Shiang to the east.

Since the events of Shiang (Book 2) the Twelve families of Darien have begun to realise that they are no longer quite so alone, and are looking to engage with new trade and opportunities, particularly when a new king is proclaimed in the north, in the newly-named kingdom fo Féal.

But when this new king's avaricious gaze is turned on Darien, Tellius must see to the defence of the city. And who better to defend it, then the rag-tag group of people that have made it their own, whether they realised that they belonged to the city or not.

The Good:
- I already loved this series and especially enjoyed reaing about a city that has been so carefully created - it is dark and dirty, as well as exciting, innovative and hopeful. The character of Tellius perfectly embodies a city that he has come to represent.
- C. F. Iggulden writes good fight scenes - the battle around the walls and the raids on the camp were all excellent, if a little light on gore (his style of fantasy).
Hondo and Bosin (from Book 2) are great characters and I'm glad that they had a more prominent role in this book.
- It had the classic 'rag-tag bunch of rebels coming together' trope and it was great to get familiar with the group again - it a very 'completing the circle' feel to have characters from Book 1 reappear at the end.

The Not So Good:
- In many ways, it felt like very little happened, or at least nothing new. The Sword Saint was a rehash of all of the events from Darien and Shiang, which meant that nothing felt fresh - the city had been under siege before, strange invincible people had appeared before - nothing was really different.
- I had difficultly remembering the significance of each of the characters from previous novels when they reappeared - perhaps I read them too long ago? Or were they not reintroduced very thoroughly? I can't quite tell which.
- I was hoping for a little more information about the Twelve Families' stones, as well as a bit more Tellius/Winn Sallett relationship, but you can't have everything in a realtively short story.
- There were some odd debates at the beginning about trade, and being taken advantage of, and trying to retain some national freedom - maybe it's in the news too much (read: all the time), but of the arguments at the beginning felt very Brexit (and more Leave than Remain ...)
- The ending itself felt rushed (and more than a little bit unlikely that it would resolve so smoothly).

In all, it was the same formula, rewritten for the same characters. It didn't stop my enjoyment, but it meant that I was often looking for something new, but didn't necessarily receive it.

I was sent a copy of The Sword Saint: Empire of Salt Book III by C. F. Iggulden to read and review by NetGalley.
The last in the Empire of Salt trilogy pulls together all the threads woven in the previous two books. Unfortunately this was the least satisfying for me – hence the four stars. Whether this is because I had only recently read Shiang, the second book in the series, or whether it was more to do with the fact that there was so much re-capping of the previous stories and characters I don’t know. I feel perhaps that it was due rather to the latter, as I felt it didn’t flow quite so well. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a great story with many twists and turns and plenty of action, I suppose I was just expecting to get a little more caught up with the story as a whole – especially as it was the grand finale! Whatever my personal niggles I still heartily recommend this as a series well worth reading.

Third and probably the best of the trilogy. Darien makes a trade treaty (shades of Brexit) with the Prince of a neighbouring and aggressive state, whose king usurped power by stealing an army of automata and a protective magic spirit. The king wants an excuse to invade Darien rather than trade, so mutilates his son and marches on the city. Tellius, now speaker of the Council of Darien has to muster all the power and magic he can to resist them. It' s a gripping and fast moving story of good against evil.

The Sword Saint is a solid ending to the trilogy that began with Darien.

The scope of the trilogy can't be faulted - city-wide, not just character-centred and yet it is the characters that spoke most to me. It is good, in this final part, that we are reunited with the characters of book 1 as well as book 2. As such, The Sword Saint feels more complete than Book 2.

It is Tellius that binds all three stories together, just as much as Darien itself, and some of the 'newer' characters feel a little superfluous in this final book. Yes, I know they add to the storyline, but it could have been done a bit quicker, and more time spent on Tellius et al.

Overall, I enjoyed The Sword Saint, but I would have liked a few questions answered and I would have loved much, much more of the warriors who defend Darien once more. But, I suppose it's better to leave an audience wanting more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

The Sword Saint concludes the exciting Empire of Salt Trilogy. The final part sees Darien under siege from the armies of Feal. With memorably excellent characters and stunning battles cleverly woven by a master of historical fiction, this is a must read. A fine end to the entertaining trilogy.