Son of a Liche continues Pike’s first novel, and delivers on the promise. This is what Terry Pratchett would write, if he played D&D and poked fun at the GFC.

What to Expect

The story starts about a year after the end of Orconomics. Pike weaves an excellent epic from multiple threads, building on events and characters introduced in the first book and building to a climatic finish (with just enough hooks — and a post-credits hidden scene — to lead up to the next book).

This time the undead are rising, while Andarun’s business and banking loot-economy are busy swapping Consolidated Threat Obligations. As the undead threat draws near, the economy collapses and the real heroes rise.

What I liked

I love Pike’s writing style (the best scene transitions seen in any fantasy novel!), the intelligent satire of the (real) Global Financial Crisis juxtaposed on a fantasy setting, and the way he builds up side-characters and small events that later have significant effects when they intersect with the main plot-line.

What to be aware of

This is a sequel, and while Pike provided an (online) recap of Orconomics, it is still best to read the books in order.

The book is marked as satire, and while humour plays a large part it is not the focus. This is epic fantasy at its best: not afraid to laugh at both fantasy tropes and real economics, while telling a large-scale fantasy adventure story.

Summary

This is an excellent novel, reminiscent of Pratchett’s work. Highly recommended to lovers of epic fantasy. If you liked the first book, you’ll love this sequel.