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I’m feeling (once again) extremely motivated to keep reading the last book in any number of trilogies/series that I want to finish. It’s a good feeling & I’m going to try and keep the energy/momentum going as long as I can.

I read THE WOLF back in the summer of 2019 (nearly a year after it came out), which feels like another lifetime ago. I remember feeling critical of certain aspects of the book, but overall really enjoying it. I’m curious what my thoughts would be on it now, if I were to go back and read it again. Because between THE SPIDER & THE CUCKOO, I think Leo Carew’s UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY is one of the greatest fantasy trilogies I’ve ever read.

Something I find really I interesting about this trilogy is how each book is formatted a little differently. There were times where I felt frustrated or challenged by this, by spending more time with certain characters than others. But once I tried to relax those kinds of expectations, I found myself enjoying these books so much more.

At the end of the day, I’d definitely describe this trilogy as a deeply character driven one. My memory is terrible, but I can almost remember more action in THE WOLF than here in the finale. But to me, that’s the best kind of fantasy there is. You’re getting to know these characters so well over the course of these three books, so any time there is action or perilous sequences…you really feel it in your gut.

But also make no mistake, Leo Carew can write a thrilling, brutal, bloody action scene with the best of them.

Things pick up pretty much right where THE SPIDER left off…Roper Kynortasson is still on his quest to conquer all of Suthdal, and has done well so far. But there is a deep unrest among his people, the Anakim. There are concerns that Roper has stretched the Anakim forces too thin, and that he will ultimately fall to Bellamus and the (wicked) queen Aramilla.

Vigtyr’s betrayal looms large over all the events in this book (including one of the more memorable & disgusting opening sequences I’ve read in awhile), and is the catalyst for just…so much pain.

Keturah has grown into one of my favorite characters of all time. Here we find her extremely pregnant, and still trying to hang on to some semblance of control over the Black Kingdom. Keturah ends up spending a ton of time with Roper’s brother, Ormur in this one. The vibe between Keturah and Ormur was just fucking perfect, especially in the early going, with Ormur (I think he’s around 17 or 18) having no idea how to behave around a pregnant woman and/or a newborn. But their relationship blooms into something so lovely & powerful.

Ormur becomes one of the main characters in THE CUCKOO, and carries large sections of this book. Hard to say too much about what his role becomes without giving away major plot points, but I think it speaks volumes about Leo Carew as a writer that a character like Ormur can so quickly become 100% vital to the story, and become something of the emotional centerpiece of the story. Oof, fucking love this character so much!

This series is one where you can, at times, almost forget that it’s fantasy. There isn’t really any magic, and sometimes you’ll almost forget that the Anakim are not all-the-way human (they are quite a bit larger than an average human, and have a layer of bony armor under the skin). And then of course there’s the Unhieru, a race of giants. But dang, there were a handful of really fucking wild and/or creepy moments in this one where you absolutely remember this is a dangerous fantasy world! There are some unbearably creepy assassins in this one that were just…quite a shock. There were a few passages I had to reread because I was so genuinely taken aback by what I’d just read.

This world that Leo Carew created for this trilogy feels so unbelievably massive. I’d love to imagine he will return to this world one day, but I certainly don’t have any information on that front.

There’s no shortage of political intrigue, backstabbing, plotting, and scheming in this trilogy. I see it get comped to Game of Thrones and I…don’t really see it. I guess I mean…I can see it appealing to GoT fans, but in a pretty broad sense. On a surface level, the cast of characters in UNDER THE NORTHERN sky is considerably smaller than in GoT.

There’s also an earnestness to these books that’s just…not always there in GoT (the show, anyway). There’s nothing cynical about this world, and its incredible characters, and I just love that about the trilogy. Having said that, there are some excruciatingly bleak and dark moments throughout these books. I don’t want anyone thinking this is a light, bubbly read. It most definitely is not.

I’m gonna miss this world. I got so completely attached to Roper, to Ormur, to Keturah. Oof…to Gray. Hell, even to Bellamus, for all his scheming. I’m so pleased to have finished this trilogy, though. I’ll be sitting with these books awhile, and I can definitely see myself revisiting them at some point. I usually hesitate around the word “underrated,” but these books seem to fly a little under the radar & if I could convince even a small number of people to give UNDER THE NORTHERN SKY a look, that would be very fucking cool.

Massive thanks to Orbit for sending this one my way! And for sending me that ARC of THE WOLF all the way back in 2018!

Onwards!!!