William Gwynne's Reviews > Priest of Lies

If you would like to watch an interview with Peter McLean, talking about writing, War for the Rose Throne and more, here is a link to an interview on The Brothers Gwynne - The Brothers Gwynne


Priest of Lies, in short, is a fantastic sequel to Priest of Bones. Again, Peter McLean delivers an engaging story, with a unique cast of characters and an interesting world to learn more about.

Again, I listened to Priest of Lies on Audible, and it was just brilliant. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is definitely one I would recommend. The narration crafts the perfect gritty tone allowing slower pauses for thought, and then moments of adrenaline during the blood-pumping action. You could not ask for more.

“Kneeling in the temple doesn’t make you godly any more than standing in a stable makes you a horse, to my mind.”

We follow Thomas Piety a while after the conclusion of the first instalment in this series, Priest of Bones. After solidifying his authority in his urban home, with the Pious Men to carry out his commands, he finds that it is almost harder to maintain his power than it was to win it, especially when you are also secretly working for the Queen's Men, the most dangerous people in the country.

In Priest of Lies we again encounter conflict in a variety of shapes and forms, with magic making a bit more of a mark here, as well as small and large scale conflicts. On top of this Priest of Lies explores the political lens more so than its predecessor, with Thomas Piety venturing through necessity to the capital, Dannsburg, a city ruled by propriety and political gestures, with a dark underbelly of oppression and fear.

This shift in exploration maintains the heart of Priest of Bones, through exposing the brutality of gang warfare, but keeping the core loyalty these characters have together, whilst allowing for fantastic character development as Thomas Piety comes to grips with these different social spheres that he must conquer or at least learn to live with in order to survive and look after those few that he cares about.

“Perhaps law and order is just another way of saying tyranny and oppression, but I wouldn’t know.”

Priest of Lies is a really great second instalment in War for the Rose Throne, with a masterful culmination of events in a mind-blowing, awesome and fantastically managed conclusion that I did not see coming but kept me engaged throughout.