Review: "The Wind and the Void" by Ryan Kirk

The third book in Ryan Kirk's Nighblades saga concludes the stories of Ryuu and Moriko, the ninjas-in-all-but-name badasses from the Kingdom as they face the dreaded Azarians, the foes from "World's Edge".

So... yeah. I have to admit I was a bit torn reading this book. On the one hand, I genuinely enjoy Kirk's characters and the world he created. I always get a bit of satisfaction in reading badass wuxia/ninja stories.

That said, I have to admit that "The Wind and the Void" finally got me tired of the whole "(s)he was amazed at how strong (s)he has gotten!" trope that was pretty much endlessly parroted throughout the book.

Kirk's story was pretty brutal and vicious, as the previous books were, and that doesn't bother me. What wore on me was how clear it was that the supernaturally-gifted protagonists were so far and beyond the mere mortal protagonists that it just started to get silly after a while.

The ending was abrupt and, frankly, some of the larger, overarching plots felt rushed and hollow. For all that, I still liked the series. Now on to some sci-fi for a while.