Prophecy, sorcery, politics, and war dominate the Known Lands though for many, they just want to survive. Master and Fool is the concludes J.V. Jones’ The Book of Words series that finds Jack, Melli, and Tawl working together to bring about the end of Kylock’s burgeoning empire.

The dark elements that Jones has been delving into through the series continued, but it felt that she really went hard on the classical fantasy tropes than in the two previous installments of the series. Jones also stealthily revises Melli’s arc by getting her pregnant by the Duke just after their wedding which gives her a pregnancy arc to deal with especially after she is captured by Kylock’s agents and his to endure his insane sadistic treatment of her until her rescue by Tawl and Jack. The two male protagonists’ finally meet—becoming insta-friends soon afterwards—and go on a road trip with Nabbler first to Larn then back to Bern destroying the first and saving the second as well as Melli via Tawl beginning the Knights of Valdis’ redemption. Kylock’s military genius—or the ineptitude of his enemies—is on full display along with his madness which is enhanced thanks to Baralis giving him a sorcery suppressing drug. The endgame was well written, though given the dark elements Jones had been weaving throughout the series if a protagonist had not made it after the final showdown, it would have worked just as well if not better.

Master and Fool finishes off the trilogy very well, but J.V. Jones’ decision to go with more tropes and putting in revisionism from how the previous book ended were enough to make this the “weakest” of the books though a very entertaining one. ( )

I enjoyed this series, and the final book was not a disappointment. Jack the common bakers boy has finally had to acknowledge that he is a powerful wizard, and with his few allies has to stop running and confront the evil forces in the kingdoms. No shockers and no cliffhangers in this one, and for once, a trilogy actually ends in 3 books. Good reading. If you've already read the Wheel of Time or Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, you'll find this a little flat, but still good. ( )