Bloody Books Reviews - The Beast Arises Book Ten: The Last Son of Dorn by David Guymer

David Guymer returns for his second book in The Beast Must Die, with The Last Son of Dorn. This time out, Koorland has a desperate plan to attempt the utter destruction of the Beast, using the now fully forged Deathwatch, and the once lost Sisters of Silence, as the storm begins to gather for the breaking of the end of the saga.

If the last book took us back to the the tone of the opening chapters of the series, this one cements it. There's some smart mirroring of moments from earlier books in the first few chapters with some genuine humour peppered in through the grimdark. We move from familiar locations to new ones and back to Terra for further examination of the High Lords selfish motivations before the focus turns entirely to Koorland and the ever escalating events explode and the boltshells begin firing. Koorland's gradual transformation from a desperate soldier to a commanding figure has been a wonder to experience, and with this entry he is undoubtedly the stand out star of the series. That's not to take away from Vangorich and Weiland however, who continue to be very watchable, but Koorland's internal battle with his doubts have turned into something still deprecating but sharper, with more focus and understanding of the position he's found thrust upon him.

It's a great read, and after some good books it's nice to find the series absolutely smash it out the park again. It lacks some of the political intrigue that so filled out the first three chapters, but as a whole and as part of the series, it's absolutely wonderful.