The War and the Fox (The Calatians #3) by Tim Susman
- shilohskyewriter
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
You might want to continue this series if you:
-want to see how magic functions in war
-are ready for some action and violence
-want to see Kip's friends back in action
-are a revolutionary war buff
-hate Andrew Jackson
I have looked forward to this entry in the Calatians series ever since accidentally reading the first line of the book description: "The American revolution of 1817 has begun." Such an interesting alternate history line made me eager to get to this entry, and I'm pleased to say I was not disappointed.
As that line states, the revolutionary war is on, if a bit late in the timeline. Kip and his friends are drafted into the army as sorcerers, funneling them into exciting battles and daring missions. All the while, the rules of magic on the battlefield are explored, and their limits tested, just as Kip and his friends test the limits of what the army demands from them.
It's a far more action packed and violent story than the first two books, but it nevertheless retains the dynamics between characters that the first two books excelled in. I'm happy to see that The War and the Fox still has the flavor of a Calatians book even with the chaos that has now broken out in the story.
I loved seeing these characters thrown into that chaos, with stakes so much higher than they're used to. It put Kip and his friends to the test, drawing out more of who they are and what they're capable of. Meanwhile, Kip's relationship with magic continues to grow in complexity, which is something I really enjoyed in the first two books, so I'm glad to see it continue. It also seems like some gayness is being set up throughout this book, which I of course always appreciate.
For the first time, we also see how these characters cope with death and killing, which leads us to my one complaint about the book. While I appreciated how Kip's sorrow over death makes some deadly scenes more impactful, his discussions and ruminations about it become a bit repetitive at times. I can't say they're not realistic and necessary; Kip is an inquisitive young adult forced to kill, after all, and he'd be deeply affected by it. But there isn't much done with that issue here that hasn't been done in many other stories. As a result, this moral dilemma of "death = bad" feels like it's only present because it's expected to be, and it weighed down the surrounding story for me as a result.
Regardless, The War and the Fox is my favorite entry in the series so far. This book puts the limits of its magic and characters to the test with explosive results. Alas, the fourth audiobook isn't out yet, so it may be a while before I finally get to read and review it, but I'll be waiting to do so the instant that audiobook drops.
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