The third book in the planned seven-book Britfield series has arrived, and as much as I was looking forward to reading “Britfield & the Return of the Prince,” it unfortunately did not live up to expectations.
The first two novels by C.R. Stewart in the series, “Britfield & the Lost Crown” and “Britfield & the Rise of the Lion,” were exhilarating reads, full of memorable characters both heroes and villains, intersecting and engaging storylines, awe inspiring settings, and countless moments of action. The third novel, however, seems to focus primarily on the latter: countless moments of action.
A Short, Long Bridge
Stewart is planning several more works to follow the ongoing escapism of his orphan protagonists, Tom and Sarah. The plot behind the series is a fascinating one. Tom is the rightful heir to the British crown, but the powers-that-be will stop at nothing to keep him from sitting on the throne.The first two books find the protagonists constantly on the lookout and on the go in order to stay ahead of criminals, assassins, and a dark society. I found myself exhausted, in a good way, by keeping up with their constant near misses. Despite the two always on the run, there were significant things happening, like the gathering of allies in their quest to find answers or at least safety.
There were ongoing and significant storylines that lined up with the main plot to keep the reader intrigued, there were notable and memorable villains, and there was enough substance during the harrowing moments to make them feel like actual contributions to the storyline instead of just running around and dodging bullets.
“Britfield & the Return of the Prince” is set in Italy, after romps through England and France in the first two books, respectively. From the first two books, the author has set apart who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. This, unfortunately, does not assist in the third book. Quite often a good villain (or at least notable henchman) makes for good reading.
There were no surprises in the third book, completely unlike the first and second. There were never moments where the reader doesn’t see something coming, unlike the first two. This is not to say that there were no obvious moments of foreshadowing in the first two, but there was at least some uncertainty.
In a metaphorical color scheme, the third book is only black and white, while the first two had plenty of gray. The novel is so straightforward that it eliminates all possibility of suspense, which leaves the reader running through the old Italian streets with the protagonists only to be exhausted by its end, and not in a good way.
When I finished the book, I was perplexed as to why Stewart decided to make this the longest read in the series, clearing almost 600 pages. The first was 400 and the second was less than 500. I understand that the purpose of the series is to cover portions of Europe and lead into Russia and America, but this book read like an Italian bridge—a very long bridge—created solely to continue the series. The fact is the book could have very well been shorter than the first, and no doubt shorter than the second.
To Make a Long Story Short
When someone has an interesting story, but it’s not interesting enough to go through all of it, they say, “To make a long story short, ...” Stewart has written a rather unnecessarily long story where only a couple of things of significance happen, and one of those things never actually happens (there will be no spoilers in this review) while the other takes place very early in the book. I think the author made a mistake in both of these decisions.Salvation in Book Four
As alluded to, the third book could have been much shorter. Stewart spent too much time dealing with the small details of getting through locked doors, messing with disguises, and utilizing an endless supply of cash, as if each of those moments were happening for the first time. The same bag of tricks was used so often to elude the bad guys that it stretched this reader’s suspension of disbelief too far.Pretty much any given series is going to have a book (or movie) that is used more like a plot device to continue the series rather than a work that can stand on its own. The first two reads were fantastic, and I have given them both high praise; unfortunately, I can’t do the same for the newest arrival. I do have hope for the eventual fourth book because of the overall story and because of Stewart’s ability as a writer.
