What do you think about the slow combat in last stand of the salt-worn knights?

[Zachary.H]

I just finished The Last Stand of the Salt-Worn Knights and I’m left wondering if I actually liked it. The combat was so deliberately slow and clunky, but I can’t tell if that was a brilliant design choice to make every swing feel heavy and desperate, or if it was just badly tuned.

[Stephen.M]

I just finished it too and the fights felt heavy on purpose. I kept hoping the clunk would become a clever rhythm, and sometimes it did, other times it just wore me down.

[Brandon96]

I tried to compare the tempo to other fantasy battles and it stuck in a slow gear, like every hit had to earn its weight.

[OliverS]

Maybe the real problem is not the sword play but the rest of the pacing. If the chapters drag, the fights feel longer than they are.

[Steven.C]

Did the author intend this pacing, or is that mismatch your experience the real issue?

[Larry.M]

I read a stretch aloud with a friend and timed a couple of fight scenes in our heads; the swings framed the space between lines and it felt heavier than it needed to be.

[EvelynR]

One moment I wanted more momentum, next page I got a quiet beat of reflection that pulled me out of the action, so I’m not sure where I stand.