Commerce Emperor by Maxime J. Durand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This hits a solid political fantasy note with extremely solid magics--specifically, being the ultimate deal-maker. Not like Trump. More like any fair exchange is immediately and irrevocably binding. A lock of hair for gold? Instant. All your skills for swordsmanship for 10 gold? No problem. Your soul for your freedom?

Ehhh... yeah, that's where this could get very dark, very fast. Fortunately, heroes exist, as do gods and demons. Fun stuff.

I think Maxime Durand is threading some great fine lines between all their fiction. I still love the timey-wimey SF best, but between this dark and serious fantasy versus the humorous dragon, I think I prefer this. They're all quite decent, mind you. But I'm digging how serious this is.

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