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Last First Snow

“This was easier before. Gods try to smite you, and you smite them first. Armies of light against armies of darkness. Craftsmen advancing the cause of knowledge and freedom and humanity against ignorance and oppression.”

Fourth book in the Craft Sequence, though first chronologically.

Featuring glorious backstory, a smite-happy skeletal sorceror, a grassroots uprising against economic overlords, Elayne Kevarian in all her glory, a happy family about to b torn asunder, bloodthirsty gods, allegories for real life police killings, a general feeling of dread (and did I mention Elayne Kevarian?)

Published 2016, Tor.com

Articles
Demographics of POV characters (UPDATED 2024)
Demographics of POV characters (UPDATED 2024)

A nerdy deep dive into demographics of POV characters in the Craft Sequence.

POV Distribution in the Craft Sequence (UPDATED 2024)
POV Distribution in the Craft Sequence (UPDATED 2024)

With 44 POV characters across 8 books, who has the most narrative page-time in the Craft Sequence so far? Who are the ‘main’ characters, and what does that mean for the story?

Entire Craft Sequence story so far...
Entire Craft Sequence story so far...

Need a reminder of the plot of the Craft Sequence before reading Wicked Problems? You’re in luck - the first seven books all summarised neatly here.

The story so far... Last First Snow and what came before
The story so far... Last First Snow and what came before

Everything you need to remember from LAST FIRST SNOW before reading WICKED PROBLEMS. Characters, plots, and the importance of the book for the rest of the series.

Character Connections
Character Connections

The Craft Sequence is a sprawling series with characters showing up in different narratives and meeting all sorts of characters. This somewhat crazy article tracks the connections between the main characters in a conspiracy theory style wall.

Craft Sequence DRAGONS as planes and weapons (part 2)
Craft Sequence DRAGONS as planes and weapons (part 2)

We’ve looked at almost every reference to dragons in the Craft Sequence, so now we’re bringing out the big guns - figuratively and literally. Read on to see how dragons act as magical jumbo jets and also corpse WMDs - yes, literally.

Every reference to DRAGONS in the Craft Sequence (part 1)
Every reference to DRAGONS in the Craft Sequence (part 1)

In honour of Tor Books’s 5th annual Dragon Week, here’s an unplanned article about EVERY SINGLE dragon reference in the series. Part 1, because it turns out there’s way more than I thought. YOU’RE WELCOME.

The perfect Craft Sequence reading order (+8 more options)
The perfect Craft Sequence reading order (+8 more options)

It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that the order of books in the Craft Sequence is confusing. The author himself has said as much.

But have no fear, intrepid reader – we have pulled together NINE different reading orders for you to choose from.

Unofficial Craft Sequence Timeline (UPDATED 2023)
Unofficial Craft Sequence Timeline (UPDATED 2023)

We know that the Craft Sequence has a weird chronology, but what is the timeframe of the books’ events? How old are characters during different novels?

We’ve worked it out from references in the books – check it out.

What's the deal with the space spiders?
What's the deal with the space spiders?

In Quechal mythology, the skazzerai are demonic spiders at the end of the universe spinning webs between the stars. We have evidence they’ve visited the world of Craft before ‘to eat’ - and it looks like they’re going to play a part in the CRAFT WARS endgame. So, what’s the deal with the space spiders?

 

Summary of Last First Snow

(from publisher)

Forty years after the God Wars, the city of Dresediel Lex bears the scars of liberation-especially in the Skittersill, a poor district still bound by the fallen gods’ decaying edicts. As long as the gods’ wards last, they strangle development; when they fail, demons will be leased upon the city.

The King in Red hires Elayne Kevarian of the Craft firm Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao to fix the wards, both to protect the city from certain doom and to lay a new foundation for prosperity. But the Skittersill’s people have their own ideas about progress. A protest rises against Elayne’s work, led by Temoc, a warrior-priest turned community organizer who wants to build a peaceful future for his city, his wife, and his young son.

As Elayne drags Temoc and the King in Red to the bargaining table, old wounds reopen, old gods stir in their graves, ancient grudges break to new mutiny, and profiteers circle in the desert sky. Elayne and Temoc must fight conspiracy, dark magic, and their own demons to save the peace - or failing that, to save as many people as they can.