I picked up this book on a whim and found a fantastic series of novels. The story follows Azoth a street kid in a very hard rough and tumble life, he witnesses a wetboy kill a group of thugs and from that point on he wants to be a wetboy. Wetboys are essentially assassins but better, assassins have targets, wetboys have deaders, because its not a question of if they will die, but when. Azoth views them as a figure of power and an escape to the horrible life he lives. So he pursues an apprenticeship with the best wetboy in the city Durzo Blint, and eventually gets him to take him in. But his life really doesn't get any easier, better perhaps, but much much harder.
This book series reminds me a lot of Warbreaker in terms of its writing, the story, and characters. The use of magic is sort of slowly slipped in there and even then it's not a huge aspect of a wetboys work, you need the talent to become a full fledged wetboy, but it only serves to accentuate not define. Interestingly enough I found the characters of Durzo Blint and Vasher to be incredibly similar. The sort of rough and tumble vagabond who, beneath his rough exterior, turns out to be something more, I even pictured them being played by the same actor (Vigo Mortenson)
The trilogy aspect helps avoid the issue I had with Warbreaker, in that it felt like it ended to early and it could have gone on longer. The books are always interesting, and don't overstay their welcome. I really couldn't stop reading them.
Fun side note, I couldn't find the last book in the series. But I happened to be going to the Book Bazaar with some friends. On a whim I figured I would see if they had it, being very dubious as it was a recent novel. Looked down, it was sitting right there. Happiest book finding moment for me ever.
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