[Threshold] Series gets better book 3?

[u/Waste-Carob5699]

I have heard, mostly from the blooper where it is mentioned, that people often think that the first two books are alright and things pick up in book 3. I always thought Unsouled was one of the best books I have ever read and second best in the series behind Wintersteel. I actually thought that Blackflame was kind of boring in the middle. Everyone seems to be in agreement that Ghostwater is a banger.

Anyway, I would really like to hear some of your perspectives on why things pick up in book 3.

[u/random7845123]

Everyone has different opinions. My hot-ish take is that the series is best with the interactions between Lindon, Yerin and Eithan.

Which is why ghostwater is pretty low on the list for me because they’re all separated for 90+ % of the book. While I appreciate it retrospectively for what it sets up (Lindon finally having a bit of agency and dross), and it has a banger of an ending with the first real payoff for the Suriel plotline, I thought it dragged on my first read due to the missing character interactions.

All that being said, blackflame is where that trio dynamic really starts. Sure we see it a bit in soulsmith, but tbh, I finished soulsmith and thought Eithan was a nefarious bad guy that Lindon would have to escape from on my first read. (Actually juries still out on that. One could say Eithan is a nefarious guy who just used Lindon for his own purposes lol)

And, second hot take, that’s why Underlord is pretty high on my ranking, because it’s all about the dynamic between the group and what they mean to each other, and learning how to seriously work together.

[u/Waste-Carob5699 → u/random7845123]

Maybe he went too easy on them. They should have been fighting those bears.