The Order of the Furies

1795: A Novel

By: Niklas Natt och Dag

Narrated by: Matt Addis

Two unlikely allies work to end the reign of a powerful cabal of depraved hedonists in 18th-century Stockholm in this spellbinding finale to the #1 internationally bestselling historical trilogy that is filled with “plenty of twists to satisfy thrill-starved readers” (The Washington Post).

For more than a year, Emil Winge has dedicated himself to capturing the diabolical Tycho Ceton, with the invaluable assistance of one-armed army veteran and watchman Jean Michael Cardell. Their mission is made more difficult by the ever-increasing paranoia gripping Sweden’s royal family, who fear that a bloody revolution is brewing.

A letter with the names of the revolutionary conspirators is said to be in the possession of Anna Stina Knapp, a good friend to Cardell. Now, Anna is missing and Cardell is determined to find her before the secret police take her into custody. While Winge and Cardell fight for justice, they find themselves caught between powerful enemies—those who will do anything to maintain the status quo, and those who will only be satisfied with its total destruction.

Writing with “thrilling, unnerving, clever, and beautiful” (Fredrik Backman) vigor and style, Niklas Natt och Dag brilliantly concludes his immersion into the dark and turbulent waters of 18th-century Stockholm.

Overwrought yet underwhelming

Natt Och Dag knows how to set a scene. His prose is stunningly beautiful. But the plot is overly complicated. The body horror also walks a line of overindulgence. The series overall torments its characters, bordering on sadism, casting misogyny and gender violence under the acceptable veneer of historical realism. I only read this final installment in the series because I was so disturbed by the ending of the second book and felt I would never be able to get the images out of my head until I knew the story’s resolution. I was mentally preparing to embark on a story of even more despair and torture, but overall this book left me feeling like I was watching Rube Goldberg unveiling another of his unnecessarily complicated machinations. Overall, a disappointing ending. But my god, the dialogue and descriptions are outstanding.