The Craft Sequence

In the novels, magic is real and works similarly to corporate law. The series drew inspiration from James C. Scott's book Seeing Like a State to explore the definition of corporations and governments. The magical system of the novel is used to explore globalization, capitalism, and debt.[1]

Liz Bourke describes Last First Snow as an "intensely political book". She writes that the novel explores the conflict between conservatism and progress by contrasting the age of gods with the age of commerce. It also explores community organizing and mass protest.[2]

Each novel is a standalone set in the same universe, so the novels can be read in any order. The numbers in the titles of the first five novels indicate the internal chronological order of the series.[3] Gladstone states that this stemmed from his experience growing up in a small town in Tennessee, where the local bookstore often did not stock complete book series all at once.[4]

Publishers Weekly gave Three Parts Dead a starred review, praising the "suspenseful and fast-paced" story as well as the "diverse female-led cast".[5] A review in Kirkus Reviews praised the strong female characters in Three Parts Dead, as well as the creative worldbuilding. The same review found that the novel's conclusion was "slightly clumsy", but otherwise praised the plot.[6] Publishers Weekly also gave a starred review to Two Serpents Rise, calling Caleb an "engaging protagonist" and comparing the city of Dresediel Lex to an alternate Los Angeles, complete with "its own versions of ethnic tensions and environmental strain".[7]

Writing for NPR, author Amal El-Mohtar praised the cover art for Full Fathom Five, stating that she was drawn to a novel that portrayed two women of color without falling into the sexualized stereotypes common in urban fantasy novels' cover art. El-Mohtar wrote that the series contained "some of the smartest, most original and sophisticated world-building I've read in years", and particularly praised the female-led cast of Full Fathom Five.[8] Liz Bourke wrote that Full Fathom Five is "engaged in a conversation" with the fantasy genre, due in part to its modernity and the diversity of its cast. She called the novel "his best yet".[9] Publishers Weekly gave a starred review to Full Fathom Five, praising the novel for its transgender heroine Kai in addition to the other diverse cast members. The review praised the novel and stated that Gladstone "continues to trump his already considerable accomplishments".[10]

Publishers Weekly wrote a starred review for Last First Snow, praising its "sly satire of current socioeconomic issues" and writing that the novels of the Craft Sequence are "always enthralling and somehow consistently improving with every book".[11] Four Roads Cross also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, applauding the return of Tara Abernathy and the cast from Three Parts Dead. The review commended Gladstone's "storytelling, worldbuilding, and character development", calling the novel "a splendid continuation of a fascinating series".[12] The Ruin of Angels received a starred review as well, which particularly praised the way the novel handled its transgender characters. The same review also wrote that the novel was "surprising" and made the setting "feel even more vivid and real than it did before".[13]

Three Parts Dead was nominated for the 2014 Mythopoeic Award.[14] Full Fathom Five was nominated for the 2015 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[15] The entire series was nominated for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Series.[16]