I'm more familiar with Steven Brust through his Taltos novels, which I very much enjoy, but have had To Reign in Hell on my radar for some time now. I finally decided to give a read, and while it wasn't my favorite book - not even my favorite book dealing with this subject matter - it was an enjoyable read.

To Reign in Hell is written in much the same tone as the Taltos novels, somewhat surprisingly for such grim subject matter. Prose is efficient, simple while not inelegant, and struck through with an undercurrent of wit that I've come to expect from Brust. The story moves at a good pace; this a short novel that doesn't overstay its welcome, and the length fits perfectly with the tone and style of the book.

The subject matter here is a well-tread topic: the fall of the angels from Heaven. I'm not especially religious myself, though I do find religions and the more fantastical stories within them compelling. My most recent point of reference dealing with a similar topic is Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires, which was one of my favorite reads of the past few years. The heavy, apocalyptic language used in the novel is a start contrast to the lighter tones Brust uses here, and I have to say I enjoyed Between Two Fires much more.

My main issue with this novel is that the entire plot hinges on one of my most hated concepts in fiction. Everything that happens in this book is because of miscommunication. The main players trust and rely on third parties to communicate, which inevitably goes wrong. By the time they figure it out, it's too late. I found myself very frustrated at certain points because of this - the novel could've wrapped up at the halfway point had these characters simply talked to each other face by face and not allowed themselves to be misled. That, however, might just be the entire point Brust is making.

All in all, I enjoyed To Reign in Hell. If you're a fan of Brust, and aren't offended by the subject matter, this is worth a quick weekend read. Just expect to be frustrated at certain critical points in the story.