The Traitor Baru Cormorant: A Neurodivergent Accountant Seeks Revenge 

These types of reviews are why I watch booktube. There is no way this book would have been on my radar without your video. Thanks, Jimmy!

This might've been my favorite review from you! Your description made this book sound thought-provoking and hard-hitting on multiple levels. I agree about the societal bias equating emotional regulation with intelligence. Great insights!

Great review! I knew of this title already, and how good it was. You’ve made me want to get to it sooner

Interest piqued!! You sold the shit out of this man. Looking this one up now. Great view as usual Jimmy.

Fantastic video man and I’m so happy you loved it! This was one of my favorite reads last year and I can’t wait to read the sequels soon!

Awesome review Jimmy! This has been on my list for years. I think it’s time to bump it up.

I read this years ago and didn't realize any sequels had been released! It's definitely a hefty work - I remember it left me with a pit in my stomach. You definitely have me interested in picking this up so I can continue the series.

I just got this book delivered today because of you talking about it in a video recently. I'm looking forward to it!

You're going to love Monster. The world opens up significantly and there's a character that genuinely terrifies me. You'll know her when you see her. We get more cryptarch shenanigans, deeper exploration of colonialism, trauma, the eternal questions of race vs nurture, and more of the grim stuff. The series is too underrated and I am glad you're covering this.

Great video Jimmy! This is one of my absolute faves, a deep exploration of colonialism with a truly unique and inspiring protagonist. Also, Falcrest is the best evil empire in fantasy, they're so devious but also competent and have their own internal logic.

I heard about this book a few years ago and thought about getting it, so thank you for reminding me of it and also telling me that it's probably right up my alley. Excellent review!

Dude im so glad your reviewing this book. This trilogy is one of my favorites and absolutely deserves more eyeballs

This series is the best one I've discovered over the last few years. I can't wait for the final book!

Great review, Jimmy! I picked this up and can't wait to begin reading it.

CHOOOO CHOOOO bring on the hype train!! I love nothing more than getting pumped for books I have waiting patiently on my shelf, and I’m thrilled this worked as a tension-filled political/economic thriller of a fantasy book - seems so unique in the genre and I can’t wait to get to it!

Great review Jimmy, you’ve got me hooked now! I’ve been reading lighter stuff lately so I’m down for dark, complicated, and political. Just ordered all three books 😄

This sounds really good. I'm glad I'm finally getting caught up with my booktube subs cause I would be missing out on Baru's existence.

alright now I REALLY gotta bump this up my list! love the review!

So I've heard Regan from peruse project mention this book before and I did already want to pick it up, but I feel like the emotionality and realness of your review gor me so much more to want to pick this up asap

What a fresh take on colonialism! You are the second BookTuber that I have seen recommend this book. Your detailed review and insight have convinced me to experience the read - much appreciation!

This sounds incredible, it's definitely on the tbr! Great video jimmy👍

I got this trilogy on a whim, glad to see someone talking about it, ive yet to get to it. But its something i csnt wait for my mood to be right to dive into it, it seems very different from anything else ive read. Thanks for all you do to expand our TBR with new, semi-obscure books. At least outside the realm of booktube favorites

I'll definitely be checking this book out. Thank you for the recommendation!

Fantastic review, Jimmy. I can see why you recommended this book to me. Will definitely pick it up soon.

Your reviews are always amazing, but this might be among the very best you've done. You have definitely sold me on this book. It sounds so intriguing and something I would like, so I am getting it right away. /Minna

You have single handedly brought this book to my attention and convinced me to read it. This is very high on my TBR now!

Sounds like a great book! Most fantasy works do a poor or simple job of portraying structural violence and class dynamics. It's probably my biggest pet peeve within the genre. To hear about a fantasy work that tackles it in mature matter puts it on my tbr.

Great review! I definitely have to think about this one :)

Yes, yes, you've convinced me... I'm buying this book. 😊

The fantasy accountant we didn't know we needed. I really enjoyed this book. I need to get back to get series.

Sometimes those unexpected reads come out of nowhere to become a new favorite -- sounds like this book fits that bill for you! It sounds like this book delves into the inner-workings and minutia of colonialism in ways that few (if any) books do. Really intrigued by this unique approach!

Very well articulated review. The title of this book sounds familiar but I had no idea what it was about. I appreciate your thoughts and certainly would like to try this when the time feels right. Thanks for another great review, Jimmy!

You sold me on this book, what an excellent and articulate review. Put in a reservation at my local library.

Alex recommended this to me, then I read the reviews and I was so confused if I’d like this lol. Very good review, brother!

I really appreciate your review of this book, Jimmy; it will definitely go on my ever-growing TBR list. I'm always looking for unique and thematically rich fantasy reads, and this one seems like it will fit the bill. (Some of the themes, like reading/literacy and colonialism, reminded me of a book I read this year: A Stranger in Olondria, where these themes, and others - like storytelling, belonging, the religious experience - are very much present. Also, the sword, the shield, the staff, etc. are on the outskirts, if ever present). I'm looking forward to other discoveries you make and the subsequent reviews on your channel.

I actually DNF'ed this book a while back, but this review is making me think I should revisit it. Thanks for this!

Woooow you've completely sold me on this book! I've unhauled this book in the past just by looking at the goodreads average rating which makes me rethink all of my life decisions now 😅

This has always been on my radar, but I never really prioritised it because it sounded... boring? Happy to say that you just shot it to the top of my TBR with this review, I am completely sold. Love the discussion on neurodivergence and how those people are so often misunderstood. Glad to hear that this was such a big hit for you, thank you for sharing the love! 🤩

Fantastic review Jimmy! I've had this book on the TBR for a while, I'm gonna wait until book 4 comes out to dive in but I can't wait. Also, based on your description of Baru, i would say it's very likely that she's on the autistic spectrum. Particularly with what you said about her counting the bodies when she sees them, it's a common coping mechanism for people on the spectrum when they are in situations that bring about strong emotions and they don't know how do deal with it and they become overwhelmed.

Oof super compelling review Jimmy! Adding to the tbr 💕

I bought Book 2 of this series without realizing it wasn’t the first book. I finally this book and I’m glad that it is as good as I thought it would be.

Sounds extremely interesting! I'm someone who really zigzags across that line between functional and nonfunctional.

Excellent review Jimmy, everything I hear about this book makes me sure I'll really like it. I soft DNF'd it in chapter three last year because I actively disliked the narration and didn't want to have that be my experience with it haha

Excellent review! You hit all the pros and potential cons for potential readers. I loved this book! I have read it twice now: first, before Monster had been released and again this month so that I would be fresh for your review. I agree that Seth Dickinson is a master that deserves more attention. “This is the truth. You will know because it hurts.” I did not pick up on the neurodivergence either time. Are you referring to her savant-level economic understanding, or were there other clues? I will be continuing to Monster and Tyrant in the next 2-3 months.

I am glad that you enjoyed it. It is an excellent book, and Dickinson is a really nice person as well. I really liked it.

I read this book recently and basically share your sentiments. I also read Monster directly after. I had a bit of a rough time with Monster at the beginning because it's a very different style of book than Traitor was. It hooked me back in eventually, but for mostly different reasons than Traitor.

So excited for you to read the series, it's my favorite and tyrant especially is insane! are you planning on posting reviews for the later books?

Baru was the last book I've read last year and it left suuuuch an inpression on me. The way the empire conquers new lands is not that common in fantasy even though, historically, economic and culture invasions were proven highly more effective. It was such a new take that I was captivated immediately. Also I have very mixed feelings about Baru herself, sometimes I love her, and sometimes I hate her, I understand what she wants to do I just don't agree with how she's achieving it. Still, fascinating character to follow.

Great review. I added this to my TBR. Can you tell me how this compares to The Wold by Leo Carew? They sound somewhat similar. Thanks!

Thank god you're talking about this. This is one of the best antihero stories I've ever read. This series is so so criminally underrated that I make a point to mention it frequently on my channel. It tickles my brain a bit like Malazan in just how smart of an author Dickenson is. Especially with his themes. The story gets so good in subsequent books too. Something that kinda pisses me off though is that he didn't win a Hugo. Because A Memory Called Empire (which I admit I love) won a Hugo even though if you read it after Baru you'll literally start to wonder, did she just plagiarize Baru Cormorant but set it in space? The similarities are like actually suspicious. I love both, but I think Dickenson deserves a Hugo too. I'm so excited for the last book. My prediction is that the title for the final installment will either go from Traitor, to Monster to Tyrant and then end with either Saviour or more likely Martyr.

Accountant fantasy as it ought to be written.

Great discussion. I liked the book but wasn't wowed by it when I read it, felt a bit too clinical to me which is why I didn't continue at that time. Maybe I'll give it another try.

I need a job that pays me twice as much for no work so I can make a dent in this tbr! I think AP mentioned this one a while ago but I've yet to find book one in my bookstore (yeah, I know, amazon yadda yadda).

This sounds right in my wheelhouse, insidious colonialism and machievellian long-term revenge plots with added finance? Sign me up!

Hey! I adore the series! The next two books are… a bit different, regarding politics (things become both smaller, more meta and more personal, WAY less accounting, sadly), because… Baru is not in a good place, like, very not good. They are still worth the read, and I would suggest you to read them (and yeah, both, two and three basically are one book) NOW. The author has said on multiple occasions that he might take longer to write the fourth book because it has been taking a toll on him (which I get), he has started another book, and i would not expect the fourth book before… well, hope is real, so 2025. Spoilers for the first book from here on out, friends. I will not comment on the neurodivergent part, but in retrospect, I see it, but a bit different, because I read the rest. I could lean out of the window and say that she is a very very good depiction of how autism might present in girls (with a successful critical reflection on stereotypes, including what happens if coping mechanism fail), but to be honest I do not think that the Autor intended it, he just… wrote her to be that way. What the first book does very well is the surpressed gay part, and while Baru is in a WAY different situation, it has kinda felt relatable to how I handled that part of myself at that age. Also Tain Hu is just so so incredibly attractive. I recently re-read by listening to the audio-Book, and … it’s fine for me. But it did also show me how much more things I „get“ about the politics part after reading book three, as the economics and politics in Aurdwynn are very interconnected. It’s a lovely series. And I really adore the characters. All of them, even the ones you can intensely hate. Also Baru is one adorable idiot 😄

I liked the traitor baru cormorant by Seth Dickinson.

I loved it, yet remember almost none of it. Same with book two. Blake Crouch is another author I can say that about. Will make for a different kind of reread. Looking forward to the final book releasing. I plan to reread 1-2 and then read 3 for the first time.

Book of the Year? Hmm, I do not think you read Daughter of the Empire yet? Especially since you love GOT…this book was written before. Also,Wurt’s prose is easy breezy in Empire!! You may have to use this thumbnail again.

The fantasy book, Iron Madman is the only one needing reviewed.