Access The Card Sharp Compiled By L.R. Lam Shown In Hardcover

quick read was a great addition to the Micah Grey series amp the Vestigial Tales as it really helped flesh out Drystan's past and how he ended up at R.
H. Ragona's Circus. We learn more about when Drystan was a drug addict amp dealer, as well as his time as a frequent gambler amp how a very special man managed to save him from that world.
Fans of Drystan will absolutely love this short story! /,

The pros: This was another story about Drystan and his backstory, and is tied with The Tarot Reader as my favourite of these short stories set in the universe of the Micah Grey trilogy.
This tells us so much more about his live as a Lerium addict which is regularly talked about in the books but since they're from Micah's perspective, we never dive that deep into it, so I really appreciate that it's done here.


The cons: I don't have much criticism for this one, it's very successful for what it is and not too short!

The conclusion: All of these little ebooks are a pleasant companion to read when you finish the Micah Grey trilogy! The Card Sharp is the fourth of Laura Lam's Vestigial Tales set in the world of her Micha Grey series.
Its technically a prequel as it shows events from before Pantomime but because it features a character not introduced to the series until Shadowplay I think you're better off reading it after that book when it will have more meaning to you.


This is the second chance we've had to delve into Drystan's past but this takes us back to events before The Snake Charm and before Drystan ever became the white clown in Ragona's Circus of Magic.
The story starts not long after Drystan ran away from home and takes us through his struggles with his lerium addiction and how his life hit rock bottom.
It isn't pretty reading but it does end on a more hopeful note as Drystan works hard to escape the life he fell into and move on with his life.


Obviously if you've read any of the main books in the series you'll already know where life takes him beyond this point but I enjoyed seeing more of his background and learning how he first met Maske.
I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point but it's a great addition for fans of the series who want to know more about Drystan.


Source: Received as part of a preorder giveaway from the author In The Card Sharp, we are introduced to a much younger, reckless and ill considered Drystan, addicted to Lerium and playing cards on the side.


When he comes to realise fellow card player Jasper Maske is also a card sharp, it becomes his goal to learn how to make use of that craft.
Maske is, understandably, not particularly willing to share the details of his craft, but through blackmail and manipulation, Drystan is able to convince him,

But first, Maske convinces Drystan to come off the drug that he's addicted to,

In a relatively short story, Laura Lam manages to bring us two strong characters who both have their own rich backstories and conflicting lifestyles.
Their friendship enriches both of them and sets them on paths they might not otherwise have seen, It's also a good set up particularly for Drystan who we see again in sitelink The Snake Charmer and, of course, sitelink Pantomime.


Of course Laura is fantastic at bringing her characters to life generally, but it's more the characters than the piece of Vestige that gripped me this time around, which I appreciated.
I can see why it was this story that she chose to round out this set of short stories with, rather than beginning with it chronologically.
I am very much in love with the Micah Grey series, I think the setting of Ellada is vividly realised and I'm really looking forward to the third instalment, I have been an avid reader of the Vestigal Tales because I wanted to know more history and background of the characters and I have been enchanted by them.


The Card Sharp is no less enchanting, It features Drystan who is My favourite character and it was lovely to see more of his history even if that story was painful at times.


I won't reveal any plot points because spoilers are bad but I will say he got me right in the feels, I am now more impatient than ever to see Micah Greyget published and when the kickstarted goes live I'll be pledging what I can afford to help it come about.
Crud, now I want to reread all three novels again, Even though I've read Pantomime like four times, BUT this, I was not expecting a back story, But I got all emotional because Drystan life journey, I love this world too much, Taken from sitelinkThe Pewter Wolf

The fourth novella in the Vestigial Tales collection, a collection of short stories set within Laura Lam's Micah Grey trilogy, this follows Drystan before he became the White Clown at R.
H. Ragona's Circus of Magic. Here, he's a Lerium addict struggling on the streets of Imachara, But when a mysterious woman gives him a new life, Drystan jumps at it without a second thought, But when he did, he fell into the dark underbelly of the capital, Ellada, where he has to sell Lerium to powerful men and women while battling his addiction.
But while at a high stakes card game, Drystan sees something no one else did: a man cheating the cards, . .

I forgot how much I enjoy this world, It's been a while since I read Laura Lam though I do have her adult novel, False Hearts, on my TBR and I forgot how much I like the world of Micah Grey.
And this felt like returning to a very old friend, While I don't remember all the details of Pantomime, it was nice to revisit characters well, . . a younger version of Drystan,

This isn't a must read if you are reading the Micah Grey trilogy, Like with the other Vestigial Tales, it gives you some behindthecurtain backstory on characters and stories within the Micah Grey world, but you could read the Micah Grey trilogy sitelinkPantomime, sitelinkShadowplay and the upcoming sitelinkMasquerade very happily without reading the novellas.


Because this is a novella, it is a fast read I took my time and read it over a course of three days, starting on New Year's Day.
But because it was a novellas, there were elements I wish were exploded further maybe they are in the novels but I haven't read them yet! or felt a little too easy.
For example, the novella takes place over a course of several months, maybe a year, but Drystan's addiction felt skimmed over, It was there but we didn't look too deeply into it, Maybe this will be looked at in Shadowplay or Masquerade like I said earlier, I haven't read them I was going to but the first publisher of the series, Strange Chemistry, went busted and it took some time before the Laura got picked up by her current publisher, Tor, for not only this series but her adult series.


Perfect short for Micah Grey fans to tie them over till Masquerade comes out later this year, . . This was a very enjoyable addition to an excellent series, If you've read Shadowplay, you'll already know the general idea of the story, but that doesn't detract at all from the reading experience, As in the other Vestigial Tales, it was interesting to learn more about the characters and the world of Micah Grey, Another great background piece Another story set around Drystan, this time, before he found the circus, This is in his dark past when he was addicted to a drug known in the story as Lerium, We see what else he was involved in dark deals

where he has to balance his loyalties on a very fine wire,

This is a sadder piece, where we get to see Drystan at his lowest but we also then get to appreciate how far he's come by the time the end of the second book, Shadowplay, lies finished in our laps.


Like all the short stories/novellas in this series, Lam's way with words is truly spectacular and make them a joy to read this would be true even if the characters, world and plot aren't as excellent as they are.
Give Lam a pen and she could probably make the phone book sounds captivating, I genuinely cannot get enough of Laura Lam's writing, The Card Sharp is yet another wonderfully written and insightful novella in the Vestigial Tales series and it's neck and neck favourite with The Tarot Reader.
Drystan is another of my favourite characters from Laura's Pantomime series so I was really excited to delve back into the characters history and to learn even more about them.
Drystan's a character that's fascinated me from the word go so to be given even more of a backstory to him was brilliant, I lapped this story up and I would happily read more and more stories from his point of view,


I don't want to say too much about who the mysterious man is because I really loved finding out for myself, It opened my eyes up a lot to Drystan's character and his past and Laura's writing is absolutely flawless once again, I can't get enough of this world and really hope that there's more to come!
This last story in Laura Lams Vestigial Tales collection was one Id especially been looking forward to, and it didnt disappoint me.
Ever since picking up her first novel, Pantomime, Ive been fascinated by the character of Drystan, With this story, along with The Snake Charm, I get what Ive wanted from the getgo more of his background, That said, now I want even more!

Taken on its own, this is a sharply paced novella, as lean and immediately intriguing as the rest.
Set before the events of Pantomime, it shows us how Drystan met the magician Jasper Maske, and gives us another look into who he was and what his life was like before Micah Grey came into it.
Aside from cranking my sympathy for him up another few notches, it left me with the distinct impression that Drystan isnt someone to cross lightly not because hes especially volatile he isnt, but he is sharp, and as the events in this story prove, also more than a little devious when he feels the need to be.
Without getting into book spoilers lets just say I really want to see what that sharp mind can achieve when if we get book three in this series.


Prayerful pause: please gods, let there be a book three, Sacrifices cake

So, yes, This is another tasty little bite damn, shouldnt have mentioned cake of story goodness from a world I love, with a character I cant get enough of.
It isnt perfect, for me there was a time or two where I thought a little more detail wouldnt have gone amiss, generally speaking but all in all, its another hit.
Laura Lam is stupidly good at this sort of thing, you should be reading her stuff, and now if youll excuse me, Im off to find cake Another Vestigal Tale, this one a prequel to Pantomime following Drystan and how he ended up at R.
H. Ragonas Circus of Magic. The runaway is a Lerium addict, dependent on those who supply the drugs and stuck in an unsavoury relationship, This is his story of how he cleaned up and got out as well as connecting the links to characters in the novels, These novellas and shorts are really making me more impatient for another full novel,
loved it. I have found out more about two of my favourite characters and background on my favourite character in general, this has my juices flowing for the next book, Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Aldermysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige, Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell

The Card Sharp

“He always mourned that moment, when the high began to fade.
It was like he moved from who he wanted to be to having to face the reality of who he was, Hed rather feel supernatural. More than Drystan Hornbeam, a seventeenyearoldboy who had made a lot of foolish mistakes and didnt seem to be changing his habits anytime soon, ”

Before Drystan became the White Clown of R, H. Ragonas Circus of Magic, he was a Lerium addict struggling on the streets of Imachara, When a mysterious woman gives him a chance at a new life, he takes it, even if it means falling even deeper into the dark underbelly of the capital of Ellada.
Drystan knows that selling Lerium to the powerful men and women who bet at the high stakes card tables is perilous, especially when he still battles his own addictions.
Yet when he meets a man who can help him learn to cheat at cards and swindle them out of enough money to start a new life, he dives headfirst into more danger.


Vestigial Tales are stories set in the world of the awardwinning Micah Grey series, Step behind the circus ring from Pantomime, the theatre of Shadowplay, and more The Card Sharp is the fourth and final short story in Vestigial Tales, a series of tiein shorts for the Pantomime series by Laura Lam.
Much like the first short story in the series, The Snake Charm, The Card Sharp chooses to show a piece of Drystan's past, This piece is his time as a Lerium addict and dealer, a particularly low point in his life, and his efforts to climb up from that low point.


The Card Sharp was a really enjoyable read to me, especially having only read Shadowplay just a few months ago, I found it easy to sympathize with Drystan and his plight, and really enjoyed getting to see him forge a relationship that will become even more important later in the series.
There's also almost a heist element to the end of the story, where Drystan has to outsmart his enemies to achieve revenge,

If you've enjoyed the previous Vestigial Rales, you'll find that it's worth picking this up to complete the set, If you haven't read any of them, this wouldn't be a bad place to start, By the time you're done, you'll find yourself eager to read book three, When does Masquerade come out again I've absolutely loved reading these Vestigial Takes and immersing myself again in the amazing world of Laura Lam's, The Card Sharp has definitely been a favourite as it features more back story for one if my favourite characters, Drystan Hornbeam, In this we see him living as a Lerium addict/Lerium dealer and how meeting another card player changed his life for the better, Absolutely beautiful writing as always and I lapped up every little detail, .