Wicked Problems is the second book in Max Gladstone's new Craft Wars trilogy. I enjoyed getting back to this world, but I feel like this book didn't work for me as much as I wanted it to.

Dead Country much more narrowly focuses on a local place and a smaller cast, in a way that really worked for me narratively. It's a book that I think you could easily read without having read any of the craft sequence and not feel lost. It's got a much tighter plot and stronger themes.

On the other hand, Wicked Problems feels like some Marvel extended universe take on the Craft Sequence, where pretty much everybody from every prior book in the previous series shows up to do their bit. Maybe some people really enjoy this kind of thing, but it's just not for me; it feels like this kind of media doesn't give characters (or the plot) enough space when everybody else is crowding them. I also would not at all recommend this book to people who hadn't read the entirety of the Craft Sequence.

To its credit, some of this character maximalism creates some fun moments! Temoc and the King in Red get a showdown redux; Kai flirts with Tara and dresses her in drag; everybody from the first two books get to reprocess their broken relationships; Seril and Kai gang up to take care of Tara who won't ask for help on her own. The final sequence is just really well done narratively as it (and everyone) all come together.