This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 6, 2014.

Sword Sisters: A Red Reaper Novel

By Tara Cardinal & Alex Bledsoe – Rogue Blades Entertainment – December 11, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

I enjoyed this book, but it had some issues.

Penned with established author Alex Bledsoe, this novel apparently serves as a prequel to actor/screenwriter Tara Cardinal's indie film The Red Reaper. I haven't seen the movie, and as a result when I finished the book I felt a bit like I has missed out on something. It wasn't that the setting and characters were poorly explained, it was rather the opposite; the first third of the book details a very interesting premise and, unfortunately, the main plot only ever engages with a fraction of that rich background.

Sword Sisters tells the story of Aella, a human-demon hybrid Reaper. In the novel world's past, demons invaded from beyond, preying on humanity. Products of forced interbreeding with human women, the second generation of Reapers turned against their progenitors, fighting back the demons and freeing humanity. Since then, the supernaturally resilient and semi-immortal Reapers act as humanity's guardians, remaining largely apart from mankind in an effort to let them control their own destiny.

Aella in particular is—wait for it—the Chosen One of prophecy. The product of the union between the leader of the demons and a gifted Teller Witch, she is fated to become the Red Reaper, last of her kind and the most powerful of all, destined to combine the Reapers' physicality with Teller Witch magic. As a child, Aella is betrayed by her mother in exchange for magical power, handed over to the demons to endure years of abuse and torture in their realm.

Despite the over-reliance of prophecy in the fantasy genre, this is all very interesting stuff. However, the story that follows is much smaller in scale. We meet Aella as a snotty teenager, rebelling against her mentors at the Reaper monastery at which she lives. Annoyed by one instructor in particular, she cuts class and heads off into the woods, where she encounters a human village girl about to sacrificed to a cave-dwelling god. Ambivalent about humanity, Aella is still compelled to come to the girl's aid, an impulsive act that has unforeseen consequences.

The story that follows is fun and action-packed, with an interesting twist near the end, but I kept expecting it to ramp up into something bigger, and it never did. Is Aella truly fated to become the Red Reaper? Will the demons return for a final confrontation? We don't find out in this book. Maybe the movie tells that story? The cover says that this is “A” Red Reaper Novel, perhaps there are more to follow? I can't help feeling that this book wouldn't have been better served if less emphasis and page count had been placed on Aella's destiny in the beginning of the book. As it stands we're left with a fun, fairly localized sword & sorcery adventure burdened with epic fantasy framing that turns out to be mostly irrelevant to the tale we're presented with.

I also wonder if the book couldn't have been better pitched as a Young Adult novel. Despite the mature and confident-looking swordswoman on the awesome cover art, the book is really a Coming of Age story with a 16 year old protagonist. Younger readers may find Aella a more relatable character than Rogue Blades Entertainment's usual audience of crusty Conan fans.

The prose is mostly well-written and evocative, and the story progresses at a fast clip. Dialogue and characterization were a little clunky, however. For someone who spent an eternity being molested and tortured by demons, Aella seems remarkably stable, exhibiting no real mental health problems beyond typical teenage rebelliousness and mild trust issues. The novel is written in the first person, and Aella's tone is flip and thoroughly modern. While I don't insist fantasy characters limit themselves to Ren Faire speech, it takes me out of the story a bit when one character is told not to “freak out” when confronted with a monster and when supposedly formidable opponents are labeled “Ass-Face Number One and Number Two.” The most cringe-worthy is when Aella proclaims that she has “come to kick demon ass and chew gum tree leaves, and I'm all out of gum tree leaves.” A They Live/Rowdy Roddy Piper reference, really?

Editing was top-notch, with Rogue Blade Entertainment providing a higher quality ebook than many larger publishers. Again, the cover art is fantastic.

Some complaints aside, I would be interested in seeing more Red Reaper stories. Overlooking producer Uwe Boll's association, I'd be willing to give the movie a shot, and there is a lot of potential for future adventures starring Aella. I'd have no problem recommending this book to a teen Hunger Games fan, provided they can cope with the (“off-screen”) rape-filled Reaper background.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Fantasy #SwordAndSorcery #TaraCardinal #AlexBledsoe #SwordSisters

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 25, 2018.

Helen's Daimones

By S.E. Lindberg – IGNIS Publishing – September 23, 2017

Review by Robin Marx

Promoted as a gateway to Lindberg's Dyscrasia setting, this novella is a prequel to the second novel in the series, Spawn of Dyscrasia. While this is certainly the most approachable installment, and I would go so far as to say it's an essential part of the series, it shares some of the previous books' issues.

The highlights of this volume are the same as in the other installments: the vivid description and sheer imagination on display. Though far from the first post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, the world portrayed here is a unique one, unlikely to be confused with any other. The blasted wasteland and its bizarre, mutated inhabitants are described with a loving eye to detail. The mythic atmosphere of the original Lords of Dyscrasia has also given way to a richly gothic one.

The originality of the setting remains a double-edged sword, however. Because the world and characters presented differ so much from more conventional settings, the reader is left without many recognizable touchstones. The world is mostly dead, and populated with mutants, traumatized orphans, and a handful of godlike beings, mostly living in a largely-subterranean tomb city. Sharon is the closest thing the series has seen to a regular human viewpoint character, but this story mainly focused on the less conventional visionary wild child Helen, with large stretches devoted to the (always fascinating, yet inscrutable) Lord Lysis and Doctor Grave.

Without any normal people to relate to, the reader is left slightly alienated from the setting and its inhabitants. “What do these people eat?” is a question I had for most of the book, and one that was answered in the final pages of the novella. They eat tree nuts filled with mutant insect larvae. While I've got to admit that's pretty metal as far as setting details go, it's not an experience I share, and therefore yet another thing that separates me from the people I'm reading about.

That being said, Helen's Daimones provides some much-appreciated background to Spawn of Dyscrasia, and I wish it had been available before I read that book. It definitely provides a gentle introduction and enhancement to Spawn of Dyscrasia, but because so much depends on the events of Lords of Dyscrasia it's difficult to recommend this book as a “gateway” to the series as a whole. This novella refers to those events repeatedly, acting as a welcome refresher course for people who HAVE read Lords of Dyscrasia, but if you're completely new to the series I wouldn't recommend starting here. If you don't already have a vague idea of what a “larvalwyrmen” is, this novella isn't going to educate you.

That being said, the storytelling is the clearest of any of the series installments to date. If you enjoyed Lords of Dyscrasia and appreciate Lindberg's fiercely original and sometimes opaque brand of vivid weirdness, definitely pick this up, ideally before reading Spawn of Dyscrasia.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Fantasy #DarkFantasy #SwordAndSorcery #HelensDaimons #SELindberg #DyscrasiaFiction

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 21, 2021.

The Corpse-Rat King

By Lee Battersby – Angry Robot – August 28, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

Marius dos Hellespont is a con man and a “corpse-rat,” a scoundrel who makes a living looting the dead bodies on a battlefield. A twist of fate leads him to be mistaken for a fallen king by the restless dead, who drag him to their subterranean realm to rule over them. When he reveals himself as both 1.) still living, and 2.) not a king, they return him to the surface charged with finding a replacement king. Or else.

While probably most aptly categorized in the “grimdark” subgenre of fantasy, this is a very humorous picaresque romp, with the cynicism of Jack Vance if not the verbosity. Clever cons and reversals of fortune abound. Some reviewers found this book lacking in substance, but I found the fast pace and breeziness a welcome change of pace.

This story works just fine as a stand-alone novel, but when I noticed a sequel was available I picked it up right away.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Grimdark #Fantasy #LeeBattersby #TheCorpseRatKing #MariusDosHellespont

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 23, 2019.

Valen the Outcast Vol. 2: Death Eternal

By Michael Alan Nelson (Writer) & Matteo Scalera (Artist) – BOOM! Studios – December 11, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

I wasn’t expecting this series to end so quickly, but the end result was satisfying. The story had a fast pace throughout and plenty of action.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #DarkFantasy #Grimdark #SwordAndSorcery #ValenTheOutcast #MichaelAlanNelson #MatteoScalera

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 23, 2019.

Valen the Outcast Vol. 1: Abomination

By Michael Alan Nelson (Writer) & Matteo Scalera (Artist) – BOOM! Studios – December 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

While marketed as sword & sorcery, so far this comic feels a bit closer to the grimdark sub-genre a la Joe Abercrombie (with a bit of early Berserk) rather than Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Category quibbling aside, this series is off to a good start. The premise is simple but effective: an undead king named Valen shakes off a necromancer’s control and seeks revenge. He’s joined in this task by two slightly unreliable companions: a witch/swordswoman named Zjanna and drunkard rogue Cordovan.

The story moves at a brisk pace with no wasted verbiage or lengthy info dumps, and the world building is of the “show, don’t tell” variety. I look forward to reading future volumes and would recommend it to fans of dark fantasy.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #DarkFantasy #Grimdark #SwordAndSorcery #ValenTheOutcast #MichaelAlanNelson #MatteoScalera

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 20, 2022.

John the Balladeer

By Manly Wade Wellman – Baen Books – July, 1988

Review by Robin Marx

John roams the mountains of Appalachia carrying little more than his silver-stringed guitar and a rucksack with some provisions. Motivated by curiosity, he seeks out folklore and new songs to add to his repertoire. Along the way he encounters simple folk in need, sinister magicians, and supernatural horrors. John lives by his wits, the magic-defeating silver of his guitar strings, and his knowledge of folklore and biblical lore.

There’s a wandering outsider hero, black magic, and otherworldly menaces. These stories aren’t precisely sword & sorcery, but if you like that sort of thing, you’ll like THIS sort of thing.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Horror #Fantasy #FolkHorror #SwordAndSorcery #ManlyWadeWellman #JohnTheBalladeer #SilverJohn

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 20, 2014.

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery

By Kurtis J. Wiebe (Writer) & Roc Upchurch (Artist) – Image Comics – March 26, 2014

Review by Robin Marx

I picked this up after reading a Tor.com review, and I'm glad I did, as this is probably the most entertaining fantasy comic I've read in quite some time.

Rat Queens chronicles the misadventures of four mercenary women. Their party matches a fairly standard D&D party composition: dwarf fighter, elf mage, human cleric, and “smidgen” (hobbit/halfling) thief, but each character has a twist. The dwarf fighter rebelled against her clan by shaving off her beard, for example, and the cleric is likewise an outcast, an atheist having turned her back on the squid-worshiping cult that trained her. Their setting is likewise familiar to role playing gamers, basically a carousing spot and base of operations for adventurers, where the mayor hands out quests and the captain of the guard is constantly having to mediate disputes between (frequently drunk) mercenaries and the local townsfolk.

Volume 1 serves mostly to introduce the characters and set up a conspiracy that looks to drive the plot for at least the next story arc or so, so it might feel a little slight to some, but I found it to be a fun, fast read. Sensitive readers might be put off by the gore and profanity, but in most cases both are used to humorous effect. In addition to the humor, I also liked how diverse the cast of characters was. People of various colors and shapes and orientations show up without it coming off as ostentatious pandering to the folks concerned by the common lack of representation of social minorities in the media.

I prefer reading comics in collected format rather than as single issues, but this is one series that tempts me to switch. I look forward to the Rat Queens' future adventures.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #ImageComics #RatQueens #KurtisJWiebe #RocUpchurch

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 4, 2014.

The Toughest Mile

By William Meikle – January 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

This old school sword & sorcery tale is about a gladiator attempting to escape a life of servitude to a cruel but alluring witch queen. Having defeated 100 beasts in the arena, Garn is now allowed to leave, provided he can survive a ten mile run through a tunnel linking the arena to the city's outskirts. Not only does he have to make this run immediately after his final battle (you'd think a break and a drink of water would be warranted), he has to avoid death at the hands of the Witch's pursuers. The story that follows is simple and mostly a series of brief combat encounters while on the run. There aren't many surprises here, but as an S&S short story it works and the idea is interesting.

However, one thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was that all of Garn's opponents were women, who are treated in a somewhat problematic manner. It took me a moment to notice at first, because they're described as “bitches” sitting at the Witch's feet (Garn also expresses a desire to “cut off their tails” and present them to the Witch), so the first image that came to mind was of a pack of hounds. I imagine the author's intent was to conjure images of a cadre of Amazon-style women warriors, but Garn is so dismissive of them—constantly calling them “bitches” and scalping them to collect their identical braids (the a fore-mentioned “tails”)—that the story comes off slightly ugly, like a brutal guy carving up a string of inferior women rather than a rousing adventure tale. I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt and assume the semi-misogynist undertones were unintentional, but other readers might not be as charitable.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #WilliamMeikle #TheToughestMile

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 5, 2021.

Blood of Elves

By Andrzej Sapkowski, Danusia Stok (Translator) – Hachette Book Group – May 1, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

The first of the Witcher novels, it was released after two volumes of short stories and is set after the most recently published book, Season of Storms (although there is some debate on when is the best time to read Season of Storms). So this is actually the fourth Witcher book I've read.

Although Geralt's fateful encounter with Ciri—an orphaned princess and a Source of powerful magic—is covered in a previous short story, this novel covers her early education. She spends roughly the first half of the book with Geralt, being instructed in the ways of the witcher, and the latter half with Yennefer, receiving magic tutelage. Along the way she learns some more about the world and its delicate political state, with the northern kingdoms trying to fend off the inexorable advance of the expansionist empire of Nilfgaard.

This book is tricky to rate. Like a lot of modern fantasy novels (in which a trilogy is assumed, at the bare minimum), this first book is all about preparing the board and setting up the game pieces. As a self-contained story, it fails miserably. There's not much of a plot, just prelude.

That being said, it was still a thoroughly engaging read, provided that the reader is familiar with the original short stories. The translation is smooth and draws zero attention to itself. The setting is immersive and the characters are great. It is such a pleasure spending time with Geralt, Triss, Ciri, Dandelion, and Yennefer. The interaction between these characters is always amusing, and it's masterful how much of their personalities are revealed through seemingly throwaway lines of dialogue and slight gestures.

Geralt himself is a particularly fun and surprising character. If you hear him described, he sounds like a one-dimensional edgy Mary Sue (and also kind of an Elric ripoff, with all the “White Wolf” stuff). But he's not really like that at all. Despite the two swords and the badass mutant monster hunter trappings, he's kind of a blue collar hero. He tackles monster problems like a plumber unclogging drains. His clients are happy to have him around, but they don't particularly respect him or his vocation. He keeps up a tough, world-weary front, but much like the old hardboiled detectives he reveals a softer, more noble side through his actions.

This book doesn't work very well as a novel, but it was an entertaining read that made me excited about the rest of the series.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Fantasy #AndrzejSapkowski #DanusiaStok #BloodOfElves #TheWitcher

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 11, 2011.

Solomon Kane Volume 2: Death's Black Riders

By Various – Dark Horse Books – October 19, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

Much like the first, this second volume in Dark Horse's original comic adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories was a mixed bag.

The Mario Guevara artwork is strong, and the Mike Mignola cover is eye-catching, but the story side is a little weak. Most of the volume is a much-expanded adaptation of a brief REH story fragment. A comic rendition of “Rattle of Bones” (one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories) is incorporated into the middle of the Death's Black Riders tale, but it felt rushed, making an already concise yarn into a “blink and you'll miss it” affair.

This volume closes with a short called “All the Damned Souls at Sea,” but the ugly caricature-style Guy Davis artwork ruins what could be an otherwise interesting story.

The characterization of Solomon Kane wasn't bad, and his visual portrayal is quite similar to what I envision when reading the original stories, but I would've liked to have seen more of the seething hatred driving Kane in his battle against evil. There are hints of it, which suggests that the writers do understand the character, but I want more.

While I may seem rather critical, this seems like a series still finding its footing, and the comic's crew do more things right than wrong. I look forward to future volumes.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #Fantasy #SwordAndSorcery #SolomonKane #TheChroniclesOfSolomonKane