Started: 05/03/20
Finished: 17/03/20
Spoliers: No
I can't remember the last time I loved a book this much.
Since finishing it, I've done nothing but insist that friends, family, anyone in earshot, reads this book.
*slides up to a stranger. Whispers in ear* 'Psst. Read Kings of the Wyld.'
Characters
The thing is, in a book with so many characters, all with such vastly different personalities, there's always one I struggle to connect to.
Was that the case here?
Nope. You bet your balls I loved every single one of 'em.
Even some of the random side characters like Tiamax the arachnian. Loved him. And I fucking hate spiders! But I loved Tiamax.
Somehow Nicolas Eames has made every single character within this world real, and believable. Every character has a backstory, a motive, a goal to work towards, something to fight for.
They're just real to me. These people are real to me, and they're my friends. This gang is now officially up there with the Gentleman Bastards as my best book friends.
And like the Gentleman Bastards, these guys are all about their friendship. That's what these books have in common. That's why I love both so much. The love these guys have for each other transcends love. It's unbreakable. It's eternal. They would die for each other and not even blink.
God damn! I just love them so much.
Plot
You're typical quest fantasy. A group of adventurers embark on a mission into dangerous territory. If you've ever played an MMO like guildwars or WoW then this will probably sounds familiar. And probably be your kinda book. This almost feels like a love letter to gaming and my nerdy soul appreciates.
It gave me such nostalgia for my old PC gaming days back when I had a decent enough computer to support it. But I'm not ranting. It's fine. I'm fine.
*silently weeps onto my PS4*
Clay and Gabe travel across the country collecting their old band mates in an attempt to 'get the band back together' for one final mission. And anyone who's ever seen the Blues Brothers movie will appreciate that reference with a big grin on their face everytime it's said. I sure did.
These five guys come together in an attempt to travel through the Heartwyld to rescue Gabe's daughter, trapped in a city under siege on the other side. And let me tell you, this is one helluva ... wyld ride.
(D'you see what I did there?)
This book is a Netflix/Amazon series waiting to happen. We all know it's going to happen. It's too good not to. Get the fuck on with it cause I need this on my screen, like, yesterday.
Setting
Vast fantasy settings that cover a lot of ground can often neglect the finer nuances of world-building, so wrapped up in moving the plot and characters from place to place that the world itself falls by the wayside.
Nicholas Eames has masterfully perfected this art somehow. I don't know how he's done it, but not only is the plot exciting, the characters engaging, but setting thrives like a character in it's own right.
Every scene in every village, town, city, is so vivid in my mind. I can see everything as if I was actually there. And I haven't even mentioned the Heartwyld yet.
Imagine every magical/dangerous woods trope you've ever read. Now mash them all together. Now throw in a few cannible tribes and times the magic and danger by a hundred and then, my fellow readers, you have the Heartwyld. Enjoy.
One big aspect of this world that I thoroughly enjoyed was the mercenary bands. I LOVED how they are treated like rock stars within this world. They have fans that sing the songs made for them by their bards. They tour the Heartwyld and arrive in town to the screaming adoration of their fans. They even have agents that book them gigs to fight monsters. It's such a fantastic, unique idea. I've never seen anything like this done before. It's so refreshing.
Writing Style
What I love so much about this books is how it's a serious book with serious stakes that doesn't take itself seriously. The humour offers such a light touch the disastrous events happening that you can't help but feel like one of the boys.
The thing that makes this book so special is how it doesn't feel too try-hard. Its so comfortable and confident within its genre that it can get away with the amount of humour and still not be considered a comedy.
The Witcher book is another great example of a comfortable fantasy serious that has nothing to prove within its genre, so why not through in some laughs?
Kings of the Wyld doesnt need to try a struggle for a seat at the big table of fantasy. It's already got one reserved, and no one else can fill it.
This flavour of comedy was just to my tastes. Books rarely make me laugh out loud cause humour is such a subjective thing, but this one had me grinning like a fool nearly the whole time.
Told in 3rd person from Clay Cooper's perspective, we're privy to a lot of his internal dialogue, which is hilarious. He's dry and sarcastic, which is my humour in a nutshell, so Clay and I got on very well. And the banter between the guys feels so quintessentially British that I was surprised to learn the author was, in fact, Canadian.
But not only did this novel know how to make me laugh out loud, it also knew how to punch me right in the feels.
When these guys weren't fighting monsters or making jokes at each other's expense, they would open their hearts to each other and bigger me if I didn't tear up a couple of time at how endearing it was. These guys are tough, and mean, and you don't want to fuck with them. But they're also sensitive, and human, and in those rare and wonderful tender moments relatable.
Final Impression
This book deserves a Shia LaBeouf style applause.
Yes!
Fucking yes!
That's is all.
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