Shelf Care: Live by the Sword
Welcome to Shelf Care, where I review three books related by a theme. These aren't necessarily the latest releases, but are hopefully books you can't believe you missed.This column's theme: Live by the Sword – Fantasy novels about mercenary companies that, while they may not be the good guys, are at least the not-so-bad guys. Probably?The first time I’d encountered mercenary companies in a fantasy novel was Glenn Cook’s series of Black Company novels (already reviewed here ) which he’d started writing in the mid 80’s. Since then the sub-genre has proliferated and it’s pretty obvious why mercenary companies have become a staple of modern fantasy. First off, there’s the real world providing plenty of relevant medieval examples to draw from (the White Company being just one of these). Secondly, the mobile nature of mercenary life allows for the author to easily change their character’s circumstances, and, thirdly, those characters could be anyone who’s looking to get in to or out of a jam. So if you’re interested in learning more about a job with dubious ethics, a good chance of horrible death, a 0% unemployment rate, and characters that have their own particular reasons for joining up, might I suggest the following:So if you likeFantasy on the darker sideMercenary companiesThe works of Brandon SandersonGlen Cook’s Black Company bookYou might like
Stranger of Tempest, by Tom LloydOverviewA fantasy world mercenary company gets on the wrong side of the wrong people when a job goes horribly wrong.Sample passage
For a damsel in distress, she was rather more spattered with someone else’s blood than Lynx had expected. And naked. Very naked.‘Well?’ she demanded.Lynx could only gape a while longer. Finally his words spilled out in an abashed mumble. ‘Um – come to rescue you, miss.’‘You’ll have to wait,’ she snapped at the knot of mercenaries crowding the doorway. ‘I’m busy.’‘Guh.’Lynx tried to say more, but something in his head had stopped working the moment she’d opened the door, and his tongue seemed to fill his mouth. Beside him the hard-bitten veteran, Varain, sounded like he was choking, while the silent giant, Reft, was as wordless as ever.It fell to Safir to remember how to use words and even the former nobleman hesitated before he offered a deep bow.‘We are at your command, my lady.’That prompted a small smile. ‘Glad at least one of you’s seen a woman before.’Safir inclined his head and gave a polite cough. ‘Ah, my lady?’‘Yes?’‘Your, ahem, friend,’ he said, pointing behind her. ‘He’s found a knife.’Once Lynx managed to drag his gaze off the woman, he saw a half-dressed man with pale hair and chiseled features staggering woozily in the room behind.‘Oh please.’The woman sighed and stalked back into the room, ignoring the blade Safir offered. Instead she swept up a candlestick from a side table and lashed out with a ferocious backhand swipe. She caught the nobleman’s wrist and Lynx heard something snap under the impact. As the blade tumbled from the man’s grip she followed the blow up with a knee to his stomach. That threw him back against the ornate bedpost and drove the wind from any further attempt to cry out.‘Lady Toil,’ Anatin called from behind Lynx. ‘We’re on something of a schedule here. Could we hurry this up?’
TakeawayThe plot flips back and forth between the present, where a rescue is most definitely not going well, and the past, where the protagonist, a competent-but-not-overly-so mercenary, ends up falling in with the company and discovering they’ve been hired to rescue someone. Lloyd does some interesting world building here to spice up the typical fantasy world setting, with firearms and magic being handled as a material resource. Tonally it lands somewhere between Joe Abercrombie style grimdark and Lawrence Watt-Evans style fantasy on the lighter side. I’d think it would also appeal to fans of Brandon Sanderson who are looking for a quick read, so if you’re in the mood for any of that, Stranger of Tempest is worth a look.Or if you likeGrimdarkBad people doing bad things (see: Grimdark, above)Characters thinking their way out of situations and cheating to win.Revenge!You might like
Prince of Thorns, by Mark LawrenceOverviewA prince who survived an assassination attempt runs away to join a mercenary company with the intent of avenging his mother’s death, and these experiences have definitely not made him a better person.Sample passage
The dead came on through the rain, the ghosts of the bog-dead, of the drowned, and of men whose corpses were given to the mire. I saw Red Kent run blind and flounder in the marsh. A few of the brothers had the sense to take the road when they ran, most ended in the mire.Nobody stood with me. The Nuban ran, eyes wide in a dark face. Fat Burlow looking as if the blood was let from him. Rike screaming like a child. Even Makin, with a horror on him.The dead thing closed on me, and I looked in its eyes. Hollow they were.“What have you got?” I said.“Hell,” the dead man said. “I’ve got hell.”And he flowed into me, cold as dying, edged like a razor.I felt my mouth curl in a smile. I heard my laughing over the rain.A knife is a scary thing right enough, held to your throat, sharp and cool. The fire too, and the rack. And an old ghost on the Lichway. All of them might give you pause. Until you realize what they are. They’re just ways to lose the game. You lose the game, and what have you lost? You’ve lost the game.That’s the secret, and it amazes me that it’s mine and mine alone.“What have you got for me, dead thing?” I asked.It’s a game. I will play my pieces.I felt him cold inside me. I saw his death. I saw his despair. And his hunger. And I gave it back. I’d expected more, but he was only dead.I showed him the empty time where my memory won’t go. I let him look there.He ran from me then. He ran, and I chased him. But only to the edge of the marsh. Because it’s a game. And I’m going to win.
TakeawayThe main character’s casual attitude towards human suffering (and, even for a mercenary, he comes off rather...mercenary) may make Prince of Thorns not everybody’s cup of tea. While this evolves over the course of the novel, and gets a more thorough explanation in the end, it could easily be enough to put readers off. That said, if you’re looking for something dark and gritty, it will fit right in. Lawrence has an interesting task as a writer, in which (for me at least) he succeeds in creating interest about where this prince is going next, and how he’s possibly going to win against staggering odds. So while he may not be immediately sympathetic, he most definitely is interesting. The plot is set in a world that has touches of things both familiar and different, (although readers of Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East series may spot some similarities in the setting), and moves along nicely, doling out bits of backstory and context to keep the reader engaged, and the protagonist does evolve over the course of the book, learning why he is the way he is. The book is the first in a trilogy, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next two books hold.Or if you likeProtagonists that aren’t unstoppable killing machinesAn interesting collection of misfit personalitiesGetting back on the throneA more serious Nicholas EamesJoe Abercrombie’s works, but a bit lighter in toneYou might like
The Black Hawks, by David WraggOverviewChel goes from underachieving garrison soldier to royal bodyguard after an invasion leaves him struggling to keep a hapless prince safe in the custody of the Black Hawk mercenary company, whose employer has its own plans for the prince.Sample passage
Tarfel was munching on some kind of radish. ‘I’ll admit,’ he said between crunches, ‘this could be worse.’Chel surveyed the now-deserted hold. Its doorway to the deck lay open and unguarded. His shoulder throbbed and his face itched. ‘We’ve been locked in a box on a riverboat for hours, while people have taken turns in trying to kill us, highness.’‘But they haven’t, have they? Killed us, I mean. If they really had it in for us, they’d have done it by now. Karaman of Tawal was set upon in Lauwei, dragged off his horse in the street. They stabbed him up so much he was dead before he hit the ground. So I heard, anyway. All I need to do is sit tight until we reach Kurtemir, then it’s a quick ransom and off to the nearest palace. You’ll be a free man, I can start plotting my royal revenge.’Chel shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t put anything past this lot. Don’t confuse the absence of immediate cruelty with kindness, highness.’Tarfel nodded, mouth full of radish. ‘I’ll try not to.’
TakeawayThe setting of The Black Hawks is a not-too-untypical tale of a prince thrown in with a motley lot while the kingdom is in chaos. What makes this stand out is that the protagonist is the soldier thrown in to the role of bodyguard who has to protect the prince while they have to react to forces beyond their control. So the twist here is the everyman protagonist providing the reader’s perspective in being swept along in unfolding events, rather than having some master plan. Also, as protagonists go, he’s far from the most powerful character in the book (indeed, only the prince he’s protecting seems to be less dangerous than him) which provides a real sense of risk in every encounter he has. I felt this made for an interesting and engaging story – if you’re looking for a fantasy novel that is closer to reality, but not as close as most Grimdark gets, The Black Hawks is worth a read, though be aware that while it does end on a cliffhanger, the second book in the Articles of Faith series: The Righteous is already out.So, what other books should be on this list? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and stay tuned for my next column.