A Book Review: Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

What if mercenaries are like rock stars in the fantasy world?

Yep, Sword and Sorcery, and... rock and roll. This idea lit up in the head of one budding author, Nicholas Eames, and he weaved a 492 page epic fantasy story out of it. If you want to know how this idea plays out, then check out his novel, Kings of the Wyld.

By Crom, I swear this is the best fantasy novel I've read in 2017!

I suppose, you would like some more descriptions for the book? All right, then can someone cast the spotlight to the left, shine it on that awesome book cover. Now, can you see those five old men standing there? They are a mercenary band called Saga. These old timers may have retired from mercenary works, but back in the days, Saga was the cream of the crop, the deadliest, meanest, most respected mercenary crew this side of Heartwyld.

In those days, a boogeyman had a nightmare when he dreamed of Saga.

Twenty years ago Saga disbanded and hung their swords on the wall, the crew went on their separate ways. But the time has come for these old boys to reunite for one last gig. One of the band member has his daughter missing, so they are reuniting to rescue her. Two decades in retirement may have rusted Saga's monster slaying skills, but with some practices, the rusty bits will come off and their swords will cut again.

And so into the monster-ridden Heartwyld walked five men. At their head is Saga's frontman, Gabriel, AKA Golden Gabe. His face, once handsome but now wrinkled, is a testimony for the passage of time. But the legendary sword, Vehllicor, is still strapped to his back. Fire burns in Gabriel's eyes, his determination to save his daughter Rose, may yet melt away the timidness wrought by the years in retirement, and returning Golden Gabe to the world. Next to Gabriel strolls a bear of a man - Clay Cooper, AKA Slowhand. A formidable shield, Blackheart, rests on Clay's back. A family man, Clay's adventure days are over. But his friend needs help, so despite his aching knees, Clay will go to the end of the earth with Gabriel to find Rose.

Trailing behind Gabriel and Clay walked a peculiar duo; a king and a wizard. For the king, a pair of priceless daggers, Grace and Roxy, embraced his enormous waist. The king's name is Mattrick, AKA Skulldrummer. He was a rogue before he is a king. Matty is hideously out of shape but he can still wield those daggers like a whirlwind. Treading shoulder to shoulder with Matty, is a wizard known as Arcadius Moog. Twenty years ago Moog's hair was already white. The sand of time has since introduced a bald patch to Moog's wizardly top. But you gotta watch out for Moog, not only does he carry a magical bag that will make Santa Claus envious, but he is also the only wizard over the age of 8 who still believes in Owlbears, which makes Moog a dangerous man indeed.

At the band's rear treads a tall and silent warrior. His name is Ganelon. A long, double ended axe sits on his shoulders. When it comes to the art of fighting and monster slaying, Ganelon is the least out-of-practice member in the band (why? Read the book and you will see). This also means, messing with Ganelon is a terrible idea, because he can easily detach your head from the neck like plucking a watermelon on a farm.

So there you have it, the descriptions for Saga, they are Kings of the Wyld. These guys may be old and rusty, but they are preparing to kick some serious monster butts in this reunion tour. Glory never gets old. If you are reading this book, then you better savor every single word in this story. This is Saga's best, and the last gig, and there will be no encore.

Indeed, despite being the first book in the series, Kings of the Wyld is a stand alone novel. Yes, you read that right. It is a stand alone novel. This fantasy novel nicely ties up every thread at its end, and it doesn't leave the story hanging until the sequel. The author said, the two sequels following Kings of the Wyld will follow two new bands. This also means, you can read this book now without having to wait for the series to “complete”. But this book is so damn good that if you read this book, then I can guarantee you will want more of it.

It is difficult to pin point, what is it that made Kings of the Wyld so good. I suppose its charm comes from a combination of colorful characters, humor, worldbuilding, and the themes. While my above descriptions (for the characters) may not be well written, but it should be easy to see, the characters in this book are a mirror to the rock musicians in our world. In the world of Heartwyld, the mercenaries are treated with prestige, holding the kind of fame and fortunate as rock stars in our culture. The difference, rock bands play music in touring concerts, but these mercenary bands in Heartwyld do “gigs and tours” in the wilderness, slaying monsters and accumulate glory. The humor in this book uses a tongue in cheek mirroring of the rock bands, and it works really well with its themes, about nostalgia and growing old.

Yet, Kings of the Wyld is not a story about 5 aging comedians going to their last adventure. The world of Heartwyld is dark and grim like Joe Abercrombie's First Law universe. Meanwhile, the characters in this book were mercenaries, they have witnessed enough violence and horrors to haunt them for 10 life times. Underneath the jokes and the comedic reliefs, not only are our five heroes fighting their inner battles, but they are also rekindling the old friendships. The author has a deep understanding of the human nature, this book is as much about male bonding/friendship, as it is about the love of a parent for the child – there is nothing a parent wouldn't do for the child. Kings of the Wyld is the kind of book that will make you laugh, then holding your breathe over actions and fights, and suddenly moist your eyes with heart breaking moments. I did not want to wave goodbye to these five characters when the book reached its end. Fortunately, I own the book so I can read it again. In fact, I am going to re-read this book very soon. Furthermore, in the fantasy genre where most books are about coming of age stories, Kings of the Wyld offers a refreshing take for the genre, telling a story from the perspectives of old people instead.

The worldbuilding in this book is fun, vast, and imaginative. Nicholas Eames knows his fantasy tropes well and he was having fun with it. Almost every known fantasy bestiary made its way into the book, and Nicholas also added a few new creations of his own. Meanwhile, the world of Heartwyld, as I mentioned before, radiates the kind of grimness and darkness that can only be rivaled by the likes of Joe Abercrombie. I think Kings of the Wyld lands on a good balance between epic fantasy and its grimdark cousin. This story may not be set in a world of sunshine and rainbow, but it sure has heart.

Starting from page one, Kings of the Wyld hooked me right into its story. This book is going straight into my list of favorite books. It is certainly one of the best books I've read this year. This is an impressive debut and I eagerly anticipate Nicholas' next book. I might just re-read Kings of the Wyld before moving on to the next book on my TBR. Yep, that's right. I am going to re-open this book to chapter 1 – A Ghost on the Road, and go through the adventure all over again. Meanwhile, if you are a fan of fantasy literature, then do yourself a favor and get this book NOW.

Postscript:

On his website, the author mentioned every chapter in this book is inspired by iconic rock songs, from Neil Young, ACDC, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Bob Dylon etc... I think the connections between the chapters and the songs are very interesting. Check out the author's website here.