Kings of the Wyld (The Band, 1)

This is a book that friends have been recommending to me for some time, and it wasn’t hard to tell why. It’s a really wonderful thing when a novel achieves basically everything it set out to do – while I love epic fantasy, sometimes I crave a yarn that is a little less ambitious – something where I don’t have to bust out a wall full of notes and strings to keep track of what the heck is going on and who everyone is.That’s not to say that Eames hasn’t written something pretty special, because it’s great. Kings of the Wyld is a story that can be enjoyed by all, but my instinct is that he wrote it specifically for slightly older fantasy veterans who will literally yawn themselves to death if they have to read one more farm-boy-is-the-chosen-one coming of age story. Here what we have is a bunch of tired, grizzled old dudes who used to be a pretty big deal getting back together out of necessity. In this world, bands of mercenaries are like rock stars, and our protagonists used to be the very biggest. And that past tense is very important – since the members of SAGA retired to settle down, raise kids, etc. a whole new generation of Merc bands have risen up, and our boys aren’t quite what they used to be. They’re mostly old, or curmudgeonly, or fat, or drunk, or some combination of those things.So one thing I was expecting was a boatload of classic rock references, and I was surprised to find that while they were frequent, they didn’t do much to draw attention to themselves. If you’re a fan of classic rock you’ll love it, they’re great fun – if you’re not, you probably won’t even notice the majority of them and it’s fun regardless. Rather than a gimmick (which is what I was anticipating, and I’m pleased to have been dead wrong), it’s a part of the story’s character – and while the main plot is very simple, it’s extremely well written. Clay and Gabriel set out to collect the remaining members of the band on their way to rescue Gabriel’s daughter. They have a bunch of encounters and a few spanners thrown in the works along the way, but ultimately it doesn’t really get much more complicated than that. I see people asking for straightforward adventures like this *all the time*, so if you’re one such person I strongly advise checking it out.While the plot is simple, the characterization is anything but. Eames has done a tremendous job of making his characters feel real, each one lovable but with feelings and motivations and a strong voice of their own. There’s comedy for sure, Clay’s grumpy and sarcastic nature taking center stage, but there’s also tragedy. Moog is possibly the funniest character, but his backstory is heartbreaking and he is heavily driven by it. The banter is impressive, hilariously funny without ever feeling contrived, and very much rooted in deep fraternal love. And there are moments of poignancy that occasionally knocked me for six. Add to this some wonderful side characters and sparkling dialogue and I’d say that this is the novel’s greatest strength.There’s some good solid worldbuilding throughout, though it isn’t the main focus of the novel and serves more as a backdrop to the fun than a reason to read it. The prose is light and pleasing, and the pacing hits that sweet spot of trundling along at a nice clip without any major lulls. I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone who wouldn’t find it an entirely likeable and pleasant read – my feeling is that those who don’t enjoy it will have perhaps bought into the hype a little too hard or built up some expectations that weren’t met.For the rest of you, shine on you crazy diamonds.

I loved this first novel of a new series. It hits many right notes, including a vivid and humorous story, briskly told, and boasts lively characters.I think what made this one stand out for me was, firstly, a protagonist that isn't a teenager! Nothing wrong with the coming-of-age-destined-to-save-the-world trope, of course, save that it's been done so often that it's virtually a genre of its own by now. But being a reader of a certain age, once in a while I find it marvelously refreshing to peruse a novel that grants mature heroes a chance to shine. Also, to read a tale where experience and wisdom and insight are valued. And it's an interesting, creative twist to have the protagonist NOT be the "front man;" to have him not be the guy who throws the ring into Mount Doom, or the guy who kills Darth Vader. It makes for some fun and fascinating group dynamics.There's much to like here. The rock band-inspired structure of the adventuring groups -- and their parallel to our celebrity culture -- is fun and original. There's wry humor aplenty, and quite a few nods, subtle and less so, to some of the great fantasy books and movies of the past. Readers with a background in old tabletop D&D will find a comfortable home in these pages -- the monsters, in particular, read as if they walked right out of the old 3rd Edition Monster Manual. The plot generally moves swiftly, and is compellingly high-stakes.If there are weaknesses, they're slight. I might wish for a bit more time spent on worldbuilding; what's there is inventive and interesting, but the world is painted briefly, in quick, simple strokes ... I'd love more detail. Similarly, I'd like a little more character insight into some of the cast. Some are drawn in detail, but a few that I'd love to know better are but lightly sketched. I wished, while reading it, that there was a bit more female representation in this story, but the sequel gives us some utterly fabulous, strong women, so that wish was granted in the second volume.A nod to the publisher, too; so many debut novels I read now aren't well supported, and it's painfully obvious in the poor quality of the text. Debut novels are often riddled with copy-editing errors -- to the point where it's clear no human actually read the final draft! But this is a well-crafted, clean draft, without misspellings, wrong or absent words, incomplete sentences, or any of the other legion of errors that so often tear me out of whatever tale I'm reading.Recommended.

It got everything a fantasy adventure needs. Loved it. The book was funny, emotional, and very very satisfying. Pick this book up, you will not regret it.

Kings of the Wyld is a book about a band of mercenaries that have to get back together. At first, I'm not gonna lie, i wasn't really enjoying it. I thought it would be a "serious" fantasy book....Yeah, I was wrong.This book is just Fun. I wouldn't say it took itself too seriously, but it never meant to. Absurd things happened, and the book acknowledged that it was absurd, and it was really funny. It's a lighthearted fantasy with amazing characters that i fell in love with. Moments that made me laugh out loud.I will say it's not a perfect book. The beginning had a lack of description that for me was just frustrating. But in general, It's a great book. You can't not love it - If you know what you're getting into - Just don't expect it to be ASOIAF type of fantasy, and enjoy the book for what it is!

El libro llegó bien, con un detallito en el lomo, pero nada que se note a simple vista a no ser que revises muy de cerca el libro.Empecé a leerlo pero ya entré a clases y tuve que dejarlo de lado o de lo contrario me metería mucho en ello y no prestaría atención a nada hasta acabarlo. Espero tener algo de tiempo pronto.

Normalmente, evito las ediciones inglesas de tapa blanda ya que, por algún motivo (supongo que para incentivar la compra de la tapa dura), les gusta reducir la fuente a unos tamaños incómodos como en el caso de los libros de Joe Abercrombie. Pero en este caso, estoy más que contento con esta versión.Y qué pedazo de portada tiene el maldito libro.Si quieres saber la calidad de la historia del libro, creo que este no es el sitio, ve a Goodreads o mírate algún vídeo en Youtube.

Are you tired of hype? Me too.It’s the go-to sales tool of everything and it can lead to a lot of disappointment. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened a so-called five-star rated title that’s been showered with accolades like ‘brilliant’, ‘epic’, ‘page-turner’, or ‘book of the year!’ and discovered it is nothing of the sort. I get to the point where I start to question the value of reviews anymore.At first, I thought this was going to be yet another over-hyped work that didn’t live up to the praise. In some ways, that proved correct (thank goodness); in others, the reviews don’t do it justice.Look above. Five stars.This is not something I hand out willie-nillie to every book I read. Far from it. I often don’t bother to rate all the ones and twos I’ve tortured myself with or failed to finish. Before writing this, I even considered knocking one star off, down to four stars, because the book wasn’t what all the hype said it was. Then I thought about how I personally felt about it when I arrived at the last line of the epilogue and appreciated what Eames accomplished.But you won’t hear hype here. I’m going to strip away all that and talk about a good book instead.This book is funny. No, it’s not ‘laugh-out-loud hilarious’. Nor will it have you ‘bowled over in stitches.’ And thank goodness it isn’t. Oh, how I hate hyperbole. You’ll laugh. At times, you’ll love the wit and dark humor. Eames doesn’t overdo it. It’s a great story, serious more than comic, and the doses of ubiquitous humor are served in teaspoons rather than vats. In other words, he doesn’t ruin the plot.On the subject of plot, this is not a complex tale. Statements like ‘weaving intricate brilliance’ ‘awesome, unexpected plot twists’, and ‘epic in scope’ are almost laughable once you’ve read this book. Instead, it’s a somewhat predictable one, which the author makes no apologies about, not one for political intrigue, instead moving the action-packed story forward. If I can find any complaint at all it would be that at times there was too much exposition/narration over just bloody well showing me. Although a pro-published work and pro-edited and I found about two typos, which is impressive in any book these days, I was surprised that more hadn't been done to clean that up. With that said, I barely noticed. It is enjoyable the entire ride, with great, flawed, and diverse characters, a unique premise, and worthy entertainment. Basically, in my view, it’s a fantasy version of Spinal Tap, 47 Ronin, and The Dirty Dozen all wrapped into one. Gritty, entertaining, and a decent plot. Not epic. Not 'mind-blowing'. But yeah, I know. It sounds friggin' good, doesn’t it?Well, it is.Picture a bunch of mercenaries in a world where they’re the hot rock bands, where the gigs, the bookers, the live stage are all in line with the '90s hair band concerts but with gladiators fighting monsters instead of Lycra-clad, guitar-wielding love gods. Now, add the greatest ‘Band’ of all time, now disbanded, old, and somewhat domesticated, who are pulled out of retirement for one more epic comeback gig: saving one of the band’s daughters from certain death behind the siege lines of the largest horde of fantastical evil beasts ever amassed.Again, fun. Again, a great story line.What I liked the most was the humanity within it. It pulls at the heartstrings on occasion. It’s vulgar and crude when it wants to be. Body parts are often lopped off, guts are spilled, entrails are unspooled, and there’s a fair bit of substance abuse. You know, Heavy Metal comics with an injection of Led Zeppelin. But again, Eames skillfully manages to keep it all real.This is not epic. This is not hilarious. This is not riveting. It has a bit of each to varying degrees and thus is a book that is a gas to read.Ignore the hype. Ease up on any of the over-the-top claims, and buy the book. If you like a fun, adventurous, and rewarding take on the fantasy genre, you won’t go wrong with Kings of the Wyld.---Simon Lindley, author of Mannethorn's Key