The Sword-Edged Blonde (Eddie LaCrosse, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Sword-Edged Blonde (Eddie LaCrosse #1)

by Alex Bledsoe (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 737 ratings · 176 reviews

It should have been a case like any other: a missing princess, a king willing to pay in gold for her return. But before he realizes it, private investigator Eddie LaCrosse, a slightly shopworn sword jockey with a talent for discretion and detection, is swept up in a web of mystery and deceit involving a brutally murdered royal heir, a queen accused of an unspeakable crime...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published October 1st 2007 by Night Shade Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club Bookshelf

116th out of 140 books — 64 voters

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own M... by Catherynne M. Valente

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith

I Picked It Up Because of the Title

377th out of 580 books — 342 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,619)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 20, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This was an odd book. I had never read anything by Bledsoe before...I gather there are a couple of other books. What he goes for here is sort of cross between sword and sorcery fantasy and hard boiled detective fiction. He does a pretty good job to. I vacillated on how high to rate this one and finally settled on 4 stars. While it can run hot and cold and at times the "suspension of reality" bit runs awfully close to silliness, it's over all a good read. Picture Sam Spade or Philip Marlow with a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 18, 2008 Brownbetty rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was writing my review as I read this book, and prepared to recommend it with some caveats, when in the last ten pages, the author pulled out something that pissed me off so badly I would very much like to mail him a half-pound of dead catfish by surface mail in August. I'm giving it three stars, because it's good writing, and perhaps it deserves four, but I'm just not capable of that kind of magnanimity.

First, in its favour, the book is a good example of the noire detective story in a fantasy...more I was writing my review as I read this book, and prepared to recommend it with some caveats, when in the last ten pages, the author pulled out something that pissed me off so badly I would very much like to mail him a half-pound of dead catfish by surface mail in August. I'm giving it three stars, because it's good writing, and perhaps it deserves four, but I'm just not capable of that kind of magnanimity.

First, in its favour, the book is a good example of the noire detective story in a fantasy setting. I've seen it done before, but I don't think I've seen it done better. The protagonist, Eddie LaCrosse, is not so cynical that he is unlikeable, if liking the protagonist is crucial to your enjoyment, as it is to mine. The characterisation is serviceable, if not precisely subtle and multi-layered, and the fantasy world approximately Lankhmar in general tone.

The quotes on the back describe this book as hilarious, but I actually didn't find it all that funny: not as in "that's not funny, I'm offended!" but rather I really only found one or two points where I recognized that humour was supposed to be (and IMO, succeeding at) happening. Probably a sensahuma mismatch, your mileage may vary.

Now, (with vague spoilers) on to my caveats, building to an unhinged rant: the hard-boiled detective novel really is the novel of defensive white man-pain, and don't expect that to change here. Eddie's left a trail of dead women behind him, which is tragic, really. For him, obviously. The funny thing is that Eddie seems to recognize that he's nothing special, and that the women he loved and lost deserved to live as much as he did (if not more); and yet, this is Eddie's novel, and it's littered with dead women who give his backstory a tragic zest.

At point, Eddie needs information from an effeminate homosexual-- who abruptly drops his mannerisms, claims they're a show, and grudgingly gives Eddie the information he needs-- after his partner has been assaulted and his business been threatened. Maybe it wouldn't get to me so much if he wasn't the only queer presence.

A minor annoyance as well: the title. There is only one narratively significant blonde in the book, but nothing makes her particularly 'sword-edged,' and it annoys me that apparently a snappy title is more important than respecting the actual fact of her.

At the end, however, our hero retires to his hole in the wall detective agency, and in walks the identical twin of a woman he lost many years ago. I cannot actually think of a way to make the substitution of one woman for another more insulting. Oh, sure, Eddie muses to himself that "I knew she wasn't Cathy, of course; one woman couldn't replace another," and yet, she walks into his life in the last ten pages of the book, and could not be more obviously signalled to be the woman meant to make him happy if Bledsoe had festooned her with garlands spelling "SHE'S THE ONE." It's one thing to have an epilogue hinting that the protagonist is on the verge of finding romantic happiness, but to use identical twins in this way; rather than a book which acknowledges the differences between individual women, this one brings a woman in and the punch-line is that she's exactly the same. She is doubtless distinct from her twin in many ways, but the book ends, and the reader never hears of it.
(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Nov 19, 2012 Maria V. Snyder rated it 3 of 5 stars

I met Alex this past weekend at Context 25 - he was the author guest of honor. We chatted quite a bit and he's a nice guy with a sense of humor so I figured I'd read his first book. I'm 3 chapters and so far, I'm interested :)

I finished this a couple nights ago. The plot was intriguing and kept me reading. The main character was likable and not one of those perfect guys - in fact he did some really stupid things and was rescued a lot. This was Alex's debut novel and it had all the problems of a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2009 edifanob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-books, 2009-reads

Imagine a fantasy set in a Western European medieval style world complete with castles and monasteries. Let us not forget the hamlets and towns surrounded by large walls. You travel by foot, horse, cart and boat. Weapon of choice: Sword, dagger, bow, crossbow, spear and lance. Different religions, beliefs and myths are sprinkled across the land like so much dust and the political situation is best described as Kleinstaaterei.......
Read my full Review: The Sword-Edged Blonde

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Colleen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: whodunit-supernatural, fantasy, group-read

1.5

So...

Ok, for most of the book I'd say it was probably a 2-star read. It wasn't great, but it was an ok read. But it had it's issues.

One thing that was kinda cool was the use of Epona and Rhiannon. A fun fact that not everyone might know:

Epona is the name of the (view spoiler) and Rhiannon is (view spoiler)

Also the whole (view spoiler)...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Tamara added it

Shelves: adventure, author-male, fantasy, male-protagonist, medieval, mystery, sexuality, travel, you-cant-choose-your-family, romance

It's funny, this genre mixing business. Sometimes it ends up being overwhelming, and sometimes, you kind of end up with nothing much. In this instance, it's a sort of pulpy noir meets pulpy sword-and-sorcery, but it's not terribly noir, not terribly S&S, and not even terribly pulpy.

Oh, don't get me wrong, the building blocks are all there - roads are dominated by random bandits who die really easily, the hero has a secret murdered-girlfriend past, bands of child-thieves dominate murky alley...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Kitab rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, fantasy, fast-paced, humor, wit

This was a refreshing read. The protagonist is man of many talents and experiences in a medieval world. He is a private-eye in the age of kings, knights, and some magic. Though, he is rather skeptical about the magic, he keeps on encountering and rationalizing strange events, with a great sense of humor. Though the kind of action and humor is definitely different, the events and characters in the story have some resemblance to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Barry Hughart's Chronicles of Master...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 William Bentrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

This is an Eddie LaCrosse novel. Eddie is a sword jockey or fantasy appropriate private eye type of hero except no cars and no guns. Eddie’s personal demons are exposed in this novel.

Fearing repetition, I am nevertheless repeating myself. Eddie is a sword for hire with a conscience. I like the qualities that Bledsoe provides his main protagonist. Bledsoe’s world is a harsh one with interesting qualities. It has room for privateers and pirates, ghost and sea...more

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Melissa Proffitt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, detective-stories

I'm glad this was recommended to me, because I don't think I'd have picked it up on my own. Eddie LaCrosse is an adventurer, a former mercenary, and even more former Baron in one of the many kingdoms littering the unnamed continent. Now he's a private eye in the tradition of Glen Cook's Garrett novels--not so much a detective as an enforcer, someone you go to to recover property, find missing persons, and basically solve delicate problems. A summons from his old best friend Phil (King Philip to...more I'm glad this was recommended to me, because I don't think I'd have picked it up on my own. Eddie LaCrosse is an adventurer, a former mercenary, and even more former Baron in one of the many kingdoms littering the unnamed continent. Now he's a private eye in the tradition of Glen Cook's Garrett novels--not so much a detective as an enforcer, someone you go to to recover property, find missing persons, and basically solve delicate problems. A summons from his old best friend Phil (King Philip to the plebes) is something Eddie can't ignore, even though returning home means facing an old tragedy, but Phil has a big problem. His beloved wife and queen seems to have murdered their infant child, and Phil needs Eddie to prove it's not true.

Although the setting is a typical fantasy world, everyone has names like Phil and Cathy and Janet, and surprisingly, it works. The combination of real-world names and attitudes with pseudo-medieval technology makes the setting interesting, and things like Eddie and Phil's friendship (which closely resembles that of old friends sitting on the couch to watch football and drink beer) don't seem as out-of-place as you'd think. Bledsoe's narrative weaves between Eddie's current investigation and his memories of things that have happened in the twenty-five years since he left home, and while I can't say it's a smooth ride, it's not hopelessly confusing.

In fact, I think some of the problem is that Bledsoe doesn't seem to have trusted himself when it came to concealing, and then revealing, the truth behind Eddie's voluntary exile. The reveal is very good--excellent, even--but there are a lot of extra twists to the story that were simply overkill. There are also places where Eddie refers to things--or fails to refer to things--so obliquely that it looks like something essential got left out of the story, instead of being tantalizing or foreshadowing future events. However, Bledsoe never plays the game of deliberately concealing information that the reader should know, to get a big "A-HA!" moment, so none of this was terribly offputting.

What *did* bother me was the book's ending:
(view spoiler)

That said, I enjoyed the book a lot, and was impressed by how emotionally affecting the revelation of Eddie's dark secret turned out to be. I look forward to reading the sequel.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I ran across one of the later books in this series on a shelf in my library and saw that it was recommended to fans of Jim Butcher's books. Being a big fan of Butcher's writing, I decided to check it out. For a freshman book, it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters even if the plot seemed a little disjointed in the beginning and semi-predictable in the later chapters. One thing that I really liked was how Bledsoe brought out parts of the main characters past and gradual...more

like · see review

Jan 24, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't really sure what to make of a fantasy mystery, but I was willing to give it a shot when I found out that the author lives in the same town I do.
I wasn't disappointed.
At first, the story starts out like any mystery PI's investigation would - collecting clues and solving a mystery. But then the mystery becomes something else, and our somewhat downtrodden and self-loathing hero has to delve into his past to find the information he needs to save his friend and his friend's wife.
The first...more

like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I'm looking for something to read, I most frequently look for books in two genres: fantasy & detective fiction. Naturally when an author tries to fuse these into one story, I'm interested. Simon R. Green and Jim Butcher have probably been the most well known authors selling the hard-boiled detective in the fantasy milieu, but up-and-coming author Alex Bledsoe has brought a strong entry into the mix with The Sword-Edged Blonde.

Eddie LaCrosse is a 'sword jockey' who works out of an office...more When I'm looking for something to read, I most frequently look for books in two genres: fantasy & detective fiction. Naturally when an author tries to fuse these into one story, I'm interested. Simon R. Green and Jim Butcher have probably been the most well known authors selling the hard-boiled detective in the fantasy milieu, but up-and-coming author Alex Bledsoe has brought a strong entry into the mix with The Sword-Edged Blonde.

Eddie LaCrosse is a 'sword jockey' who works out of an office above a tavern in a run-down town known more for its criminal enterprises than anything else; but it keeps a private investigator like Eddie busy enough to keep from dwelling too much on his past. But when his childhood friend, King Philip of Arentia, asks for help, Eddie doesn't hesitate. Philip's wife Rhiannon, a mysterious beauty with no memory of her past, is accused of killing their child in a bloody ritual. When he sees the Queen for the first time, Eddie is suddenly confronted with a face from his past, and he realizes that unraveling the mystery surrounding the apparent death of the prince will answer questions about his own past--as well as Rhiannon's.

"The Sword-Edged Blonde" defies a neat characterization because it has elements of modern fiction and traditional fantasy in a kind of mishmash of genres: Eddie carries a sword, though he switches out the models for different occasions; His sense of humor definitively has a modern edge to it; and the character names are blessedly ordinary and easy to pronounce. Unlike the books by Green and Butcher, this story doesn't take place the modern world, but exists in a Medieval setting. So the modern sensibility can be disorienting until you get into the rhythm of the story. And the action has a kind of James Bond feel to it as it's bloody, brutal and swift and Eddie doesn't shy away from doing whatever the situation requires.

Bledsoe really hits the ground running with "The Sword-Edged Blonde." Many reviews compare the book to a Raymond Chandler novel and it's clear that Chandler's a huge influence. The first person narrative of Eddie LaCrosse is wry and world weary. He's a guy with a bleak past and a conscience that won't let him forget. He's everything a protagonist should be and he has great one-liners. "The Sword-Edged Blonde" is one of those books that you'll stay up late reading and find yourself looking to see if the sequel is on the shelves yet (it is). In fact, I've already picked up the next Eddie LaCrosse novel, Burn Me Deadly and I'm at least half-way through that one already... How's that for a recommendation? Fun book that, for my money, is even better than Harry Dresden.(less)

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I definitely have to agree with other readers - this book is a detective book with strong fantasy/medieval themes. It's very well written, plus there's a little of something for everyone: romance, friendship, mystery, fighting/violence, etc.

Let's start with what I enjoyed: the main character, the plot, the details (rich history and a thoroughly thought out world). Eddie is definitely avoiding his past, yet this mystery refuses to let him do so. He grows a lot through this book, dealing with the...more I definitely have to agree with other readers - this book is a detective book with strong fantasy/medieval themes. It's very well written, plus there's a little of something for everyone: romance, friendship, mystery, fighting/violence, etc.

Let's start with what I enjoyed: the main character, the plot, the details (rich history and a thoroughly thought out world). Eddie is definitely avoiding his past, yet this mystery refuses to let him do so. He grows a lot through this book, dealing with the past and, at the very end, has hope for the future. Not only has a dealt with a horrific loss of his beloved, he left his entire life (family, friends, title, etc) to escape his guilt. Anyhow, the synopsis is quite thorough so we'll leave it at that.

I really enjoyed the way the author built a complex story with multiple locations and included many multi-dimensional characters. He has created a dynamic and realistic world to set his players upon. Characters range anywhere from guilty, selfish, vengeful, and conniving, to innocent, sweet, and beautiful (physically and figuratively), with anything in between, or often times more than one.

What I didn't like so much was a) the names; they range from normal, modern names (Mike, Eddie, Phil) to really weird, seemingly backward names (wolves = Sevolw, and many others). I say you should either go one route or the other (and at least be more creative with the latter), but don't mix the two. And b) the amount of names I had to remember; not only characters but places (towns, cities, kingdoms; inns/taverns). It could be a little daunting, however, because the story is so rich I didn't feel overwhelmed and the story flowed very naturally even if I didn't remember every little detail.

BUT in the end, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great story, regardless of genre. Okay - maybe not anyone but I have to reiterate the fact that this book is written seamlessly (switching back and forth between memory and present-day without any confusion) and is set in a well thought out world complete with it's own history. Lastly, very big thank you to Tor Books & Alex Bledsoe: I won this book, received it in a very timely manner, and read through it in one day (I couldn't put it down!). I'm excited to read the sequel(s) :).(less)

like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 David Zaine Aarons rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Sword-Edged Blonde is fun, if pretty insubstantial. I feel like Alex Bledsoe has a strong writer in him, but in this book, he was still finding his voice. Hard-boiled detective fiction mixed with heroic fantasy is a catchy genre blend, and that was the reason I picked this up despite terrible cover art. The genres are far from being seamlessly stitched; there's much more mystery than fantasy here, and the fantasy that is here is a bit vague.

Bledsoe also has a tendency to cling a little too t...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorite

What a fantastic book! A friend recommended this to me because he knows I like the Garrett novels by Glen Cook—i.e. hardboiled detective in a fantasy setting. And that's a good description of this book as well, though it isn't really that similar to Cook's novels in anything more than a basic tone.

Eddie LaCrosse is a middle-aged sword jockey known for both his skill at arms and his intelligence (oh, and discretion). If you need someone to poke into dark holes that might poke back, he's your man....more

2 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2012 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have a really long Amazon wishlist with books I want to read, and sometimes if I order something on Amazon, I scroll through the wishlist to see if anything is super cheap, or maybe I will add something to bring up the order total to where it includes free shipping.

Well, that is what happened with this book, and I don't remember why I wanted to read it in the first place. But when the package arrived, my neighbors "accidentally" took this package and opened it. And some girl who I had not yet...more

like · see review

Oct 07, 2012 Kira Fisher rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had incredibly low expectations of this book (fantasy plus detective noir? WE SHALL SEE) but it was really fun. It was entertaining, surprisingly funny, and snuck up on you with the depth of emotion and creep out elements.

I have no doubt that a committed reader could completely decimate this book. It's not Shakespeare. It's not even George R. R. Martin. But it's FUN. Okay? Sometimes you want to read a book that's fun and isn't so terrible it makes you embarrassed to be reading it.

One of the m...more

like · see review

Jun 23, 2009 Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

While this is a fast and fun read it’s also a story that would need to be read twice for it to make sense. The protagonist was constantly commenting or thinking about events in his past and later in the book there would be a flashback that explained the incident in detail allowing the earlier comment to make sense. It’s possible a person needs to read this three or more times to really get it as I got pretty confused at points as the story would switch to flashbacks without being apparent.

For th...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-noir, fantasy-urban-fantasy, detective, sword-and-sorcery-opera

I had no expectations at all when I downloaded this book. I only did it because one of my groups was reading it, and a fellow member chose it, so I thought I would support him. I am glad I did.

It is a mash-up of something old and worn -- a couple of things that are old and worn, actually -- with a little of the new and kitschy. It's a bit of low brow hack and slash Fantasy fun with a kooky Goddess at its heart; it's a pretty straight forward Detective Noire -- including the requisite smart mout...more I had no expectations at all when I downloaded this book. I only did it because one of my groups was reading it, and a fellow member chose it, so I thought I would support him. I am glad I did.

It is a mash-up of something old and worn -- a couple of things that are old and worn, actually -- with a little of the new and kitschy. It's a bit of low brow hack and slash Fantasy fun with a kooky Goddess at its heart; it's a pretty straight forward Detective Noire -- including the requisite smart mouthed detective; and it's an Urban Fantasy with more than one urban centre.

It does them all with a refreshing bit of hip carelessness that manifests in the ways of Alex Bledsoe's world. The world is pretty much exactly like ours, except they're still using swords and crossbows as weapons and travelling on horseback. By exactly like ours, I mean that the concerns of any given populace are for working infrastructure, employment and getting by; I mean they're entertainment is the scandals of the rich and famous (in their case, Kings and Queens); I mean that nightclubs and casinos and bars are just like ours, name tags for servers included; I mean that leaving your horse parked somewhere overnight will get you a ticket, warning you not to do it again or face a fine; I mean that our hero is named Eddie LaCrosse, and the girls he loves are named Janice and Liz and Cathy. It's a clever way to approach a Fantasy world, this stripping away of all medieval pretensions, and it works wonders because it allows Bledsoe's sense of humour, which is decidedly contemporary, to come through without sounding dissonant. It fits because he makes it fit. And damn is it fun.

I want to keep going. I want more of Eddie. And that doesn't happen to me often when I stumble upon a series in the B-range of literature. Sure I'll bump against it, I may even like it well enough, but I tend to visit only once and never come back. I think this time may be different. The tales of Eddie LaCrosse are just too much fun for a one off. (less)

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2012 Mario rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, fiction, mystery, fantasy

I was really impressed by this. Once you get past the initial genre-shock, and the title (which still doesn't make sense to me), and the not-exactly-anachronistic-but-somehow-jarring character names, what you have is a book that completely lived up to its potential and managed to deliver a satisfying story within a difficult to satisfy premise. I had a couple of problems (view spoiler)...more

like · see review

May 14, 2010 Fence rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sff, mystery-detective

Eddie LaCrosse is a sword jockey, or private detectives in this fantasy world. He is also a man with a past. And that past is coming back to haunt him.

I really loved parts of this book. LaCrosse is one of those hardboiled private eyes in the style of Philip Marlowe. Just thrown into a high fantasy style world. It makes for an interesting combination. Instead of reading about what type of gun LaCrosse carries we hear about his swords. And for plots you can throw in possible goddessess and all sor...more

like · see review

Apr 03, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, adventure, book-club, crime, detective, humour, mystery, fantasy, male-author, 2000s, 2007, book-club-scifi-and-fantasy

I originally started reading this as something light to read in between heavy, dark, deep books. But then I found that I just couldn't put it down and had to keep going til it was over.

A brilliant blend of medieval fantasy and noir detective this book really hit the right marks for me. The witty, self-deprecating, flawed and human detective/swordsman was such a great main character I easily fell behind him. The main story, while predictable, was entertaining and gripping the whole way though.

An...more

7 likes · like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaway-wins, fantasy, young-adult

In full disclosure I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

This book is a very interesting blend of Noir Mystery and Fantasy. It was brought together very well and it didn't feel like a mystery with fantasy tacked on or visa-versa.

The writing style reminds me some what of Terry Pratchett, especially in his Sam Vimes novels. Although this book is not quite as strong and not as funny it is still very good.

The main character, Eddie LaCrosse is very interesting and has a personality that draws you i...more

like · see review

Apr 01, 2012 Kenneth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, first-reads, crime-sleuth-mystery

This is an excellent rendition of what I call "Dude Fiction". Criminals and seedy underworlds, seen through the eyes of a hard-nosed detective with a troubled past. And on top of that you get swords and horses, magic and castles, damsels in distress and the occasional smart-aleck comment. Perfect for the red-blooded guy who likes his noir with a healthy dose of swashbuckling fantasy.

I have read comments decrying the shallowness of the female characters, but I cannot figure out what these reader...more

like · see review

May 19, 2010 Korynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-crime, sci-fifantasy

At first, when reading this, I thought it wasn't going to work. It seemed too forced, this melding of pulp/noir/crime and fantasy. But after a couple of chapters, right about the time he finishes with the runaway princess scenario, the story telling seems familiar and more natural. Eddie LaCrosse is (of course) a man with a haunted past. He unwillingly returns to his homeland to help his former best friend and king solve a most terrible mystery, that of the queen being accused of killing and eat...more

like · see review

Sep 06, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) by: Audra (Unabridged Chick)

Shelves: fantasy, received-for-review, owned-copy, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, mystery, reviewed, tlc, actiontastic, pure-entertainment, inventive-and-original

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

The Sword-Edged Blonde does something new and interesting - it merges two genres I love - fantasy and mystery - and spins them together in a highly fun and unique way. With a main character like investigator Eddie LaCrosse, who manages to inject a bit of wry, world-weary humor into a dark toned and murder-filled novel, there's a lot to enjoy in this first of a newish series. Both the fantasy aspects and the 'whodunit' more than hold up under the pre...more

like · see review

May 06, 2012 Asaviel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meine Meinung:
Eddie LaCrosse hat nicht die Absicht es dem Leser zu Beginn der Geschichte leicht zu machen. Er ist schon beinahe so etwas wie ein Antiheld. Nein, nicht besonder tollpatschig, aber zumindest in die Jahre gekommen, mit einem kleinen Bäuchlein und einer Vergangenheit, über die er lieber nicht nachdenken möchte. Trotzdem ist er noch Privatermittler und er muss in seine Heimat zurückkehren, denn ein alter Freund braucht seine Hilfe.
Er selbst, einer der besten Schwertkämpfer überhaupt,...more Meine Meinung:
Eddie LaCrosse hat nicht die Absicht es dem Leser zu Beginn der Geschichte leicht zu machen. Er ist schon beinahe so etwas wie ein Antiheld. Nein, nicht besonder tollpatschig, aber zumindest in die Jahre gekommen, mit einem kleinen Bäuchlein und einer Vergangenheit, über die er lieber nicht nachdenken möchte. Trotzdem ist er noch Privatermittler und er muss in seine Heimat zurückkehren, denn ein alter Freund braucht seine Hilfe.
Er selbst, einer der besten Schwertkämpfer überhaupt, erzählt uns die Geschichte aus seiner Perspektive und das mit einer gehörigen Portion Selbstironie, was die Stimmung und die Situation immer wieder auflockert. Gleichzeitig merkt der Leser schnell, dass mit dem Mann etwas nicht stimmt, er selbst mit sich nicht im Reinen ist und man misstraut ihm gehörig. Und dann schafft er es doch irgendwie sich in das Herz zu schleichen, das Vertrauen zu gewinnen. Und wenn am Ende herauskommt, was Eddie verhängnisvolles getan hat, möchte man ihn beinahe nur noch trösten und kann ihn gut verstehen.
Das klingt nun traurig und das ist Eddies Vergangenheit über einige Zeit hinweg auch, aber die schon erwähnte Selbstironie wird gemeinsam mit einem sehr derben Humor, der sich meist aus dem Gesamtzusammenhang ergibt, wieder wett gemacht. Oft konnte ich nicht anders, als grinsend den Kopf zu schütteln.
Das Setting ist am ehesten mit der Welt aus den ersten Bänden "Das Lied von Eis und Feuer" zu vergleichen. Eine mittelalterliche Ordnung der Dinge mit einem Hauch Magie und Fantasy, das sich oft eher im Verborgenen zeigt.
Solange Eddie braucht, um herauszufinden, was dem jungen Prinzen wirklich widerfahren ist, solange werden wechselnd zwei Handlungsstränge erzählt, die auf verschiedenen Zeitebenen liegen. Zum einen ein vergangenes Geschehen, da ungefähr acht Jahre zurückliegt. Zum anderen die gegenwärtige Suche nach dem Mörder des Kindes. In beiden Erzählsträngen tauchen immer mal wieder äußerst brutale Szenen auf, in denen einerseits sehr viele Menschen getötet oder auch sehr blutige und detailreich beschriebene Morde begangen werden. Eddi ist keineswegs zimperlich, wenn es um den Umgang mit dem Schwert geht.
Sollte der Leser relativ zu Beginn der Geschichte Logikfehler finden, die vielleicht etwas irritieren, sei hier der Tipp gegeben, dass vielleicht gerade diese vermeintlichen Fehler später zur Aufdeckung des Geschehens beitragen können.

Fazit: Nach einem ungewohnten Einstieg, bei dem der Leser sich zunächst mit dem Protagonisten anfreunden und die Handlung durschauen muss, wird das Interesse dann eher schleichend und unauffällig geweckt, sodass man je wieter man voranschreitet, kaum noch das Buch aus der Hand legen möchte.
Eine Privatermittlergeschichte in einem mittelalterlichen Setting, in dem man auch ohne weiteres auf Magie oder sogar Götter stoßen kann. (less)

like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Tim Hicks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four stars don't mean that this is a classic or anything. I'm giving it four within its genre; it isn't claiming to be any more than what it is.
Someone mentioned Vlad Taltos. No, it isn't that good, but it's a worthwhile read.

Ignore the cover art; it's ridiculous.

Good plot, mostly, and Eddie's a complex and interesting character. Bledsoe may not be able to use the relationship with the king in a future novel, though. Makes it too easy.

Someone else commented that this book's treatment of wome...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2011 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Liked this quite a bit, but I wish the author did a better job of establishing the world up front. I assumed a 'traditional' sword & sorcery medival fantasy world, but touches of the modern world popped up here and there--guys wearing suits, bar maids with name tags, cops sticking parking tickets onto the saddle horn of your horse, 'name brand' swords (a la Colt, Smith & Wesson, Glock, etc.). All this was fun, but it made me keep revising my image of the world. Very solid noir story and...more

like · see review

Aug 09, 2012 Audra (Unabridged Chick) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: formulaic, guilty-pleasure, heroine-unusually-attractive, places-fictional-places, secret-identities, tres-amusing

This genre-melding fantasy novel has it all: gruff PI lead, whitewashed mock-medieval setting, possibly supernatural influences, political intrigue, PG-13 level attention to breasts, and lots of wry snark. I loved every page.

Deep this is not, but fun, it is. Set in a series of fantasy kingdoms, all ambigu-medieval in feel (swords, horses, pre-gunpowder weapons, mercantile economy, kings), the novel follows Eddie LaCrosse, a former mercenary turned independent contractor, who is asked to investig...more This genre-melding fantasy novel has it all: gruff PI lead, whitewashed mock-medieval setting, possibly supernatural influences, political intrigue, PG-13 level attention to breasts, and lots of wry snark. I loved every page.

Deep this is not, but fun, it is. Set in a series of fantasy kingdoms, all ambigu-medieval in feel (swords, horses, pre-gunpowder weapons, mercantile economy, kings), the novel follows Eddie LaCrosse, a former mercenary turned independent contractor, who is asked to investigate a scandalous murder mystery in his home kingdom. The case brings back some of the most painful memories of his past, and unsurprisingly, those fraught events still impact the present.

The mystery isn't a mystery meant to be solved by the reader; we just trail along with Eddie, which is fine by me (I never like to solve the mystery anyway). There's a fair amount of flashback and back story to set up Eddie and his world, which I liked it, but it made for a rather introspective action thriller. The characters aren't enormously deep but I don't come for that in books like this; Bledsoe uses stock shorthand from the PI and noir genre which is amusing and fun when paired with medieval fantasy shorthand. The plot has everything from open nods to Chandler (a character named Canino) as well as literal translations of Welsh/Celtic myth (with Epona/Rhiannon). There's plenty of bodies, the women are always admiring of our hero, and breaks and coincidences help the story along as needed.

The irreverently snarky tone is what I loved about this book; it was like The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. meets A Knight's Tale (minus the anachronistic soundtrack). The very obvious nod to Hammett and Chandler is seen right in the novel's opening, and I loved the usual merging of genres. If you're not for tongue-in-cheek, mixed genre homages, this probably isn't your book. (My wife didn't get past five pages and she's still huffy about this one. Women.) But I liked this book for what it was -- breezy, brazen, banter-y -- and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 53 54 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: Sword-Edged Blonde - What Kind of Fantasy is This?	10	79	May 31, 2012 07:40am

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Fantasy

169 users

Mystery

56 users

Mystery > Noir

10 users

Mystery > Detective

9 users

Adventure

9 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

7 users

Humor

6 users

Action

4 users

Book Club

3 users

Fantasy > Magic

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Silver Skull
by Mark Chadbourn
The Desert of Souls
by Howard Andrew Jones
Whispering Nickel Idols
by Glen Cook
Tome of the Undergates
by Sam Sykes
Ex-KOP
by Warren Hammond

About Alex Bledsoe

I grew up in west Tennessee an hour north of Graceland (home of Elvis) and twenty minutes from Nutbush (home of Tina Turner). I've been a reporter, editor, photographer and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. I now live in a big yellow house in Wisconsin, write before six in the morning and try to teach my two sons to act like they've been to town before.

My latest Eddie LaCrosse novel, Wake of...more

More about Alex Bledsoe...

Books by Alex Bledsoe

Wake of the Bloody Angel (Eddie LaCrosse #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Sword-Edged B...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Sword-Edged Blonde
avg rating	preview: The Sword-Edged Blonde Goodreads rating: 3.76 (737 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1354323.The_Sword_Edged_Blonde?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347985043l/1354323.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1354323.The_Sword_Edged_Blonde?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe[/url]

The Sword-Edged Blonde (Eddie LaCrosse #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website