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Kings of the Wyld

(The Band #1)

Nicholas Eames (Goodreads Author)

4.31 · Rating details · 27,781 ratings · 4,448 reviews

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best -- the meanest, dirtiest, most feared crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld.

Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an ...more

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Paperback, 502 pages

Published February 21st 2017 by Orbit

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Lists with This Book

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark

Most anticipated adult fantasy debuts of 2017

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2017 Highly Anticipated Epic Fantasy

94 books — 666 voters

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Apr 21, 2017 Petrik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Every fantasy fans

Recommended to Petrik by: Melanie

Shelves: favorites

I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo

Every avid fantasy reader, pay attention and let me do you a favor. Make sure you read this book no matter what. As of now, I’m calling Kings of the Wyld one of the best fantasy debuts of all time.

Imagine this: legendary rock bands that have disbanded, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Nirvana, come back for one more tour. Now replace the rock bands and concerts with mercenary bands and killing monsters. I won’t g ...more

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Jun 04, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-all, own

UPDATE: $2.99 Kindle US 1/10/21

This book freaking rocks! ❤️

What can I even say? You can read the tons of glowing reviews about this book. They are all true!

These mercenaries were the it band back in the day. Now they are old, most of them settled down with a kid or kids, and haven't really gotten together in awhile.

Clay has plans with his wife and little girl until Gabriel comes to his door asking for Clay's help. FYI: Clay's little girl, Tally is precious and pretty bad to the bone we find ou ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 James Tivendale rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, freecopy

I received a free copy of Kings of the Wyld in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Nicholas Eames, Nazia, and Orbit Books.

Saga were a world famous band containing five legendary mercenaries who were feared, respected and completely admired. Bards' sang their praises, ladies wanted their babies, and children wanted to emulate them. Essentially, everyone throughout the lands of Grandual knew the tales of this crew's awe-inspiring exploits when they tackled the unbelievable danger I received a free copy of Kings of the Wyld in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Nicholas Eames, Nazia, and Orbit Books.

Saga were a world famous band containing five legendary mercenaries who were feared, respected and completely admired. Bards' sang their praises, ladies wanted their babies, and children wanted to emulate them. Essentially, everyone throughout the lands of Grandual knew the tales of this crew's awe-inspiring exploits when they tackled the unbelievable dangers in the notorious Heartwyld but that was nineteen years ago...

Then, Clay Cooper receives a knock on his door from the band's ex-frontman Gabriel who looks aghast, dishevelled and like a ghost of his former self. He had approached Clay because he truly believed that there were no other options. The news which Gabriel presented to him was harrowing. The task proposed being completely preposterous. However bizarre that all seemed to Clay - his once best friend and former band mate pathetically pleaded to him, stating that "it's time to get the band back together." And so it begins...

The main positives to me in this narrative were the brilliant humour throughout which makes Kings of the Wyld a hell of a lot of fun and also the main ensemble that we follow, the way that they have been excellently crafted and their "friendly" banter. Such conversation is usually along the lines of how they have aged, are stupidly drunk, have gotten fat and occasionally the humour is just caused by certain individuals downright weirdness. Moog is the only person over the age of eight who believes in Owlbears! It isn't all humour and bags-of-laughs though otherwise, this wouldn't have made me care as much if I thought that I was following the adventures of five comedians. Every individual in the band has had more than ten lifetimes worth of horrors, confrontations, and sometimes heart-breaking moments. This juxtaposition made me really empathise with and root for these guys. perhaps even made me feel as if I was in the crew myself. Much like an 80's metal band, the individuals flaunt and worship their instruments. The Saga members each have distinctive weapons (Blackheart, Vellichor, Syrinx...) for their tours and gigs, some of which even hold legendary status and in addition, Moog the magician and my favourite character has a magical hat. He is this world's equivalent of a keyboard player after all. ;) Do not get confused though. Saga do not get up on stage and play amazingly atmospheric renditions of November Rain. Tours and gigs in this world usually mean destroying monsters or almighty foes for a fee.

This is a fast-paced, excellently written, and extremely enjoyable fantasy story. I will go so far to say that it could even be some fantasy book readers wet dream especially with the amounts of monsters, mythological creatures and races presented here. At some points, it was as if I was reading a Final Fantasy game, including Skyships! Truth be told, this isn't recreating the genre or pushing it in extravagant new directions by any means, but imagine this if you will. Eames is a crazy fantasy writing chef. He has a pot preparing a meal/book over his self-made fire in a Heartwyld-like forested area where he plans to rest beneath the stars for the evening after he creates and then eats some grub. He enthusiastically throws in his favourite genre influences and then some unfamiliar bizarre fantasy tropes into this metaphorical mix, stirs it up with the good characters, spices it with the humour, and throws extra obscure ingredients in that he finds lurking around and befitting his taste (A talking doorknob anyone?) Perhaps this composed mixture shouldn't work but fortunately, it really does. That being said, for someone brand new to the genre, I would say that this isn't the best place to start and that isn't a negative; I just think Kings of the Wyld wouldn't be fully appreciated by that person yet.

A few final points: - To begin with I believed that the whole band terminology usage here would get slightly annoying but it stayed on the right side of awesome and was original. The finale was excellent but I think it ended perhaps a bit too promptly and could have been fleshed out to focus slightly more on characters feelings following the conclusion rather than just the outcome itself. The pacing throughout the whole story was excellent with shortish, action packed chapters that gave me the "just one more chapter" buzz. In addition, I thought I would point out that there are some very cool and strong women characters in this book as I haven't mentioned them so far. This book is a complete standalone so if you are a reader who has to have all six books about before beginning them then do not worry. The world here is huge and the map is beautiful. The Band #2 when it is released will throw more adventures our way in this realm but who knows if it will be Saga we follow or a new up and coming band many generations later.

Like my pal, Peter Tr at Booknest stated, this could very well be the debut of the year. If I hadn't read Ed McDonald's Blackwing already then I would agree now. Both are brilliant, both taking completely different directions with the stories they wish to present and of course, it isn't a contest, it just shows avid readers and fans like me that the fantasy scene is in excellent hands with these great new authors.

Thank you for reading, James Tivendale. ...more

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Jan 08, 2019 Mark Lawrence added it

I liked this a lot, and I can see why it has done so well. Eames is an excellent writer and funny with it too. I very rarely laugh out loud at books, but I did once with this one. Right near the end there was this (that is much funnier in context):

What’s that, honey? What was I doing while Uncle Gabe was duelling a god with all of civilization at stake? Why, I was wrestling in the muck with an exceptionally tenacious cow.

& it also sets up something that reminded me of a certain horse kick...

Th I liked this a lot, and I can see why it has done so well. Eames is an excellent writer and funny with it too. I very rarely laugh out loud at books, but I did once with this one. Right near the end there was this (that is much funnier in context):

What’s that, honey? What was I doing while Uncle Gabe was duelling a god with all of civilization at stake? Why, I was wrestling in the muck with an exceptionally tenacious cow.

& it also sets up something that reminded me of a certain horse kick...

The conceit of the book is to model monster-fighting mercenary bands as rock bands, with the same fan following, flamboyant style etc, even stretching it to being booked for gigs by agents.

There is a very D&D flavour to the setting both in the range of monsters (sampling heavily from the Monster Manual ... though perhaps copyright dictates that is done only where there is some prior mention in old tales). Magic is highly prevalent, more generally through the medium of enchanted items than through spells. There’s an abundance of magic swords, enchanted armour, and “miscellaneous”, for example a horn that spews an insect swarm and a hat that serves up an endless array of food. A lot of it isn’t exactly original, but the combined effect feels fresh and entertaining.

The vibe is distinctly Pratchett-esque though with a darker edge. It starts with the frontman of what was once the world’s most famous band, Saga, attempting to reunite the gang, something that put me in mind of Simon Pegg in the fine 2013 film, The World’s End. His daughter is in some serious shit and needs rescuing.

The only issue I have with the book, and it’s very definitely one of personal taste, is that I had a hard time engaging emotionally with the story, and that’s important for me. It’s very hard to move successfully from humour to something that matters emotionally and back again in the space of a few pages. And the weirder and more wild the world the more distance the text has to bridge in order to make things feel “real” so that the reader cares. Additionally the abundance of magic makes it unclear how important any given thing is. Is that leg going to grow back or will our hero be on crutches to the end of his days? Is that slow poison +really+ fatal or will the next treasure chest reveal a potion of neutralize poison? It all factors into the caring issue if you don’t know what’s at stake.

The last few chapters build to a very exciting finale with a massive sprawling battle. Eames’ fight scenes are excellently executed and endlessly imaginative. You should give the book a try, and not only so you get the owlbear jokes. It’s a hoot.

Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes

..... ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, read-in-2017, adult, fae, paranormal, magic, favorites, fantasy, demons, dragons

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a beautifully crafted adventuring mission that surrounds a charming band of mercenaries, as they travel from town to town, on foot or sky ship, prepping for what is likely to be their last tour. And these towns are filled with, and surrounded by, every type of fantasy creature and monster that you could ever wish for: Centaurs, Treants, Owlbears, Direwolves, Ogres, Goblins, Kobolds, Gorgons, Wyverns, Chime ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it

I can finally review this one and let y'all know that I ENJOYED AN ADULT FANTASY? Wild as heck ...more

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Sep 01, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it

Recommended to Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ by: Petrik

Shelves: year-2017, 4-star

While reading this book I made the following status update, and as I progressed through Kings of the Wyld it only became more true:

You know when you've tried a bunch of different soup brands that all have delicious looking labels but taste like shit, and finally you find a soup that tastes as good as it looks? That's how reading this book feels.

This is because I've read Fantasy books where the primary thing people tell me in their recommendation is "It's really funny."

Books like Traitor's Blad ...more

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Apr 10, 2019 Sean Barrs rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, 2-star-reads

I found The Kings of the Wyld underwhelming and totally unworthy of the hype surrounding it.

Now I’m going to start with the strengths. The book made me laugh. There are so many moments of irony and slapstick comedy. And some of them were well executed and timed perfectly, though others bordered on plain stupidity. Moog, the wizard of the band, was just way too ridiculous to function. He fucks up constantly and most of his antics felt forced. As time went on, the book started to feel like a I found The Kings of the Wyld underwhelming and totally unworthy of the hype surrounding it.

Now I’m going to start with the strengths. The book made me laugh. There are so many moments of irony and slapstick comedy. And some of them were well executed and timed perfectly, though others bordered on plain stupidity. Moog, the wizard of the band, was just way too ridiculous to function. He fucks up constantly and most of his antics felt forced. As time went on, the book started to feel like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign where the characters resemble overly enthusiastic players who were just trying to make each other laugh with their in-game antics.

Considering these guys were on a life or death mission, they had way too much fun in the process. So, because of this, there was a certain lack of immersion. I couldn’t engage with the plot and I seriously hated the geeky references, references to famous video-game lines and creatures from DnD. The world was a mess and the humour (the only strength of the book) became irritating. For example, at one point, the wizard throws his phylactery (his cure for erectile dysfunction) which results in the band all getting raging erections whist their trying to escape from their assailants.

(Yawn.)

I liked the idea of old retired warriors coming back together for one last mission but was disappointed with their lack of spirit and passion. For me, the antagonist was by far the most interesting character. I wanted to read his book. In a way, although his actions were violent and terrible, he had a just cause for being so angry. And I don’t think any of the band could engage with or understand his stance. He was determined to free the creatures that have been rounded up for sport by the humans. He was tired of the way they have crushed the Wyld to near extinction and bullied the fantastical races into subjugation. Although he was the bad guy, his stance felt quite relevant to modern concerns over the environment. I wanted to see more of him.

The writing was also quite amateurish, verging on fan-fiction quality to the point where I’m surprised it wasn’t edited with a harsher hand. Now that’s a bold thing to say, this book has clearly done very well for itself with readers and reviewers acclaiming it as the best debut of 2017, though I certainly read better books that were published that year. Maybe I just like my fantasy to have more seriousness and less stupidity. Maybe I just like characters that don’t feel like cartoonish morons bumbling their way to victory. This was not for me at all.

Consider me very underwhelmed and disappointed, it was a relief to finally finish because I found myself wanting to edit large parts of it which is never a good feeling. I want to get lost in a world, not feel like it needs re-writing. I am the minority here, there are very few negative reviews of this, and even fewer critical ones.

For the right reader this clearly works, though I am not that reader.

FBR | Twitter | Facebook | Insta | Academia ...more

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Jun 04, 2017 Lady Luna. ✨ rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Lady Luna. ✨ by: Petrik

Shelves: favorites, epic-fantasy

5/5

"And so it goes, thought Clay. Life was funny, and fickle, and often cruel. Sometimes the unworthy went on living, while those who deserved better were lost."

This was a buddy read with everyone.

Well, I’ll be a kobold’s cock ring, this book was so incredible. Kings of the Wyld made the inner rocker in me want to go to a heavy metal concert and headbang until I get a headache because I'm hardcore. That's seriously how good this book is. I was meant to be in a 35 year book slump bu ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 edge of bubble rated it liked it

Shelves: lovely-covers, fantasy, funny, disappointment, buddy-read, 2017

massive buddy-read with ~~cheaters who started the book early~~ amazing people.

The cake is a lie.

Looking at the reviews, I could find just one review under 4 stars rating and I know only one person who didn't fall head over heels in love with this book. So welcome to my verra ~~bitchy~~ lonely I liked this book, but over all, it was a disappointing experience review.

I adored KoW for the first 100 pages or so. The feelies every word evoked, the adorable humour, the interesting setting and most of all ...more

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Jul 23, 2019 Ginger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

Bloody fantastic!!! All the stars!

I’m going to tell you all a big secret of mine. You ready?
I’m great at reading epic fantasty books but I’m down right terrible at reviewing them!
The secret is out! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So here goes!

Kings of the Wyld was one of the best fantasy books that I’ve read in years. It had the perfect balance of humor, camaraderie and action all in one fantastic book!
Honestly, I wish I could give this more then 5 stars because I loved everything about it! From all the great characte ...more

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Sep 03, 2017 TS Chan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to TS by: Petrik

Shelves: physical-owned

In a year full of impressive fantasy debuts, Kings of The Wyld earned itself a top spot among the greats.

As I have not been gaming for almost two decades now, a lot of the RPG and Final Fantasy references did not click with me. Regardless, I still had an awesome time reading this book. Unlike Ready Player One which I found to be enjoyable mainly because of the 80s pop culture references, Kings of the Wyld resonated with me because of its characters and story.

I did get the homage to the music ba In a year full of impressive fantasy debuts, Kings of The Wyld earned itself a top spot among the greats.

As I have not been gaming for almost two decades now, a lot of the RPG and Final Fantasy references did not click with me. Regardless, I still had an awesome time reading this book. Unlike Ready Player One which I found to be enjoyable mainly because of the 80s pop culture references, Kings of the Wyld resonated with me because of its characters and story.

I did get the homage to the music bands of old vs the recent ones (it's been over 30 years since I've fallen in love with Duran Duran and am proud to see them still going strong). And being in that demographic group, I can't help but agree that the overall quality of the bands back in the day was much better. While I am not saying that there are no standouts in the modern era, they are but far and few in between. Ok, I am digressing.

The characters are the highlight of this novel. I pretty much loved every band member of Saga. Even though the story was told solely from the third person perspective of Clay Cooper, I was still able to know the other band members well enough to appreciate their characterisation. Just when I thought that I found my favourite character, one or another will do or say something that makes me love him just as much. Gabriel, Moog, Matrick and Ganelon are all awesome in their own unique way and that solid bond of friendship between these guys is truly touching. Even the supporting characters, notably a revenant and a two-headed monster, were highly likeable. Eames also gave us a villain which I can completely empathise with.

As individuals they were each of them fallible, discordant as notes without harmony. But as a band they were something more, something perfect in its own intangible way.

Of course, great characters alone do not make a good tale. What was most compelling to me was the beautiful simplicity of the story. It was a story of a father's love for his daughter. And behind that, a friend's love, compassion and empathy. Eames then took that simple story that was full of heart and made it utterly entertaining with two killer ingredients; humour and mythological monsters.

With a blend of sarcastic and ironic humour, sometimes crude or laced with innuendos, and occasionally slapstick even, the narrative never ventured too far into grimness before it drew me back with laughter.

While a lot of the gaming references flew over my head, I did appreciate and enjoy how the world was built upon almost every mythological monster in the fantasy genre - be it in books or games. Some which I'd come across back during my teenage years when I used to immerse myself in Fighting Fantasy books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.

Remember these?

Eames has a prose and writing style that engages the reader without too much flourish that can distract from an immersive experience. With good pacing and well-written action scenes, the pages just flew by whenever I pick up the book. While this is the first book in a series, it can be read on its own as its ending wrapped up the story satisfactorily.

All in all, a fantastic read that is full of heart and loads of rollicking fun. ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Hamad rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, e-books, good-covers, paperbacks, gifts

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription

Actual Rating: 4.25-4.5 stars

“WHEN WE SEEK TO RULE ONLY OURSELVES, WE ARE EACH OF US KINGS.”

🌟 If you have been following my latest posts, and specifically my book discussions. I talked about my YA crisis in the latest one and how books are all becoming the same to me. I have been reading more adult books and Kings of the Wyld have been on my radar for a while. It has been getting mostly good reviews and I think i ...more

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Dec 07, 2017 Celeste rated it it was amazing

Shelves: funny, favorites, fantasy

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.

Man, this was so much fun!!

First of all, I love classic rock. Like, a lot. Seriously, the soundtrack of my childhood consisted largely of Queen, Journey, Styx, Foreigner, and other bands of their ilk. Saturday mornings are still meant for “Your Love” by The Outfield and “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield.

So, when my friends started gushing about a fantasy novel filled with musical references from one of my favorite eras, and promising that it You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.

Man, this was so much fun!!

First of all, I love classic rock. Like, a lot. Seriously, the soundtrack of my childhood consisted largely of Queen, Journey, Styx, Foreigner, and other bands of their ilk. Saturday mornings are still meant for “Your Love” by The Outfield and “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield.

So, when my friends started gushing about a fantasy novel filled with musical references from one of my favorite eras, and promising that it was funny to boot, I added it to my list. But something else always seemed to grab my attention, and it stayed unread on my list for months. That is, until my lovely friend Petrik sent me a copy as a surprise early Christmas gift. With my very own copy in hand, I finally cracked KotW open. And I’m so glad that I did!

I don’t know that I have ever described a book as “rollicking” but this one definitely was. "What if mercenaries were treated like the rock bands of the fantasy world?" is basically the best jumping off point for any book ever. The use of music industry terms, like headliner and touring and booker and frontman, were all really fun additions. I’m in a band, so seeing a band equivalent in a fantasy setting was exciting and incredibly entertaining for me. Also, I loved all of the band and song references. I know there’s no way I caught them all, but any time I did catch one I was messaging friends with cyber squeals of joy. I’ll refrain from giving any away, because the search for musical Easter eggs is half the fun!

And the music references weren’t the only ones Eames included. Video games and and movies and classic fantasy novels were all referenced, as well. Here’s my favorite, a reference to The Hobbit:

“The place was a hovel, but not the cozy hovel of the sort inhabited by poets and scribes, crammed with bookshelves, candles, and antique curios. Nor was it the sparse kind of hovel, occupied by little more than a ragged blanket and a straw-stuffed mattress: It was a kubold’s hovel, and that meant shithole.”

I genuinely busted out laughing when I read that paragraph, and it makes me smile every time I remember it. There are so many lines like that in this book. But there was also depth here, lines that actually made me stop and think, which stood out all the more because of the predominant humor throughout the majority of the book. For example:

“But what does a mirror know? What can it show us of ourselves? Oh, it might reveal a few scars, and perhaps a glimpse—there, in the eyes—of our true nature. The spirit beneath the skin. Yet the deepest scars are often hidden, and though a mirror might reveal our weakness, it reflects only a fraction of our strength.”

See? That’s deep stuff, man. And that deep thought sprung right from the head of our main protagonist, “Slowhand” Clay Cooper. I enjoyed Clay so much. I loved all of the members of Saga, a classic band getting together for one last adventure and the central focus of the book. But Clay was definitely my favorite. If Saga is to be equated with an actual musical band, here are my thoughts on what instrument each member would play. Golden Gabe is the frontman, as we already know from the book itself, but the rest are all strictly my opinion. I believe that Ganelon is the lead guitarist, because lead guitarists of rock bands tend to be destructive and more than a little crazy and are often lady magnets, all of which apply. Moog plays the synthesizer, because he’s kooky and does his own thing but it somehow always works out with what the rest of the band is doing. Matty Skulldrummer would have to be the drummer for obvious reasons.

That leaves Clay. I think Slowhand is an appropriate stage name for a bassist. A bassist tends to be the binding agent in a band, the person who quietly holds everything together and keeps the song moving in the right direction. The bass-line is the heartbeat of a song, and Clay Cooper is without a doubt the heartbeat of Saga. Also, I have a thing for bassists; my husband is a phenomenal one.

All of that randomness to say: I really loved this book. And honestly, I could go on about the employment of such a wide array of fantastical creatures and magical weapons and intriguing mythology, but I want to leave as much as possible unknown for others to discover for themselves. There were a couple of writing choices that I would have changed, like doing away with a few of the plethora of similes employed in the prose, but there was nothing that bothered me enough to keep me from giving the book five rocking stars. If you’re looking for something that mingles humor with heart, that will make you feel nostalgic and keep you entertained as you search for various pop culture references, I’ve found no other novel that can top this one. ...more

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Jun 25, 2016 Sebastien Castell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

No spoilers as the book isn't out yet, but this is a terrific read for fantasy fans who enjoy a mix of old-school adventuring told in a modern voice and with a rock and roll flair. Nicholas Eames knows how to take the tropes of heroic fantasy and simultaneously revel in them while often turning them on their head. Lots of fun to be had here. ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Daniel Greene rated it it was amazing

The fantasy book equivalent of getting extremely drunk with your best friends and going out on a bender. Oh and also one of your friends has a kid who needs to be picked up at a party gone south.

SPOILERS***

So you rally the whole frat and crash the party and get her ass home safely.

Full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvDcv... ...more

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Mar 06, 2017 Petros Triantafyllou rated it it was amazing

I may be taking a risk here, what with being still on March and all that, but I'll declare Kings of the Wyld debut of the year.

Clay Cooper leads a peaceful and quiet life. He takes some shifts in the City Watch, he drinks a couple of beers in the King's Head, and spends some quality time with his wife and daughter. Or at least he used to. Because right now he's robbed, hungry, on the road, and trying to do the unthinkable; re-unite his old mercenary band called Saga, cross a forest full of ever I may be taking a risk here, what with being still on March and all that, but I'll declare Kings of the Wyld debut of the year.

Clay Cooper leads a peaceful and quiet life. He takes some shifts in the City Watch, he drinks a couple of beers in the King's Head, and spends some quality time with his wife and daughter. Or at least he used to. Because right now he's robbed, hungry, on the road, and trying to do the unthinkable; re-unite his old mercenary band called Saga, cross a forest full of every possible monster you have ever imagined and then some, and face a horde of one hundred thousand strong. What could possibly go wrong?

“But what does a mirror know? What can it show us of ourselves? Oh, it might reveal a few scars, and perhaps a glimpse—there, in the eyes—of our true nature. The spirit beneath the skin. Yet the deepest scars are often hidden, and though a mirror might reveal our weakness, it reflects only a fraction of our strength.”

I started this review by saying that I'm taking a risk, but the true risk here was taken by the author. Eames wrote a story of tragedy and darkness, but in an amusing, humoristic and light-hearted tone. To do so without turning the work into a parody, talent and experience are required. Eames has the first but not the second. And yet, he pulled it off, and more than successfully so.

Eames is excellent with prose, in fact one of the best that I've recently reviewed. He uses an intense "thriller-like" method of pacing which he successfully mixes with the humorous tone he introduced with a specific character's appearance. While Eames tells a straightforward story, he also gets into some strong explorations of the characters' characters, pasts and motivations, things that help to carry the story. He is also great in the small reversals of scene, especially those concerning the characters. You may dislike, even hate some of them, and then love them or realize that you were unfair.

All in all, Kings of the Wyld is a pleasant, poignant, well-told and engaging story, and Nicholas Eames is a talented author who's here to stay.

You can find more of my reviews over at http://BookNest.eu/ ...more

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May 29, 2017 Michael Britt rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Michael by: Petrik

Shelves: favorites

This book. THIS FREAKING BOOK! Man, I'm blown away, yet again, by another book this year. It's been a pretty amazing year of books, and this one comes very close to topping that list.

"Hit it like you hate it."

I'm convinced that Canada births some of the most gifted Fantasy writers. You've got Steven Erikson, Sebastian de Castell and now, added to that list, is Nicholas Eames. This is, quite possibly, my favorite debut novel. Right behind Traitor's Blade by Sebastian de Castell and Theft of Swor This book. THIS FREAKING BOOK! Man, I'm blown away, yet again, by another book this year. It's been a pretty amazing year of books, and this one comes very close to topping that list.

"Hit it like you hate it."

I'm convinced that Canada births some of the most gifted Fantasy writers. You've got Steven Erikson, Sebastian de Castell and now, added to that list, is Nicholas Eames. This is, quite possibly, my favorite debut novel. Right behind Traitor's Blade by Sebastian de Castell and Theft of Swords by Michael J Sullivan. After dabbling so much in multiple POV books I've grown to not like first-person POV's quite as much. Since the person we're getting the POV from tends to either be a Gary Stue/Mary Sue (I think that's the right terminology) or extremely annoying. Eames had done something quite remarkable here and given us Clay Cooper: a protagonist that is flawed enough to seem real, but awesome enough that I never got sick of his POV.

Something that can make or break a book for me is, by far, the characters. I can deal with a crappy plot, as long as the characters are well written. This book excelled in both areas. But I like to keep my reviews spoiler free so I'll focus on the characters in this section. We get this band of mercs that are among the best bromances I've ever read. They're hilarious, bad ass savages. It would be folly for me to try and pick my favorite. They each being their own awesomeness to the table. Seriously. Usually there is at least one character that's too perfect or just annoying. He has managed, like he did with Clay, to create a whole band full of unique characters that being something to the table to help strengthen the group.

I thought the classic rock references would eventually get old, but to my surprise and satisfaction, he did it perfectly. Some hidden so well that you might miss the majority of them. Also, the video game feel you get from it is subtle enough that it doesn't over power the story, but you'll pick up on it if you've played these games. D&D seeming to be one of the biggest influences.

Now, to touch briefly on the story. I'll keep this spoiler free, as well. Eames has managed to create a story with the most perfect mix of grim dark and humor. It doesn't feel like he set out with a goal to write a grimdark story and I loved that. It was just a byproduct of the world he created. His prose is among some of the best, as well. He's managed to write a story vivid enough to make you feel like you're there, but it's tight and fast-paced enough for you to not get bored. To me, that seems like a tough thing for authors to balance. And he's done it so well. There were so many laugh out loud moments that I thought I was going to get kicked out of the coffee shop.

I don't think I could ever do this book justice with a review. If you're a fan of Fantasy and have a love for classic rock or video games, pick this up, immediately. If you're just a fan of well-written Fantasy, pick this up, immediately! ...more

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Nov 08, 2017 ❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fantasy-sci-fi

"Get the boss, this bunch looks like trouble."
'And they do. They do look like trouble, at least until the wizard trips on a hem of his robe.
He stumbles, cursing, and fouls the steps of the others as he falls face-first onto the mud-slick hillside.'

😂

BRILLIANT. So. Damn. Brilliant.

Alright, my mind is all over the place at the moment to write anything coherent so let me wrap this up by saying that if you’re on the fence about reading this little gem - get it together and READ. IT.

Just a little ...more

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Jan 17, 2019 Markus rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, dungeons-and-dragons

“This is not a choice between life and death, but life and immortality! Remain here and die in obscurity, or follow me now and live forever!”

There are two ways to read this book, from what I can tell. You can read it as a fantasy novel (what it indeed may have been written as), and expect a stunning well-crafted narrative of epic proportions equal to the giants of fantasy literature. And you’ll be horribly disappointed when you notice all the aspects in which it falls flat. There is simply t “This is not a choice between life and death, but life and immortality! Remain here and die in obscurity, or follow me now and live forever!”

There are two ways to read this book, from what I can tell. You can read it as a fantasy novel (what it indeed may have been written as), and expect a stunning well-crafted narrative of epic proportions equal to the giants of fantasy literature. And you’ll be horribly disappointed when you notice all the aspects in which it falls flat. There is simply too much inconsistency, flagrant use of deus ex machina, overused sexual humour and a story that essentially stops being good three quarters of the way through as the author decided he needed to wrap up quickly. That’s the first way.

Alternatively, you can read it like the novelisation of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. This reading justifies nearly all of the above, your expectations are significantly lowered, and you can simply enjoy the book for what it seems to be.

The evidence for the second reading being the best one should be plentiful and convincing: the setting has generic lands and kingdoms that nobody cares about and do not matter to the story. The story is centred on groups of adventurers practically functioning as heroic rockstars, even going so far as to have band names. We follow them adventure, make camp, be ambushed, fight random arrow fodder creatures, and indeed both enter dungeons and fight dragons. There are poorly veiled references to classic D&D creatures, the humour is juvenile, there is a lot of modern references being close to breaking the fourth wall (including fantasy viagra), and there are artifacts with ridiculously unrealistic and unexplained names. And the author states clearly that the world of the Forgotten Realms is one of his biggest inspirations. It shows.

The heroes are, of course, your average D&D group. You can almost see them being played by a group of adventure-addicted young men in a dim suburban basement surrounded by half-eaten boxes of delivered pizza. Their DM has even deigned to give them all iconic magic weapons with illustrious backstories. This means, naturally, that they are hardly the deepest. They are cardboard cutouts with little in the way of personality except nostalgic heroism. But, as with any D&D campaign, the splendour lies in the NPCs.

"After what happened to my parents, and what I did to those children, what could I have become but a monster?"

Larkspur is the best of the bunch, and it is a rarity to read about a character whose role is improved by being hit in the head. Others are almost equally intriguing: the murdering adulterous queen with the laughably unimaginative name, the druins, dark and mysterious remnants of a mythic past, Jain the thieving bandit with a heart of gold, and on and on. The group’s undead bard (what a wonderful idea) is another example:

“You should write a book,” Matrick suggested. Kit snorted. “Who wants to read the self-pitying lamentations of an old revenant?” “There's your title right there,” said Ganelon.

From the unrealistic and unbelievable to the straight up trashy (in a fun way); from references to World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls to the most fan service-heavy segments of any fantasy, this is a all-encompassing nerdy pop culture phenomenon more than anything else.

Overall, Kings of the Wyld is not an excellent book in any technical way. It is not among the greats of the fantasy genre and it is not a memorable piece of literature. It will not win any hard-hitting awards, nor does it deserve them, but nor does it need them. What it is, however, is perhaps the finest ever example of turning the classical Dungeons & Dragons experience into a novel. Nearly every attempt at this turns out a disaster, but Nicholas Eames succeeds. ...more

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May 20, 2017 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it really liked it

I read Kings of the Wyld as part of a Buddy Read with my favorite Goodreads group, Fantasy Buddy Reads (where the author even showed up to say a few gracious words – how cool is that?!). This is one of those unique books that got devoured as soon as it came across my radar. If you have any knowledge of my colossal TBR pile, you know that most things that land on it sit there for 5+ sometimes even 10+ years before it gets read. The premise for Kings of the Wyld sounded so interesting, I couldn’t I read Kings of the Wyld as part of a Buddy Read with my favorite Goodreads group, Fantasy Buddy Reads (where the author even showed up to say a few gracious words – how cool is that?!). This is one of those unique books that got devoured as soon as it came across my radar. If you have any knowledge of my colossal TBR pile, you know that most things that land on it sit there for 5+ sometimes even 10+ years before it gets read. The premise for Kings of the Wyld sounded so interesting, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read it asap.

The book was hysterical.

And not just mildly amusing, but the kind of funny that still has me laughing at some of the moments several months later. To set the stage, a retired band of mercenaries (who have become old, fat, and in some cases drunk) pull themselves back together to go on a quest. The main character goes reluctantly, and his sardonic attitude towards everything is what gives this book such a strong voice. All of the characters were individualized and funny in their own way (my favorite of which being Arcandius Moog – the gay wizard who’s quite comfortable questing in a onesie, thank you very much), but they all had to put their differences and arguments aside to accomplish their goal. Add to that a ton of nerdy references, and you have one hella fun book!

What surprised me the most was not just the funny stuff, but how equal of an impact the more serious, deeper moments had on the story. They may have been far between, but the emotional investment I felt was just as strong as for a fantasy without all of the humor. It meant to me that Nicholas Eames was in it to write more than just a fun book – he also succeeded in producing one with substance.

I’ve discovered throughout the years that I am a somewhat inpatient reader. There are so many books on my TBR that it becomes increasingly difficult to stop everything and just enjoy each book for the journey it offers. Kings of the Wyld was mostly about the journey – the pacing focused more on character-building and humor than it did the destination (that is, until things got rolling near the end, then it didn’t let up). What I’m trying to say is, Kings of the Wyld reinvigorated my passion for discovering new authors, took me out of my carefully laid reading plans, and made me appreciate the journey for the first time in a long while.

Overall, this is going to be a very easy book for me to recommend. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had customers ask me for a funny fantasy book and all I could do was point out two popular authors whose humor didn’t quite work for me (Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett… masters of their genre, but not works that I could personally stand behind based on my own experience… don’t be mad at me.) Finally, I have the start to a killer fantasy with tons of humor and substance – one that I can recommend with confidence. If you’re sick of the same old stuff, or are in the mood for a good laugh – Kings of the Wyld is my pick for you!

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien de Castell

Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations, #1-2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Legion (Legion, #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1) by John Scalzi

Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles, #1) by Margaret Weis

...more

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Jan 27, 2018 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-shelf, fantasy, humor

A battle of the bands! A total rock out with their cocks out. Well, swords, anyway.

I wasn't at all sure what I was going to make of this. I mean, epic fantasy is all great, but I was worried that it was just going to be another cookie-cutter, however well-written.

Not so!

In fact, it reads like a novel of aging rockers getting their lives out of the gutter to go on one last tour, not only recapturing the time that they were once the best of the best, but going out in a real blaze... just as long ...more

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Jun 08, 2017 Samir rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Then again, that was the point of being in the band, wasn’t it? A tiger, however fearsome, could be hunted into a corner. It fought alone, so it died alone. But to hunt a wolf was to constantly look over your shoulder, wondering if others were behind you in the dark.”

This is a year of many great debuts so far and I think it is safe to presume that this will be one of the best, if not the best. This is one the best debuts I have ever read and I can't remember having so much fun since the Lie ...more

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Mar 20, 2017 Scott Hitchcock rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-published-and-read, grimdark

This book would be the fantasy partner of the sci-fi book Ready Player One in that there's a myriad of references to pop culture, D&D, gaming, music of which a lot derives from the 80's. I got a lot of them. The ones I knew but couldn't quite place drove me mad.

The book reads like a D&D quest and our characters either had the cheat codes or an endless supply of quarters to make it through to the "battle of the bands" and get their names on the high scores list. That said the writing was excelle ...more

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Jun 17, 2017 Orient rated it really liked it

Shelves: br, desperado, fantasy, 2017, bloody-romance, entertaining, hero, killer

We are each what the past has made of us.

What a peculiar book. When I started reading “Kings of Wyld” I was a bit distracted, couldn’t connect to the characters and felt like reading a random book, hah even thought of putting it on hold and read some other time. Putting my crappy POV aside, I was surprised as this book is really well written and it feels so. Though the story is not so unexpected or new (It reminded me of Joe Abercrombie), it’s quite quick-paced, it has monsters, peculiar hi ...more

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Mar 27, 2017 Mpauli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rating_5-stars, topic_magic-items, topic_wizards, genre_fantasy, topic_dragons, topic_mercenary, topic_ghouls, orga_read-in-2017

Kings of the Wyld is an engaging and fun adventure where a band of mercenaries whose days have passed are coming together for a final time to rescue the daughter of their frontman.

This is an impressive debut which walks a fine line between epic and grimdark fantasy interspersed with humorous elements.
It's a great tale of friendhip between mature characters who are in for something they might be way too old for.
Although there is constant humor and a bunch of more or less well disguised pop-cultu ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 Kayla Dawn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books

This is definitely not a literary masterpiece but damn, I had a lot of fun reading it. I really love those guys.

Can't wait to read the sequel! ...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Liam Degnan rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

"But life, Clay knew, didn't work that way. It wasn't a circle; you didn't go round and round again. It was an arc, its course as inexorable as the sun's trek across the sky, destined at its highest, brightest moment to begin its fall"

3.5 Stars: ✰✰✰ ½. Full review is now up! Let me know what you think =].

Two things before I even write this review: I really try to not be a "contrarian". Meaning that I try to never be that guy who bashes a good book just because everybody else lik ...more

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Apr 06, 2019 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Let me ask you a question, dear friends… Are you, perhaps, past your prime? Maybe a little out of shape? Or a lot?? Do you think your glory days are a thing of the past? Worry not, for this book is a shot of pure energy to the brain. So much damn potency it might succeed in dragging your aged body along for the ride. It’s a call to arms, a blaring hurrah, a vindication of the idea that you might still matter. Welcome, friends, to the Band.

Ok, ok, so I’m a little bit late to this. In fact, I’m so ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Sarah (thegirltheycalljones) rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Sarah (thegirltheycalljones) by: Petrik

Shelves: fantasy, all-time-favourite, great-male-lead, favourite-characters, crew-team, gorgeous-cover, book-boyfriend, has-that-special-something, petrik-s-holy-crusade

Shamelessly editing this review on the sole purpose to remind you of the existence of this book. Christmas is coming, you know what to do! You're welcome.

I always say that I hardly ever give 5 stars to a book straight after finishing it, because I like to be sure, and 5 stars cannot be given lightly (yes, I'm such a pain in the ass sometimes). Well, screw it, screw my former 4 stars, this one gets a 5.

Also, I swear way too much below.

Well, how fucking enjoyable was that!
For the simple reason th ...more

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Quotes from Kings of the Wyld

“Among them is a renegade king, he who sired five royal heirs without ever unzipping his pants. A man to whom time has imparted great wisdom and an even greater waistline, whose thoughtless courage is rivalled only by his unquenchable thirst.

At his shoulder walks a sorcerer, a cosmic conversationalist. Enemy of the incurable rot, absent chairman of combustive sciences at the university in Oddsford, and the only living soul above the age of eight to believe in owlbears.

Look here at a warrior born, a scion of power and poverty whose purpose is manifold: to shatter shackles, to murder monarchs, and to demonstrate that even the forces of good must sometimes enlist the service of big, bad motherfuckers. His is an ancient soul destined to die young.

And now comes the quiet one, the gentle giant, he who fights his battles with a shield. Stout as the tree that counts its age in aeons, constant as the star that marks true north and shines most brightly on the darkest nights.

A step ahead of these four: our hero. He is the candle burnt down to the stump, the cutting blade grown dull with overuse. But see now the spark in his stride. Behold the glint of steel in his gaze. Who dares to stand between a man such as this and that which he holds dear? He will kill, if he must, to protect it. He will die, if that is what it takes.

“Go get the boss,” says one guardsman to another. “This bunch looks like trouble.”

And they do. They do look like trouble, at least until the wizard trips on the hem of his robe. He stumbles, cursing, and fouls the steps of the others as he falls face-first onto the mud-slick hillside.” — 83 likes

“But what does a mirror know? What can it show us of ourselves? Oh, it might reveal a few scars, and perhaps a glimpse—there, in the eyes—of our true nature. The spirit beneath the skin. Yet the deepest scars are often hidden, and though a mirror might reveal our weakness, it reflects only a fraction of our strength.” — 56 likes

More quotes…