Scourge of the Betrayer (Bloodsounder's Arc, #1) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Oct 11, 2018 Scott Hitchcock rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: grimdark, library-ebook

3.5*

A good opening book to this trilogy. I really liked the writing which flowed as did the story. This book feels like a Michael J Sullivan series where there's lots of things set in motion where the author is playing the long game. Thus I expect the series to get even better as it goes along.

Grimdark at its core there's really no heroes or anybody to root for. Just a lot of people with their own agenda. Our naive scribe might be the one as he tries to figure out the secrets of his companions ...more

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May 19, 2014 Seth Skorkowsky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I walked into this book not knowing anything about it aside from the cover art, the cover of its sequel, Veil of the Deserter, and the internet whisperings of 'Grimdark.' What I found was a very enjoyable and unique story.

The book opens with our narrator, Arkamondos, a professional scribe, meeting his newest employers, the Syldoon. The Syldoon are no mercenaries like The Black Company, they're more like the Dirty Dozen of a fantasy empire. As Arki is not a warrior and a bit sheltered, he is ofte ...more

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Aug 08, 2014 Martin Owton rated it really liked it

A group of mercenaries on a secret mission in hostile territory are required by their emperor to take with them an archivist who will record all their deeds. Sounds like an extract from a Black Company story by Glen Cook, and indeed it could be. Arki is not the first archivist to join the company and the other came to bad ends. Jeff Salyards paints a convincing picture of an outsider forced upon a group lead by Captain Braylar Killcoin who are comrades but not necessarily friends. Arki is no kin ...more

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Sep 17, 2014 Bookwyrm Speaks rated it it was amazing

Jeff Salyards has done something new. He has taken the fantasy epic and made it intimate in a way most authors just can't manage. Scourge of the Betrayers take many elements of fantasy, such as the fish out of water character, a character dealing with a curse, as well as mentally and physically damaged characters with unknown motivations, and weaves a tale that is gritty, dark, humorous and action packed in turns. The battle scenes are especially well set, taking into account in a real way how m ...more

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