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aix83's review against another edition
1.0
I am starting to believe that people who write unredeemable shitheads are also shitheads, that alarmingly many American men firmly believe a rape culture is a thing to cherish and nurture, and that Brandon Sanderson never read this junk, or he'd be too ashamed to write with this guy. Dear author, repeat after me:
People have choices, and they can choose not to be villains. It is THEIR FAULT if they're assholes. It's THEIR CHOICE, reinforced each hour of each day by wilfully and knowingly enacting unredeemable actions. Saying 'but poor him, he's an asshole because of reasons' makes you worthy of being treated by your villain the way he treats other characters, so you can be an informed apologist and understand what you're actually spewing.
It's not just being forced to read a story with a disgusting MC, it's that the MC isn't even charming, or funny, or entertaining to read about. He's just good for producing vomit when you have a bad indigestion. Moreover, the story itself is confused, incapable of telling what the plot is about other than 'let's traffic some women and pretend that's what makes for good fantasy'. No heads or tails, or twists, or reveals, or anything. Who publishes this junk?
It's boring.
It also speaks of how awful humanity is a species to be able to carry cognitive distortions so large as to justify hideous crimes by pretending those committing them are not responsible because 'oh but poor them'.
Shove that length of cherrywood up yourself.
Merged review:
I am starting to believe that people who write unredeemable shitheads are also shitheads, that alarmingly many American men firmly believe a rape culture is a thing to cherish and nurture, and that Brandon Sanderson never read this junk, or he'd be too ashamed to write with this guy. Dear author, repeat after me:
People have choices, and they can choose not to be villains. It is THEIR FAULT if they're assholes. It's THEIR CHOICE, reinforced each hour of each day by wilfully and knowingly enacting unredeemable actions. Saying 'but poor him, he's an asshole because of reasons' makes you worthy of being treated by your villain the way he treats other characters, so you can be an informed apologist and understand what you're actually spewing.
It's not just being forced to read a story with a disgusting MC, it's that the MC isn't even charming, or funny, or entertaining to read about. He's just good for producing vomit when you have a bad indigestion. Moreover, the story itself is confused, incapable of telling what the plot is about other than 'let's traffic some women and pretend that's what makes for good fantasy'. No heads or tails, or twists, or reveals, or anything. Who publishes this junk?
It's boring.
It also speaks of how awful humanity is a species to be able to carry cognitive distortions so large as to justify hideous crimes by pretending those committing them are not responsible because 'oh but poor them'.
Shove that length of cherrywood up yourself.
Merged review:
Pile of trash with villain protagonists (mistagged as antiheroes, which they're not because antiheroes have at least something going for them). Somehow these protags manage to be both unadmirable and blandly unentertaining. Stories badly written filled up to the gills with edgy darkness but no actual plot, tension, or clever reveals. Almost none of these shorts have anything resembling payoffs. Also bland generic Medievalopolis settings. Reading this is like wading through the sewers after treasure and coming empty handed. Just because you've empty handed doesn't mean you're not drenched in poo.
When I write an unredeemable asshole and then give him a dark past, I am not writing 'motivation' or even making sense; I am being an apologist for assholes.
People have choices, and they can choose not to be villains. It is THEIR FAULT if they're assholes. It's THEIR CHOICE, reinforced each hour of each day by wilfully and knowingly enacting unredeemable actions. Saying 'but poor him, he's an asshole because of reasons' makes you worthy of being treated by your villain the way he treats other characters, so you can be an informed apologist and understand what you're actually spewing.
It's not just being forced to read a story with a disgusting MC, it's that the MC isn't even charming, or funny, or entertaining to read about. He's just good for producing vomit when you have a bad indigestion. Moreover, the story itself is confused, incapable of telling what the plot is about other than 'let's traffic some women and pretend that's what makes for good fantasy'. No heads or tails, or twists, or reveals, or anything. Who publishes this junk?
It's boring.
It also speaks of how awful humanity is a species to be able to carry cognitive distortions so large as to justify hideous crimes by pretending those committing them are not responsible because 'oh but poor them'.
Shove that length of cherrywood up yourself.
Merged review:
I am starting to believe that people who write unredeemable shitheads are also shitheads, that alarmingly many American men firmly believe a rape culture is a thing to cherish and nurture, and that Brandon Sanderson never read this junk, or he'd be too ashamed to write with this guy. Dear author, repeat after me:
When I write an unredeemable asshole and then give him a dark past, I am not writing 'motivation' or even making sense; I am being an apologist for assholes.
People have choices, and they can choose not to be villains. It is THEIR FAULT if they're assholes. It's THEIR CHOICE, reinforced each hour of each day by wilfully and knowingly enacting unredeemable actions. Saying 'but poor him, he's an asshole because of reasons' makes you worthy of being treated by your villain the way he treats other characters, so you can be an informed apologist and understand what you're actually spewing.
It's not just being forced to read a story with a disgusting MC, it's that the MC isn't even charming, or funny, or entertaining to read about. He's just good for producing vomit when you have a bad indigestion. Moreover, the story itself is confused, incapable of telling what the plot is about other than 'let's traffic some women and pretend that's what makes for good fantasy'. No heads or tails, or twists, or reveals, or anything. Who publishes this junk?
It's boring.
It also speaks of how awful humanity is a species to be able to carry cognitive distortions so large as to justify hideous crimes by pretending those committing them are not responsible because 'oh but poor them'.
Shove that length of cherrywood up yourself.
Merged review:
Pile of trash with villain protagonists (mistagged as antiheroes, which they're not because antiheroes have at least something going for them). Somehow these protags manage to be both unadmirable and blandly unentertaining. Stories badly written filled up to the gills with edgy darkness but no actual plot, tension, or clever reveals. Almost none of these shorts have anything resembling payoffs. Also bland generic Medievalopolis settings. Reading this is like wading through the sewers after treasure and coming empty handed. Just because you've empty handed doesn't mean you're not drenched in poo.
lordnikon's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to be doing a rolling review of this anthology, updating after I read each tale...to give potential readers a clear view. The stars will come when I'm done them all.
Mainon - Jean Rabe
I've never read a Rabe book before, so this was a nice taste of her writing. I liked this, and it was a lovely and simple way to open the anthology. Straight to the point with a likeable protagonist and a simple story that will ease you into the book. Enjoyed.
Irindai - Bradley P. Beaulieu
This was absolutely stunning. I was enthralled from the first sentence. The Shattered Sands world is amazingly detailed and realized, and Ceda was a phenomenal protagonist. If this is an example of Beaulieu's writing at large, then I'm not only in for Shattered Sands, I'm in for his first book series too. Unless something comes along later and trumps it, this will likely be my fave story in the anthology.
The Subtler Art - Cat Rambo
This was a bit of a stumble for me. It was serviceable, but I really wasn't connected with it at the level I felt I should have.
Seeds - Carol Berg
I've never read Berg before, but I've seen her books on this shelf. This story is fine and dandy. Not mind blowing, but entertaining nonetheless. The language within feels a bit overblown...but since the series is an existing one, I can understand why. Chances are, if you enjoy Berg's books, you'll enjoy this sidestory.
Jancy's Justice - Kenny Soward
I liked this. The Gnome Series may not be my cup of tea, but this was a nice little tale that Soward has penned about a secondary character. Good stuff!
Professional Integrity - Michael J. Sullivan
I love Sullivan's work, and his Riyria Revelations have a special place in my heart...so another tale with Royce and Hadrian...this time dealing with a strange request by an heiress to be "stolen" herself is a wonderful tale. Loved it as usual!
Troll Trouble - Richard Lee Byers
This was enjoyable, but I think I wanted to see more of various elements of it for it to be fulfilling? That probably makes no sense, but that's how I felt after reading it.
A Better Man - Paul S. Kemp
Not a fan of Egil & Nix...so this was probably a loaded one to begin with, but I didn't care for it. Kemp is a great writer, but I just don't like these characters enough to be interested. That's totally on me though as this is a popular series...and I imagine if you enjoy Egil & Nix...you'll dig it.
First Kill - Django Wexler
This is my first foray into Wexler (whom I'd heard about but hadn't read) and I thought this was just an amazing story. Loved every last drop. Lots of fun, and makes me want to read the main Shadow Campaigns books!
Manhunt - Mark Smylie
Nope. Sorry. Skipped it. I bought Smylie's first book a while back and got 1/4 into it before deleting it off my Kindle in disgust. Not even close to my wheelhouse as a reader. Yes, I realize this is me judging a book by its author...but I simply can't read anything else by Smylie while the taste of his book is still in my mouth.
Better to Live than To Die - John Gwynne
Never read Gwynne before, but quite enjoyed this tale.
The Secret - Mark Lawrence
Mr. Lawrence, you have always written stories I love reading and this one is no exception. And now I want back story fiction for ALL the brothers! LOL
Friendship - Laura Resnick
I enjoyed this but it didn't resonate with me at any level other than that. Servicable, and enjoyable.
The Long Kiss - Clay Sanger
This one was a bit of a miss for me. Perhaps I didn't connect as the reader with it. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied by it.
The White Rose Thief - Shawn Speakman
Well this was a pleasant surprise. Much more instrospective and deep than I thought I was getting into at the beginning. A lovely little story that I really enjoyed once I was into it. Two personal nitpicks: Names that are like our names only differrent (Byl instead of Bill), and phoenetic speech (I'm happy to be told of an accent, and then imagine it myself, not see it writtten out). This was a great tale though Shawn. :)
A Length of Cherrywood - Peter Orullian
HAving not read the first book in Peter's series I thought I'd be a little lost, but the story is insular enough to not have to worry about that. It's also dfarker than most of the stories in the anthology so far, so that was refreshing.
A Taste of Agony - Tim Marquitz
Having read Redemption at the Knife's Edge in the Neverland Library anthology, I knew what I was in for with this one and it didn't disappoint. Tim has written a great story in that world and I'll be intereste dto check out the books in that world when they come out.
What the Gods Demand - James A. Moore
A much broader scoped world than I think I'd been expecting, and while I enjoyed it I think I wanted more. It felt like this whole world was waiting for me and we only scratched the surface, I hope the author has more in this world.
Mainon - Jean Rabe
I've never read a Rabe book before, so this was a nice taste of her writing. I liked this, and it was a lovely and simple way to open the anthology. Straight to the point with a likeable protagonist and a simple story that will ease you into the book. Enjoyed.
Irindai - Bradley P. Beaulieu
This was absolutely stunning. I was enthralled from the first sentence. The Shattered Sands world is amazingly detailed and realized, and Ceda was a phenomenal protagonist. If this is an example of Beaulieu's writing at large, then I'm not only in for Shattered Sands, I'm in for his first book series too. Unless something comes along later and trumps it, this will likely be my fave story in the anthology.
The Subtler Art - Cat Rambo
This was a bit of a stumble for me. It was serviceable, but I really wasn't connected with it at the level I felt I should have.
Seeds - Carol Berg
I've never read Berg before, but I've seen her books on this shelf. This story is fine and dandy. Not mind blowing, but entertaining nonetheless. The language within feels a bit overblown...but since the series is an existing one, I can understand why. Chances are, if you enjoy Berg's books, you'll enjoy this sidestory.
Jancy's Justice - Kenny Soward
I liked this. The Gnome Series may not be my cup of tea, but this was a nice little tale that Soward has penned about a secondary character. Good stuff!
Professional Integrity - Michael J. Sullivan
I love Sullivan's work, and his Riyria Revelations have a special place in my heart...so another tale with Royce and Hadrian...this time dealing with a strange request by an heiress to be "stolen" herself is a wonderful tale. Loved it as usual!
Troll Trouble - Richard Lee Byers
This was enjoyable, but I think I wanted to see more of various elements of it for it to be fulfilling? That probably makes no sense, but that's how I felt after reading it.
A Better Man - Paul S. Kemp
Not a fan of Egil & Nix...so this was probably a loaded one to begin with, but I didn't care for it. Kemp is a great writer, but I just don't like these characters enough to be interested. That's totally on me though as this is a popular series...and I imagine if you enjoy Egil & Nix...you'll dig it.
First Kill - Django Wexler
This is my first foray into Wexler (whom I'd heard about but hadn't read) and I thought this was just an amazing story. Loved every last drop. Lots of fun, and makes me want to read the main Shadow Campaigns books!
Manhunt - Mark Smylie
Nope. Sorry. Skipped it. I bought Smylie's first book a while back and got 1/4 into it before deleting it off my Kindle in disgust. Not even close to my wheelhouse as a reader. Yes, I realize this is me judging a book by its author...but I simply can't read anything else by Smylie while the taste of his book is still in my mouth.
Better to Live than To Die - John Gwynne
Never read Gwynne before, but quite enjoyed this tale.
The Secret - Mark Lawrence
Mr. Lawrence, you have always written stories I love reading and this one is no exception. And now I want back story fiction for ALL the brothers! LOL
Friendship - Laura Resnick
I enjoyed this but it didn't resonate with me at any level other than that. Servicable, and enjoyable.
The Long Kiss - Clay Sanger
This one was a bit of a miss for me. Perhaps I didn't connect as the reader with it. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied by it.
The White Rose Thief - Shawn Speakman
Well this was a pleasant surprise. Much more instrospective and deep than I thought I was getting into at the beginning. A lovely little story that I really enjoyed once I was into it. Two personal nitpicks: Names that are like our names only differrent (Byl instead of Bill), and phoenetic speech (I'm happy to be told of an accent, and then imagine it myself, not see it writtten out). This was a great tale though Shawn. :)
A Length of Cherrywood - Peter Orullian
HAving not read the first book in Peter's series I thought I'd be a little lost, but the story is insular enough to not have to worry about that. It's also dfarker than most of the stories in the anthology so far, so that was refreshing.
A Taste of Agony - Tim Marquitz
Having read Redemption at the Knife's Edge in the Neverland Library anthology, I knew what I was in for with this one and it didn't disappoint. Tim has written a great story in that world and I'll be intereste dto check out the books in that world when they come out.
What the Gods Demand - James A. Moore
A much broader scoped world than I think I'd been expecting, and while I enjoyed it I think I wanted more. It felt like this whole world was waiting for me and we only scratched the surface, I hope the author has more in this world.
gnashchick's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I love rogues.
This is a factor which needs to be considered before I discuss this book in any further length. I am a fan of scoundrels, ne’er do wells, thieves, assassins, courtesans, cat burglars, and con men. As long as they’re possessed of some degree of personal integrity and faced against people worse then themselves, I’m all for books about these sorts of antiheroes.
This book, published by Ragnarok Publications, is a anthology collecting over forty short-stories chronicling a wide variety of rogues and their adventures. Many of these characters have series of their own while others have completely independent adventures.
It was created with an extremely successful Kickstarter which raised almost $40,000 to release the book on multiple platforms as well as pay several well-known authors for their work. Amongst the authors who contributed to the work I’m fond of are Paul S. Kemp and Richard Lee Byers.
The book opens with an introduction written by Glen Cook of The Black Company fame. I’m not really too fond of this intro since it talks, at-length, about the author’s love of complete bastards. Given the vast majority of scoundrels in the book are of a “lovable rogue” style versus murderous brigand, his statement seems dissonant with the rest of the book. Thankfully, editor Joe Martin gives a much more balanced foreword immediately after. How bad is Glen Cook’s introduction? He cites Norman Spinrad’s The Iron Dream as a way that evil characters can be heroes against more monstrous foes.
Look that novel up on Wikipedia to find out why that’s…no, just no.
Noooooo.
Ahem.
The short stories usually follow a single hero or a solo one on an adventure where they prove to be cleverer than the people around them. My favorite stories in the book are probably, Professional Integrity by Michael J. Sullivan, Troll Trouble by Richard Lee Byers, What Gods Demand by James A. Moore, and The Betyar and the Magus by S.R. Cambridge.
These tales tend to combine intelligent thieves with moral codes who have a sense of humor about themselves too. Professional Integrity, for example, is a tale about two thieves hired to kidnap a nobleman’s daughter by the aforementioned daughter. What her reasons are as well as the twists involved are all extremely well fleshed-out and form an exciting mystery.
The majority of the other tales are quite enjoyable by themselves. We have bards soothing savage gargoyles, Arabic adventures with pit fighters, smugglers dealing with questions of religion, and even a psychometric detective in the book’s sole modern-day story. All of these stories were entertaining and well worth the price of purchase.
Indeed, out of the book’s tales, I only found two to be stinkers. The Secret by Mark Lawrence which isn’t so much a bad story as one I didn’t enjoy because of its contents and A Length of Cherrywood by Peter Orullian. That story I outright hated. Its protagonist is just a misogynist scumbag I hope drowns in a river somewhere. Any of the female protagonists of this book would probably love to take him down and its a shame they can’t.
Why do I like this book? Well, for one, it has a great sense of humor. It’s a collection of short-stories which show a wide variety of thieves, conmen, killers, and their ilk. None of them are the same and many are motivated by a wide-variety of ideals. A few are religious, others are atheist, with most not caring whatsoever. Some are cynics, some are idealists, and some are just plain mean. All of them are surprisingly well-rounded characters, though, even the ones I don’t like.
The book also has a great sense of humor with the vast majority of the characters being one kind of a deadpan snarker or another. It seems to be a requirement of the best rogues to have a silver tongue and these guys are amongst the best. Those who purchase the ebook version should also note they get an additional eleven short-stories to go with their purchase so I highly recommend it.
In conclusion, Blackguards is a story collection for those who like a little bit of darkness with their fantasy. It’s not grimdark, though, and only about half of the stories qualify as dark fantasy. Rather, it’s the best kind of fantasy that transports you to the sort of world which you might enjoy visiting for a little bit of danger in your life. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but it takes itself just seriously enough.
This review originally published at www.bookie-monster.com/
I love rogues.
This is a factor which needs to be considered before I discuss this book in any further length. I am a fan of scoundrels, ne’er do wells, thieves, assassins, courtesans, cat burglars, and con men. As long as they’re possessed of some degree of personal integrity and faced against people worse then themselves, I’m all for books about these sorts of antiheroes.
This book, published by Ragnarok Publications, is a anthology collecting over forty short-stories chronicling a wide variety of rogues and their adventures. Many of these characters have series of their own while others have completely independent adventures.
It was created with an extremely successful Kickstarter which raised almost $40,000 to release the book on multiple platforms as well as pay several well-known authors for their work. Amongst the authors who contributed to the work I’m fond of are Paul S. Kemp and Richard Lee Byers.
The book opens with an introduction written by Glen Cook of The Black Company fame. I’m not really too fond of this intro since it talks, at-length, about the author’s love of complete bastards. Given the vast majority of scoundrels in the book are of a “lovable rogue” style versus murderous brigand, his statement seems dissonant with the rest of the book. Thankfully, editor Joe Martin gives a much more balanced foreword immediately after. How bad is Glen Cook’s introduction? He cites Norman Spinrad’s The Iron Dream as a way that evil characters can be heroes against more monstrous foes.
Look that novel up on Wikipedia to find out why that’s…no, just no.
Noooooo.
Ahem.
The short stories usually follow a single hero or a solo one on an adventure where they prove to be cleverer than the people around them. My favorite stories in the book are probably, Professional Integrity by Michael J. Sullivan, Troll Trouble by Richard Lee Byers, What Gods Demand by James A. Moore, and The Betyar and the Magus by S.R. Cambridge.
These tales tend to combine intelligent thieves with moral codes who have a sense of humor about themselves too. Professional Integrity, for example, is a tale about two thieves hired to kidnap a nobleman’s daughter by the aforementioned daughter. What her reasons are as well as the twists involved are all extremely well fleshed-out and form an exciting mystery.
The majority of the other tales are quite enjoyable by themselves. We have bards soothing savage gargoyles, Arabic adventures with pit fighters, smugglers dealing with questions of religion, and even a psychometric detective in the book’s sole modern-day story. All of these stories were entertaining and well worth the price of purchase.
Indeed, out of the book’s tales, I only found two to be stinkers. The Secret by Mark Lawrence which isn’t so much a bad story as one I didn’t enjoy because of its contents and A Length of Cherrywood by Peter Orullian. That story I outright hated. Its protagonist is just a misogynist scumbag I hope drowns in a river somewhere. Any of the female protagonists of this book would probably love to take him down and its a shame they can’t.
Why do I like this book? Well, for one, it has a great sense of humor. It’s a collection of short-stories which show a wide variety of thieves, conmen, killers, and their ilk. None of them are the same and many are motivated by a wide-variety of ideals. A few are religious, others are atheist, with most not caring whatsoever. Some are cynics, some are idealists, and some are just plain mean. All of them are surprisingly well-rounded characters, though, even the ones I don’t like.
The book also has a great sense of humor with the vast majority of the characters being one kind of a deadpan snarker or another. It seems to be a requirement of the best rogues to have a silver tongue and these guys are amongst the best. Those who purchase the ebook version should also note they get an additional eleven short-stories to go with their purchase so I highly recommend it.
In conclusion, Blackguards is a story collection for those who like a little bit of darkness with their fantasy. It’s not grimdark, though, and only about half of the stories qualify as dark fantasy. Rather, it’s the best kind of fantasy that transports you to the sort of world which you might enjoy visiting for a little bit of danger in your life. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but it takes itself just seriously enough.
This review originally published at www.bookie-monster.com/
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm, i helped to kickstart this book, as the subject matter appealed, and a couple of authors i have a lot of respect for (Django Wexler being on a high with me at the moment).
Some of the stories hit the mark (Mr Sullivan never fails), while other missed in massively.
I generally read these books by well known authors so i have a little taster of their work, so i might be tempted with their novels. This didn't really happen here, so i will just have to go through my TBR pile instead :)
Compared to a lot of anthologies, this is one of the best out there for fantasy settings.
Some of the stories hit the mark (Mr Sullivan never fails), while other missed in massively.
I generally read these books by well known authors so i have a little taster of their work, so i might be tempted with their novels. This didn't really happen here, so i will just have to go through my TBR pile instead :)
Compared to a lot of anthologies, this is one of the best out there for fantasy settings.
a_chickletz's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a good collection of stories. I think there are some good authors in here and some truly original pieces. I'll simply say the reason I pegged it down two stars is that I didn't form a connection to any of the authors I didn't know, so the stories weren't of much interest to me while I was reading them. I gave all the stories in the book a fair try and some of them I walked away from wanting to know more.
I was one of the Kickstarter supporters and I don't regret putting my money towards this. I think it's a 5 star product. The stories I didn't enjoy are possibly enjoyed by someone else who either was familiar with the author or their world. So they may give it a higher rating.
I was one of the Kickstarter supporters and I don't regret putting my money towards this. I think it's a 5 star product. The stories I didn't enjoy are possibly enjoyed by someone else who either was familiar with the author or their world. So they may give it a higher rating.
v_isreading's review against another edition
4.0
Great anthology of short stories focused on antiheroes, rogues and assassins. I decided to pick up this collection of stories to discover some new authors and books and definitely found some great recommendations.
kiwi_fruit's review against another edition
2.0
With anthologies one has the opportunity to sample the works of authors without the commitment of reading full books. This one encouraged me to try a couple of new-to-me authors. 2.5 stars.
brewergnome's review against another edition
3.0
A solid collection of stories with some interesting takes on the theme. Definitely a couple gems.