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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
This was quite good. Part hard-boiled mystery novel, part flashback, part something interesting.
As with all good mystery novels, it starts off with a long winding metaphor that ends up using itself in the metaphor.
This is a really bad review. Just read this book if you feel like it, I don't really care.
I'm glad I read this. I have had trouble reading books recently, so I went to my local library and checked out an actual, physical book. It's nice to hold something real in my hands again.
As with all good mystery novels, it starts off with a long winding metaphor that ends up using itself in the metaphor.
This is a really bad review. Just read this book if you feel like it, I don't really care.
I'm glad I read this. I have had trouble reading books recently, so I went to my local library and checked out an actual, physical book. It's nice to hold something real in my hands again.
A fun book. It is a fantasy novel about a medieval-like Earth, only everybody speaks in 2011 comedy wiseass and the hero is the usual damaged private-eye who takes on cases which require a quick brain and an even quicker knife hand. I thought it a bit cinematic with the usual movie banter, but I smiled in spots. It has some gore, so I wouldn't call it a cozy, plus things don't entirely end well for everyone. I think it's a book one, and it's interesting enough that I'd read the series.
Sort of an irreverant PI knight who is a friend of the king. Funny and entertaining.
First-time novelist Alex Bledsoe's The Sword-Edged Blonde is a genre mash-up of hardboiled detective and fantasy quest novels, which sounds odd until you consider the similarities that these kinds of stories tend to share share: grizzled, wise-cracking, fiercely independent protagonists who live by their own code, and spend a good quarter of any book being knocked unconscious. And whether it's the Pasadena mansions, flophouses, and seedy bars of a Chandler novel or the castles, alehouses, and rogues' dens of a fantasy novel, our heroes have to traverse their landscapes, uncovering the right secrets and cracking the right heads to achieve their ends. Bledsoe's clearly onto something here.
Like many classic hardboiled heroes, Eddie LaCrosse has cut himself off from the past in an effort to shake off the personal demons lurking there, and is holed up in a seedy, backwater town taking any job that comes his way. The book gets off to a shaky start when Eddie is enlisted to track down a kidnapped princess, an exposition-heavy plot thread that's, fortunately, tied up rather quickly.
The real fun begins when Eddie is contacted by his childhood best friend, now the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, for some discreet assistance in solving a grisly crime. The king's infant son has been horribly murdered (it's gruesome), and the queen is the most likely suspect. And despite her insistence to the contrary, Eddie just can't shake the feeling that he's met her somewhere before, under bloody circumstances.
In order to solve the mystery of the Queen's identity and her son's murder, Eddie has to reexamine his past, venturing to places on the map, and in his own psyche, that he hasn't visited in years. Through the effective use of flashbacks, dark secrets are gradually teased out, and old wounds opened, and Eddie realizes that the evil he's trying to track down is older, deeper, and more unbelievable than he'd ever imagined.
Once this plot gathers its momentum, it's unstoppable, and filled with fantastic twists and surprises, and a satisfying finish. However, the book's success is hampered by that most insidious quality of fantasy fiction, the casual sexism. I almost hate to single Bledsoe out for this, as I've encountered it in most of the depictions of female characters in science fiction and fantasy written by men, but it bothered me enough that I felt it was worth remarking on.
Considering that Eddie's character isn't established as a rake or a letch, it's odd that he ogles nearly every female character in the book that crosses his path, in prose that's often cringe-inducing. Upon meeting one of the book's more incidental characters, Eddie thinks, "For such a prolific breeder, Shana Vint was still very attractive in an earthy, sensual way that went well beyond physical appearance. I imagined that, had I married her, she'd have spent a lot of time knocked up, too." Another character is described as wearing a dress "so tight you could count her freckles" (what does that even mean?).
This type of description extends to the book's central female characters as well, relying on that well-worn trope that a woman in fantasy can be tough, independent, and strong, provided that's she's also gorgeous, sensual, and hot for our hero.
The conventions of gender and objectification in fantasy fiction are done to death, and Bledsoe is too fine a writer to be taking them up. In The Sword-Edged Blonde, he's crafted a memorable world, an engaging hero, and a tight, razor-sharp plot. I hope that, in his next book, we see a lot more of this, without all those stale, busty serving wenches.
Like many classic hardboiled heroes, Eddie LaCrosse has cut himself off from the past in an effort to shake off the personal demons lurking there, and is holed up in a seedy, backwater town taking any job that comes his way. The book gets off to a shaky start when Eddie is enlisted to track down a kidnapped princess, an exposition-heavy plot thread that's, fortunately, tied up rather quickly.
The real fun begins when Eddie is contacted by his childhood best friend, now the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, for some discreet assistance in solving a grisly crime. The king's infant son has been horribly murdered (it's gruesome), and the queen is the most likely suspect. And despite her insistence to the contrary, Eddie just can't shake the feeling that he's met her somewhere before, under bloody circumstances.
In order to solve the mystery of the Queen's identity and her son's murder, Eddie has to reexamine his past, venturing to places on the map, and in his own psyche, that he hasn't visited in years. Through the effective use of flashbacks, dark secrets are gradually teased out, and old wounds opened, and Eddie realizes that the evil he's trying to track down is older, deeper, and more unbelievable than he'd ever imagined.
Once this plot gathers its momentum, it's unstoppable, and filled with fantastic twists and surprises, and a satisfying finish. However, the book's success is hampered by that most insidious quality of fantasy fiction, the casual sexism. I almost hate to single Bledsoe out for this, as I've encountered it in most of the depictions of female characters in science fiction and fantasy written by men, but it bothered me enough that I felt it was worth remarking on.
Considering that Eddie's character isn't established as a rake or a letch, it's odd that he ogles nearly every female character in the book that crosses his path, in prose that's often cringe-inducing. Upon meeting one of the book's more incidental characters, Eddie thinks, "For such a prolific breeder, Shana Vint was still very attractive in an earthy, sensual way that went well beyond physical appearance. I imagined that, had I married her, she'd have spent a lot of time knocked up, too." Another character is described as wearing a dress "so tight you could count her freckles" (what does that even mean?).
This type of description extends to the book's central female characters as well, relying on that well-worn trope that a woman in fantasy can be tough, independent, and strong, provided that's she's also gorgeous, sensual, and hot for our hero.
The conventions of gender and objectification in fantasy fiction are done to death, and Bledsoe is too fine a writer to be taking them up. In The Sword-Edged Blonde, he's crafted a memorable world, an engaging hero, and a tight, razor-sharp plot. I hope that, in his next book, we see a lot more of this, without all those stale, busty serving wenches.
The Sword Edged Blonde is hardboiled noir in a fantasy world. Only it's not that hardboiled really and the fantasy is minimal. It's pretty great stuff all the same. I hear the word fantasy when referring to a novel and I immediately hit the panic button, visions of pages full of filler descriptions, epic quests that involve dragons and wizards and protagonists with 4 d's and 7 apostrophes in their name unfold before me and groans escape from my lips. With his debut novel Bledsoe seemingly rejects such hackneyed cliche writing, preferring instead to take the route of Stephen King or at a stretch Terry Pratchett, in writing a fantasy world that could very easily be our own but without science.
Lip service is paid to magical creatures, priestesses, wizards, goddesses, omnipotent beings and other such staples of the genre, he even acknowledges the rejection of these tropes explicitly within the text; Eddie LaCrosse your hardboiled sword jockey narrator attempts to name his horse Loyola in true fantasy style of giving things ridiculous names but the horse lets him know in no uncertain terms that this isn't going to work for her. I read a lot of hardboiled detective fiction and almost all of it is set in a strange city that I've never visited, that same sense of otherness tempered by knowledge is present here, Eddie could just as easily be in Florida or Manilla or Glasgow for all the exotic familiarity present in his world.
For this reader that is the most important skill Alex Bledsoe could have brought to the table, combining it with an interesting and somewhat unique genre protagonist plus the exciting mystery at its heart you're left with a fresh and entertaining read that promises the potential for a long and enjoyable series of similar adventures. It could also be said that sequels are completely unnecessary to this novel and just might lessen the impact of this one. But I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt at least once.
Lip service is paid to magical creatures, priestesses, wizards, goddesses, omnipotent beings and other such staples of the genre, he even acknowledges the rejection of these tropes explicitly within the text; Eddie LaCrosse your hardboiled sword jockey narrator attempts to name his horse Loyola in true fantasy style of giving things ridiculous names but the horse lets him know in no uncertain terms that this isn't going to work for her. I read a lot of hardboiled detective fiction and almost all of it is set in a strange city that I've never visited, that same sense of otherness tempered by knowledge is present here, Eddie could just as easily be in Florida or Manilla or Glasgow for all the exotic familiarity present in his world.
For this reader that is the most important skill Alex Bledsoe could have brought to the table, combining it with an interesting and somewhat unique genre protagonist plus the exciting mystery at its heart you're left with a fresh and entertaining read that promises the potential for a long and enjoyable series of similar adventures. It could also be said that sequels are completely unnecessary to this novel and just might lessen the impact of this one. But I'm willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt at least once.
Like sword-and-sorcery? Mysteries? Raymond Chandler? Sam Spade? Humphrey Bogart? If you answered "yes" to any of those (or even if you didn't), you should read this book. It's just that much fun to read- a fast-paced, solid mystery that does not disappoint.
The plot revolves around Eddie LaCrosse, an aging sword jockey for hire. He accepts a seemingly run of the mill job to locate a missing princess, which leads him to his homeland, a place he has avoided for many years due to the memories of his own past that remain there. But his childhood friend, Phil, now king, enlists Eddie's help to clear the queen's name. She has been accused of killing her own child, the heir to the throne. In the course of his investigation, Eddie must come face to face with the past he's tried to forget.
The story is narrated by Eddie, and the first person POV works quite well here. There are touches of humor, plenty of action and a complex enough plot to keep you reading. The mystery is well served. All the clues are there, and the ending builds from them nicely.
The real strength of the novel is the characters. They are real and believable, even if there are some bits that might seem a little far-fetched in the world building. (Parking tickets for horses?) But they are forgivable in the context of this story. There's a bit of romance, a bit of tragedy, a bit of revenge. Sometimes, characters make bad decisions, just like real people.
The plot moves along at a fast pace, making this an easy read. If you are looking for a good fantasy/mystery, with interesting characters and a decently complex plot, this is definitely a book to check out.
The plot revolves around Eddie LaCrosse, an aging sword jockey for hire. He accepts a seemingly run of the mill job to locate a missing princess, which leads him to his homeland, a place he has avoided for many years due to the memories of his own past that remain there. But his childhood friend, Phil, now king, enlists Eddie's help to clear the queen's name. She has been accused of killing her own child, the heir to the throne. In the course of his investigation, Eddie must come face to face with the past he's tried to forget.
The story is narrated by Eddie, and the first person POV works quite well here. There are touches of humor, plenty of action and a complex enough plot to keep you reading. The mystery is well served. All the clues are there, and the ending builds from them nicely.
The real strength of the novel is the characters. They are real and believable, even if there are some bits that might seem a little far-fetched in the world building. (Parking tickets for horses?) But they are forgivable in the context of this story. There's a bit of romance, a bit of tragedy, a bit of revenge. Sometimes, characters make bad decisions, just like real people.
The plot moves along at a fast pace, making this an easy read. If you are looking for a good fantasy/mystery, with interesting characters and a decently complex plot, this is definitely a book to check out.
Disturbing. Mythological. Deep. Brilliant in places, lazy in others.
Liked this quite a bit more than I expected! The combo of a hard boiled detective in a fantasy medieval setting seemed like a weird idea... but I got sucked in by the plot, which is quite complex. The only thing I didn't like was the modern names of people (Eddie, Cathy, Phil) in the historical setting, which made for a "ren faire" atmosphere. But the characters and the mystery were heckin' swell.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I first read this book a few years ago whilst I was in a reading slump.
My partner, having already read it, suggested I might enjoy it. I was sceptical at first since we rarely ever like the same books, but the novelty of reading a fantasy noir was enough to convince me to give it a try.
And I'm so glad that I did!
The Sword-Edged Blonde is a wonderful mix of pulp noir and fantasy. Bledsoe manages to merge two seemingly disparate genres together to create something new and refreshing.
The story's greatest strength lies with its protagonist, Eddie LaCrosse, who just happens to be one of my all-time favourite literary protagonists.
Eddie is a fully-actualised character from the start - he knows exactly who he is, bad and good - and his age affords him a sense of maturity that makes his character far more relatable to me in my mid-thirties than the usual younger fantasy protagonists.
Even the minor characters have gravitas about them that make them feel like fully formed characters even without much (or any) background or introduction.
I find Bledsoe's storytelling style to be really enjoyable, and the fantastical twist on the private eye trope is good fun.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a new spin on an old trope.
My partner, having already read it, suggested I might enjoy it. I was sceptical at first since we rarely ever like the same books, but the novelty of reading a fantasy noir was enough to convince me to give it a try.
And I'm so glad that I did!
The Sword-Edged Blonde is a wonderful mix of pulp noir and fantasy. Bledsoe manages to merge two seemingly disparate genres together to create something new and refreshing.
The story's greatest strength lies with its protagonist, Eddie LaCrosse, who just happens to be one of my all-time favourite literary protagonists.
Eddie is a fully-actualised character from the start - he knows exactly who he is, bad and good - and his age affords him a sense of maturity that makes his character far more relatable to me in my mid-thirties than the usual younger fantasy protagonists.
Even the minor characters have gravitas about them that make them feel like fully formed characters even without much (or any) background or introduction.
I find Bledsoe's storytelling style to be really enjoyable, and the fantastical twist on the private eye trope is good fun.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a new spin on an old trope.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced