Audiobook Review – Kings of the Wyld (The Band, Book 1) by Nicholas Eames, Narrated by Jeff Harding (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 17 hours and 46 minutes
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 25, 2020
ASIN : B08D27BK7Q
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in The Band
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best, the most feared and renowned 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 — the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.
It’s time to get the band back together.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in The Band series. I listened to this on audiobook from Audible.com.
Thoughts: This was a really well done adventure fantasy with both a lot of humor and a lot of heart. I listened to this on audiobook, and the audiobook was very well done. I would recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.
Clay Cooper and his band of mercs, Saga, were the best in the land but then they went their own ways. Clay is enjoying a quiet life as a city guard with his wife and daughter, and then an ex-bandmate, Gabriel, turns up. Gabriel’s daughter, Rose, is a merc and is stuck in a city under siege. Gabriel wants to get the band back together again, brave the Heartwyld, and rescue his daughter. Initially Clay says no, but when his own daughter assures him that she knows he would rescue her in the same situation, he buckles on his famous shield and heads out to track down the other band members. Braving the Heartwyld ends up being the least of their worries, first they actually have to get the band back together again.
I have a soft spot for books that talk about adventurers taking on causes after their glory days, maybe because I am getting up there in age myself. I am thinking of stories like “The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi” by S.A. Chakraborty, “The Bone Maker” by Sarah Beth Durst, and “Winter Warriors” by David Gemmell. This book is very much in that vein. This has a lot of humor in it and a lot of action and fun, but it is also full of thoughtfulness and heart as well.
These types of books always make you think a bit. The Saga band members went their own ways with limited success. One got fat and drunk, one got turned to stone (literally), one continued screwing up, and one got obsessed with research (I loved Moog the wizard, I think he was my favorite character here). Clay is pretty much the only one who went on to lead a fairly “normal” and successful life. You can’t help but ponder, along with the characters themselves, why people take the paths they do in life. Especially when their paths start so glorious and then fade so quickly.
All the seriousness aside, this is a fun jaunt as well. It has a very classic adventure fantasy feel to it, which is hard to find these days, and a lot of humor and wit as well. I enjoyed the characters a lot and enjoyed watching them come back together to take on a nearly impossible task. This is a bloody, vicious, heartwarming, strangely cozy and nostalgic tale. It also actually has some decent female characters in it as well, which wasn’t the case of a lot of adventure fantasy I read in the 80’s when I was growing up. I definitely plan on reading “Bloody Rose” at some point here.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I am very happy I finally read this. This was a wonderfully fast-paced, humorous, and thoughtful romp. This was a lot of fun to read; I enjoyed the characters, the action and the adventure. The story has a very nostalgic adventure fantasy tone to it but with the twist of our characters being older. I look forward to reading future books by Eames and plan to pick up “Bloody Rose” to read relatively soon (in the next few months).
