A review by random_spider
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

adventurous challenging funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is a safe recommendation to those looking for a comedic fantasy. More likely to give you a good read-through, but I do have problems with it.

------Stat Score------

Plot/Content: 7/10
Characters/POVs: 7/10
Prose/Style: 6/10
Themes/Messages: 7/10
Enjoyability/Impact: 8/10

OVERALL RATING: 7/10 (Good)

"We were giants once, remember? Kings of the Wyld."


Synopsis and/or Premise:
Clay Cooper is being visited by his old comrade, Gabriel (Gabe), wanting to reform their legendary mercenary band (Saga) back together. Clay, knowing they were past their prime due to their age, body, and habits, knew the proposal was next to impossible. Besides, he has his own comfortable life and a loving family. But his ex-bandmate's plea for help made him consider his initial decision, how foolish it may be.

The Good and The Bad:
'FUN' would be the word that best describes this book 😁. This wasn't a surprise, though, since it sells itself as a funny fantasy-adventure book. From boyish antics to comical dialogues, this book will force anyone to chuckle at least once. It was also engaging, not from the laughs, but with its substance as well. Prominent classic fantasy world-building, action-packed narrative, ubiquitous threats, and the occasional bard-like prose of the author made sure readers would be entertained. Personally, I liked this book more because it vanquished my month-long reading slump (pun intended😉.)

Present within were your common fantasy narrative and character tropes 🗡️🛡️ like "The badass female character", "The brute", "Found-Family", "The Arena", etc. But what riveted me most was the theme about Evolving Professional Culture. Within was this phenomenon — how one practice (like a profession, for example...and in the book's case, the art of mercenary) could drastically be altered permanently due to various factors. It might be the shifting interests/demands of people, a massive physical transformation in the environment, a social change that defines current perspectives, or something else. The point is EVERYTHING CHANGES. The 'game' is now different for returning veterans. Such a timeless and relatable topic for this book to cover.

For its rating score, I actually have more than average to complain about:

1. There's a lot of telling disguised as 'showing'.

2. The book tend to repeat itself several times, especially with the amateurish humor.

3. Speaking of its comedy, several timings weren’t perfect, robbing the reader of emotional immersion.

4. Many of its emotional moments were also contrived/inorganic in execution.

5. PLOT ARMOR.

I know a lot of these flaws stemmed from the fact that it was a debut novel. With much experience, most of these will be avoided 👍.

Final Thoughts:
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is a debut fantasy novel full of laughs and 'DnD' elements. Inspired by the author's love for rockstar bands, it shed light towards those past prime yet still eager to relive their glory days. It was more lore-heavy than I expected, yet surprisingly the characters weren’t compelling enough for its tropes. It had a sequel, which I'm fine reading but won't actively search. Alas, the first half was better than its latter...at least for me.

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Links to my ratings and reviews:
Goodreads reviews
The StoryGraph