Kings of the Wyld

De: Nicholas Eames

Narrado por: Jeff Harding

A retired group of legendary mercenaries get the band back together for one last impossible mission in this award-winning debut epic fantasy.

"Fantastic, funny, ferocious." -- Sam Sykes

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"George R. R. Martin meets Terry Pratchett."—Buzzfeed Books

"Kings of the Wyld is gritty but not grim. It was a blast to read, from start to finish. The boys are getting the band back together, and woe be to anyone who stands in their way. Magic swords, broken promises, and some of the craziest action you're likely to read this side of the Wyld. Reading this book made me want to grab a sword and set off on an epic quest."—Christopher Paolini

"A fantastic read, a rollicking, page-turning, edge-of-your-seat road-trip of a book. Great characters, loveable rogues that I genuinely cared about and all manner of fantastical monsters. All spiced with a sly sense of humour that had me smiling throughout. Wonderful."—John Gwynne

"A comedy, an adventure tale, a consideration on growing older, and a sendup of fantasy conventions, all at the same time. It also has heart. In short: it rocks....I finished this book in one night. If I could, I'd see the tour, and buy the t-shirt. Instead, I'll have to content myself with waiting for the sequel, and reading it again."—B&N SF & Fantasy Blog

"Brilliant debut novel... Eames has cranked the thrills of epic fantasy up to 11... Moreover, the plot is emotionally rewarding, original, and hilarious. Eames clearly set out to write something fun to read, and he has succeeded spectacularly."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Fantastic, funny, ferocious. Hugely recommended. Read it now."—Sam Sykes

"Absolutely awesome. If the Beatles held a concert tomorrow (with all the necromancy required for that to happen), it still wouldn't be as good a 'getting the band back together' story as this. Full of heroes, humor, and heart."—Jon Hollins

"Nicholas Eames brings brazen fun and a rock & roll sensibility to the fantasy genre."—Sebastien de Castell

"A fantastic epic fantasy! Just the right smidgen of tongue-in-cheek to work wonderfully. Go read."—Django Wexler

"An absolutely outstanding debut . . . [It has] all the heart and passion that great fantasy can bring in the hands of a master."—Myke Cole

"Kings of the Wyld took me back to my Dungeons and Dragons days. It has well-crafted characters long past their best but still fighting, non-stop fantasy action and welcome touches of humor. Great reading!"—Ian Irvine

"A promising, fast-paced debut that balances classic quest fantasy with modern sensibilities and liberal doses of humor. Huzzah!"—Alex Marshall

"An outstanding debut which will make you laugh and cry and hold your breath. This is a book that has it all."—K. J. Parker

Most D&D Book Ever

I've read a LOT of actual D&D books (Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, etc.) and this is probably the first time a book gave me the feeling that it could have been a real game.

The humor, references, and character interactions all served to give me the feeling that these were characters in a real game. This feels like a group of buddies getting back together with their high-level characters and giving their old game one more go.

The ending was a little rushed and confusing, but it ended with a good amount of emotion. Overall, I loved this book.

Irreverent love letter to high fantasy

This novel captures perfectly the feel of a long running D&D campaign. The tropes of high fantasy drape the background of a story honed in on the core band of characters. The adventures of their past lives are recounted so vividly I checked several times if there were prequel novels. (There aren’t) The book ranges from cliche side comedy to intensely emotional moments and clever descriptions and consistent pacing mean there is never an uninteresting moment. Kings of the Wyld connects perfectly to my love of fantasy and I can assure you if you share this love with me you will also enjoy it. If you don’t love the high fantasy setting however, you will likely find the book to be either a confusing mess or just disappointing and I encourage you to look elsewhere.

Absolute pleasure

It's rare I fall completely for a book. There are many I like. There are more I find interesting for one or another reason. This book though I could have finished in a single almost 18 hour sitting if I could find the time for such a thing. I didn't expect the humor or the world building. This is an amazingly fun story the only thing I didn't like is that it has an ending. I'm listening to it again as I write this review.

well written, great expository, lots of cursing

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but be forewarned there is indeed a lot of cursing and it is not for young audiences.

The story progresses quickly and intriguingly although at times a bit cookie-cutter. I did enjoy the various mythological concepts drawn from all aspects of fantasy.

All in all this was a great book to listen to during my long drives recently.

Began fantastic and managed phenomenal by the end

Would you listen to Kings of the Wyld again? Why?

Yes, I definitely will listen to this book again, no doubt! I found myself invested in Slow-Hand Clay almost immediately. The writing, I thought, was supurb...gritty and hilarious with an excellent amount cynical laugh out loud moments. This was a book about getting old but still having enough left in the tank to get a tough job done.

What other book might you compare Kings of the Wyld to and why?

This book is very similar to Joe Abercrombie's 'The Blade Itself'...which is meant to be very high praise! What's more is that I enjoyed this book more than 'The Blade Itself'. The sense of realism was there but it was tampered by the fantastical nature of the world and the absolute perfect cynics eye that Slow-Hand Clay brings to the table. I listen to a book to be entertained and, as in the Sci-Fi genre, to have a great ending. Abercrombie's endings leave a lot to be desired...not so with this book. The ending was epic and satisfying in all ways...even left a route for future books open. Let's hope so!

Have you listened to any of Jeff Harding’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I hadn't heard from Jeff Harding before. I thought his delivery was absolutely perfect for this book. He *was* Slow-Hand Clay and there could be no other voice. I thought he did a bang-up job...I actually went out to Audible to see what other books he's read. (Quite a few, by the way).

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, towards the beginning when Slow-Hand Clay was answering his daughter when she asked if he would come after her (if she was in trouble). I'm not sure if it was Jeff Harding's delivery here, or what, but I was totally invested in the story from that moment on.

Any additional comments?

I love fantasy fiction and I've read and listened to many books in the genre. I'm not particularly interested in writers that go for total realism or overdo the grit. I mean, if the author is good, I'll enjoy those books anyway (R.R Martin, Abercrombie, etc). However, what i'm most interested in is a book that entertains me, makes me laugh, makes me emotionally invested, or has me looking forward to (or missing) getting back into it.

The list of books that meet all of those critera is a short one indeed!

I'm happy to report that Kings of the Wyld had it all! I was fantastically entertained, laughing hysterically, absolutely invested in the characters and their adventure, and I missed the book as soon as I pressed pause!

The only thing that would've made it better would be knowing if there were more books set in this world. I'll be looking forward to hearing more from Nicholas Eames. ;)