The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe
Jul. 1st, 2008 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyThis book is described as a combination of fantasy and noir. I would agree with that. Other than the setting (medieval times in a fantasy world) it reminded me a lot of The Man with the Golden Torc. It is Bledsoe's first published novel.
Eddie is a sword jockey. He'll investigate anything, for a price. His two flaws? Horses - he doesn't like them - and unavailable women - he likes them a little too much. He runs into an abundance of both throughout the book. But now an old friend has called in a favor, and he will have to return to places - and memories - he thought he'd never need revisit. When it's all over, can he go back to being a simple sword for hire?
"I said, 'You're not poor. You're not stranded. And you're no pilgrim of Eludo.'
He blinked in surprise, sputtered a moment, and then began, 'Sir, I promise you...'
I held up my hand. 'You had a shave this morning. That couldn't have been cheap with the town in this shape.. If you've got gold to waste on personal grooming, then you probably can afford passage out of town, and you're only stranded because everyone else is. And Eludo pilgrims, as a rule, don't worry about either shaving or moving; they believe their all-seeing owl god will provide. So now I have a question for you: Why would a wealthy man be begging on the street like this?'" (p 8-9)
In general, I liked this book. It is a translation - putting the noir story into a fantasy setting with elements of magic - rather than a retelling in the purest sense of the word. We're not going to learn anything new about either genre by reading it. It is not transcendent. But it is just plain fun - and funny. I had only a few quibbles (everyone knows how to read in a feudal, pre-industrial society? how? who taught them? and what's with all the modern English style nicknames?) but they didn't truly detract from my enjoyment. If you like either fantasy or noir it's worth a try. Three stars.
Eddie is a sword jockey. He'll investigate anything, for a price. His two flaws? Horses - he doesn't like them - and unavailable women - he likes them a little too much. He runs into an abundance of both throughout the book. But now an old friend has called in a favor, and he will have to return to places - and memories - he thought he'd never need revisit. When it's all over, can he go back to being a simple sword for hire?
"I said, 'You're not poor. You're not stranded. And you're no pilgrim of Eludo.'
He blinked in surprise, sputtered a moment, and then began, 'Sir, I promise you...'
I held up my hand. 'You had a shave this morning. That couldn't have been cheap with the town in this shape.. If you've got gold to waste on personal grooming, then you probably can afford passage out of town, and you're only stranded because everyone else is. And Eludo pilgrims, as a rule, don't worry about either shaving or moving; they believe their all-seeing owl god will provide. So now I have a question for you: Why would a wealthy man be begging on the street like this?'" (p 8-9)
In general, I liked this book. It is a translation - putting the noir story into a fantasy setting with elements of magic - rather than a retelling in the purest sense of the word. We're not going to learn anything new about either genre by reading it. It is not transcendent. But it is just plain fun - and funny. I had only a few quibbles (everyone knows how to read in a feudal, pre-industrial society? how? who taught them? and what's with all the modern English style nicknames?) but they didn't truly detract from my enjoyment. If you like either fantasy or noir it's worth a try. Three stars.