Review of 'A Discourse in Steel: A Tale of Egil and Nix (Tales of Egil & Nix)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A Discourse In Steel is the second Egil and Nix book, but clearly not the last if the author has his way. However, the book easily stands on its own and any information you need is given to you without the need for a giant infodump at the beginning.
Paul S. Kemp is writing in the shadow of giants. Egil and Nix while distinct characters in their own right will inevitably be compared to Fafhrd and Grey Mouser. You've got one big tough guy and one smaller sneaky guy.
But more importantly Kemp gives us a great fast paced romp packed with action and with enough character and world building to satisfy without slowing anything down.
It's a cliche but page turner is definitely an accurate description for this book. I have limited reading time but gulped this book down in big chunks 20%+ at a time.
While most of …
A Discourse In Steel is the second Egil and Nix book, but clearly not the last if the author has his way. However, the book easily stands on its own and any information you need is given to you without the need for a giant infodump at the beginning.
Paul S. Kemp is writing in the shadow of giants. Egil and Nix while distinct characters in their own right will inevitably be compared to Fafhrd and Grey Mouser. You've got one big tough guy and one smaller sneaky guy.
But more importantly Kemp gives us a great fast paced romp packed with action and with enough character and world building to satisfy without slowing anything down.
It's a cliche but page turner is definitely an accurate description for this book. I have limited reading time but gulped this book down in big chunks 20%+ at a time.
While most of the book is set in the city with an emphasis on the seedier side, we get glimpses of a much larger and more fantastical world later on. What starts out as a simple disagreement amongst thieves turns into something bigger and considerably more dangerous.
The setting and the style then is pure Sword and Sorcery and all the better for it. There's no epic quest to save the world here. Rather it's about a tight knit group of people protecting their own... and sometimes stumbling into a dangerous mess.
Great fun. You should read it.