Please note that Tooth and Claw is the second book in a series. I’d strongly advise seeking out book one, Dangerous to Know, before proceeding any further. It is likely this review will contain minor spoilers. Consider yourself warned.
The World needs a hero, but all its got is Breed.
Leaving the Empire to face the wrath of an angry demon and its infernal hordes, Breed takes ship and flees to Shen. With pockets full of gold, the hammer of the Hammer of the North, a crate of whiskey, and a conscience unburdened by guilt, life doesn’t get any better, does it?
Well, yes, it does, but it gets a lot worse first because no matter how fast Breed runs, trouble is never far behind. Charged by an ancient power to find a way to stop Shallunsard the demon, Breed is thrust from one world into another.
Hold on tight, for here be krakens, dragons, undead queens, and vengeful sorcerers.
I first read the novel Breed back in 2014. The original novel has recently been re-released and retitled as Dangerous to Know, and a sequel is now upon us. Tooth and Claw picks up exactly where its predecessor left off. Breed, everyone’s favourite thoroughly disreputable cove, is on the run. It turns out trying to stay one step ahead of a vengeful demon can be an irksome business. More through luck than judgement, Breed has managed to just about avoid what is bound to be an excruciatingly painful death.
It’s no secret that K T Davies is one of my favourite authors, and Breed is a perfect example to illustrate exactly why. Think of Breed as more anti-hero than hero and you’re heading in the right direction. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with the most appropriate way to describe Breed and it’s no easy task. How about this, try to imagine all the snark in the universe was collected together and then infused into a single being. Got it? Good, that’s Breed. If you are looking for your bog standard, by the numbers, fantasy heroic type then I suggest you look elsewhere. Breed is rude, crude and more than a little self-absorbed. Decisions are made on the spur of the moment and there is only ever one direction – forwards. When someone is so delightfully unpredictable you’ve just got to hope for the best. At any given moment it is almost impossible to determine which way Breed is going to jump. You know those old cartoons when a character has to make a moral decision and a little angel and a little devil pop up on either shoulder and they fight it out. Breed is living every second of every day like that. Consequences are for other suckers to worry about. Breed is all about the here and now.
Oh, I forget, did I mention there are dragons? There are bloomin’ dragons. Breed has fallen foul of these winged beasties before but what with one thing and another, we are now squarely into the realms of next level meddling. There are also zombies, elementals, a kraken, weird fish people, snotty wizards and an unruly bunch of mercenaries. Breed just wants a quiet life and trying to keep all these various groups under something resembling control is a tiring tasks. Also let’s not forgot that cherry on top of the cake, the demon lord I mentioned earlier.
As an aside I’d like to congratulate the author for the use of some truly exception swearing. I mentioned this when I reviewed book one and I’ll mention it again now. Breed is not a delicate type and whenever anything goes wrong, which is relatively frequently, this is met with some choice language. Put it this way, there will be certain terms I’ll be adding to my go-to list of words likely to offend. Seriously, if you are easily shocked then you may wish to give Breed a miss. Personally, I love it. I’m in my mid-forties and I’m always delighted that I can still I learn a new swear.
The scope of the ongoing plot has grown exponentially in Tooth and Claw. Breed’s travels range far and wide, to other countries and other worlds. There is a chaotic glee to the way events unfold. The author is obviously having a blast with her writing and it shows. There can be little doubt all these assorted adventures are leaving their mark on our erstwhile hero. I’m sure our protagonist would never admit it but there is a distinct evolution of character going on here. Physically and psychologically Breed is going through some pretty extreme changes. Having some friends instead of a never ending list of enemies also changes a person, no matter how much they might wish it otherwise. The final chapter of the novel manages to be particularly emotive for that very reason.
When I got to the end of this book, I was left with but one question; when do I get to read more? Book three in this series cannot not arrive soon enough. If you haven’t read K T Davies work before, I can heartily recommend giving The Breed Chronicles a try. Do yourself a favour though. Start with Dangerous to Know and then move onto Tooth and Claw. Both books are well worth your time.
What with the dragons and battles and whatnot, I decided that Tooth and Claw required a suitably fantastical soundtrack. Something grand, something with real guts and more than a little bit of glory. I decided to go with the soundtrack to Dragon Age: Inquisition by Trevor Morris. Trust me, the book and the music are a perfect fit. As an added musical bonus Breed also has a theme by the band Gravity Bound. How cool is that?
Tooth and Claw is published by Scimitar Media and is available from 11th April. Highly recommended. A third book, Something Wicked, is set to follow later this year. More information is available via the author’s website.
No Comments