Please note, though not a direct sequel, Bloody Rose is set in the same shared universe as Kings of the Wyld. If you haven’t read that first there may well be minor spoilers in the review below. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Live fast, die young. Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown. When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It’s adventure she wants – and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death. It’s time to take a walk on the wyld side. Kings of the Wyld was my pick for “Debut of the Year” for 2017, so you’ll not be stunned when I tell you I have been barely able to contain my patience when it comes to waiting for Nicholas Eames next novel. The good news is that the wait is finally over, the support act have finished…

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best — the meanest, dirtiest, most feared 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. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is 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 for one last tour across the Wyld. I made a decision earlier this year that I was going to try and read all the debut authors who are being published by Orbit in 2017. I’ve done a bit of research, and their books all sound right up my street. The first freshman author out of the gate is Nicholas Eames with his inaugural effort – Kings of the Wyld. Saga were the best of the best, a group of mercenaries without peer. After years on the road they have all gone…