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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent storytelling -- a great read!, December 23, 2007
This review is from: The Sword-Edged Blonde (Hardcover)
The Sword-Edged Blonde came in a box of many Nightshade books. For authors I'm not familiar with, I rely on interesting covers and good jacket descriptions. After checking out the horrible cover (the twins on the reclining maiden put me right off), and wincing over the book's title, I read the recommendations on the back cover. All the right keywords were there to entice me: sword, action, detective, noir, mystery, comedy.
I started reading, and quickly decided Bledsoe's novel was definitely not a comedy. Although there are wry touches, the solid storytelling, interesting characters, and subtle unfolding of main character Eddie LaCrosse's world kept me immersed in the story from page one until the end. There's mystery, romance, tragedy, revenge, poor decisions, sacrifice and consolation. In short, a perfectly seasoned story regardless of genre.
I've seen this novel likened to the stories by Leiber, and Glen Cook. A touch of Simon R Green came to mind as well. Bledsoe has his own voice --the fantasy and magic are there, the mystery is there, but what's most important is the characters that inhabit his world.
The story in brief: Sword jockey and private investigator Eddie LaCrosse is summoned back to his childhood home to ascertain the guilt or innocence of the current queen, who has been accused of murdering her own child. The investigation takes him over roads that lead to terrible events in his own past.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
S&S genre + hard-boiled whodunit = great debut, March 4, 2008
This review is from: The Sword-Edged Blonde (Hardcover)
A foaming tankard for public libraries. If mine hadn't featured Alex Bledsoe's engrossing debut novel, TSEB, I doubt I'd have ever discovered it.
Granted, I only discovered it because of the quasi-garish cover and title (neither of which has much to do with the actual story), picking it up just to shake my head at one more piece of fantasy trash. But then I read the cover blurbs from Charles de Lint and Orson Scott Card, which were positive enough to overcome my natural revulsion to pulp detective stories in fantasy settings (which usually aren't half as clever as their creators think). The author should buy them tankards, too.
The plot of the TSEB is deceptively and satisfyingly complex. Eddie LaCrosse is an aging mercenary who tends to take jobs that require more mind than metal (though he'll gladly use both). He accepts a job to find a missing princess, but one thing leads to another, and soon he's in his homeland, which he left years before after a personal tragedy, and investigating an increasingly wide-ranging mystery at the behest of his childhood friend, King Phil. (Yes, he's the actual king, and his name is Phil.)
The tale is too complex to discuss in a brief, spoiler-free review. (Its influences appear to include hard-boiled detective stories and low-fantasy fare, such as Simon Green's tales of Hawk and Fisher.) However, on the side of its strengths are the author's natural wit and storytelling ability; his gift for the creation of memorable minor characters; and the lightly- but effectively-described setting reminiscent of a medieval civilization in the Mississippi delta. (The author grew up in western Tennessee.) And its greatest strength is the (apparent) ease with which the author weaves the numerous plot-threads into an intellectually and emotionally satisfying conclusion. On the side of its weaknesses are some overly neat coincidences (seen mostly in hindsight) and the use of unoriginal profanities, anachronisms, and real-world names (which often had the effect of an otherwise-excellent actor repeatedly pausing to wink at the audience). (Some oddities in the setting: matches, nametags for tavern waitresses, and parking tickets for horses.) Happily, these didn't intrude at the most poignant moments.
Overall, Mr. Bledsoe deserves cheers (and readers) for penning a fast-paced, enjoyable, satisfying tale. (And kudos to Night Shade Books for publishing it.) Recommended for mature fans of pulp mysteries and/or sword-and-sorcery (especially as a vacation or travel book). Four stars as bright as heisted jewels.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Antidote, November 25, 2007
This review is from: The Sword-Edged Blonde (Hardcover)
Over the past few years I've read a ton of fantasy novels and have burned out a bit on the genre. (Too much "world-building"; thin characters; plodding plots with too little action; never ending series; tongue twisting names, etc.) This book however, comes as a welcome antidote to all those ills. It's got action, mystery, interesting characters, all nicely paced in page-turning action. The rather worn out and creaky noir detective is melded with a light touch to the fantasy tropes; and the author plays fair with the mystery. No deus ex machina ala fantasy magic revelation here. All the clues are presented for you to solve the case. This book is Good Fun!
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