Customer Reviews

The Sword-Edged Blonde: An Eddie LaCrosse Novel (Eddie LaCrosse Novels)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This was a valid attempt at an under-explored, interesting concept. Bledsoe asked what would happen if I dropped a Marlowesque, hard-boiled detective type into a fantasy setting. To be honest, I am surprised that this is not a more common theme, so when I heard about this book I had to give it a try.

I think that he did a very admirable job melding these two genres, and from a broad perspective, I think the book was successful. The plot was intricate enough to keep your attention, although anyone who reads fantasy regularly probably knew how it would end about half way through the book. It was light, and easy, and funny in spots. Even the dark points weren't so bleak as to be depressing.

There were, however, some issues that I had a difficult time reconciling. First, the title of the book is simply ridiculous. It sounded silly before I read the book, but I figured that it would make sense by the time I was finished. It didn't.

Then there were the names. People in this book are given names like "Eddie" and "Mike", and "King Phil"(I'm not kidding). It makes me question if the author understands the fantasy genre at all. An important part of the setting is that the names are not modern. It helps transport the reader to a different world. I thought it made it difficult to stay immersed in his world. I can only assume that this was intentional, and meant as a wink-and-a-nudge to the detective part of the story. I just didn't think it was very effective.

While on the subject of names, I would like to mention a pet peeve of mine that crops up in a few places in this book. Simply spelling things backwards does not make it sound all fantasy-like. Examples include the capital city called Sevlow(wolves), and the Ogachic Mountains(Chicago, almost)...Wow...just wow.

The dialogue was equally jarring. Don't get me wrong, it was decent dialogue for a detective novel, and maybe that was intentional. For me though, all of the modern colloquialisms and speech patterns sort of ruined the sword & sorcery mood. Maybe if just our hero had spoken that way it would have been quirky and cool, but the way it was handled felt odd.

I realize that many of my issues with the book are sort of nitpicky, but put them all together, and I think they detract from the overall experience. Still, although I might not recommend running out and buying it, it is probably worth checking out from the library or picking up a used copy. It will get you through a rainy day.

I picked up Alex Bledsoe's The Sword-Edged Blonde because it had just been released on audiobook and I was looking for something short, different, and fun. The Sword-Edged Blonde was exactly what I needed.

Eddie LaCrosse used to be a rich kid, but a tragic event drove him away from his past life and now he's a loner. He works as a detective, and he's really good at it. So, his old best friend, King Phil, hires him to solve a murder. Eddie soon realizes that the mystery is somehow tied up with his own past, so he finds himself confronting his most unpleasant memories as he tries to solve the strange case.

Eddie LaCrosse makes a great hero. He's a nobleman's son, so he's educated and has manners, he worked as a mercenary after he ran away from home, so he's an accomplished fighter, and now he's an aging rough-edged noir-style detective who doesn't take crap from anyone. But as the mystery and his past unfold, we find out that he's certainly not invulnerable.

The setting of The Sword-Edged Blonde was unusual. The lack of electricity, cars, and guns suggests an early time, but the character names (Janet, Stephanie, Kathy) seem out of place, as do words like "debutante" and model names for swords (The Edgemaster Series 3). This type of quirkiness is fine with me -- I needed a break from the usual medieval-style fantasy.

Mr. Bledsoe's writing style was refreshing and had just the right feel for a noir detective story. It was clear and vivid and the dialogue sounded perfectly realistic -- I was impressed with this caliber of writing coming from a new novelist (though, Mr Bledsoe has previously published dozens of short stories).

The plot of The Sword-Edged Blonde was fast and never lagged. Past and present were intermingled effectively. There were a few too many coincidences for my taste (it only mollified me slightly that Eddie acknowledged some of them as coincidences), and there were a couple of times when Eddie should have asked a certain question or done something a bit more logical and less dangerous (but that wouldn't have been as exciting). The story was compelling enough that I'm forgiving Mr. Bledsoe for these things, but I'm knocking off half a star. : )

I listened to The Sword-Edged Blonde on audiobook. The reader, Stefan Rudnicki was excellent. He has just the right voice for Eddie LaCrosse -- strong and rough, yet sensitive at just the right times. I'm certain that he added to my enjoyment of this story. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more Stefan Rudnicki narrations.

I will definitely be picking up the next Eddie LaCrosse novel and I am hopeful that we'll be hearing a lot more from this author. Alex Bledsoe is a natural storyteller.

Eddie LaCrosse is your typical hard-boiled detective, tough-talking, smart, somewhat world-weary and cynical, but his heart is in the right place. Instead of packing heat, he's toting a sword. His office is over a tavern and he's just got a job to find a runaway daughter of a local king. That case is quickly solved and even more quickly hijacked by a more pressing call for Eddie's services. An old friend, the king of a neighboring realm, needs Eddie to help clear the Queen's name after she's been found bloody and unconscious by the remains of her child.

Aside from the hook of having a sword-jockey for a PI-type protagonist, the tale is otherwise a nice, solid fantasy with a mystery plot. More Sword than Sorcery, though: there are mages about, but Eddie's case involves a mysterious Goddess and a curse, a twisted criminal king-pin and murder and revenge. The style remains that of an old-fashioned film-noir mystery. Eddie plays it straight. He's got a past he needs to deal with as he returns to his old haunts. There are some well-handled flash-backs integrated into the present, and lots of action, drama, questionable women and plenty of bad guys to fight, making for quite a good read.

Detective novel meets Swords & Sorcery is a lethal combination in the hands of Bledsoe. No one has succeeded with such an enjoyable melding of the two before. The Sword-Edged Blonde stars Eddie LaCrosse who is a very tragic guy, but it takes time to find out why. Bledsoe teases well with LaCrosse's backstory, which had me up late and early to get a further into his head. LaCrosse was a mercenary for many years after leaving his homeland and never returning. Well, never returning until an old friend who is now King calls him home to solve the murder of his son, which right now points at his wife the Queen Rhiannon. The noir style comes out in full force as Eddie questions people and traipses about the countryside looking for evidence that will exonerate the Queen or confirm her heinous acts.

The action sequences are well planned, realistic, and exhilarating. The Sword-Edge Blonde is as fast paced a book you'll likely find. The magic is on the low side, which works well to make the rest of the action believable, but it does seem to come in handy when it is needed. Bledsoe creates some interesting relationships and makes you think gods are not all they are cracked up to be. Also, the names of the characters threw me a little. This is clearly supposed to be a secondary world Fantasy so having names such as Eddie, Ryan, and Cathy seemed a little mundane and out of place.

All minor quibbles aside, I was captured by The Sword-Edged Blonde and it is definitely an action packed read to keep close at hand. The culmination of the case had me on edge, although the last bit felt a little too nice after everything else that transpired. But Bledsoe has more to say with Eddie so I'm sure we'll see him thrown in the mud quiet a few more times so a little happiness is probably in store for him.

The Sword-Edged Blonde is highly recommended for Swords & Sorcery fans looking for a gritty take and for those Dresden Files and Joe Abercrombie fans looking for something between books. I give The Sword-Edged Blonde 8.5 out of 10 Hats. The second Eddie LaCrosse novel Burn Me Deadly has just released and will be read in short order. This will be an episodic series I'll be following for years to come with at least 4 total books signed.

I don't have a lot to add to the other reviews -- the book is interesting, the plot keeps moving, and there are enough tongue-in-cheek moments to keep things light-hearted.

I really like that the book is only 250 or so pages. I read this in a weekend. I'm tiring of the "bookend" fantasy books that seem to be so en vogue, and often push 700-800 pages. A good author (and editor) don't need this much to tell a good story.

Huh. Maybe I missed something. I liked the book and made it through to the end- but the writer struggled too much with the world-weary shtick. Also, it was a little too Xanthos or Garrett for me. Some of the sections seemed forced, some were implausible, and other things just didn't fit in the physical universe. Good ideas, well laid-out. My guess is the author will improve with time.

Like sword-and-sorcery? Mysteries? Raymond Chandler? Sam Spade? Humphrey Bogart? If you answered "yes" to any of those (or even if you didn't), you should read this book. It's just that much fun to read- a fast-paced, solid mystery that does not disappoint.

The plot revolves around Eddie LaCrosse, an aging sword jockey for hire. He accepts a seemingly run of the mill job to locate a missing princess, which leads him to his homeland, a place he has avoided for many years due to the memories of his own past that remain there. But his childhood friend, Phil, now king, enlists Eddie's help to clear the queen's name. She has been accused of killing her own child, the heir to the throne. In the course of his investigation, Eddie must come face to face with the past he's tried to forget.

The story is narrated by Eddie, and the first person POV works quite well here. There are touches of humor, plenty of action and a complex enough plot to keep you reading. The mystery is well served. All the clues are there, and the ending builds from them nicely.

The real strength of the novel is the characters. They are real and believable, even if there are some bits that might seem a little far-fetched in the world building. (Parking tickets for horses?) But they are forgivable in the context of this story. There's a bit of romance, a bit of tragedy, a bit of revenge. Sometimes, characters make bad decisions, just like real people.

The plot moves along at a fast pace, making this an easy read. If you are looking for a good fantasy/mystery, with interesting characters and a decently complex plot, this is definitely a book to check out.