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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars don't mean that this is a classic or anything. I'm giving it four within its genre; it isn't claiming to be any more than what it is.
Someone mentioned Vlad Taltos. No, it isn't that good, but it's a worthwhile read.
Ignore the cover art; it's ridiculous.
Good plot, mostly, and Eddie's a complex and interesting character. Bledsoe may not be able to use the relationship with the king in a future novel, though. Makes it too easy.
Someone else commented that this book's treatment of women leaves a lot to be desired. I agree somewhat, but I'll reserve judgment till the next Eddie book.
The world is a bit weird, mixing modern and ancient, but as I said, we're not going for the Nobel in Literature here. Read fast and enjoy!
Someone mentioned Vlad Taltos. No, it isn't that good, but it's a worthwhile read.
Ignore the cover art; it's ridiculous.
Good plot, mostly, and Eddie's a complex and interesting character. Bledsoe may not be able to use the relationship with the king in a future novel, though. Makes it too easy.
Someone else commented that this book's treatment of women leaves a lot to be desired. I agree somewhat, but I'll reserve judgment till the next Eddie book.
The world is a bit weird, mixing modern and ancient, but as I said, we're not going for the Nobel in Literature here. Read fast and enjoy!
klparmley's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it a second shot and liked it much better the second time around.
avada_kedavara's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
1.0
subparcupcake's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun and quick read, quite different from most other fantasy that I've come across. It's basically a combination of traditional fantasy elements (kings and queens and swords and stuff like that) with an urban fantasy type writing style and paranormal detective type plot. If that sounds awkward... It totally wasn't. It worked. It wasn't perfect; there were some weird little inconsistencies, and some story points that were a little too happily-ever-after for me, not to mention a lot of right-place-at-the-right-time involved in solving the case, but despite all of that it was still a fun ride. I just went with it, didn't dwell too much on the little things, and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Three and a half stars, and I'll definitely be continuing on in the series.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I entered into this book fully prepared to enjoy it. Who wouldn't enjoy a fantasy/noir mystery mash-up. It screamed enjoyable read. The problem was Mr. Bledsoe did not push it far enough. It was not dark enough to be a true noir, and there just was not enough fantastical elements to feel like a true fantasy novel.
I'm still going to try the next book in the series, because I see potential here, but this book really should have been called The Sword-Edged Bland
I'm still going to try the next book in the series, because I see potential here, but this book really should have been called The Sword-Edged Bland
wulvaine's review against another edition
3.0
The Sword-Edged Blonde is fun, if pretty insubstantial. I feel like Alex Bledsoe has a strong writer in him, but in this book, he was still finding his voice. Hard-boiled detective fiction mixed with heroic fantasy is a catchy genre blend, and that was the reason I picked this up despite terrible cover art. The genres are far from being seamlessly stitched; there's much more mystery than fantasy here, and the fantasy that is here is a bit vague.
Bledsoe also has a tendency to cling a little too tightly to Chandlerisms and other stereotypes of the mystery genre. Women are by and large objectified for the sake of description, Eddie conveniently knows EVERYONE, and the usually brief descriptions are frequently cartoonish and over-the-top, which wouldn't be bad if I felt like that was what Bledsoe was going for, but the tone of the novel is rather uneven. There's a distinct sense that the author, like many writers, had to write himself into Eddie LaCrosse, and he didn't do enough re-writing earlier on to make him entirely consistent and defined. He's a likable character, though he's little more than an archetype. 'Eddie' is just one of many modern-Earth-sounding names that feel awkward and anachronistic in the setting.
It's definitely not BAD; it's always enjoyable and entertaining. It just ends up being kind of pedestrian. This isn't a book you'll go to if you're looking for epic scale and high stakes. This is more or less a slightly above-average, old-school mystery novel with the serial numbers filed off and swords pasted over the guns. I probably will eventually pick up later volumes in the series, as I think Bledsoe visibly hits his stride throughout the course of the novel, but I'm not rushing out to get them.
Bledsoe also has a tendency to cling a little too tightly to Chandlerisms and other stereotypes of the mystery genre. Women are by and large objectified for the sake of description, Eddie conveniently knows EVERYONE, and the usually brief descriptions are frequently cartoonish and over-the-top, which wouldn't be bad if I felt like that was what Bledsoe was going for, but the tone of the novel is rather uneven. There's a distinct sense that the author, like many writers, had to write himself into Eddie LaCrosse, and he didn't do enough re-writing earlier on to make him entirely consistent and defined. He's a likable character, though he's little more than an archetype. 'Eddie' is just one of many modern-Earth-sounding names that feel awkward and anachronistic in the setting.
It's definitely not BAD; it's always enjoyable and entertaining. It just ends up being kind of pedestrian. This isn't a book you'll go to if you're looking for epic scale and high stakes. This is more or less a slightly above-average, old-school mystery novel with the serial numbers filed off and swords pasted over the guns. I probably will eventually pick up later volumes in the series, as I think Bledsoe visibly hits his stride throughout the course of the novel, but I'm not rushing out to get them.
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
A 4.5 from me. A blend of a noir mystery and sword-and-sorcery style fantasy that worked well. Looking forward to more of Eddie's adventures.
papidoc's review against another edition
2.0
It seems that my views are at odds with many others here, which just goes to show that different thing appeal to different people. The cover blurb seemed interesting...a cross between detective noir and fantasy. There are essentially two directions an author can go when combing two genres like this. Hopefully both will be done well, and blended to great effect. Alternatively, neither will be done well, and (usually) as a result any effort to blend the two genres will fail. Unfortunately, IMHO this novel falls mostly into the latter category. It was OK, but it could have been so much better. A little more action (with appropriate detail to fighting technique), a little more attention to transitions in the plot, and so forth would have done a world of good.