I've just finished reading Steve Westcott's Reluctant Heroes.
Steve is on this forum as Wez.
Published in the UK by Softeditions.co.uk
I enjoyed it, something different from standard sword and sorcery stuff.
Here's my review...
Books Reviewed: Steve Westcott's Reluctant Heroes:
A big, brawling, barbarian hero. Lusty, courageous, liked and admired...does not portray an accurate picture of Steve Westcott's original sword and sorcery character, Ryzak.
Think selfish, lazy, drunken, lustful...not necessarily in that order.
Ryzak's not the sort of hero one normally finds striding though the pages of a sword and sorcery adventure novel; but then neither is Snorkel...a dim-witted dwarf and wizard's apprentice who may be more than he at first appears...and he appears short in stature and brains.
Enticed into helping a beautiful girl purloin and restore some ancient seals Ryzak is soon knee deep and trembling in trouble.
Nasty elves, cannibals, black magicians, black humour, brave maidens, short people, stupid people, smart dragons...I see say shades of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in Steve Westcott's debut novel.
A host of characters come to Ryzak's aid and quite a few come along with the opposite in mind.
The aged wizard Beulah. Snorkel's endearing off-spring, a young dragon...later joined by Reizgoth, last of the true dragonkind.
The black magician Mishtar; manipulating his way to freedom before the ill assorted group can put in place the seals to stop him.
It's a story of love and courage, drunkenness and lust. High adventure and ghastly horrors.
Will Ryzak stay sober long enough to perform as the hero he thinks he is?
Will Snorkel forever be destined to remain a dim-witted wizard's apprentice?
Will they be betrayed by one from within their group, or saved by one from outside it?.
Ah well...that would be telling now wouldn't it?.
Steve Westcott has written an original and entertaining first novel that steps outside the boundaries of normal sword and sorcery fiction and presents characters and situations that perhaps most us can relate to more than the average muscle bound, magic sword swinging, barbarian tale.
Reluctant Heroes is a great read. It's funny, in fact in places it's hilarious, but that only makes what would have been a standard sword and sorcery story into something more unique.
I enjoyed Reluctant Heroes. Any reader who's tired of the normal S&S fare probably will also.
Cheers: Kevin 'Jaqhama' Lumley.
Steve is on this forum as Wez.
Published in the UK by Softeditions.co.uk
I enjoyed it, something different from standard sword and sorcery stuff.
Here's my review...
Books Reviewed: Steve Westcott's Reluctant Heroes:
A big, brawling, barbarian hero. Lusty, courageous, liked and admired...does not portray an accurate picture of Steve Westcott's original sword and sorcery character, Ryzak.
Think selfish, lazy, drunken, lustful...not necessarily in that order.
Ryzak's not the sort of hero one normally finds striding though the pages of a sword and sorcery adventure novel; but then neither is Snorkel...a dim-witted dwarf and wizard's apprentice who may be more than he at first appears...and he appears short in stature and brains.
Enticed into helping a beautiful girl purloin and restore some ancient seals Ryzak is soon knee deep and trembling in trouble.
Nasty elves, cannibals, black magicians, black humour, brave maidens, short people, stupid people, smart dragons...I see say shades of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in Steve Westcott's debut novel.
A host of characters come to Ryzak's aid and quite a few come along with the opposite in mind.
The aged wizard Beulah. Snorkel's endearing off-spring, a young dragon...later joined by Reizgoth, last of the true dragonkind.
The black magician Mishtar; manipulating his way to freedom before the ill assorted group can put in place the seals to stop him.
It's a story of love and courage, drunkenness and lust. High adventure and ghastly horrors.
Will Ryzak stay sober long enough to perform as the hero he thinks he is?
Will Snorkel forever be destined to remain a dim-witted wizard's apprentice?
Will they be betrayed by one from within their group, or saved by one from outside it?.
Ah well...that would be telling now wouldn't it?.
Steve Westcott has written an original and entertaining first novel that steps outside the boundaries of normal sword and sorcery fiction and presents characters and situations that perhaps most us can relate to more than the average muscle bound, magic sword swinging, barbarian tale.
Reluctant Heroes is a great read. It's funny, in fact in places it's hilarious, but that only makes what would have been a standard sword and sorcery story into something more unique.
I enjoyed Reluctant Heroes. Any reader who's tired of the normal S&S fare probably will also.
Cheers: Kevin 'Jaqhama' Lumley.
