Bloody Rose (The Band #2) by Nicholas Eames
Bloody Rose is an incredibly satisfying sequel to last year’s breakout debut hit Kings of the Wyld and solidifies Nicholas Eames as one of the most exciting and unique voices in the fantasy genre. From beginning to end it is a off the frigging chain so lets jump in! I’vetried to keep things spoiler free but have revealed a few things that come up in the first two chapters in terms of plot.
In Kings the plot was evident after the first chapter and was for the most part straightforward – get the band back together and go save the girl. In Bloody Rose things are a little less concrete. Our band of protagonists, known as Fable, is on a mission to finish up their arena tour and go and fulfil one final contract. It will of course be the biggest and most dangerous one ever but it will also cement their band in legend and finally topple the achievements of Rose’s father. She wants nothing more than to step out of his shadow and forge a reputation that will outweigh the one thrust on her when she become the world’s most famous damsel in the distress.
As a character Rose is off the hook. She wields two scimitars like the God of War, throwing them out to cleave and destroy her enemies and then calling them back to her hands for a second pass. In a fight she is always moving, always charging, always on the front foot and to say some of her battle scenes are epic as fuck would not be doing them justice. She is ably backed by her Druin husband (one of Lastleaf’s people), a Shaman who can transform into a bear and a tattoed Summoner who brings the very ink on her body to life. The action scenes are magnificent, a scale the likes of which are rarely even attempted let alone successfully pulled off and this is a huge testament to Eames imagination and writing ability. Unless an ancient god of some sort has been hiding out as a mountain range for a thousand years I personally cannot conceive how he will top this one for the sheer size of the forces opposing each other.
As the world builds and expands there is some interesting commentary on the nature of monsters and the role of humans in creating them. In Kings of the Wyld mercenaries found their fame by trooping into the Heartwyld looking for monsters and treasure and bringing back tokens of their exploits. It was done somewhat out of need, to stop the beastie that comes in the night, and lets face it there are a hell of a lot of beasties in Eames’ world. Now mercenaries who have never seen the Heartwyld tour cities, fighting monsters in arenas that have also never seen the Heartwyld. They are bred to fight or drugged to ensure they don’t pose a serious threat which makes somewhat of a mockery that it is done out of some sort of necessity. This need has actually shifted to the side of the horde. Previously their goal was one of exaltation and conquest whereas now it is merely survival and continuation of their species that were almost lost in the last defeat. The line between who is a man and what is a monster is also blurred. Saga was made up of men whilst Fable has a man who can turn into a bear, a beast summoner, a druin and a Satyr for a manager who disguises himself so that those outside the band don’t know his true identity. It’s a much different make up than last time and gives new opportunities for exploring the nature of all the creatures in Eames’ world.
Talking about the world boy does Eames loves to throw in a pop culture reference and seems to always do it at the perfect moment. I’ve heard a few reviewers mention video games but it’s movies that stick in my head guy. Dumber and Dumber get a line drop, so does Star Wars A New Hope, Jaws, Dazed and Confused, Planet of the Apes and a few others. It’s a veritable feast and I’m sure I missed a couple so let me know what you pick up on!
The big thing that really sucked me into the book was the amount of genuine relationships that existed between different characters and how much honest to goodness love there was. Our protagonist Tam is on the look out for love and is pulled between the experience and passion of one of her band and the joys of a dirty rumble with another lass in a haystack. We see band mates that have become family and will do anything to protect each other, a husband and wife whose love burns with ferocity on the battlefield, a broken man who has lost his wife and asks never to see his daughter because the finality is all he can bear. The Mrs Voorhees love of a mother seeking revenge for her murdered child, the love between two men who have fought together and grown old and now get to hang out as best mates whilst their kids run around saving the world and the love a man can have for a ship that grants him the life of freedom and flight he always wanted. It’s ridiculously well done, it flows through every scene and it’s the cement that binds this whole thing together.
Bloody Rose is a rare beast, it’s an action packed roller-coaster ride that is emotionally affecting. I honestly loved it from start to finish and feel a sense of quiet contentment knowing all those people out there who loved Kings of the Wyld are going to get exactly what they are hoping for when they pick this one up.
10/10
Thanks to Orbit for providing me with an early copy.
