Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)
Nicholas Eames
Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best -- the meanest, dirtiest, most feared crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for. It's time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld.
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3.5 stars. This was an engaging adventure featuring middle-aged men, which is a nice change of pace, though it does get a bit "bro-y" at times. Eames's gimmick of comparing mercenaries to rock bands is fun and adds a unique twist.
The story, told from Clay Cooper's perspective, took longer to get going than I expected. The first half focuses on reuniting the bandmates, building in time to get to know the characters and their world. The book is focused on the 5 men in the band, but there are a few notable, relatively nuanced female characters who get a good amount of screen time.
Humor is a big part of this book, with some moments reminding me of Terry Pratchett, like a talking door knocker named Steve. There's also a running gag where Clay says "It's a long story," and another character sums up the story in a single sentence. Eames also writes some vivid descriptions (e.g., "the jab of tobacco smoke, the glee of a whistling pipe").
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The characters and world-building were interesting, and the gimmick was fun. The slower start and some overly miraculous survivals were minor drawbacks, but it was still an engaging read.
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