Theft of Swords

This is old fashioned Epic Fantasy mixed with buddy comedy. To be clear, a lot of it is “paint-by-numbers”, but I've got to say this author paints very well. I recognised an awful lot of tropes, but the way he put them together just somehow worked and (this is important) by the end of the book the author is putting a twist and shine on his world building that is really hooking me.

If this is how a newly published author starts out a series, I have high hopes for the series.

One caution for potential readers: This book was originally written as two novels, because of this there is an awesome hold-your-breath scene in the middle of the book, followed by a major lull in the story pace. The ending however is well worth the wait.

So I'd say, less a “paint-by-numbers”, more an “Awesome Mixtape” with a very interesting demo at the end.