The Hammer and the Blade: An Egil & Nix Novel

I got this because the author is somewhat well known for his Forgotten Realms books which I have enjoyed in the past. But these characters and this world were not as interesting. The world is poorly fleshed out and the plot predictable. Not a bad read, but nothing really interesting.

The action sequences are long and very Hollywood: get kicked in the chest, fly across the room and get up to continue fighting.
The supposed wisecrack is not even funny. So, it pains him and the reader both when he continues to crack jokes while taking punishment for it.
The story itself is..meh.

So much is confusing to most readers but the author tries to draw on other authors but is unsuccessful. The author tries to come close to the Forgotten Realm series. This book seemed interesting in the beginning then travels off into no where. Really disappointed in this read.

Kemp plainly states his influences and the type of fantasy he likes to write and then he produces a work exactly as he stated. If you enjoyed Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, or hack n slash rouges as reluctant heroes, then you will enjoy Kemp. Nothing sophisticated, no mystery plot lines or "aha!" moments, but good standard fun. Perfect brain candy for a trip or lost weekend.

Excellent piece of fiction. While reading the antics of Egil and Nix, Sid Vicious's rendition of "My Way" kept popping into my head. The two fantastic characters do it as Sid Vicious suggests, and the interaction between the two is brilliant. Mr. Kemp has a long line of Stars behind his reviews, I will add five more to his laurels.

An excellent book with interesting fully-formed characters and an Indiana Jones-like story line. I especially liked how the author took real-life experiences with lawyers and transferred them into the book (demons, devils and lampreys).

Sword and Sorcery is making something of a renaissance in genre fiction, thanks in no small part very recently to writers like Scott Lynch, James Barclay, and James Enge. Part of the reason for such a flourishing of these personal tales of fantasy featuring blue collar heroes getting in over their head is the popularity of role playing games over the past couple of decades allowing players to participate in what amounted to collaborative sword and sorcery storytelling. One of the most popular and widely played games during that time (and now) is The Forgotten Realms and one of the more popular authors of novels tied into that franchise is Paul S. Kemp. That's the long way of saying how Kemp's pedigree, for lack of a better term, provides him with a strong foundation to pen his first novel set outside any previous shared worlds to which he contributed. Thus, we have The Hammer and The Blade A Tale of Egil and Nix. I'm very pleased to say this sword and sorcery novel was a blast.

Through an engaging prologue Kemp introduces the readers to Egil and Nix through a quick dungeon adventure whereby the Priest (Egil) and Thief (Nix) rob the tomb of an ancient entity. The prologue would work excellently as a short story but also sets a solid foundation for the story Kemp will tell in The Hammer and The Blade by giving a sense of the relationship between the two protagonists. Egil and Nix planned on using the payout from their treasure to buy their favorite tavern so they could retire and live out their days in relaxation rather than fighting and adventuring.

OK, that's the basic plot of the novel. Revealing too much more would rob the potential reader from enjoying the novel themselves, though I will say the final quarter of the novel was exhilarating, leading to an extremely satisfying conclusion. What I will speak to, in general terms, are the elements that worked, didn't work, etc. First and foremost, what comes across very strongly is how much fun Kemp seemed to have writing this story. The protagonists are old chums in the greatest sense of the word and their humorous, sarcastic rapport provides for a smooth way to reveal story elements. This sense of camaraderie extends as Egil and Nix become more acquainted with Rakon's `crew' over the course of their journey since our heroes and Rakon's men don't exactly see eye to eye with the sorcerer's means and goals.

To say these characters and this story is a love letter to Fritz Leiber would be selling Kemp short of what he's done. In Egil and Nix, he's given readers possible long-distant cousins to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in that he's got the large bruiser and short thief duo, as well as the banter between the two. Furthermore, one of the main areas in this world is known as the Low Bazaar, an obvious homage the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser story Bazaar of the Bizarre. Kemp also throws out shout-outs to Green Lantern mythos along the way.

Kemp tells an excellent story through most of the novel after a bit of a bumpy introduction to Rakon and his entourage. That was a minor portion of the novel, but once those bits were straightened out, Kemp's narrative energy kept me breezing through the novel. His voice is very engaging, the characters came across as very believable and I want to know more about the world they inhabit. By showing the duo of Egil and Nix at what seemed to be the end of their adventuring career, Kemp has smartly opened up many doors for himself - he can show early tales of this duo or he can continue the story from this point forward. Regardless of where in this duo's timeline he decides to tell a story, I will enthusiastically follow.

- Highly Recommended -

Longer, original review appears at SFFWorld dot com/brevoff/825.html

Hammer and the Blade is a fast-paced, humorous adventure with tremendous heart and an unusually engaging world. I was hooked from the very first introduction to the characters and the world of Dur Follin. Some of Nix's quippiness strayed into annoying yapping, but for the most part our big-mouthed heroes are awesomely funny, sincere, and interesting (but not perfect) characters.

Also, I should note that this book does deal vividly (but not graphically) with experiences of sexual assault, rape, and links those things to the concept of patriarchy, so it ends up being a book that I solidly recommend to feminist friends. It's an awesome adventure and doesn't hit you over the head with moralizing at the expense of the pacing/story/characters. I love this book unabashedly and re-read it every year or so to just enjoy the delightful adventures!

First published at The Qwillery

The Hammer and The Blade ushers in the return of Sword & Sorcery fantasy in a most awesome way. It feels like the perfect 80s action film. It has a pair of unlikely heroes, Nix the Quick and Egil of Ebenor, the Momentary god. Nix, a thief raised in the slums, is quick with both his blades and tongue. Egil is a somber priest of a dead god and wields duel hammers, and a crowbar at times. Like any respectable scoundrels, they spend their time robbing tombs, getting drunk and arguing with each other over the past mishaps and bad business decisions they've made, like buying a rundown bar.

Paul S. Kemp is an obvious fan of the fore-fathers of Sword & Sorcery fantasy and he shows it in his writing. He nails all of the stereotypes of this particular genre with the duel anti-heroes, tombs full of boobie traps, evil wizards using dark magic, and demons begging to be slain, oh and the snarky dialogue, don't forget that. Even if buddy adventure fantasy isn't your cup of tea, you need to give it a try. We all get a little burnt out on the EPIC fantasies that spend entire chapters describing in minutia the importance of a long-forgotten kingdom's cold remedy, and how it will play a major role four books later in a nine-book series. Kemp reminds us reading fantasy can be a fantastic ride that doesn't need to put the world at risk of being destroyed to be entertaining.

Kemp stays true to the sub-genre's strengths by focusing on the story, while elevating it with his characters' depth. The world-building is as deep as the story requires, which means there's just enough to to tell the story, making it refreshing. It's nice to be reminded what you actually need to know to tell a good story. Kemp even manages to bring up an important issue like the objectification of women in a sub-genre that tends to shy away from such issues.

The Hammer and The Blade is a totally rad fantasy, I'm sorry I couldn't help throwing in one more reference to my love of the 80s action films of yore. Due to the high level of descriptive violence and minor use of adult language and implied sexual situations, I would recommend it to adults. I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes 80s action films, Sword & Sorcery fantasy or embracing all the fun life has to offer.

The Hammer and the Blade is an outstanding new entry in the nearly 80 year old Sword & Sorcery genre. You'll find all of the swashbuckling action, horror and witty banter that you'd get with Leiber's Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser stories along with some very compelling questions about gender, morality and free will.

Despite those rather weighty sounding topics, the book is an absolute blast to read. The dialogue and action move at a brisk pace and the book is packed with all of the swords, tombs, traps and demons you could ask for.

As a result of some cleverly written dialogue, I learned a lot about the world of Ellerth and its inhabitants without wading through long sections of dry exposition. Ellerth, as it turns out, is a world of ancient ruins, seedy taverns and dangerous creatures. True to the book's Sword & Sorcery roots, magic is present but feels unpredictable and exotic. It's all a bit dangerous and grubby, not unlike Egil & Nix themselves.

The pacing is excellent and the characters are both interesting and believable. I did feel that the point of view was skewed towards Nix; I wish I could have learned a bit more about Egil. Having said that, Egil wasn't a bland or boring character by any means and the supporting characters also felt very real.

The Hammer and the Blade is, without question, one of the best books I've read this year. It's faithful to the Sword & Sorcery genre while not descening in to pastiche. Above all, it's an incredible amount of fun to read. I look forward to reading more about Egil & Nix's adventures in the near future.

And none of them are wasted in this spirited sword and sorcery romp by Paul S. Kemp. In a world full of wash, rinse and repeat Fantasy novels this one stands hammer and blade above the rest. I have read hundreds of fantasy novels and this one is one of the top five. I remember what I read and it is rare for me to re-read books, but this one is getting re-read this weekend! Kemps writing shows a great understanding not only of the English language but the art of conversation as well. The dialogue and banter in this book would make any trial lawyer proud.
The combination of Egil and Nix forms a well oiled machine of good natured chaos. Now witty banter and general good natures aside Egil and Nix are accomplished grave robbers who have achieved legendary status in many people's minds. You would think that all of this notoriety would go to their heads, but I think whatever is wrong with them happened long before they became tomb raider A- listers. Rather than a lengthy introduction that describes the setting and how things work, Kemp uses his considerable writing skills to educate us as we journey thru the wild ride entitled The Hammer and the Blade.
I was surprised at how Kemp was able to follow the theme of the typical sword and sorcery novel and somehow keep it fresh, innovative and interesting. He did all of this in subtle ways. Rather than trying to re-make the fantasy novel he simply manipulates it and re-engineers it to something that far surpasses what you would expect from a novel with a (well done) typical fantasy cover. I think there is a lot more Kemp in this novel than we have ever seen before and I like it. Buy this book, read this book, re-read this book and I can assure you, you dread the moment this roller coaster ride ends.

The Hammer and the Blade is written by author Paul S. Kemp, this introductory tale of the adventurers of ill gotten plunder, Egil of Ebenor and Nix the Quick is a fast paced ride full of disturbing detail, gluttonous gore and fantastic fun.

Kemp has a knack for finding those grey areas in life, expanding and inhabiting them in his novels. His characters aren't your squeaky clean heroes or your mustache twirling villains. Both the protagonists and antagonists are hodgepodges of strengths and flaws, emotions such as fear and anger drive their actions, serving as catalysts for their choices and revealing their character.

Egil and Nix may not be your traditional heroes, but these two men, as close as brothers serve to check the excesses of the other's personality, independently it would be easy to imagine both falling into a debased existence of little utility to anyone. The banter between this duo keeps the novel from veering off into complete darkness and helps the reader piece together the personalities of Egil and Nix.

The Hammer and the Blade is full of sorcerers, demons, and beasts both human and non-human. A caution to younger readers or parents looking to pick up the book, there is some content in the novel of a more mature nature, and those sensitive to sexual violence should be prepared going in for some rather dastardly acts.

As with any of Kemp's books, the main characters are put through the wringer both physically and emotionally and it is a little surprising that they make it past the first few chapters. One of the things that I also enjoyed in this novel was the way some of the supporting characters, whom where nominally villains interacted with Egil and Nix. The ending was both fulfilling and disturbing and I hope we get to revisit the adventures of Egil and Nix in the near future.

The Hammer and the BIade made me reflect upon the issue of morality. In recent years thanks to my wife, I have found my way to a faith that I had not previously experienced but had long yearned for. Raised as the only child of divorced parents, my father a lapsed Catholic and mother a lapsed Presbyterian, I was not raised in faith. I have long enjoyed reading and learning, so I have studied a variety of faiths, belief systems and moral codes. Yet for whatever reason, I had never been able to get past the intellectual analysis of those beliefs to the place where faith resides. This left me with an interesting quandary, how does one develop one's moral compass without the obvious touchstones of religion? Without a doubt, much of what we learn as right and wrong is passed down from our parents, but which of these lessons do we accept and internalize and which of these do we reject? How do we adjust our moral compass when confronted with novel situations and problems?

There may not be any simple answer to these questions, the human condition is complex and ever changing. Each day we are presented with moments of choice, some trivial and some momentous. It is in these choices that we define who we are and the path that we choose to take. In any moment, each one of us can be a hero or a villain.

It is in these moments of choice that Kemp's characterization shines and that his characters define themselves. You may have a character like Egil who is the sole priest of the Momentary God, while he has belief system it is one that he has crafted himself, or in Nix you have a man who has no problem robbing a grave, but rises up to defend the honor of a prostitute. Perhaps a real hero isn't the one that makes the noble choice, but one that has the strength to make an evil choice to spare another and the ability to live with that choice. That every choice has consequences is a lesson well learned by both Egil and Nix, in The Hammer and the Blade.

Written for LightsaberRattling.com

A gritty dungeon crawler that will keep you on your toes with plenty of smartassery to make you laugh out loud. ~The Founding Fields

New York Times best selling author, Paul S. Kemp, brings us the tale about a pair of adventures, Nix and Egil in the story The Hammer and the Blade. A very well written fantasy dungeon crawler about Nix, a mage school drop out rogue, and Egil the High Priest of the momentary god who loves to deal divine retribution with his paired hammers. The book opens with Egil and Nix doing what they do best, robbing a tomb. After avoiding some nasty traps and a murderous demon, they decide to go legit which seems like a great idea, what can go wrong by running your own business right? Everything seems to be going fine until they show up for their first day at work at their new business, and discover that the murderous demon had some very powerful friends then everything hits the fan, or it would if they had them. This is a page turner, filled with demons, tombs, traps, wizards and tons of sassy remarks and should easily be enjoyed by anyone who is an avid reader or loves fantasy.

I have had this books since before it was released and started reading it months ago. I regret not finishing it sooner! This is a very refreshing page turner about two best friends who argue like the guys from the Odd Couple and kick ass like the A Team. I have a personal connection with these characters as I work with my best friend so I see both of us in these characters too. The character development is well done but could be expanded upon which leads me to hope that there is more books coming about this pair of unlikely heroes. There really are no slow moments in this book, the pace is maintained throughout the entire book, making this a possible one sitting read if you have the time The overall plot has been done before but Paul adds life to these two which makes it very refreshing, with several nice twists to keep you guessing. I was happy that my assumption on how it was going to end was wrong. This is Paul's first Angry Robot book and I am looking forward to seeing more from him on this imprint.

If you are a fan of fantasy and want a refreshing read, or just a well written book, then this is the book to get. My overall score for this is an 8/10 and I am looking forward seeing more about these two, as there is tons of room to expand on this storyline.

Larry Killian
The Founding Fields reviewer

Paul Kemp's latest sword and sorcery novel introduces a new world that easily reminds any reader of the forgotten realms of skullport with the city of Dur Follin. The heroes only real goal is to retire and enjoy their wealth from their previous adventurers but the repercussions of Egil and Nix's adventures make them the unwilling participants in a quest to save a "noble" house from its demise. Kemp writes a dark story with characters that have depth and are far from your standard heroes. NIx struggles with his past action and his need to change, while Egil mourns a horrible loss but chooses to push ahead living in the moment. Kemp richly describes a bleak area that has suffered more then its fair share of magical disaster rendering a vast swart of land a destitute wasteland that is wonderfully crafted. There are more then enough humorous moments throughout the story ranging from great dialogue to the testing out of unknown magical items will leave the reader laughing! The villain clings to nobility but as the story progresses any sympathy that the reader has for him is pulled away as he machinations are laid bare. Though this is a standalone novel there is more then enough threads that are introduced to make fans eagerly await a sequel!

Ah, now this was fun. Some good old fashioned sword and sorcery, hack and slash adventure. It was like a good brain scrub, reminding me of my childhood. The one thing I do not like is the cover. It seems too mcuh ye olde fantasy book to me. I have it on my Kindle, so that is a minor point.
Not that this book is a YA or child friendly. There's cursewords and blood and guts galore, with even a little whoring thrown in for good measure.
The stars of this book are Egil and Nix. Two friends, companions and grave robbers. There seemed to be a previous civilization who buried their royalty with loads of loot. Egil and Nix feel that leaving it there seems a waste, so they go take it at great personal risk to themselves.
There are fights, drinking, magic mayhem, damsels in distress, demons and humour galore. The thing that made this book so damn fun was that it hinted at a deeper back story. The history of the main characters are hinted at, but never really explained. The fallen empire whose graves are being robbed seems well thought out, with only hints about their customs and who they were. There are loads of room in this world for further exploration, and that will certainly make me come back for more.
The supporting cast is well fleshed out, each being granted some real personality for the most part. There were a few generic guards that were slaughtered along the way, but that's wat they were there for. You cannot individualise each and every person to their full extent, otherwise you'd be stuck with a 2000 book on character development.
This book came as a real surprise to me, and I'd recommend it to any fantasy fan. If you like sword and sorcery, you'll love this. If you enjoy a well crafted story and a good book, you'll like it just at much. That makes it special.

Originally posted at FanLit.

Meet Egil and Nix, the latest sword & sorcery duo to attempt to soften my jaded heart. Can they do it? Well, they'll never take the place of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, that's for sure, but they've still got my attention and I'm willing to give them at least a second try.

Egil is a warrior priest -- the only worshiper of the obscure god who manifests himself as a tattooed eye on the top of Egil's bald head. Nix is a clever half-educated magician who got expelled from the mages' conclave (he wants you to know that he didn't drop out -- he got kicked out). The two friends are grave robbers who make their fortune digging up treasure that's been buried with rich people's corpses. It's a hazardous job because the tombs are protected by dangerous wards.

During their latest excursion, which they promise will be their last, Egil and Nix kill a demon that was protecting a corpse. Unfortunately, that demon was allied with the mayor's evil sorcerer. When he finds out that he's lost his patron devil, he wants revenge.

The Hammer and the Blade, the first in a series about Egil and Nix, is a promising start. Egil and Nix are tough, clever, and have a touching long-lasting friendship that indicates that they're more than just a couple of rogues. For example, Nix loves and takes care of the woman who raised him, and both men are horrified when they're forced to vividly confront the way they think about women.

Most of the text of The Hammer and the Blade is banter that's often funny but Kemp's prose and dialogue can't quite compare with Fritz Leiber's in his LANKHMAR stories (I make this comparison because Leiber's stories are an obvious influence). The plot also drags in places, but Leiber is guilty of that, too.

I listened to Brilliance Audio's production of The Hammer and the Blade which was performed by Nick Podehl whose voice I like very much (I'm always happy to see his name on my audiobooks). For this production I thought Podehl's voice for Egil was perfect, but his voice for Nix was a little too weaselly for my taste. I also thought he spoke ploddingly during the narrative -- something I've noticed before with Podehl. Still, he's got a great voice, he continues to improve, and I was mostly very pleased with this audiobook. I unhesitatingly recommend it to audio readers.

I'll be reading the second EGIL & NIX book when it arrives. Kemp has teased us with just enough background on both characters to make us want to get to know them better. The Hammer and the Blade is a solid sword & sorcery story in the vein of LANKHMAR, Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones.

This is Sword and Sorcery done right. Our protagonists are flawed and believable, the world is dark and brutal. The narrative is neither full of itself or a sarcastic mockery. The pace is perfect, you never feel like you just read a wasted chapter that was there only to fill up pages. There is enough background to the world and environs that you want to know more about them, but you don't feel like you are missing the plot by it not being spoon feed to you. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this and its sequel, and eagerly await more in this series.

This is Sword and Sorcery done right. Our protagonists are flawed and believable, the world is dark and brutal. The narrative is neither full of itself or a sarcastic mockery. The pace is perfect, you never feel like you just read a wasted chapter that was there only to fill up pages. There is enough background to the world and environs that you want to know more about them, but you don't feel like you are missing the plot by it not being spoon feed to you. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this and its sequel, and eagerly await more in this series.

I first learned about The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp when I saw the first reveal of its cover art on the Angry Robot blog. While not very familiar with straight up Sword and Sorcery, I was intrigued by the blurb and I have a soft spot for thieves, so I was curious to see whether Nix would be another thief I'd fall in love with. And though I really liked Nix and his partner Egil, it remains to be seen whether this will be a lasting relationship or just a summer fling.

Sword and Sorcery is all about the action and the monsters; The Hammer and the Blade is no exception to this rule. The focus of the story lies mainly with Nix and Egil, the 'heroes' of the story. They are an amusing partnership, if a little familiar in execution. Their bantering is lots of fun and it shows a long time partnership of two people who are very comfortable with each other. There isn't much character development in this story; that is to say, from the start of the story Nix and Egil do not really change, they're rogues who think they want to settle down, but discover otherwise. However, we do find out some of their back story, more so for Nix than for Egil. It will be interesting to see whether in future instalments of The Tales of Egil & Nix, we'll find out more about Egil's past and how their history will lead to new adventures. The villain of the piece and his victims are as much stock characters as anything else, they aren't very well-rounded. They carry their task of giving our heroes a purpose off well, but they aren't that interesting in and of themselves. Then again that is their function: they set the stage for Egil and Nix to shine, to be able to banter, to show off their skills, and to save the damsels in distress. My favourite characters aside from our heroes were Baras and Jyme, two of the Norristru guards. In fact I liked all of the Norristru guards and I found their interaction with our heroes to be an entertaining break from the two-man comedy of Egil and Nix.

The meat of the story is in the action and the action is off to a roaring start from the beginning. In fact after the prologue, which shows our heroes in mid-robbery and killing off a devil in the execution of said robbery, when we move to the viewpoint of the villain, Lord Norristru, I felt a little lost and I had to push past this chapter and get back to Egil and Nix to reconnect with the book. Apart from the occasional dice rolling sound in the background, the action is highly entertaining and never more so than once our duo is forced to join forces with Lord Norristru. Being tomb robbers by trade, Egil and Nix's adventures can come off a little like table top dungeon crawls. They are unabashedly exciting and entertaining, but at times the background noise of dice rolls can become a bit loud and a little distracting. This is clearest in the scenes where Nix is looking for traps and trying to disable them and in the final battle at the Norristru manse. The action scenes, however, are exciting and very well written, especially their fight against the Vwynn demons and the geese-like demons in the Demon Wastes, those had me biting my nails and flipping the pages to see whether our heroes would make it unscathed.

Reading The Hammer and the Blade reminded me of nothing so much as watching a big blockbuster summer movie; it's huge fun while you're sat in the theatre and watching it, however, if you think too much about the details and the construction afterwards, the universe comes apart and the movie's spoiled. The same can be said for this first adventure of Egil and Nix. The Hammer and the Blade is tremendous fun, provide that you do not but don't think too hard about it. The book is a great romp of a story that will leave you grinning at its characters and humour and leave you cheering when they save the day. Hopefully this is the first of many Egil and Nix tales; I know I'm curious to see what trouble they'll land themselves in next! I do hope we'll find out more about the intrepid duo's past and that the dice noise will quieten somewhat, so that Egil and Nix can be more than just that summer fling. The Hammer and the Blade will be published in the UK and the international markets on July 5th and is already out in the US.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

Having previously read only one of Mr. Kemp's other novels, 'War of the Spider Queen book 4: Resurrection', I didn't know precisely what to expect when I purchased this book. Like many others out there, I went through a "liking" and "friending" rush on Facebook several years back and as a result have been enjoying personal quips and comments from the mind of Mr. Kemp for quite a while. It was through his status updates that I discovered 'The Hammer and the Blade.'

The book recounts a certain adventure of a pair of misfit adventurers in typical "buddy cop" / "odd couple" fashion. The title characters, Egil and Nix, respectively, are more than a little rough around the edges in every possible sense of the phrase. We are given teasing glimpses into their individual histories that paint pictures of background which simultaneously haunt and inspire them. They act solely on their own sense of right and wrong. They are at times bumbling and impetuous. In short, they are easily among the most realistic anti-heroes ever to be created.

The action is fantastic. The dialogue is perfect. The adventure is ...

Well, let's just say that if Mr. Kemp's intent was to make the average white, male reader of fantasy fiction uncomfortable in a way that causes the reader to think and be disturbed, he certainly did a fantastic job of reaching his goal. The central plot was of a type I've never approached outside of crime stories where everything is usually comfortably black and white. While there are certainly heroes and villains here, there are mostly shades of gray which led to a not at all surprising but still very troubling climax.

All in all, I found the book to be incredibly well-written and I have very little doubt that I'll be getting to know more of Egil and Nix in the future.

"The Hammer and the Blade" is something of a throwback fantasy novel, written for a modern audience but with the sensibilities of a good old-fashioned fantasy pulp novel. Author Paul S. Kemp does an admirable job of writing a fast, fun, entertaining book that doesn't worry about destiny quests and world-spanning events or even saving the world. This is meat and potatoes sword & sorcery, and by Crom, it's a heck of a ride.

A lot of comparisons have been made between Egil & Nix and Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. To be honest, I found much of the story to be more like Robert E. Howard's earlier Conan stories in terms of tone, such as "Tower of the Elephant". However, while Mr. Kemp clearly wears the influences of Lieber and Howard (and other contemporaries of theirs) on his sleeve, the novel never feels like it's simply ripping off those great stories. "The Hammer and the Blade" is instead something that manages to feel fresh and new.

The dialogue between Egil & Nix, though, is what really makes this book shine. It's snappy without being self-indulgent, and a lot of expository information about the world of Ellerth gets revealed in conversation without, well, feeling like exposition. Mr. Kemp has a gift for natural sounding dialogue, and the words of his characters paint a picture of a gritty, dirty world full of adventure. And as for those characters, most - villain and hero alike (though 'hero' may be too kind a description'!) - are memorable and well-developed. It was also refreshing to read a fantasy novel devoid of super-powered characters. No characters comes across as unbeatable ... everyone's a swing of a blade away from breathing their last, and that ratchets up the tension in more than a few scenes.

If I have one complaint about the book, it's the ending - I thought it was developing into something pretty amazing, and instead I thought that it fell a bit flat. It's not terrible, but considering how much I'd enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book (and the first couple of pages are absolutely terrific!), I guess I was expecting something with more oomph. That being said, I still enjoyed it very much, and am looking forward to the forthcoming adventures of Egil & Nix in "A Discourse of Steel."

Kudos to Paul S. Kemp for a terrific tale!

If you're looking for a good old fashioned fantasy adventure type yarn, then this might be for you. Enjoyable story, and the two main characters are interesting enough to pull you nicely into the book. My only gripe, and this spoils the book just a little for me, is the style of writing in various places throughout. The terrible addition/trend in recent times of constantly putting the word 'yeah' at the end of a sentence when talking to someone is aggravating enough at the best of times, so to find it included in the patterns of speech in this book is annoying, and I feel unnecessary. The other off-putting thing about some of the writing, is the misuse and lack of the word 'and' where it is clearly needed in sentences. An example of this is the following sentence, "Blood ran into his eyes, blinded him, and he stumbled on rock, fell." I'm no literary expert, but that sentence just reads horribly - "...he stumbled on rock, fell." I'm amazed this sort of thing slips through the editing process. Both of these two issues crop up time and again, which unfortunately does spoil this for me somewhat.

That being said, it's still an enjoyable adventure, with good characters and an interesting plot. If you can over-look the writing issues, you still may well enjoy this.

The Hammer and the Blade is a thought-provoking tale enmeshed with multiple layers of conflict. Egil and Nix don't solely participate in hack-and-slash combat with an array of enemies. The duo also strikes out against their own internal struggles that reflect real world difficulties. Both characters come from diverse backgrounds which shape their varied perspectives of the world. When confronted with a situation that pulls them in (largely unwillingly), they are still faced with the ultimate struggle: choice.

Furthermore, I felt that characters' vulnerability to both danger and their internal battles. None of the characters are godlike, and there is an ever-looming danger that hangs over them in this unforgiving world.

This story is ripe with mayhem that is furthered by the entertaining dialogue. Beyond characterization, Kemp masterfully displays how setting and environment reflect events as they occur. The pace establishes a story that pushed me to continue reading, because I was always wondering befall Egil and Nix at the next avenue.

If you're a fan of sword and sorcery, fantasy, well-executed writing, or something that can cause you to reflect on a deeper level of the human condition, I strongly suggest picking this up.

Don't get me wrong -- I love fantasy books. George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, Dave Duncan are all favorites. This is the first time I branched out into a more specific genre fantasy. It took me all of a chapter or two to fall into the rhythm and cadence of the characters and created world, the story was compelling and vivid.

The characters are familiar to other fans of Paul S. Kemp's, but I was new to them. They quickly became real and it was like walking into a room where others are talking -- takes a second to catch on to the conversation, but it quickly sucked me in.

Do you like fantasy? How about old school sword and sorcery? Well then I have a deal for you!
The Hammer and the Blade is about two thieves who try to retire but only end up back in the tombs. This novel is just a ripping good time, with our thieving heroes, a villain who is complex and tries to help his family, and a dramatic ending that will leave you howling for more. If you're looking for fun, then get it now!

I love the characters, even though they are a bit reminiscent of other "best buddy adventurers". The story develops at a good pace, the characters show rational growth, and the writing is just wonderful. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Egil and Nix are thieves. Good thieves, as a matter of fact. True, they have side interests and pasts. Nix knows something of magic. Egil was trained as a priest of the Momentary God. Both of them have pasts and long careers as thieves, years of tomb robbing and other unsavory jobs.

Now, the results of their last and most profitable mission come back to haunt them, as a consequence of their looting of a demonically haunted tomb leads a noble house with their own pacts with demons to need their services. Under false pretenses, of course, and whether or not Nix and Egil are willing to take the job...

The Hammer and the Blade, by Paul S. Kemp, brings us into a world reminiscent of Fritz Leiber's Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser, the underbelly of the city of Sanctuary, the Novaria stories of L Sprague De Camp, Michael Shea, and many others.

In other words, yeah, The Hammer and the Blade is Sword and Sorcery, if Sword and Sorcery has any meaning as a term or subgenre. And Old School Sword and Sorcery at that.

The strengths of the novels are many. In a Sword and Sorcery novel, with a focus tightly on a couple of protagonists, the novel rises and falls on those characters appealing to the reader. The author hits this solidly with Nix and Egil. We immediately get the sense that this pair has known each other for quite a while, knows each others foibles and get along well together. I hesitate to use the word bromance, but the relationship between the pair is indeed close. Its too crude to say that Nix is an expy of the Grey Mouser and Egil is an expy of Fafhrd, but the author seems to be trying to make at least a gentle evocation of those two classic characters. Nix is the street-rat, Egil is from the out-country. Egil is power and force, Nix is stealth and skill. Nix has a minor affinity for magic.

A quibble on this characterization though-I would have liked a little more Egil. Nix is clearly our major character of the pair, and we learn a fair bit more about him than we do Egil. In fact a key part of Egil's background is only given out as a reveal to explain character motivation a good way into the book. Nix is most definitely the voice of the book, and his sometimes smartass personality leavens things when things are looking not at all good for our heroes. Or just when Nix gets bored. This tendency for Nix to babble at the drop of a heat even gets lampshaded by one of the antagonists.

We get a good sense of the motivations of the antagonist, enough that one can sympathize with his plight, even if his methods are deplorable. Similarly the plot, initiated by the actions of Nix and Egil, and driven by the needs of the protagonist, is just the right sort of scale for a sword and sorcery novel. The fate of the world is not at stake, the fate of a nation is not at stake. Its a very personal scale, even if the action is larger than life.

And what action there is! In roleplaying game terms, we do not meet Egil and Nix as first level characters. They are talented, competent, and very very good at what they do. Their first mission, in the prologue, has them taking on a demon, and the action only ramps up from there as we progress through the novel. The author describes this action very well indeed, be it fighting dangerous monsters in a tomb or a barroom fight. The two protagonists have clearly done this many times before, and together, and work as an excellent pairing.

The setting is described in the typical leanness of prose in the sub-genre. There isn't a tremendous amount of worldbuilding. Instead things get parceled out as the reader goes along, building up bit by bit a decent knowledge of the world. Would I have liked more? Absolutely. I'm a big fan of worldbuilding. But we do get enough of a sense of the city and the rest of the world that the duo travel through. There's a real sense that the city is old, and I have no doubt that Egil and Nix cut their teeth exploring sewers and dungeons beneath the city before taking up the more dangerous profession of tomb robbing.

The magic in the novel is mysterious, chaotic and not to be trusted. Although Nix himself uses what roleplayers would call magic items, there is an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons feel to this use, rather than the blander 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Artifacts are capricious, mysterious things that don't always work as intended or desired. Dark magic is suitably repellent and tinged with a sense of danger.

The author keeps the action of the story moving. Just when things seem to simmer down, Kemp knows its time to "add ninjas" to the story and keep the story from ever flagging. There are some really nice set-pieces of battles as Egil and Nix, as talented as they are, face every more dangerous foes and perilous situations. The book remained consistently entertaining and I would love to see more of the worlds and its characters. I'd also like, one day, for Kemp to write his own "Ill Met in Dur Follin" and show how Nix and Egil go on to forge their friendship.

Female characters? Well, given the subject matter, we don't have any viewpoint female characters. As far as the genre buzzword of the year, agency, after the fact its clear that one of the female characters does have far more agency than we see. This appears to be a result of point of view and framing and a deliberate withholding of a reveal on the part of the author to increase the impact in the denouement.

I'm not sure about the ending, though. I am conflicted if the fate of the ultimate antagonist once defeated fits perfectly with the two protagonists, given how their characters have been presented, their motivations and their actions. Is it just desserts for the antagonist? Yes. But is it something that in the end Nix and Egil would have done? I'm not so sure. I will say that the ultimate fate of the antagonist is definitely foreshadowed by a running theme through the novel. It's a well done Chekov's Gun, at any rate.

Aside from my concerns about the ending, though, The Hammer and the Blade is old school Sword and Sorcery with an appealing pair of protagonists whose feats of derring-do and likeable personalities kept me turning the pages. If you have any interest in Sword and Sorcery, I am confident you will find the same.

(This Review originally appeared at The Functional Nerds. Many more of my reviews are available there)

The main characters borrow heavily from The Lies of Lock
e Lamore, and Kemps D&D background really comes through. Having said that i loved this book, the writing was funny and witty, the protagonists likeable and funny. If you like over the top action, black hat villains, and mighty heroes, this book is for you. Cant wait for the sequel.

The Hammer and the Blade contains all the elements of my favorite tabletop tomb-raiding roleplaying games and Sword & Sorcery stories. Nix and Egil are particularly rich and believable characters, and the world they live in is lush and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and can't wait to read more.

Great addition to your already impressive repertoire. I was really feeling the Leiber,and Howard love. Egil and Nix are great characters and I look forward to reading more of them. The characters are flawed and gritty. Rogues with a soft spot. These two characters manage to fumble through one disaster after another and keep a fingers width ahead of annihilation. I tore through the book in 3 days. If you liked Mr. Kemps other books you will not be disappointed.

Another gr8 read from paul s kemp!! I highly recommend this book to all fans of the genre, it is fast paced,witty,and the characters remind me of real people with hopes, dreams and a story behind who they are! I hope paul decides to spend a little time here when he is not in a galaxy far far away,or expanding my favourite world W.O.T.C/F.R!!!!! I have never read a star wars book but i am going to now, This guy can write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul S. Kemp is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I'm primarily a Star Wars reader, so I didn't know what to expect from this book. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is written so well and the character development is top notch that it doesn't need the super long descriptive sword fight paragraphs like a lot of other fantasy novels (I'm looking at you Salvatore...)

I just started reading Paul's novels last year and I must say I haven't been disappointed once. I must admit I was a little leery being that I'm a Forgotten Realms junkie but The Hammer and the Blade delivers all the way to the last page! Thanks for another great book!!!! ..... PS: when can we talk prequel! Lol

Paul S. Kemp has crafted an excellent sword & sorcery novel filled with action and humor. It features two of the most likeable characters that I've ever come across in a fantasy novel. 5 stars all the way.