The Hammer and the Blade

A Tale of Egil and Nix

By: Paul S. Kemp

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

So here’s the plan: Kill the demon, steal the treasure, and retire to a life of luxury!

It sounds easy when put like that. However, most unfortunately for warrior-priest Egil and sneak thief Nix, when the demon they kill turns out to have worshippers in high places, retirement is not an option.

A wonderfully fast-paced fantasy adventure redolent of the classic tales of swords and sorcery, from New York Times best-selling author Paul S. Kemp.

©2012 Paul Kemp (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This rollicking tale hooked me from the get-go. Egil and Nix might not be the safest guys to go adventuring with, but they’re sure good company.” (Ed Greenwood, creator of Forgotten Realms)

Old School Pulp antasy

Would you consider the audio edition of The Hammer and the Blade to be better than the print version?

Unfortunately, what with not being able to see and all, I've never read the print version.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

While I throughly enjoyed this book, I didn't have any strong emotions tied to it. Now that I think about it, that might be one of the reasons I liked it as much as I did. With some many fantasy novels these days having strong and distinctive social or political messages, it was nice to sit back and veg out to some good ole fashioned sword and sorcery, It reminded me of some of the early Conan short stories which I loved as a kid.

Paul S. Kemp Has a Winner Here!

Egil & Nix are the most fun I've had in a fantasy story in many years! Fast-paced with great action sequences, you feel like you're standing side-by-side with the lads on their journeys! keep'em coming!

Adventure

Not sure if it was my headphone or the audio file but it kept skipping in places.

4 stars standard sword and sorcery fantasy

Since 'The Lies of Locke Lamora', I can not seem to pass any fantasy book with thieves and promise of humor. This book however is not of a caliber of 'The Lies..'. It is pretty much a standard fantasy book about two thieves who also are little bit of magician and priest (go figure). Use of magic openly used to gain more power magical powers by the main bad guy making this book pretty much standard.

Characters are flushed out to an extent, but I am not too sure if world building is as good. There is humor in the book as well, but it will not make the reader uncontrollably laugh while driving.

There are couple of interesting points in the book. The pact with the devil is of unique kind I thought. Also, end has a bit of a surprise as well. Depending on your perspective, it could be a one of the more satisfying endings.

Another good reason to pick this book up would be the narrator. I am having 'King Killer Chronicles' withdrawals and listening to Nick Podehl helps : ) Needless to say that narration is very good and entertaining.

In conclusion, it is light standard fantasy book with good narration. I would recommend this book for times when we are waiting for high caliber books to arrive.

Great listen

Ive listened to all the Nix and Egil books multiple times and would love it if more were added

Demmed googahs!

“I haven’t lived like a hero, so I have no intention of dying like one.”
It’s got the flavor of The Mummy + Conan with a dash of Pitch Black. Started slow, with not enough attention to painting a picture, not quite clever enough dialogue, and an overuse of “frenetically.” However, it grew on me as it went on.

There’s F bombs of the “fekken” variety, magic gone wrong, and themes of sacrificial maidens and demonic bargains (hence the Conan vibes). Ultimately, however, this was more B movie
than cableTV violent … and that suited me just fine. Egil and Nix may be tomb robbing rogues,
but they fall just on the right side of right.

Tip of the Cap to Fritz Leiber

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, if they are a fan of classic sword and sorcery fiction. The humor, dark sorcery, and bizarre situations the two heroes, Egil and Nix (close enough to a certain well-known duo from Lankhmar but different enough to be interesting!), find themselves in is a definite salute to classic pulp sword and sorcery fiction from yesteryear. However, these two are less "roguish" and more "heroic" than most classic sword and sorcery characters and there is a bit more of a contemporary presentation of the two main female characters who a) drive the plot in a way that is not dependent upon them being romantic interests for Egil and Nix, and b) are very intelligent and strong characters in their own right.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Egil. His devotion to his dead god and his heroic disposition made him very easy to cheer for.

What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voices for both Egil and Nix really bring the characters to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Goo-gahs.

Any additional comments?

I liked the second book in the series almost as much as this one. It has more background development for both Egil and Nix and a very interesting villain as well. However, the adventure they are on in the second book I found a bit less involved.

Full of excitement and excellently read!!!

Paul kept you guessing, very well read, excellent fight scenes. Nick did very well in narrating.

Awesome!

Lots of action. Great story and the characters are really funny. Was laughing out loud throughout the story and a great ending. Will have you looking and waiting for a sequel.

Great adventure

If you could sum up The Hammer and the Blade in three words, what would they be?

I had never heard of this author or the narrator. What a pleasant surprise this book was. As with any new story it took me a few minutes to figure out what was happening. The action started and I was hooked. The narrator did a great job with the different character and I didn't have any problem knowing who was talking. The overall story was very good and the author kept things moving. I look forward to the next adventure.