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Too many smart people

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2020

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I liked it. The story moves well. There is action, a bit of rough comedy, and the hero is suitably heroic at need.

My difficulty is that there were woo many people who reasoned logically and not enough who followed their passions. Having a few who think practically makes it easier to drive the story, but they need to have more fools as foils. While there were idiots, they weren’t loud about it. Even the crazy character (Mad Hazlet?) acted rationally. It felt too safe. Somebody needed to be more difficult to control than Jonn’s mouth.

I would be interested in a follow up novel. The world is interesting and I do like the MC. I just need him to have a better, more flamboyant supporting character.

dj505

Mediocre modern military characters in a swords-and-sorcery setting

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2020

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The city-state of Groft is governed by a group of wizards who take it in turns to oversea the administration of various aspects of the city's life. When one decides to use his power (magical and administrative) to turn the city into the sort of command economy that Marx, Lenin, Speer, &c. could only dream of, it provides a great opening for organized crime. It falls to one man to rebel and put things right!

This is the basic outline of "Boss: Falchion's Company". Our Hero, Falchion, is a down-on-his luck mercenary who takes employment as an enforcer for a city-wide protection racket. His very 21st-century American sensibilities are offended, and he quickly assembles a ragtag group of other former mercs to overthrow the gangsters and... um... not EXACTLY take over the racket, but... er... be nicer about it? Anyway, it turns out that the gangsters are secretly allied with the wizard who established the city's economic system, his idea being that their racket-cum-black market would be a "safety valve" for citizens who don't quite like having their businesses - their lives - ordered by a dictator, no matter how benevolent his intent. With the help of his mercs, a lovely shopkeeper, and a witch, Falchion uncovers the mystery and kills the wizard.

This MIGHT have been a better book but for:

1. Characters that are utterly one-dimensional. Falchion, the hero and protagonist, is utterly boring. The rest of the characters are so pointless and predictable that they might as well not even have names

2. Magicians who have almost god-like power but can't manage to find, much less destroy, a handful of troublesome mercenaries. They can't even keep intruders out of their magical towers!

3. Characters who speak and act like they stepped out of a bad military-themed SyFy movie

4. Characters and plot lines that don't seem to have any purpose in the book

5. A city that, despite the swords-and-sorcery them, seems far more like a modern dystopia, a surveillance state in which computers and CCTV cameras are replaced with magic

All this combines to make a dull, almost painful read.

JessicaR

Light-weight feel-good swords and sorcery fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020

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This book reminds me of an older one, "The Lies Of Lock Lamora", a story of a rogue who accidentally falls into the role of 'white knight'. It is a light-weight read with some rather well defined stock characters and lots of bloody battles but well worth it for the fun and 'daring do'. If you are expecting angst, gritty battle-worn soldiers, and difficult moral decisions, this is the wrong book for you. If you want to read a well played fantasy about rogues with secret hearts of gold who can elicit loyalty from those around them to battle evil and (with some difficulty and a few twists) win the day, you will definitely enjoy this story.

John Kerr

Page turner

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020

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Fun read. An excellent way to spend a few hours. I've been following Ken Lizzi for several novels now. I enjoy his style of writing; intelligent, fast paced action, good characters. Boss does not disappoint. Since in the title, it says book 1, I will definitely purchase book 2. I like the world he is creating. I recommend his work to friends.

Scott Burge

Highly recommend

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020

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Good read. Enjoyed the fight between freedom and centralized economies. Good characters.

Can a bloody mercenary be a decent human being? And a fun companion? 'Boss' fills the bill!

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2020

If you miss strong heroines and veteran warriors like Brick in Ken Lizzi' "Thick as Thieves," you're in for a treat: more where that came from! Hello, "Boss." Welcome to my library!

Lizzi's characters are gritty and real, decent and honest, even if they're sometimes in need of a social filter, and especially if everyone keeps calling them a^^hole. Falchion, whose name comes from a medieval weapon, lives up to all of a Lizzi fan's expectations. He's flawed, yes, but he has principles. Falchion is resourceful, quick-witted, strong, brave, and able to rally others to fight for justice. When he appears ready to claim the spoils and take over as a debt collector, readers may wonder what the heck this guy is thinking, but rest assured, this Lizzi hero isn't going to the dark side.

"Boss" is an awesome tale of a mercery soldier starting a new job, thinking "This isn't a good way to do business," and expecting a pat on the back for keeping his co-worker from using violence to collect dues owed for services rendered. He gets a kick in the head and a threat, instead, along with an order to do the impossible. Or what would be impossible for anyone else.

The cast of minor characters is rich and memorable, but as with all good fight stories, some of those we love most will fall in battle. This is one reason I rarely read military fiction. Ken Lizzi, however, delivers so much more than action and adventure. His characters are thoughtful and authentic. One of the things I love most about Falchion is the way he remembers his father, who instilled values and ethics in him and didn't want his son to be a mercenary, but Falchion went that route anyway. In between battles, he feels a little lost. Fighting is what he does best. Then again, uniting others to fight for a just cause may be what he does best. Falchion inspires others, earns their trust, and treats them right. Spoiler: he really isn't an a^^hole, however often he's called one.

Like the demon-fighting hero of Karl Thorson and the Jade Dagger, Lizzi's previous release, Falchion faces some super-humanly powerful adversaries. It may strain credulity to believe a mere mortal could overcome wizards, sorcerers, even Karl Thorson's demon, but seeing the good guy win is so much fun, I don't care if it's possible only in fiction. That's why I read fiction!

Looking forward to the next two books in the series, and hoping to see more of Brick in future sequels to "Thick as Thieves." (Hint, hint!)