Kings of the Wyld

By: Nicholas Eames

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Winner of the 2018 Gemmell Award for Best Debut

Winner of Fantasy Faction's Best Fantasy Book of 2017 Award

Winner of Reddit Fantasy's Best Debut Novel of 2017 Award

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best - the meanest, dirtiest, most feared and admired crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. But their glory days are long past; the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. 

Then a former bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help: his daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy horde 100,000 strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of impossible 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. 

©2017 Nicholas Eames (P)2017 Little Brown Book Group

Critic Reviews

"An outstanding debut which will make you laugh and cry and hold your breath. This is a book that has it all." (K. J. Parker)

"A fantastic read, a rollicking, page-turning, edge-of-your-seat road-trip of a book." (John Gwynne)

"Could very well be the debut of the year." (Fantasy Book Review)

refreshing taste of comedic fantasy

I'm not usually someone who enjoys comedy, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. the perfect flair of self-referential fantasy clichés, dark grit, humour and D&D references. I fun ride.

Thrilling voicing for an enthusing, humorous epic

Jeff Harding's ability to lend a wide range of convincing voices and tones to the vast number of characters really gives life to Nicholas Eames' funny, epic, irreverent heroic fantasy story.

I have already pre-ordered the next on Kindle (Bloody Rose) and seriously hope there will be more.

a love letter to roleplayers

If you enjoy dnd or other RPG's and have a dry sense of humour you are probably gonna enjoy this book.

Great tale

Somehow is both relatable, fantastical. funny and somber all at once. Would listen to again.

The narrator is chosen poorly

The "Murican" accept doesn't fit the book or is even preformed in a coherent fashion. Somehow it sucks the life out of the book while making it seem that it's being narrated by a 13 year old trying way too hard to make the main character seem though and masculine. There's little to no nuance. Alternate voices for other characters aren't that bad but the intonation and tone overall are quite drab for my ears Considering returning the book.

2 of 4 people found this review helpful

Gritty and humorous.

If you could sum up Kings of the Wyld in three words, what would they be?

Camaraderie, adventure and nutjobs.

What other book might you compare Kings of the Wyld to, and why?

I could definetly compare this to Abercrombie's "The first law" series. It shares many themes, though this book is better. It has a broader spectrum of emotions. It's quite funny, even though it can at times be dark. You feel for the characters in it, you care.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Harding’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I havent, I don't think. He was great though. I was a bit sceptical due to the accent, but it worked really well. He manages to differentiate voices very well, he adds feeling and emotion at the right times... When there is humour, he makes you honestly think that the character finds whatever is going on amusing.
He even pulls of gritty voices. I am pleased.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is very long, so no.. But I did finish it in a couple of days, it was more or less impossible to put down.

Any additional comments?

Never heard of either the author or the narrator before, but this was just magnificent... It's like finding a brand of whisky that you've never even heard of before, sampling it and finding something that has the exact amount of sweetness and complexity, countered by a smokey and warm taste.. With an after touch of sensation that leaves you considering it even after you've finished.

17 of 17 people found this review helpful

A refreshing and enjoyable take on a classic tale

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

The fantasy is preserved and surprisingly improved upon by the wry and sharp humour which affectionately pokes fun at all the tropes fantasy stories are reputed to embrace.

What other book might you compare Kings of the Wyld to, and why?

It's hard to find a story to accurately compared KotW to - it would be more appropriate to describe it as Game of Thrones tones interlaced with Diskworld humour.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Harding – was your favourite?

The charming southern drawl possessed by the majority of the main cast make it easy to find yourself attached to them - however the character of Clay Cooper, who effectively narrates the story and takes the listener on the journey with him is a particularly charismatic figure, whose tones made the entire experience akin to listening to a friend tell your their life story.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Great fantasy book. best I've read in ages.

Couldn't stop listening to this book. Jeff Harding's voice brings a twist to the fantasy genre which I loved.
Eames fleshes out not only the ragtag band of bygone heroes, but brings a depth to the host of minor players. Giving some funny and bittersweet moments to this story.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

ther was nothing I didn't like about this book .

Great story and Jeff was fantastic I loved every minute of it and will listen to it again.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

A love lettter to classic tabletop RPGs

This book was from start to finish laden with self referencing humour and external references that had me grinning from ear to ear during my commute. Subtle nods to classic RPGs, fiction, and gaming tropes. Intermixed with fun and interesting twists on some old ideas to keep everything fresh.

While you don't need to know your Giant Tarantula from your Tarrasque to enjoy the book you'll defiantly get more out of it. The author does a good job describing the important elements of the exotic monsters encountered on the bands travels, however some of the more brief nods will go over the heads of some readers, especially during the climaxing chapters there are extremely large numbers of monsters mentioned in brief quick succession.

The narration was on point with only a couple of words such as Cuirass sounding off and one or two times during the action where the character inflections seemed to get a bit muddled. Not enough to distract for more than an instant. Each major character gets their own distinct voice so it's never a struggle to work out who is talking.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A proper sword swashbuckling adventure

Written with a light, humorous touch, and very well narrated. This was a good find!
Some laugh out moments, which I always appreciate. Proper "boys-own" adventure - though some pretty feisty ladies in it too.

The title suggests there are more books to come in this series, and while there are lots of hooks /additional characters who could go on to lead their own stories, this particular story is nicely wrapped up with no gaping loose ends.

A great listen, and I will look out for future books by Nicholas Eames.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I laughed, I cried and I nearly crashed the car!!

WARNING - start this book and you can kiss family and your podcasts goodbye for a time.
You know when you find a fantasy book that you think was written for you? this is it. No brooding Hero's here, well maybe one. it's full of funny one liners. Great story telling and characters you believe in. Great narration to top it off. well done to all involved. A great geri-action fantasy book

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great

Great story, really funny, best story I have listened to for a while. Good action adventure

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Awesome

Great fantasy for starters, also a brilliant rock parody with more easter-eggs than you'd believe.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Rollicking fantasy adventure with a soundtrack to kill for.

Very funny in places, very charming all the way through - this is fantasy that rocks. A lovely cast of characters made interesting through the eyes of an amusing, wry narrator this is a road trip adventure fantasy that wears its influences on its sleeve.

Not exactly epic fantasy and not for those who are too purist in their tastes, but it has an epic feel about it and a lighthearted tone that I just very much enjoyed. Don't want to spoil too much, so I'll just say it was a pleasure to read the adventures of this band as they rambled on - this book has a whole lotta love from me.

Very well narrated too; though there's one dodgy edit just before the finale.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful