Kings of the Wyld

By: Nicholas Eames

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

A retired group of legendary mercenaries get the band back together for one last impossible mission in this award-winning debut epic fantasy.

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best, the most feared and renowned crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld.

Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk, or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help - the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for. It's time to get the band back together.

©2017 Nicholas Eames (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Brilliant debut novel.... Eames has cranked the thrills of epic fantasy up to 11.... Moreover, the plot is emotionally rewarding, original, and hilarious. Eames clearly set out to write something fun to read, and he has succeeded spectacularly." ( Publishers Weekly)

"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)

Could not stop listening!

Even though the narrator made most of the voices sound like they were from the southern states of America, the story more than made up for it.

Exciting and breathtaking while at the same time, enchanting and heart warming.
I fully endorse and recommend this book.
Definitely will be listening to this again soon!

The "Over The Hill Gang" take on ...

... "Here Be Monsters".

I went into this based on the sample recording, thinking it was yet another Lord of the Rings adventure or D&D tale and fearful that, like many other stories, would come away wanting. If others are reluctant to acquire this for similar reasons, you will miss out on a rare treat.

Yes, it has many elements in it like, wizards, enchanted weapons, dragons, giants, dark elves, heroes and such but Nicholas Eames didn't let those stem his imagination and, seemingly effortlessly, conjured a plethora of other unique fantastical creatures. He also didn't limit himself with simple lighter-than-air balloons for air support but imagined air ships that used a bit of magic and a touch of science to vehicles that flew on electrostatic energy.

But, by far, the most enjoyable parts of the novel is the thoughtful creation of the primary and secondary cast of characters. What would a fantasy be without the many battles these band of men encounter but instead of having their clashes be simply an iteration of the slash and smash before, the author interjects a unpredictable jocular unfolding to the encounters.

All of the entertainment of story was richly amplified with the excellent narrating skills of Jeff Harding.

Trust me, treat yourself to this one, you'll be pleased that you did.

Fun premise and take on Fantasy

Right off the bat you learn that you are in for a novel approach to the fantasy genre. Kings of the Wyld offers something novel to the tired and commonplace tropes of warriors and magic and dragons and giants and all the other fantastic beasts.

It does this by framing the whole world and warriors like rock bands. The bands tour the land gathering groupies and fame and even have managers and catchy band names. It's a tongue in cheek look at the whole world and it's immediately pretty fun. We follow the aged and somewhat washed up members of a band called Saga, the kings of the wyld. They must get the band back together for one last tour of heroism.

It's a great idea for a book. The problem for me is that it's a lot of hype and style with little substance. I guess that's fitting for a heavy metal band comparison. I was excited to enter the world and to get to know the players, but once you do, there's not a ton more to explore. The plot doesn't really do much. It's really basic and just trudges along on the predictable path. It's like the author put so much effort into the world building that he didn't bother much with the story itself.

I really wish Eames would have put equal effort into both.

Enjoyed this more than expected!

This was a great story. It was captivating through the entire story, it was unique, there was character growth. Check it out!

An outstanding story, appreciated by an old gamer!

An outstanding story that paints a fantastic portrait of a fantasy world, appreciated by an old gamer. Enjoy the journey!

Great listen very good audiobook Great characters

Hope we hear from Clay Cooper again Great character hope he has more adventures in other books

Everything I want in a fantasy in just one book

Simply just a good fun story without being bogged down by magic systems, a billion names and places, or 20 volumes just to get to the end. I like those too but sometimes you don't want to dedicate a few months to just one story.

Fun, fairly complex

Started out kind of slow but quickly got interesting. I was happy to find that, despite the salt-of-the-earth, working-Man's writing & narration, there was actually quite a bit of complexity and insight. A little derivative at times, but given the epic scope of this world it can be forgiven.

excellent

great story and narrator. top stuff and highly recommended to any fan of fantasy. buy it!

Great Surprise

This is by far the best book I've listened to of the year. I had it in my library for a few weeks and once I started it I was addicted and it got in the way of my work but I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for a great escape.