Monsters, magic, savage action and clashing blades.
Sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy tales in the tradition of Robert E. Howard's Conan and Kull, Lin Carter's Thongor, and Karl Edward Wagner's Kane, featuring Matt Hilton's Korvix the axe warrior and other mighty heroes.
Matt Hilton worked for twenty-two years in private security and the police force in Cumbria. He is a 4th Dan blackbelt and coach in Ju-Jitsu. He lives in Cumbria with his wife and son.
Matt is the author of the best-selling Joe Hunter thriller series, as well as standalone horror thrillers and short stories that have appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. Matt's first novel - Dead Men's Dust - was a Sunday Times best-seller and was shortlisted for the ITW New Novel Award 2009.
Nice collection of Sword and Sorcery stories by an author known for Thrillers. The first few stories about a plainsman have a really gritty feel. These are the best in the book. The last 4 center on Justice keepers of an Empire, and a man of god from World War II, eradicating compelling versions of a vampire and a ghoul in Eastern Europe. Recommend!
As an editor of a couple of S&S projects, I've become acquainted with a handful of writers of the genre, including Matt Hilton. In fact, one of Hilton's Korvix adventures will be appearing in Swords & Heroes E-zine in a few weeks, online here: https://tulefogpress.substack.com/
So I thought I should read a few more of the author's tales just to familiarize myself with his axe-wielding hero. Clashing Blades was a good introduction.
Opening the collection are 4 Korvix tales, the first two are told in the third person present tense, which just didn't work for me. I actually got a bit confused, but that's on me. (How a writer chooses to narrate his or her story is up to them, of course, but I'm just not into this type of POV - Suzanne Colllins' Hunger Games doubly annoyed me with first person present! lol)
That being said, there was lots of good action, and by stories #3 and #4, I really started enjoyed the tales. Korvix is a kind of rogue mercenary when needed but follows his own path and morality. He just can't keep himself out of trouble though! "Vengeance of the gods" was my favorite. It really had an interesting mythological take to it, plus a noble resolution. My kind of tale.
The next two stories are fantasy as well, but feature a character named Kendrick who is a vigilante of sorts. These tales are gripping and entertaining and I'd like to read more stories in this universe.
The final two adventures are alt-history/fantasy set in WW II Germany. The stories feature Ludis, a lapsed clergyman-cum-warrior who has fantastic evils to confront. I enjoyed them both, but the second of these two stories, while it can stand alone, actually introduces Hilton's novel, Darkest Hour, where the story continues.
Overall 4.5. Recommended for S&S fans and fans of dark fantasy.