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Immaculate Scoundrels
- GenresSword and SorceryFantasy
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2024
10 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
John R. Fultz
58 books70 followersJohn R. Fultz lives in the Bay Area, California, but is originally from Kentucky. His fiction has appeared in Weird Tales, Black Gate, and Space & Time, as well as the comic book anthologies Zombie Tales and Cthulhu Tales. His graphic novel of epic fantasy, Primordia, was published by Archaia Comics. John’s literary heroes include Tanith Lee, Thomas Ligotti, Clark Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany, William Gibson, Robert Silverberg, and Darrell Schweitzer (not to mention Howard, Poe, and Shakespeare). When not writing stories, novels, or comics, John teaches English Literature at the middle/high school level and plays a mean guitar. In a previous life he made his living as a wandering storyteller on the lost continent of Atlantis.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 9, 2024
Pretty darn good. Entertaining in all the right ways. Very strong battle writing with lots of bladed and bloody death. Magic, demons, slaughter, betrayal, friendship, mystery - It's all here. A thoroughly created world with characters we invest in. Thold definitely pursues survival with a vengeance, though he does make interesting choices at times and does not seem to disdain sorcery much...just some of its users. He can fight and take a licking too. Not as higher fantasy as Fultz' Shaper Trilogy but definitely fun.
February 19, 2024
The title of John Fultz's new book, "Immaculate Scoundrels" is one of those tricky oxymoronic-sounding tongue twisters that at first dares you to define what it means yet seems to suggest that it means exactly something. It perhaps reminds of a similar title, the eponymous, "Inglorious Bastards" of Quentin Tarantino fame, and that comparison would be apt. For Fultz, like Tarantino, has stuffed his psyche to Baron Harkonnen proportions on a diet of pulp fiction in all its glorious forms and media: From sword & sorcery to wuxia fantasy, from hardboiled noir in the mean streets of the big city to the dusty plains and desolate streets that populate Westerns of the late 50s and 60s, encapsulated best in the works of Leone, Peckinpah and Boetticher.
Much like Tarantino, at his best, takes those youthful loves and elevates his creations from homage into something strange and new, with the start of the Scaleborn Saga, Fultz is...well...just what IS he doing?
In form, this is a "caper" or heist story; a KungFu "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" populated by your favorite D&D adventurers, where the pure-bred humans are both ascendant, and the bad guys...and the Scaleborn, a mestizo offspring of an all-but extinct lizard/snake people (the stock baddies in so much Sword & Sorcery since Robert E. Howard's "The Shadow Kingdom"), the sympathetic underdogs. But that's really only giving you a fast and dirty drop off into this world and this story, which feels a lot like the distillation of the fantasy that Fultz and I, fellow GenXers, were growing up with--where lean, tight sword & sorcery sat on the shelf next to brick-sized epic fantasy and some writers, such as the magnificent Tanith Lee or Glen Cook, wrote series and trilogies that straddled the two worlds, with tight efficient world-building that required the reader's attention and imagination, not a 50 page glossary, and often began small in scope and built steadily in scale.
Like the fiction of that particular era, certainly no one is safe, and one should expect a high body count. In a world with sorcerer's who can prolong their lives for hundreds of years, obliterate cities and use slave soldiers to fight their wars, life is far from fair, and death comes swift and sudden--even to those we've come to think of as heroes. Fultz clearly enjoys writing his battle scenes and there are moments that feel straight out of a KungFu film (or a 60s Western) where the good guys are surrounded by impossible odds, everyone is breathing heavy, there are close-ups of people's faces, and you know it is about to go down.
But this is also a very contemporary work; the writing style is current, Fultz has no problem introducing queer characters as needed as fully realized characters (rather than as oddities or novelties, as they so often were in our youth), and his female protagonist shares center-stage with her male counterpart.
This is a fun book that knows exactly what it is setting out to do and does it. The finale resolves in a reveal that elevates the story from episode to larger tale and also casts one of the main character's entire set of actions and motivations in a new light.
Worth your time.
Much like Tarantino, at his best, takes those youthful loves and elevates his creations from homage into something strange and new, with the start of the Scaleborn Saga, Fultz is...well...just what IS he doing?
In form, this is a "caper" or heist story; a KungFu "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" populated by your favorite D&D adventurers, where the pure-bred humans are both ascendant, and the bad guys...and the Scaleborn, a mestizo offspring of an all-but extinct lizard/snake people (the stock baddies in so much Sword & Sorcery since Robert E. Howard's "The Shadow Kingdom"), the sympathetic underdogs. But that's really only giving you a fast and dirty drop off into this world and this story, which feels a lot like the distillation of the fantasy that Fultz and I, fellow GenXers, were growing up with--where lean, tight sword & sorcery sat on the shelf next to brick-sized epic fantasy and some writers, such as the magnificent Tanith Lee or Glen Cook, wrote series and trilogies that straddled the two worlds, with tight efficient world-building that required the reader's attention and imagination, not a 50 page glossary, and often began small in scope and built steadily in scale.
Like the fiction of that particular era, certainly no one is safe, and one should expect a high body count. In a world with sorcerer's who can prolong their lives for hundreds of years, obliterate cities and use slave soldiers to fight their wars, life is far from fair, and death comes swift and sudden--even to those we've come to think of as heroes. Fultz clearly enjoys writing his battle scenes and there are moments that feel straight out of a KungFu film (or a 60s Western) where the good guys are surrounded by impossible odds, everyone is breathing heavy, there are close-ups of people's faces, and you know it is about to go down.
But this is also a very contemporary work; the writing style is current, Fultz has no problem introducing queer characters as needed as fully realized characters (rather than as oddities or novelties, as they so often were in our youth), and his female protagonist shares center-stage with her male counterpart.
This is a fun book that knows exactly what it is setting out to do and does it. The finale resolves in a reveal that elevates the story from episode to larger tale and also casts one of the main character's entire set of actions and motivations in a new light.
Worth your time.
March 6, 2024
Well, I had a great time reading this novel, the latest from John R Fultz. I am a big fan of his Books of the Shaper trilogy, and I was eager to see what he had up his sleeve with this first book of The Scaleborn Trilogy.
The story is set in the world of Yhorom, a fantasy setting with strong Asian influences that seems like a blend of S&S and Epic Fantasy with a dash of Samurai spices. The Empire is built on sorcery, and the rulers of the various city states are gifted long life by the sorcery they wield.
The world is populated by humans and the human-like Scaleborn. The Scaleborn are considered a lesser race by most others, and usually have some reptilian-like scales somewhere on their bodies that mark them as such. If they hide the scales from view they can usually move among humans with little issue.
Thold, a Scaleborn ex-monk, thief and adventurer, escapes from prison guided by a vision that urges him to seek out a great treasure hidden in the ruins of a lost city in the middle of the desert. What follows from this point is a grand adventure of wondrous vistas, flashing swords, spectacular sorcery, unlikely companions, and thrilling battles. Indeed, these are the days of high adventure, and the best part is that this is just the beginning. Recommended!
The story is set in the world of Yhorom, a fantasy setting with strong Asian influences that seems like a blend of S&S and Epic Fantasy with a dash of Samurai spices. The Empire is built on sorcery, and the rulers of the various city states are gifted long life by the sorcery they wield.
The world is populated by humans and the human-like Scaleborn. The Scaleborn are considered a lesser race by most others, and usually have some reptilian-like scales somewhere on their bodies that mark them as such. If they hide the scales from view they can usually move among humans with little issue.
Thold, a Scaleborn ex-monk, thief and adventurer, escapes from prison guided by a vision that urges him to seek out a great treasure hidden in the ruins of a lost city in the middle of the desert. What follows from this point is a grand adventure of wondrous vistas, flashing swords, spectacular sorcery, unlikely companions, and thrilling battles. Indeed, these are the days of high adventure, and the best part is that this is just the beginning. Recommended!
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July 27, 2024Thold the scaleborn is a killer. A madman. The most accomplished thief in all Yhorom. Now god-touched, his divine vision reveals a lost treasure in the temple ruins of Asha-Khana. First, he must escape prison. Then trek across a desert overrun with cannibals and the supernatural. Each footstep brings bloodshed, but he cannot turn back. Death follows him. Death follows everyone in Immaculate Scoundrels by John R. Fultz.
Good men do not exist in Yhorom. There are corrupt politicians and murderers. There are thugs and brutes. There are plenty dead. Beneath them all, as the lowest caste, are the scaleborn. In Yhorom, those born with scales are either treated as slaves or abused as soldiers. Many scaleborn join the war legions to legally kill humans.
Immaculate Scoundrels follows the exploits of a few scaleborn; Thold, Yuhai, and Captain Niro Vont. As a scaleborn sorceress, Yuhai is a traitor. She serves the Celestial Empress by kidnapping other scaleborn magic wielders. Her schemes and craftiness make her POV a delight to read. Captain Niro commands the 51st legion. Having fought in three wars, Captain Niro is not driven by bloodlust but understands one truth; cruelty wins wars. Readers will not find heroes in Immaculate Scoundrels.
Immaculate Scoundrels embodies an elevated spirit of classic sword and sorcery fantasy. John R. Fultz brings dark magic and swift brutality with his The Scaleborn series. Readers seeking the fantasy adventures of the 70s will find much to love with the barbarians and straight up savagery of this world. The resurgence of sword and sorcery works like the new Conan the Barbarian comics and Lord of a Shattered Land have blended with or perhaps evolved into the Grimdark genre. Grimdark elements are seen in the complexity of Fultz’s characters and diverse setting.
Immaculate Scoundrels features an Asian-inspired world stocked with different cultures, religions, and landscapes. It is refreshing to have an expansive Asian-inspired setting. John R. Fultz takes readers through forests, cities, and desert. As the title of the series suggests, there is an emphasis on scaleborn and their culture. As readers, we are shown an oppressive world ruled by humans from scaleborn eyes. This focus does spark curiosity for the human perspective of this world.
John R. Fultz is the modern voice for traditional sword and sorcery tales. Immaculate Scoundrels is a must read for those looking for a barbarian-esque fantasy adventure with modern pacing and prose.
Review first published in Grimdark Magazine
Good men do not exist in Yhorom. There are corrupt politicians and murderers. There are thugs and brutes. There are plenty dead. Beneath them all, as the lowest caste, are the scaleborn. In Yhorom, those born with scales are either treated as slaves or abused as soldiers. Many scaleborn join the war legions to legally kill humans.
Immaculate Scoundrels follows the exploits of a few scaleborn; Thold, Yuhai, and Captain Niro Vont. As a scaleborn sorceress, Yuhai is a traitor. She serves the Celestial Empress by kidnapping other scaleborn magic wielders. Her schemes and craftiness make her POV a delight to read. Captain Niro commands the 51st legion. Having fought in three wars, Captain Niro is not driven by bloodlust but understands one truth; cruelty wins wars. Readers will not find heroes in Immaculate Scoundrels.
Immaculate Scoundrels embodies an elevated spirit of classic sword and sorcery fantasy. John R. Fultz brings dark magic and swift brutality with his The Scaleborn series. Readers seeking the fantasy adventures of the 70s will find much to love with the barbarians and straight up savagery of this world. The resurgence of sword and sorcery works like the new Conan the Barbarian comics and Lord of a Shattered Land have blended with or perhaps evolved into the Grimdark genre. Grimdark elements are seen in the complexity of Fultz’s characters and diverse setting.
Immaculate Scoundrels features an Asian-inspired world stocked with different cultures, religions, and landscapes. It is refreshing to have an expansive Asian-inspired setting. John R. Fultz takes readers through forests, cities, and desert. As the title of the series suggests, there is an emphasis on scaleborn and their culture. As readers, we are shown an oppressive world ruled by humans from scaleborn eyes. This focus does spark curiosity for the human perspective of this world.
John R. Fultz is the modern voice for traditional sword and sorcery tales. Immaculate Scoundrels is a must read for those looking for a barbarian-esque fantasy adventure with modern pacing and prose.
Review first published in Grimdark Magazine
March 10, 2024
This was so good! The entire novel gave me old school Gary Gygax vibes but with Fultz's better writing. It didn't let me down with everything I've come to expect from him ... which means, the weirdest magic, bloody blade action, and epic and original world-building.
I highly recommend Immaculate Scoundrels to any fantasy or sword & sorcery fan, and if you get the chance, read his other novels and short stories!
I highly recommend Immaculate Scoundrels to any fantasy or sword & sorcery fan, and if you get the chance, read his other novels and short stories!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews