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Demon Blade #1
Demon Blade
The only hope of saving the princess Madia from Tyrr, the Dark Mage, and his demon forces is for Frost and his team of Subartan Guards to find the Demon Blade and persuade the swamp things that now possess it to let it go.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 26, 2017
Pulp fantasy in all its pulpy glory. The back cover copy says it all when it describes Tyrr--a demon prince and (unsurprisingly) the antagonist of the novel--with, "In a time when Dark Magery is all the rage, he's the Darkest Mage of all." (Which isn't strictly true, seeing as he's a literal demon not just some rogue dark wizard) The novel delivers on the high-adventure, good-guys-have-to-win-but-it-sure-doesn't-have-to-be-easy swords and sorcery plot it promises. As a plot, it's pretty standard:
But the standardness of the plot doesn't make it any less fun to read and it was fun. I liked Princess Madia and her stubborn childishness and her growth into a Queen-to-Be. I liked Frost, a powerful, cocksure, weirdly overcautious, a bit selfish. Tyrr's constant struggle to blend into the human world was well done and enjoyable. I liked the magic system--spells seemed to feed directly on the physical flesh of the wizards, so all wizards seemed to want to be fat whenever possible. All of these brought out the fun in its swords and sorcery formula, serving (while not as an example of the best of the genre) certainly as an example of the sorts of excitement that the genre can provide for a reader.
Stylistically, it was fine, nothing to write home about one way or the other, although I will give Garland and McGraw that they let their protagonists be whole (or nearly whole) characters not just the Reformed Miscreant Princess and Selfish Mercenary Wizard--although to an extent Madia and Frost were those things. I don't think that Demon Blade entirely avoided calling attention to its formulaicness, which hurt it a little, although not enough to keep it from being a highly enjoyable read. If it had been a tad more self-aware, it might have rocketed to five stars by calling more attention to the ways in which it was A Sword and Sorcery Novel just like it proclaims on the cover, and a slightly more subtle application of the formula could have also moved it from "good fun" to "great fantasy experience", but as it was it is a nice reminder that I Do Actually Like Fantasy and (more importantly) that there is a special place in my heart for the sort of fantasy novel that one usually finds in cheap paperback editions with forms to buy more of the same through the mail in the back. A very solid example of exactly that sort of novel, easily worth reading if you happen to stumble across a copy somewhere.
But the standardness of the plot doesn't make it any less fun to read and it was fun. I liked Princess Madia and her stubborn childishness and her growth into a Queen-to-Be. I liked Frost, a powerful, cocksure, weirdly overcautious, a bit selfish. Tyrr's constant struggle to blend into the human world was well done and enjoyable. I liked the magic system--spells seemed to feed directly on the physical flesh of the wizards, so all wizards seemed to want to be fat whenever possible. All of these brought out the fun in its swords and sorcery formula, serving (while not as an example of the best of the genre) certainly as an example of the sorts of excitement that the genre can provide for a reader.
Stylistically, it was fine, nothing to write home about one way or the other, although I will give Garland and McGraw that they let their protagonists be whole (or nearly whole) characters not just the Reformed Miscreant Princess and Selfish Mercenary Wizard--although to an extent Madia and Frost were those things. I don't think that Demon Blade entirely avoided calling attention to its formulaicness, which hurt it a little, although not enough to keep it from being a highly enjoyable read. If it had been a tad more self-aware, it might have rocketed to five stars by calling more attention to the ways in which it was A Sword and Sorcery Novel just like it proclaims on the cover, and a slightly more subtle application of the formula could have also moved it from "good fun" to "great fantasy experience", but as it was it is a nice reminder that I Do Actually Like Fantasy and (more importantly) that there is a special place in my heart for the sort of fantasy novel that one usually finds in cheap paperback editions with forms to buy more of the same through the mail in the back. A very solid example of exactly that sort of novel, easily worth reading if you happen to stumble across a copy somewhere.
April 5, 2024
Occasionally clever prose and the promise of coming-of-age for a spoiled brat that doesn't really deliver. Bland and generic for most of the story as the characters meander about waiting for the plot to find them, which it does around halfway through the book. Lots of references to places and geographical details without a map to allow us to follow along, fights without stakes that escalate at the drop of a hat and don't really say anything, and even lack the writing impact such that sometimes you don't even know what's going on.
One positive thing to say is that the main character is a princess with an ego problem who is humbled and learns to become more bearable. Somewhat. Given how insufferable she starts off as, it's nice to see some sort of change take place. If only it were meaningful - any growth is stymied by her having things handed to her and not actually learning her lessons, and she's naturally good at fighting and traveling and survival (remarkably so, for a teenager who spent all her time pampered in a castle) so any sense of meaningful progress is quickly lost. From then on, she's your standard strong female protagonist, having the insight to get through to intractable characters and the means to unify disparate lords when plenty of other options would do, and what passes for the story plods along with her at the helm.
Which sums up the story overall. Characters who could/should be significant die without so much as a whimper, events twist and change on a dime without much in the way of logic to carry them, and the details of might and magic are simply handed over with bland description, no visceral investment or stakes or weight to any of it. I get that people want mindless entertainment in their fantasy (though I'll never understand why), but this crosses the line into draining all activity above the brain stem.
Don't think hard or expect much out of this - the writers certainly didn't.
One positive thing to say is that the main character is a princess with an ego problem who is humbled and learns to become more bearable. Somewhat. Given how insufferable she starts off as, it's nice to see some sort of change take place. If only it were meaningful - any growth is stymied by her having things handed to her and not actually learning her lessons, and she's naturally good at fighting and traveling and survival (remarkably so, for a teenager who spent all her time pampered in a castle) so any sense of meaningful progress is quickly lost. From then on, she's your standard strong female protagonist, having the insight to get through to intractable characters and the means to unify disparate lords when plenty of other options would do, and what passes for the story plods along with her at the helm.
Which sums up the story overall. Characters who could/should be significant die without so much as a whimper, events twist and change on a dime without much in the way of logic to carry them, and the details of might and magic are simply handed over with bland description, no visceral investment or stakes or weight to any of it. I get that people want mindless entertainment in their fantasy (though I'll never understand why), but this crosses the line into draining all activity above the brain stem.
Don't think hard or expect much out of this - the writers certainly didn't.
January 6, 2008
Baen Free Library Book.
"Let me," Rosivok said. Abruptly he bent down and took up the Blade. He stood there holding it, examining its shimmering steel, the beads of moisture rolling off of it. After a moment he shrugged. "Nothing," he said.
"No," the wizard Frost agreed. "There should not be." He took a very deep breath—deciding he would have to use his right hand, the left simply did not have the strength after the first disastrous try—and reached toward the Subartan warrior. "Let me try once more."
Rosivok held the Blade out. Briefly, Frost closed his eyes. He pushed all thoughts of the Blade's powers, as well as his own ideas about them, out of his mind, then spoke a minor spell to himself, one to keep his magical energies turned inward, turned off, for now. He looked at the Blade again and reached, and touched it. This time, after a moment, he gently smiled.
"Let me," Rosivok said. Abruptly he bent down and took up the Blade. He stood there holding it, examining its shimmering steel, the beads of moisture rolling off of it. After a moment he shrugged. "Nothing," he said.
"No," the wizard Frost agreed. "There should not be." He took a very deep breath—deciding he would have to use his right hand, the left simply did not have the strength after the first disastrous try—and reached toward the Subartan warrior. "Let me try once more."
Rosivok held the Blade out. Briefly, Frost closed his eyes. He pushed all thoughts of the Blade's powers, as well as his own ideas about them, out of his mind, then spoke a minor spell to himself, one to keep his magical energies turned inward, turned off, for now. He looked at the Blade again and reached, and touched it. This time, after a moment, he gently smiled.
May 29, 2016
Found this by serendipity at a used bookstore. It had interesting characters who grow and change, and a nifty magic system. I usually don't like it when writers are too verbose, but I think this could've benefited from being a bit longer. Too many important points are glossed over without being given the care and attention they deserve. The authors seemed to be in a rush to get to the end. Still an entertaining read.
February 9, 2010
A fairly run-of-the-mill fantasy novel. Interesting take on magic and I enjoyed it overall, but nothing really special.
December 12, 2012
Meh. Finished it a while back... must not have been loving it as I can't quite recall the last quarter of it or so. Ah well.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews