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Father Son Blades and Blood
Many centuries since cataclysmic war brought ruin to the world, a fragile peace holds among those wielding the remnants of power.
For Nils Felgrund—once protector to a northern king, now blade-for-hire—peace is a distant notion. Numbed by liquor, haunted by regret, he wanders lands scarred by the Oldworld’s fall, accompanied only by Hvísl, his ancient unbreakable sword, and Idar, his cursed and silent son.
When an enslaved caravan guard offers Nils a way to lift Idar’s curse—pay out her indenture and she’ll invoke a forbidden ritual to free the boy—Nils leaps at the chance.
But collecting the rite’s elements will lead them into the Blightholm—a festering wound in reality where nature’s laws are corrupted and ancient beings languish. And as darkling powers threaten Nils’ son, the swordsman must decide how far he’ll go to save the boy and erase his own shameful past.
Because in a world where solutions are often bought with blood, salvation may demand a price he cannot pay.
For Nils Felgrund—once protector to a northern king, now blade-for-hire—peace is a distant notion. Numbed by liquor, haunted by regret, he wanders lands scarred by the Oldworld’s fall, accompanied only by Hvísl, his ancient unbreakable sword, and Idar, his cursed and silent son.
When an enslaved caravan guard offers Nils a way to lift Idar’s curse—pay out her indenture and she’ll invoke a forbidden ritual to free the boy—Nils leaps at the chance.
But collecting the rite’s elements will lead them into the Blightholm—a festering wound in reality where nature’s laws are corrupted and ancient beings languish. And as darkling powers threaten Nils’ son, the swordsman must decide how far he’ll go to save the boy and erase his own shameful past.
Because in a world where solutions are often bought with blood, salvation may demand a price he cannot pay.
504 pages, ebook
Published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 4, 2026
Arc Review
A fresh new standalone. Set in the earlier time of Kardalan's history, from Last Among Equals.
Starting the Father Son, I was a bit curious if I was gonna connect with the main character. That can be a bit sad and overly grumpy at times, and just want to be alone. But he ended up to be a fantastic character that I highly enjoyed following along with. With amazing inner monologue and insulting jokes, I ended up having many funny times during the travel and his epic quest.
With more pages than it was planned to be, you will get a lot of worldbuilding and even more lore than Last Among Equals. I'm here for all of that! You will find so much here to love, and many side characters from evil to good to follow along.
Filled with sword and magic, necromancer, monsters, ghosts, and tons of mistakes. You are inn for a epic adventure with Nils and all the amazing side characters!
A fresh new standalone. Set in the earlier time of Kardalan's history, from Last Among Equals.
Starting the Father Son, I was a bit curious if I was gonna connect with the main character. That can be a bit sad and overly grumpy at times, and just want to be alone. But he ended up to be a fantastic character that I highly enjoyed following along with. With amazing inner monologue and insulting jokes, I ended up having many funny times during the travel and his epic quest.
With more pages than it was planned to be, you will get a lot of worldbuilding and even more lore than Last Among Equals. I'm here for all of that! You will find so much here to love, and many side characters from evil to good to follow along.
Filled with sword and magic, necromancer, monsters, ghosts, and tons of mistakes. You are inn for a epic adventure with Nils and all the amazing side characters!
September 4, 2026
Set before the events of Last Among Equals, Father Son Blades & Blood brings us the story of Nils Felgrund, a once protector, sword for hire, drunkard, haunted.
Wandering without direction, he stumbles into guarding a caravan for coin. When another guard offers to help him release his son who is cursed to haunt Nils, he takes her up on the offer. Desperate to find peace for Idar and himself, Nil's is taken down a path wrought with danger and darkness.
Such terrific world building by Pete Aldin! I love Kardalan's history and lore and we see more of it in this novel. Where this writing really shines is in the character work of Nils and the side characters we meet along the way, like Keshra, Torsten and Briya. I always love a strong female character so yes Keshra is my favourite since she's a badass. Everyone has a rich back story, flaws and personality. All is not dark here as the author gives us quite a bit of humour at the right time to break the tension or create a little moment of lightness.
This is just an overall killer read and I enjoyed every minute with these characters!
Thank you to the author for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this title! My thoughts are my own.
Wandering without direction, he stumbles into guarding a caravan for coin. When another guard offers to help him release his son who is cursed to haunt Nils, he takes her up on the offer. Desperate to find peace for Idar and himself, Nil's is taken down a path wrought with danger and darkness.
Such terrific world building by Pete Aldin! I love Kardalan's history and lore and we see more of it in this novel. Where this writing really shines is in the character work of Nils and the side characters we meet along the way, like Keshra, Torsten and Briya. I always love a strong female character so yes Keshra is my favourite since she's a badass. Everyone has a rich back story, flaws and personality. All is not dark here as the author gives us quite a bit of humour at the right time to break the tension or create a little moment of lightness.
This is just an overall killer read and I enjoyed every minute with these characters!
Thank you to the author for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this title! My thoughts are my own.
September 15, 2026
I was lucky enough to be asked by the author to be one of a handful of ARC readers for Father, Son, Blades & Blood, and I’m so glad I said yes.
Last year I read Last Among Equals, set in the same world but later in the timeline, so I was excited to get early access to this prequel ahead of its Kickstarter campaign. It didn’t disappoint.
This is classic epic fantasy done right. It’s refreshing, grounded, and character-driven. The plot centers on Nils, who’s tagging along as a guard-for-hire with a mercenary caravan. Early on we meet Keshra, a 25-year-old powerhouse of a woman (who has SUCH a sense of humor) who appears to be indentured to the mercenaries. She wants out, and befriends Nils in hopes that he can help her find the adventure she’s been missing. Nils has his own magical/ghostly trouble to deal with, and agrees. Feral human bandits and evil witches loom as antagonists, and the mages Torsten and Briya add another layer of intrigue I came to love.
The first leg of the journey moves at a slower pace, but I didn’t mind at all. Epic fantasy doesn’t always need to be battle-ridden, and the breathing room gave the characters space to develop. Nils and Keshra’s dynamic feels earned and I found myself genuinely invested in both of them. From the midpoint on, the lore deepens and the stakes ratchet up, with real momentum carrying into the final stretch.
The writing is clear and the worldbuilding is strong. I found myself flipping back to the glossary more than once, always in a good way. And while there’s plenty of action, this story is ultimately about the journey. The ending was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, which is exactly what a good epic fantasy should leave you with.
Highly recommended for fans of character-driven, classic style epic fantasy. You don’t need to have read Last Among Equals first, but if you have, you’ll find plenty here that enriches that world.
Last year I read Last Among Equals, set in the same world but later in the timeline, so I was excited to get early access to this prequel ahead of its Kickstarter campaign. It didn’t disappoint.
This is classic epic fantasy done right. It’s refreshing, grounded, and character-driven. The plot centers on Nils, who’s tagging along as a guard-for-hire with a mercenary caravan. Early on we meet Keshra, a 25-year-old powerhouse of a woman (who has SUCH a sense of humor) who appears to be indentured to the mercenaries. She wants out, and befriends Nils in hopes that he can help her find the adventure she’s been missing. Nils has his own magical/ghostly trouble to deal with, and agrees. Feral human bandits and evil witches loom as antagonists, and the mages Torsten and Briya add another layer of intrigue I came to love.
The first leg of the journey moves at a slower pace, but I didn’t mind at all. Epic fantasy doesn’t always need to be battle-ridden, and the breathing room gave the characters space to develop. Nils and Keshra’s dynamic feels earned and I found myself genuinely invested in both of them. From the midpoint on, the lore deepens and the stakes ratchet up, with real momentum carrying into the final stretch.
The writing is clear and the worldbuilding is strong. I found myself flipping back to the glossary more than once, always in a good way. And while there’s plenty of action, this story is ultimately about the journey. The ending was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, which is exactly what a good epic fantasy should leave you with.
Highly recommended for fans of character-driven, classic style epic fantasy. You don’t need to have read Last Among Equals first, but if you have, you’ll find plenty here that enriches that world.
September 17, 2026
12:18am ET. I should be fast asleep, but I was so invested in the ending. Blades and Blood was well paced with strong main characters, a wonderfully crafted world and an ending that leaves you desperately waiting for book 2 to come out. I have the kickstarter digital version and can’t wait to get the hardback in. As a parent, I really identified with Nils and his journey and I will admit to being maybe a bit emotional at the end. Well worth your time investment!
September 17, 2026
I loved Last Among Equals and so it was a no brainer when I was asked to do an ARC read for this one. This is darker than Last Among Equals- a bit more killing, a bit more gore and a couple of horses didn't. The relationship between Nils and Keshra is fantastic and adds a little lightness to the story.
The main focus of the story is Nils' quest to save his son's spirit and there is a lot that happens on the way. We get to explore a lot more of the world and see more of the set-up for how the world is later during LAE. Again, this is just a great example of an adventure fantasy - a quest, great companions and a character arc that makes you cheer for them.
The ending was fantastic. A satisfying conclusion to the story, with no cliffhangers
The main focus of the story is Nils' quest to save his son's spirit and there is a lot that happens on the way. We get to explore a lot more of the world and see more of the set-up for how the world is later during LAE. Again, this is just a great example of an adventure fantasy - a quest, great companions and a character arc that makes you cheer for them.
The ending was fantastic. A satisfying conclusion to the story, with no cliffhangers
September 14, 2026
Were this novel a restaurant meal, I’d say the chef skilfully prepared so many of my favourite ingredients, and that I couldn’t stop until every morsel was finished. Key ingredients:
-small band of interesting and deadly characters, with the MMC haunted by regret;
-difficult and dangerous quest—into the Blightholm, a festering wound upon the land, to secure ingredients for a ritual to save his son;
-plenty of action (sword fights and magic battles) and adventure;
-little or no romance (I won’t spoil which);
-cinematic climax.
The contrast and interplay between the grumpy/burdened MMC and the up-for-anything laughing-while-killing FMC was wonderful.
I don’t read much present-tense third person, but quickly warmed to it for this story.
If you’re not hooked by the first chapter or the start of the second, please give it at least another couple. They’re a great introduction to the characters and they set everything up, including a key twist. As per the end of chapter 2, the pace quickly ramps up.
Very few negatives. None I want or need to dwell on.
4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
-small band of interesting and deadly characters, with the MMC haunted by regret;
-difficult and dangerous quest—into the Blightholm, a festering wound upon the land, to secure ingredients for a ritual to save his son;
-plenty of action (sword fights and magic battles) and adventure;
-little or no romance (I won’t spoil which);
-cinematic climax.
The contrast and interplay between the grumpy/burdened MMC and the up-for-anything laughing-while-killing FMC was wonderful.
I don’t read much present-tense third person, but quickly warmed to it for this story.
If you’re not hooked by the first chapter or the start of the second, please give it at least another couple. They’re a great introduction to the characters and they set everything up, including a key twist. As per the end of chapter 2, the pace quickly ramps up.
Very few negatives. None I want or need to dwell on.
4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews