The Assassin's Blade

Assassin Without a Name #1

by Scott Marlowe

I had a name once, same as everyone else, but after one glorious night of murder it was no longer safe to use. Small sacrifice for ensuring my sister's safety, I figured. So now I don't use one. In my line of work, it's not necessary anyway. What is my line of work? Murder, of course, though I fancy myself more than just an assassin. Gentleman, thief, wine connoisseur, adventurer, a man of a thousand names and none. I'm all of those things and more.

My life was about as normal as one could hope when one particular job came along. Kill the artificer, steal the plans, make an exchange. Simple enough, until a band of fanatical priests ambushed and tried to kill me. Turns out the plans have something to do with a source of dark energy. The priests aren't the only ones interested in it, either. I've no interest in being a hero, but I'll do whatever I have to do to keep my city--and my sister--safe.

There's already blood on my hands. What's a little more?

***

Enter a world of intrigue, adventure, magic, technology, and, of course, murder, as the Assassin Without a Name finds himself embroiled in a secret war where all is lost no matter who wins.

The Assassin's Blade is a compilation of the first seven Assassin Without a Name fantasy adventure stories. It includes:

1. Fine Wine
2. Killing the Dead
3. Night of Zealotry
4. The Goddard Affair
5. Thief's Gambit
6. Assassin's Justice
7. Witch's Imperative

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Adult

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2015

About the author

Scott Marlowe lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Mountain Biking Capital of the World, where he drinks extraordinary amounts of coffee, rides his mountain or gravel bike whenever the opportunity arises, and writes stories that often end in wondrous, explosive mayhem.

You can find more information about Scott at scottmarlowe.com.

Reviews

[OldBird · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reluctant assassin trope is one that we've all seen, but what if he wasn't exactly reluctant? Less cliche, more human - even if he is the best f the best and you better believe he's got the skills and snark to back it up. Meet our nameless assassin and follow him through short story chapters that interlink, The Witcher-style, to start off what looks to be a strong D&D lover's fantasy of intrigues and dark dealings.

What I Loved:
- Our narrator is a scholarly assassin with strong opinions on wine and fine dining. His voice cuts through giving him the airs of an educated character who doesn't have time for all these everyday little people. He doesn't love his job, but he doesn't hate it so much either. It's a means to an end... That end being able to afford his own type of vices.
- The easy to follow plot. We've got several interlinking short stories that read like D&D modules and interludes, each contributing to a bigger picture with repeating themes and cast members.
- The fantasy meets gaslamp alchemy world has a lot going for it. A city full of mystery, thieves, secret guilds, airships, dark magic... there's a lot of potential for the way this story could grow.

What I Noticed:
- This was originally a set of 7 short stories released individually. Some chapters are very long, others very short, and the frequent recapping of events mentioned only pages prior seemed odd. A little bit of editorial work might have made them flow better.
- There's not that much fighting and actual assassin work going on in the stories. It's more sneaking and setting up intrigues for later.

TL;DR: A promising start with a snarky badass assassin anti-hero who you know is a better person than he pretends to be.

[Danielle Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters especially the assassin like his sense of humor and love of wine is just great. He puts on this hard exterior but he's loyal to his friends and family. I wish the storyline was executed a little bit better but I'm interested in the concept and I'd probably be interested in more of the series. I did get a little annoyed that the author felt the need to recap the events of prior chapters on a couple of occasions. It'd be one thing if those events were from a prior book but I literally just read it and then it got recapped?

[Frank Castle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish this. I was waiting for the main character to die and an admirable character to come in. Or for some kind of change. The reason I was able to wait is because the writing was sophisticated and the language was clever. But I could not except the morality of the main character. Is it possible to be kind, thoughtful, merciful, and altruistic and also be a man who takes money to murder innocents in cold blood? I guess some would argue it is since prison guards in gulags have children they treat well- or that’s what I read….

But I can not reconcile a man who murders in painful ways on purpose for money but then later wants to be kind and help a lady in distress or spare someone from death choosing to compromise himself by incapacitating in combat to be kind instead of killing….. makes zero sense… I was in the Marines so I do know about terrible ugly violence but there is an element of tge foe being a fellow combatant - not killing a random fat merchant who has done no one harm and has no weapons…. So yeah I do not agree to the morality of the main character as being extra evil in one day but then being extra kind and risking his life in the night to save someone.

If you are a thug gangsta and do this then feel free to correct me…. That is if you are an Al Capone and do great brutal evil one hour and then do great good the next please correct me and explain the the main character is not impossible and that you are / have known criminals like this… But yeah the main character is about as likeae as Jeffery Epstein - and at least in evil Jeffery case no one can say he was actually nice and did some good deed that put homself in danger… so yeah the book logic of the character traits of a bad but good guy do not make sense with anyone who exists… unless maybe you can argue there are split personality people who do great good and evil in the same day…..

[Dan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, hard to get into

As an avid sci-fi, fantasy, epic fantasy reader, found the character development to be poor in an attempt to create mysterious factions.
POV of the protagonist is fine, but the overall lack of development of the other characters that are relevant to the story and protagonist's development made the story uninteresting. Found the plot to be mildly interesting and with further development could have been an excellent premise.

Probably won't continue the series unless I don't have anything else to read. Struggled to get through the first book for lack of interest in the characters and plot.

For a book labelled "The assassin's blade", there were few assassinations and the fight sequences were poor and felt glossed over.

From the title, I was expecting more fights and detailed assassinations, not a sci fi/fantasy mystery that didn't really develop

[Sue E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "The Assassin's Dilemma" and I was hooked on this character and world. I've gone on to read "The Assassin's Blade", "The Assassin's Cunning", and "The Assassin's Code". I'm looking forward to reading "The Assassin's Skill". I love it when I find a great book that leads to a whole series!

On the face of it, the Nameless Assassin seems like an unlikely hero. He kills people for a living...and he's not without his own dark cornered soul. He'd be the first to tell you that he's no hero, he's just doing a job. In his world, it is a job; with competitors, expectations, and rules.

And yet...

He's not a blind rule follower and assassinations are not simply commercial transactions. It's that complexity and his own personal code balanced on a knife's edge with taking a life that creates a compelling story.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this story. The main character being a full of himself, sassy, and dry humor just made me love it. The different jobs he is hired to do are set up almost as their own little interconnected short stories. I’m going to be honest I was not sure of this at the start, but it grew on me. Each chapter/act brings its own job/adventure that leads you in the path if understanding how everything is connected and what the stakes are.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong author voice overall and a mostly engaging protagonist, and even though I think there’s a lot of great ideas here, I was just not a huge fan of how they were all executed. The dialogue also put me off a bit, it’s fairly basic without a lot of subtext. That said, again, strong protagonist, and by chapter one you get a real sense of the book’s unique style.

[Thomas Guaraldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Story!

This story is rich in vivid details and action. We get to bond with the main character and his people, feeling as if we are part of the team. The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you deeply interested and reading fast. I am looking forward to the next book.

[Olaitan Adenike]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark, Sharp, and Utterly Addictive

Scott Marlowe’s Assassin Without a Name is a fast-paced, gritty fantasy with a clever, morally gray protagonist. The world-building is rich, the intrigue is gripping, and the writing pulls you in from page one. A must-read for fans of dark fantasy and assassins with attitude!

[Ricard Margienda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding comic story , characters stay okey without getting into too much complexities . Focus is in the action and the action main thrill is based on the characters rather than battles or mysteries. So if you are up for entertainmaint that's a good book for you. If you are for dramma among charcters , try another book.

[Anthony Pfannerstill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic!

This book always had me hooked. The character development was great. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrilling stories of assassins and magic.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and will be reading the rest of the series! I love the combination of your typical assassins stealth & weaponry, combined with the magical elements and sorcery. Intriguing storyline with some really cool characters, I'm interested in seeing where this goes!

[Mulberry]

DNF

[Erica Aquino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf

[T.R. Sharrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure, assassins, and a good plot. I'm very happy I decided to grab this book!!

[Matthew Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read. The long chapter structure was annoying but also there was never a lull.

[Lundos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid first book. Consistent characters with their own agendas, a few plot twists, and a good balance of world building vs character interactions.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.