What do you think?
Rate this book
Thraxas #1
Thraxas
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1999
38 people are currently reading
1286 people want to read
About the author
Martin Scott
137 books81 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
A pen name of Martin Millar.
A pen name of Martin Millar.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
May 20, 2020
Touted as something rather original and a winner of the World Fantasy Award, I kinda expected this to be rather heavier on humor-meets-Noir-meets-D&D vibe than, say, a pleasant knock-off of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar series.
In actuality, I see a lot more in common with Lankhmar and a bit of the old Private Investigator than with, say, Discworld.
Some tropes are tweaked mildly but none are taken in extreme directions. The chainmail bikini is more like the outfits at Hooters and the woman is working her way to a better life... versus stupid male fantasies. Okies. Nice. But brilliant? I tend to think not, but this series might need continued reading to build up a compendium of awesomeness. Discworld definitely needed it before it became super-well-beloved.
But this? I come at this from 20 years down the line from when it was originally published. Independent and self-publishing are full of works like this and they are all of comparable quality and humor. I can't say it will have stood the test of time unless we say that these kinds of genre-mashers ARE the legacy we should be looking at.
And if that's the case, then I think it succeeded quite nicely. Thank you! :)
In actuality, I see a lot more in common with Lankhmar and a bit of the old Private Investigator than with, say, Discworld.
Some tropes are tweaked mildly but none are taken in extreme directions. The chainmail bikini is more like the outfits at Hooters and the woman is working her way to a better life... versus stupid male fantasies. Okies. Nice. But brilliant? I tend to think not, but this series might need continued reading to build up a compendium of awesomeness. Discworld definitely needed it before it became super-well-beloved.
But this? I come at this from 20 years down the line from when it was originally published. Independent and self-publishing are full of works like this and they are all of comparable quality and humor. I can't say it will have stood the test of time unless we say that these kinds of genre-mashers ARE the legacy we should be looking at.
And if that's the case, then I think it succeeded quite nicely. Thank you! :)
July 5, 2016
If you pick this up with low expectations, there’s an awful lot to love about it. Thraxas is an overweight, under-magicked, street-fighter for hire who finds himself caught between several different clients in a world something like your typical Dungeons and Dragons game once it’s just beginning to go to seed.
The premise is easy to describe – Mickey Spillane meets Fritz Leiber – but Martin Scott (a pseudonym, I understand) gets it. He understands when to milk the concept with detail about how the rise of the drug dwa changes the social dynamic of the city, and he understands just as well when it’s time for an assassin to shoot a cross bow bolt for no reason we can yet understand.
The story gets tangled. It can be hard to figure out precisely what task most concerns Thraxas at any moment, and – short as it was – I still sometimes found myself forgetting who was who. But that doesn’t matter. Scott moves things quickly at all times, and he makes Thraxas perpetually fun: addled enough to down a half dozen bottles of wine yet also tough enough to handle himself in a serious fight. So what if just about everyone betrays him. He seems as likely to betray all of them if only he weren’t so down-at-the-heels.
We’re not talking art here, but, knowing that, pick it up for the sheer pulp joy of it. This is what Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files should have been, a light-hearted marriage of different fun genres, one that never takes itself seriously but also never loses sight of its obligation to keep the pages turning.
The premise is easy to describe – Mickey Spillane meets Fritz Leiber – but Martin Scott (a pseudonym, I understand) gets it. He understands when to milk the concept with detail about how the rise of the drug dwa changes the social dynamic of the city, and he understands just as well when it’s time for an assassin to shoot a cross bow bolt for no reason we can yet understand.
The story gets tangled. It can be hard to figure out precisely what task most concerns Thraxas at any moment, and – short as it was – I still sometimes found myself forgetting who was who. But that doesn’t matter. Scott moves things quickly at all times, and he makes Thraxas perpetually fun: addled enough to down a half dozen bottles of wine yet also tough enough to handle himself in a serious fight. So what if just about everyone betrays him. He seems as likely to betray all of them if only he weren’t so down-at-the-heels.
We’re not talking art here, but, knowing that, pick it up for the sheer pulp joy of it. This is what Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files should have been, a light-hearted marriage of different fun genres, one that never takes itself seriously but also never loses sight of its obligation to keep the pages turning.
December 30, 2012
First posted at Fantasy Review Barn
If I were a more humorous writer I would make an incredibly witty joke about how excited I was to read a new Discworld book when I picked up 'Thraxas.' Unfortunately I don’t have anything witty lined up, so I will just move on with the review.
Martin Scott is the pen name for Martin Millar, whose works I have enjoyed for quite a while. This book is not unknown; it won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2000. But at least for me, it proved to be hard to find until recently released in E-book format. I was immediately struck by two things; it was very short, and the aforementioned similarities to Discworld.
Much like Discworld the author takes a trope filled world and bends it slightly. So Thraxas is a private investigator in the city of Turai, a typical fantasy city with all the trappings; criminal guilds, magicians, even a dragon in the zoo. He is an overweight man, but well aware of it. He is also a surprising man, still fearsome in a fight and a competent PI. His major failings are being a bad gambler and a mediocre sorcerer, he can only memorize one major spell at a time (something Pratchett played with early in Discworld and abandoned). He never turns into the bumbling idiot played for amusement. His best friend and sometimes body guard is a pretty bikini chainmail wearing girl with orc, elven, and human heritage named Makri. Of course she wears the bikini chainmail because the bar she works at has a barbarian theme, she wouldn’t be caught dead in it in an actual fight(where she would prefer full body leather armor). One would expect her to be a possible love interest for our hero Thraxas, but no, she is much more interested in her studies at the university and involvement in a guild for women’s advancement.
The plot is a fairly interesting mystery tale, with Traxas taking on multiple cases in order to gain enough money to pay off a gambling debt. Along the way he runs into rogue magicians, top assassins, a princess, and lots of dope dealers. He pieces together the puzzle, has some adventures, fights a nasty dragon, and runs into an old adversary is a lot tougher than he remembers. Nothing revolutionary, the author sticks with all the fantasy basics. This doesn’t affect the book negatively at all, it actually keeps the book moving quickly, no info dumps needed.
The book is incredibly short and moves very quickly. Compared to later works like ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ it is downright simple. But the short story is entertaining, the humor is subtle, and I hope the next EIGHT books in the series are just as good.
4 stars. Nothing revolutionary, but highly enjoyable.
Side note: Despite the Pratchett comparisons I made, the book is even more accessible than Discworld, and the humor is more subtle. So please don't think the author was aping Pratchett, his writing style has a unique voice.
If I were a more humorous writer I would make an incredibly witty joke about how excited I was to read a new Discworld book when I picked up 'Thraxas.' Unfortunately I don’t have anything witty lined up, so I will just move on with the review.
Martin Scott is the pen name for Martin Millar, whose works I have enjoyed for quite a while. This book is not unknown; it won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2000. But at least for me, it proved to be hard to find until recently released in E-book format. I was immediately struck by two things; it was very short, and the aforementioned similarities to Discworld.
Much like Discworld the author takes a trope filled world and bends it slightly. So Thraxas is a private investigator in the city of Turai, a typical fantasy city with all the trappings; criminal guilds, magicians, even a dragon in the zoo. He is an overweight man, but well aware of it. He is also a surprising man, still fearsome in a fight and a competent PI. His major failings are being a bad gambler and a mediocre sorcerer, he can only memorize one major spell at a time (something Pratchett played with early in Discworld and abandoned). He never turns into the bumbling idiot played for amusement. His best friend and sometimes body guard is a pretty bikini chainmail wearing girl with orc, elven, and human heritage named Makri. Of course she wears the bikini chainmail because the bar she works at has a barbarian theme, she wouldn’t be caught dead in it in an actual fight(where she would prefer full body leather armor). One would expect her to be a possible love interest for our hero Thraxas, but no, she is much more interested in her studies at the university and involvement in a guild for women’s advancement.
The plot is a fairly interesting mystery tale, with Traxas taking on multiple cases in order to gain enough money to pay off a gambling debt. Along the way he runs into rogue magicians, top assassins, a princess, and lots of dope dealers. He pieces together the puzzle, has some adventures, fights a nasty dragon, and runs into an old adversary is a lot tougher than he remembers. Nothing revolutionary, the author sticks with all the fantasy basics. This doesn’t affect the book negatively at all, it actually keeps the book moving quickly, no info dumps needed.
The book is incredibly short and moves very quickly. Compared to later works like ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ it is downright simple. But the short story is entertaining, the humor is subtle, and I hope the next EIGHT books in the series are just as good.
4 stars. Nothing revolutionary, but highly enjoyable.
Side note: Despite the Pratchett comparisons I made, the book is even more accessible than Discworld, and the humor is more subtle. So please don't think the author was aping Pratchett, his writing style has a unique voice.
August 17, 2013
raymond chandler meets terry pratchet in a fantasy setting. I just love finding less than heroic and beautifull characters in a book. thraxas is a fat, alcoholic middle-aged sexist pig...and yet..he is one of the most lovable characters I've met in years. Must read series!
April 21, 2020
I can't recall who recommended Thraxas to me, but the interest overlap was obvious: private detective in a fantasy world with a nod to Roman culture. I put it high on my TBR.
What to Expect
As it says on the cover, a hard-boiled-style story of a down-on-his-luck, drunken private investigator with magical
education and chequered past. As in most such tales, he is quickly embroiled in far-reaching plots that push him far beyond his comfort zone.
Multiple parties, from rogue sorcerers and assassins to high-ranking politicians, are all scrambling after some stolen magical goods, trying to keep their good name, change society, win the elections, fight crime, and occasionally get to university on time. It's a short novel that just as hectic as it sounds, moving rapidly and chaotically.
What I liked
I liked the premise, the main characters, and the world. Thraxas is your classic hard-boiled detective (not quite noir, but getting there), and the story is told from his point of view. Though he's got a sorcerer's background and has been fighting in wars in his youth, he was never a powerful practitioner. He solves problems with his wits and sword (and the occasional misplaced spell), with the usual dogged loyalty born of really needing the money to cover gambling debts. He's aided by a quarter-orc, quarter-elf, chainmail-bikini wearing, ex-gladiatrix, waitress friend.
The world itself is interesting, with elements borrowed from Ancient Rome (though not to a degree that it would be classified as historical-fantasy, or stand in the way of readers unfamiliar with the era). It's just enough to give a different flavour, outside of your standard medieval tropes. The magic system is vaguely D&D-ish, with spells that need to be learned and memorised, and basic cantrips that can be done at will. The more powerful sorcerers seem to be able to effect many more varied results than our hapless protagonist.
What to be aware of
I found the writing style clipped, and the world-building heavy-handed at times. It won a World Fantasy Award on its debut, so one was hoping for more polish in those regards. The characters can also be a bit flat at times.
Though it's written in first person as a classic detective, the plot is zany rather than noir. Sword fights are common, but injuries far less so. In this regards it definitely leans more towards older fantasy works than the modern tendency to grim realism and attention to consequences.
In short, more like the works of Piers Anthony or Robert Asprin, than Pratchett or Butcher.
Summary
It's a quick read, a promising and entertaining, if not polished, first work. If you like classic fantasy and detective fiction definitely give it a try. I'm sure I'll be checking out later books in the series, to see if the early style matures and improves.
What to Expect
As it says on the cover, a hard-boiled-style story of a down-on-his-luck, drunken private investigator with magical
education and chequered past. As in most such tales, he is quickly embroiled in far-reaching plots that push him far beyond his comfort zone.
Multiple parties, from rogue sorcerers and assassins to high-ranking politicians, are all scrambling after some stolen magical goods, trying to keep their good name, change society, win the elections, fight crime, and occasionally get to university on time. It's a short novel that just as hectic as it sounds, moving rapidly and chaotically.
What I liked
I liked the premise, the main characters, and the world. Thraxas is your classic hard-boiled detective (not quite noir, but getting there), and the story is told from his point of view. Though he's got a sorcerer's background and has been fighting in wars in his youth, he was never a powerful practitioner. He solves problems with his wits and sword (and the occasional misplaced spell), with the usual dogged loyalty born of really needing the money to cover gambling debts. He's aided by a quarter-orc, quarter-elf, chainmail-bikini wearing, ex-gladiatrix, waitress friend.
The world itself is interesting, with elements borrowed from Ancient Rome (though not to a degree that it would be classified as historical-fantasy, or stand in the way of readers unfamiliar with the era). It's just enough to give a different flavour, outside of your standard medieval tropes. The magic system is vaguely D&D-ish, with spells that need to be learned and memorised, and basic cantrips that can be done at will. The more powerful sorcerers seem to be able to effect many more varied results than our hapless protagonist.
What to be aware of
I found the writing style clipped, and the world-building heavy-handed at times. It won a World Fantasy Award on its debut, so one was hoping for more polish in those regards. The characters can also be a bit flat at times.
Though it's written in first person as a classic detective, the plot is zany rather than noir. Sword fights are common, but injuries far less so. In this regards it definitely leans more towards older fantasy works than the modern tendency to grim realism and attention to consequences.
In short, more like the works of Piers Anthony or Robert Asprin, than Pratchett or Butcher.
Summary
It's a quick read, a promising and entertaining, if not polished, first work. If you like classic fantasy and detective fiction definitely give it a try. I'm sure I'll be checking out later books in the series, to see if the early style matures and improves.
June 25, 2016
I'm a fan of Martin Millar's books so when I found out he also wrote under the pseudonym of Martin Scott, I was excited and grabbed this book right away.
Thraxas is an over-weight investigator who owes a lot of coin because of betting on chariot races. All of a sudden, he picks up several jobs and finds himself in the middle of a mess. Who is behind stealing the red cloth that protects from magic? Who killed the dragon? Who murdered Attilan? As you can see, Thraxas has a lot to figure out with the help of his friend, Makri, the feminist barmaid at the Avenging Axe.
If you like Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett, then you will enjoy the adventures of Thraxas.
Thraxas is an over-weight investigator who owes a lot of coin because of betting on chariot races. All of a sudden, he picks up several jobs and finds himself in the middle of a mess. Who is behind stealing the red cloth that protects from magic? Who killed the dragon? Who murdered Attilan? As you can see, Thraxas has a lot to figure out with the help of his friend, Makri, the feminist barmaid at the Avenging Axe.
If you like Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett, then you will enjoy the adventures of Thraxas.
February 25, 2024
A drunk overweight former battle mage and a fierce hot murderous young ork-elf will work together on criminal cases. They are like Strike and Robin, partners in business and friends. Not the slightest attraction. It’s not yet clear what makes Thraxas wake up in the morning, other than surviving the day. Not clear why she’s stuck with him either.
April 1, 2013
I love speculative fiction + humor, and there are so few of them.In fact it won the World Fantasy Award for 2000. I boldly rate at at an equal footing with Robert Asprin and better (since it does not deteriorate) than Piers Anthony.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
January 7, 2024
Fairly dull - struggle to see how it won World Fantasy Award
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
December 27, 2022
Aardige fantasy detective. Traxas heeft veel van de detective cliches, maar heeft genoeg karakter, zelfspot en goede bijpersonages om het verhaal interessant te houden. Het verhaal is ook lang genoeg en het mysterie blijft tot het einde interessant.
December 30, 2012
First posted at Fantasy Review Barn
If I were a more humorous writer I would make an incredibly witty joke about how excited I was to read a new Discworld book when I picked up 'Thraxas.' Unfortunately I don’t have anything witty lined up, so I will just move on with the review.
Martin Scott is the pen name for Martin Millar, whose works I have enjoyed for quite a while. This book is not unknown; it won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2000. But at least for me, it proved to be hard to find until recently released in E-book format. I was immediately struck by two things; it was very short, and the aforementioned similarities to Discworld.
Much like Discworld the author takes a trope filled world and bends it slightly. So Thraxas is a private investigator in the city of Turai, a typical fantasy city with all the trappings; criminal guilds, magicians, even a dragon in the zoo. He is an overweight man, but well aware of it. He is also a surprising man, still fearsome in a fight and a competent PI. His major failings are being a bad gambler and a mediocre sorcerer, he can only memorize one major spell at a time (something Pratchett played with early in Discworld and abandoned). He never turns into the bumbling idiot played for amusement. His best friend and sometimes body guard is a pretty bikini chain mail wearing girl with orc, elven, and human heritage named Makri. Of course she wears the bikini chain mail because the bar she works at has a barbarian theme, she wouldn’t be caught dead in it in an actual fight(where she would prefer full body leather armor). One would expect her to be a possible love interest for our hero Thraxas, but no, she is much more interested in her studies at the university and involvement in a guild for women’s advancement.
The plot is a fairly interesting mystery tale, with Traxas taking on multiple cases in order to gain enough money to pay off a gambling debt. Along the way he runs into rogue magicians, top assassins, a princess, and lots of dope dealers. He pieces together the puzzle, has some adventures, fights a nasty dragon, and runs into an old adversary is a lot tougher than he remembers. Nothing revolutionary, the author sticks with all the fantasy basics. This doesn’t affect the book negatively at all, it actually keeps the book moving quickly, no info dumps needed.
The book is incredibly short and moves very quickly. Compared to later works like ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ it is downright simple. But the short story is entertaining, the humor is subtle, and I hope the next EIGHT books in the series are just as good.
4 stars. Nothing revolutionary, but highly enjoyable.
Side note: Despite the Pratchett comparisons I made, the book is even more accessible than Discworld, and the humor is more subtle. So please don't think the author was aping Pratchett, his writing style has a unique voice.
If I were a more humorous writer I would make an incredibly witty joke about how excited I was to read a new Discworld book when I picked up 'Thraxas.' Unfortunately I don’t have anything witty lined up, so I will just move on with the review.
Martin Scott is the pen name for Martin Millar, whose works I have enjoyed for quite a while. This book is not unknown; it won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2000. But at least for me, it proved to be hard to find until recently released in E-book format. I was immediately struck by two things; it was very short, and the aforementioned similarities to Discworld.
Much like Discworld the author takes a trope filled world and bends it slightly. So Thraxas is a private investigator in the city of Turai, a typical fantasy city with all the trappings; criminal guilds, magicians, even a dragon in the zoo. He is an overweight man, but well aware of it. He is also a surprising man, still fearsome in a fight and a competent PI. His major failings are being a bad gambler and a mediocre sorcerer, he can only memorize one major spell at a time (something Pratchett played with early in Discworld and abandoned). He never turns into the bumbling idiot played for amusement. His best friend and sometimes body guard is a pretty bikini chain mail wearing girl with orc, elven, and human heritage named Makri. Of course she wears the bikini chain mail because the bar she works at has a barbarian theme, she wouldn’t be caught dead in it in an actual fight(where she would prefer full body leather armor). One would expect her to be a possible love interest for our hero Thraxas, but no, she is much more interested in her studies at the university and involvement in a guild for women’s advancement.
The plot is a fairly interesting mystery tale, with Traxas taking on multiple cases in order to gain enough money to pay off a gambling debt. Along the way he runs into rogue magicians, top assassins, a princess, and lots of dope dealers. He pieces together the puzzle, has some adventures, fights a nasty dragon, and runs into an old adversary is a lot tougher than he remembers. Nothing revolutionary, the author sticks with all the fantasy basics. This doesn’t affect the book negatively at all, it actually keeps the book moving quickly, no info dumps needed.
The book is incredibly short and moves very quickly. Compared to later works like ‘Lonely Werewolf Girl’ it is downright simple. But the short story is entertaining, the humor is subtle, and I hope the next EIGHT books in the series are just as good.
4 stars. Nothing revolutionary, but highly enjoyable.
Side note: Despite the Pratchett comparisons I made, the book is even more accessible than Discworld, and the humor is more subtle. So please don't think the author was aping Pratchett, his writing style has a unique voice.
February 17, 2019
I love love love this series!
“Thraxas: Book One” was so great that I bought the next 4 or 5 (how ever many were published when I read the first book) without even looking at reviews or considering my decision. And it was the right move!
Glad I found the e-books first, though, or this cover would have scared me away. I know I started this series when I lived in L.A. so I read my first Thraxas book after 2011.
I just finished book 11 (the penultimate book in the series) Feb. 17, 2019 and I’m torn—I can’t wait for book 12 to be published and I’ll be sad when it does.
Martin Millar aka Scott keeps these books short (around 190-200 pp) so you zip right through and never get bored or think, when will this end? (Like I’ve done with other series I won’t name here.)
I think Millar is a brilliant author, and unfairly doesn’t have the same name recognition as some of my other favorite British writers like Pratchett & Gaiman. Millar shares their sense of humor (when Gaiman is being funny, as in “Good Omens” and “Coraline”) though his works are nothing like theirs, so I hope my comparison doesn’t fall flat.
If the Discworld novels make you laugh & think, and warm your cold heart, I think Millar’s books (especially Thraxas, his Kalix the werewolf girl series, “The Goddess of Buttercup & Daisies”) will do the same.
“Thraxas: Book One” was so great that I bought the next 4 or 5 (how ever many were published when I read the first book) without even looking at reviews or considering my decision. And it was the right move!
Glad I found the e-books first, though, or this cover would have scared me away. I know I started this series when I lived in L.A. so I read my first Thraxas book after 2011.
I just finished book 11 (the penultimate book in the series) Feb. 17, 2019 and I’m torn—I can’t wait for book 12 to be published and I’ll be sad when it does.
Martin Millar aka Scott keeps these books short (around 190-200 pp) so you zip right through and never get bored or think, when will this end? (Like I’ve done with other series I won’t name here.)
I think Millar is a brilliant author, and unfairly doesn’t have the same name recognition as some of my other favorite British writers like Pratchett & Gaiman. Millar shares their sense of humor (when Gaiman is being funny, as in “Good Omens” and “Coraline”) though his works are nothing like theirs, so I hope my comparison doesn’t fall flat.
If the Discworld novels make you laugh & think, and warm your cold heart, I think Millar’s books (especially Thraxas, his Kalix the werewolf girl series, “The Goddess of Buttercup & Daisies”) will do the same.
May 13, 2023
Even as a $3 purchase from a booksale at Berry this didn't feel like exemplary value for money. Pulp-fiction cross fantasy is interesting but I don't see myself revisiting the genre.
January 28, 2013
If you're a RPG player this is an excellent source for character names. Adventures of a drunken Private Eye, magic-user/fighter and his companion, a sexy human/orc/elf, fighter/barmaid. Some what like Disc World but much more corny and not with the depth of the socially sarcastic Terry Pratchett. Basic silly fun.
March 15, 2013
Thraxas is one of those rare books that combines comedy and fantasy with more than just the odd one liner. Scott manages to create an interesting and very funny atmosphere to have his Wizard/detective work. It's a nice change of pace and an easy read that is a heck of a lot of fun.
July 16, 2008
Thraxas is brilliant. Easy to read and not your average fantasy book. Also very very funny!
January 8, 2013
Too cutesy, too D&D, too much telling instead of showing. Meh.
January 10, 2014
A charming fantasy book, written with great humour. now I need to by the next one
April 26, 2019
I read this book about ten years ago, I think. I remember actually enjoying it. The setting is pretty standard and it reminds me a lot of Ankh-Morpork from the Disk-world series. The book also glances on a narcotic which is currently plaguing the city streets, but that feels like a future book problem.
Plot:
Thraxas is a middle-aged detective who is working in the (Insert generic fantasy city that no one care about here). Anyway this story is basic mystery that starts off as mundane but escalates. The mystery is just a way for the reader to explore the world and get a grip on the characters' personalities.
Characters:
Thraxas is a middle aged detective who has some sorcery powers but has spent life as a mercenary. I actually like the character as he doesn't fit the mould of the usual hero. He is overweight and is constantly broke, reminding me more of a ex-cop who got kicked off the force and went private. He isn't powerful but he does have some street smarts.
Makri is Thraxas side kick and acts as the muscle. She is mixed breed with orc and elf heritage. Her origins are that she was once a gladiator who escaped her masters. During the novel she works part time as a waitress where she wears chain mail bikinis.
I do feel as if there are hidden depths to Makri that very few authors can carry out. Most authors would just make her the sexy love interest who can break people's faces and call it a day.
But Scott takes it a bit further. Makri is attracted to elves who see her as an abomination, also Thraxas sees her as a partner or friend and not a love interest, which is rare in the fantasy genre.
What I like: It cracks the mould of several stereotypes. The characters are interesting. There is the mystery angle. And there is some good world building.
What I don't like: I think the book works but the marketing and the new cover art don't. If the author can't get permission to use the old 1999 cover, he should hire an artist because the kindle version looks like a bad erotica.
Notes:
I think that the publication office that sold the book has rights on the cover art which made self publishing more difficult. Also Martin Scott is just a pen name for this particular series, the real author is Martin Millar.
Plot:
Thraxas is a middle-aged detective who is working in the (Insert generic fantasy city that no one care about here). Anyway this story is basic mystery that starts off as mundane but escalates. The mystery is just a way for the reader to explore the world and get a grip on the characters' personalities.
Characters:
Thraxas is a middle aged detective who has some sorcery powers but has spent life as a mercenary. I actually like the character as he doesn't fit the mould of the usual hero. He is overweight and is constantly broke, reminding me more of a ex-cop who got kicked off the force and went private. He isn't powerful but he does have some street smarts.
Makri is Thraxas side kick and acts as the muscle. She is mixed breed with orc and elf heritage. Her origins are that she was once a gladiator who escaped her masters. During the novel she works part time as a waitress where she wears chain mail bikinis.
I do feel as if there are hidden depths to Makri that very few authors can carry out. Most authors would just make her the sexy love interest who can break people's faces and call it a day.
But Scott takes it a bit further. Makri is attracted to elves who see her as an abomination, also Thraxas sees her as a partner or friend and not a love interest, which is rare in the fantasy genre.
What I like: It cracks the mould of several stereotypes. The characters are interesting. There is the mystery angle. And there is some good world building.
What I don't like: I think the book works but the marketing and the new cover art don't. If the author can't get permission to use the old 1999 cover, he should hire an artist because the kindle version looks like a bad erotica.
Notes:
I think that the publication office that sold the book has rights on the cover art which made self publishing more difficult. Also Martin Scott is just a pen name for this particular series, the real author is Martin Millar.
July 7, 2023
If I have anything that is a "comfort read" it is this kind of pulpy, noir private eye thing. Given how much I like Garrett P.I., I'm surprised I never came across Thraxas before. (This originally came out in 1999 and even won a World Fantasy Award.)
This is very much what you'd expect: down on his luck private eye in a very typical fantasy world gets a case that turns out to be much more than meets the eye. A half dozen apparently unrelated things all end up actually all being tied together and our hapless but ineluctable P.I. gets to the bottom of things.
I'm not going to pretend it is great literature but if this is your kind of thing, Scott executes well. One nice small twist on the usual formula is the complete lack of romance or even flirtation, really. There are some femmes fatale but Thraxas is so washed up that he hasn't really been interested in women (nor they in him) in 10 or 20 years.
There are apparently 12 or 15 of these, Scott seems to have churned them out pretty regularly until he ran into difficulties with his publisher and took a hiatus of almost a decade before resuming relatively recently with self-publishing. I eventually tired of the formula with Garrett P.I. so I don't know if I'll stick it out with these either but I'll definitely come back to the series for at least a little while.
This is very much what you'd expect: down on his luck private eye in a very typical fantasy world gets a case that turns out to be much more than meets the eye. A half dozen apparently unrelated things all end up actually all being tied together and our hapless but ineluctable P.I. gets to the bottom of things.
I'm not going to pretend it is great literature but if this is your kind of thing, Scott executes well. One nice small twist on the usual formula is the complete lack of romance or even flirtation, really. There are some femmes fatale but Thraxas is so washed up that he hasn't really been interested in women (nor they in him) in 10 or 20 years.
There are apparently 12 or 15 of these, Scott seems to have churned them out pretty regularly until he ran into difficulties with his publisher and took a hiatus of almost a decade before resuming relatively recently with self-publishing. I eventually tired of the formula with Garrett P.I. so I don't know if I'll stick it out with these either but I'll definitely come back to the series for at least a little while.
April 7, 2024
As a kid I used to often go to our school library and spent majority of our breaks on reading. I remember how I found this book completly by accident a few weeks before graduation and decided to read it because it looked interesting but not expecting much, simply due to the books age (I was a kid.)
I remember how the characters quickly grew on me as the storys hold continued to grew, wanting to learn more about the story and how it all worked out. Unfortunatly as much as I grew to love this book, I never got to actually finish it due to graduation...and never having the chance of continuing to read it because I forgot the name of the book and no matter where I keept searching or asking around no one seemed to know the book Ior author I was talking around, so eventually gave up hope.
....until I rediscovered the series again today, years later completly by accident, after almost forgotting about a lovable series I thought was just my brain playing tricks on me and not actually existing.
Nearly 6 years and I finally get to find out how the first book ended.
I remember how the characters quickly grew on me as the storys hold continued to grew, wanting to learn more about the story and how it all worked out. Unfortunatly as much as I grew to love this book, I never got to actually finish it due to graduation...and never having the chance of continuing to read it because I forgot the name of the book and no matter where I keept searching or asking around no one seemed to know the book Ior author I was talking around, so eventually gave up hope.
....until I rediscovered the series again today, years later completly by accident, after almost forgotting about a lovable series I thought was just my brain playing tricks on me and not actually existing.
Nearly 6 years and I finally get to find out how the first book ended.
November 4, 2022
Martin Scott is a pseudonym for Martin Millar, the author of the only book I ever gave zero stars, “The Good Fairies of New York”. It was before I wrote reviews, but on the WWEnd site I gave it ½ a star because there was no way to enter zero. It was an atrociously written story of Irish fairies that make it to New York get into mischief and throw up a lot from drinking too much. So I was very hesitant reading this book which won the 2000 World Fantasy Award. Fortunately, there was only a few hangover and vomit scenes and the elves had an herbal cure for it. This book wasn’t too bad, a noir PI tale with a fair amount of tongue in cheek humor set in a fantasy world somewhere between ancient Rome and Middle Earth. But it didn’t grab me the way I expect an award winner to.
Come visit my blog for the full review…
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
Come visit my blog for the full review…
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...
August 27, 2019
Three and a half stars, rounded up to four.
It was touch and go whether I would give this book three or four stars, it's not really my thing anymore. I used to like fantasy and comedy when I was younger, but now that I'm a miserable old bastard I like books that are more serious. Grim even.
There was a little bit too much detail at times and I felt that the plot had been made to sound more complicated than it really was.
If you like fantasy and comedy (eg Terry Pratchett, or Neil Gaimam) you'll love this.
It was touch and go whether I would give this book three or four stars, it's not really my thing anymore. I used to like fantasy and comedy when I was younger, but now that I'm a miserable old bastard I like books that are more serious. Grim even.
There was a little bit too much detail at times and I felt that the plot had been made to sound more complicated than it really was.
If you like fantasy and comedy (eg Terry Pratchett, or Neil Gaimam) you'll love this.
September 17, 2024
Muddled at times, with a reliance on characters who are only tenuously sketched. When names are used in reference to events it is very hard to know who they are. The magic system is totally bonkers, including the 8-mile terror spell unleashed upon the city towards the end. However, really like the escapism and the main characters, Thraxas and Makri. It is however fairly poorly written! How this won the World Fantasy Award, I'll never know.
October 13, 2025
Most of this novel is great. I like the characters, most of the dialogue, the pace, the setting, and most of the original plot in this novel. The author typed a double quotation mark in two sentences in this novel. He needed to type an apostrophe instead of a double quotation mark in those sentences in this novel. The author misspelled breathe in one of the sentences in this novel. I don’t like that Thraxas didn’t tidy up his office that he rented. I rate this novel four out of five stars.
November 20, 2017
It's okey, kind of a nice story and I liked how everone was against him but a lot of info dumps in the beginning. Don't like the main caracters drinking habits, his laziness could have been portrayted otherwise instead of this glorification of drunkness.
Okey caracters, partly funny and a search for a mystery.
Okey caracters, partly funny and a search for a mystery.
October 12, 2020
Fun book that I hadn't heard of before, even though it won the world fantasy award. Good ideas, fun characters, interesting world. I don't know if this was the first of the magical noir, but it's a good example. Like any noir, it does take skill to maintain suspense as well as add in the action, and while Scott does this mostly pretty well, not every scene flows.
July 4, 2023
This is an odd book. On one level a fun, fantasy noir that’s a quick read. On the other, a really odd writing style that feels more like instructions in a D&D game; very much “tell, don’t show”. The story is such that I’m tempted to read the next in the series to see if the writing improves, but otherwise I found it a little off-putting.
June 5, 2025
One of the greatest fantasy series ever
The writing is witty, the story is unpredictable always leaving you guessing. Martin Scott is a fantastic writer. If you like fantasy you MUST get this series
The writing is witty, the story is unpredictable always leaving you guessing. Martin Scott is a fantastic writer. If you like fantasy you MUST get this series
October 18, 2017
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews