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The Chronicles of Breed #1
Dangerous To Know
After Breed, an thief-assassin of small renown is chased by a dragon, tricked by a demon, almost killed by a psychopathic gang boss, and hunted by a ferocious spider, life really takes a turn for the worst.
Sentenced to five years bonded servitude to a one-handed priest magician, Breed must find the hammer of the ancient hero known only as The Hammer of the North within a year and a day...
Or Else.
So, with only a drug-addicted vagrant, a rat-faced child, and a timid priest for backup, Breed sets out for the mighty city of Valen and the tomb of the Hammer.
What could possibly go Wrong?
Grim, dark and funny, Dangerous To Know is an epic sword and sorcery adventure.
Sentenced to five years bonded servitude to a one-handed priest magician, Breed must find the hammer of the ancient hero known only as The Hammer of the North within a year and a day...
Or Else.
So, with only a drug-addicted vagrant, a rat-faced child, and a timid priest for backup, Breed sets out for the mighty city of Valen and the tomb of the Hammer.
What could possibly go Wrong?
Grim, dark and funny, Dangerous To Know is an epic sword and sorcery adventure.
395 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2014
1743 people are currently reading
2475 people want to read
About the author
K.T. Davies
22 books184 followersI was born in Yorkshire. I have a degree in literature and a modest comic collection. I share my life with an understanding partner, two savage children, three silly dogs, and an angry cat. I’ve lived in t’north and the Republic of China but currently reside in suburban bliss in the West Midlands.
I’ve worked as an actor, a teacher, and a scaffolder amongst many other things. Until recently I made theatrical props for a living. Have a look at www.antrobusandgrimm.co.uk to see how I (used to)roll.
I’m a nerd and proud, and play with swords and other pointy things from time to time as well as 'puter games.
Pointless trivia bit:
I once fell down the highest mountain in Taiwan and was led to safety by a couple of tribesmen in exchange for some cigarettes. I have also been taught how to wrestle by ‘Crybaby’ Jim Breaks.
I’ve worked as an actor, a teacher, and a scaffolder amongst many other things. Until recently I made theatrical props for a living. Have a look at www.antrobusandgrimm.co.uk to see how I (used to)roll.
I’m a nerd and proud, and play with swords and other pointy things from time to time as well as 'puter games.
Pointless trivia bit:
I once fell down the highest mountain in Taiwan and was led to safety by a couple of tribesmen in exchange for some cigarettes. I have also been taught how to wrestle by ‘Crybaby’ Jim Breaks.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
June 27, 2018
Dangerous To Know (The Chronicles of Breed #1) by K.T. Davies is a fun fantasy read! This world is fantastic with amazing creatures and cast of characters that really had me hooked. The dialogue was even terrific! It had humor scattered generously throughout the story with some dry humor added as well. Breed is the name of the main character and he is a strange character that gets into more trouble! It is non-stop! His mom is psychotic, he has a couple of rewards for his head, he ends up bond to a demon twice, jailed a couple of times, I forget how many times he gets beat up, shot, chased by a Dragon and a giant spider, and a bunch of guards and I am sure I forgot something. Loads of action! Fun and exciting, catch this book!
October 29, 2018
This was a fun dark fantasy. K. T. Davies got the balance spot on in this story as the gritty world and oftentimes dark happenings were balanced by an easy to root for lead character and tons of humour and witty dialogue!
We followed the misadventures of Breed, a half human half thoasan (lizard creature), thief, occasional assassin, and all around bottom of the ladder criminal as he blundered from one hilariously dangerous situation to the next. While on a routine thieving mission the unlucky Breed ends up chased by a dragon, tricked into a deal by a demon, almost killed by a vicious gang boss (his own mother!), and then finally imprisoned for a crime (one he did not actually commit lol) before being magically indentured to a crazy one handed priest who has delusions of saving the world!
The story was crazy and fun. Poor Breed had one year and a day to fulfil his deal with the demon who tricked him and he had to find a way to do it all while being bound to a master who was intent on hauling him on a mission to find the legendary Hammer of the North so he could save the world.
It seemed that, in this rare instance, crime had not paid. It was a sad state of affairs, but not one that I’d live long enough to regret if my icy friend had anything to do with it. Thus disillusioned, although highly motivated, I sprinted from the snarling jaws of death.
Such was our amusing introduction to Breed as he made his hasty escape from a dragon who's lair he had just raided. It was all downhill from there for the unlucky soul!
The journey to the lock-up gave me time to consider just how deep I was in the arsepickle. I concluded that I was up to my eyes in the nasty stuff. And thus began the recriminations, the wishful thinking, the torture of examining paths not taken, and the indignant self-pity of a life-long recidivist.
Breed was foul mouthed and totally lacking in morals but he proved a great lead character. He just had such a fun and unique voice that it was easy to got sucked into his adventures.
There was only one person I’d ever been able to trust and that was me, and even then I quite often let myself down.
The other great thing about Breed was that despite being super cynical and having suffered a harsh life he had not turned angry or bitter and that, plus his amusing observations, made him an easy character to root for despite his criminal inclinations lol!
Schiller smiled, sniffed the blood on his blade. “Sweeter than I’d imagined, with floral undertones and a subtle hint of halfwit if I’m not mistaken.”
“Do you ever get bored of the sound of your own voice?”
He laughed musically. “Not so far, and I’m older than I look.”
Even the fight scenes in this one had time to squeeze in some hilarious dialogue! I just loved the humour in this one full stop.
The world the story was set in was a good one. There was a bit of magic but the mages paid a price for its use and there was a mix of humans, demons, and humanoid creatures. Most of the humanoid creatures were the product of a magic war between the humans and the demons in a bygone age. Some designed as magical weapons to fight the demons by the mages and some arisen as a result of mutation from the demon magics. It was handled pretty well as while the creatures were a fairly regular part of society, especially in the cities, they were still viewed as second class citizens and it resulted in a lot of resentment and bigotry.
All in all I really enjoyed this hilarious dark fantasy and will be picking up the sequel to follow the memorable and ever amusing Breed on his next misadventure!
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: I was not initially fan of Chris Coxon's performance but he really won me over as the story went and just got the humor and his delivery of the dialogue spot on. He was not totally perfect though as he threw in one awful character accent that I could have lived without! The production was a little iffy with a few weird pauses here and there in the audio. Not enough to harm it but enough that it was noticeable especially in the early stages.
We followed the misadventures of Breed, a half human half thoasan (lizard creature), thief, occasional assassin, and all around bottom of the ladder criminal as he blundered from one hilariously dangerous situation to the next. While on a routine thieving mission the unlucky Breed ends up chased by a dragon, tricked into a deal by a demon, almost killed by a vicious gang boss (his own mother!), and then finally imprisoned for a crime (one he did not actually commit lol) before being magically indentured to a crazy one handed priest who has delusions of saving the world!
The story was crazy and fun. Poor Breed had one year and a day to fulfil his deal with the demon who tricked him and he had to find a way to do it all while being bound to a master who was intent on hauling him on a mission to find the legendary Hammer of the North so he could save the world.
It seemed that, in this rare instance, crime had not paid. It was a sad state of affairs, but not one that I’d live long enough to regret if my icy friend had anything to do with it. Thus disillusioned, although highly motivated, I sprinted from the snarling jaws of death.
Such was our amusing introduction to Breed as he made his hasty escape from a dragon who's lair he had just raided. It was all downhill from there for the unlucky soul!
The journey to the lock-up gave me time to consider just how deep I was in the arsepickle. I concluded that I was up to my eyes in the nasty stuff. And thus began the recriminations, the wishful thinking, the torture of examining paths not taken, and the indignant self-pity of a life-long recidivist.
Breed was foul mouthed and totally lacking in morals but he proved a great lead character. He just had such a fun and unique voice that it was easy to got sucked into his adventures.
There was only one person I’d ever been able to trust and that was me, and even then I quite often let myself down.
The other great thing about Breed was that despite being super cynical and having suffered a harsh life he had not turned angry or bitter and that, plus his amusing observations, made him an easy character to root for despite his criminal inclinations lol!
Schiller smiled, sniffed the blood on his blade. “Sweeter than I’d imagined, with floral undertones and a subtle hint of halfwit if I’m not mistaken.”
“Do you ever get bored of the sound of your own voice?”
He laughed musically. “Not so far, and I’m older than I look.”
Even the fight scenes in this one had time to squeeze in some hilarious dialogue! I just loved the humour in this one full stop.
The world the story was set in was a good one. There was a bit of magic but the mages paid a price for its use and there was a mix of humans, demons, and humanoid creatures. Most of the humanoid creatures were the product of a magic war between the humans and the demons in a bygone age. Some designed as magical weapons to fight the demons by the mages and some arisen as a result of mutation from the demon magics. It was handled pretty well as while the creatures were a fairly regular part of society, especially in the cities, they were still viewed as second class citizens and it resulted in a lot of resentment and bigotry.
All in all I really enjoyed this hilarious dark fantasy and will be picking up the sequel to follow the memorable and ever amusing Breed on his next misadventure!
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: I was not initially fan of Chris Coxon's performance but he really won me over as the story went and just got the humor and his delivery of the dialogue spot on. He was not totally perfect though as he threw in one awful character accent that I could have lived without! The production was a little iffy with a few weird pauses here and there in the audio. Not enough to harm it but enough that it was noticeable especially in the early stages.
September 10, 2019
A 5 STAR re-read.
If you crave Fantasy with actual magic in it, a main character unlike any you've come across before, and a born storyteller writing style that's not just unique for being different but for being amazingly new and addictive, you would be doing yourself a serious favor reading K.T. Davies Dangerous To Know aka Breed.
Breed is a half-human/half-thoasa thieving rogue. *Thoasa are kind of a lizard-like ogre.
Not your typical hero in any shape or form.
It all starts off with Breed being chased down by a dragon that quickly leads him (or is it her?) into a dark cavernous underground lair where s(he) comes across an almost Gollum-like creature intent on helping him out. A situation that puts Breed in quite a pickle as s(he) regularly prefers to rogue solo. What happens next is...well, I dont want to spoil it for anyone.
I will just say, Breed gets caught up in one crazy plot & subplot after another that lead, not only far from the dingy underworld Breed calls home, but far from the moral (unmoral?) compass s(he) is more comfortable with to a final confrontation and finale you will never read elsewhere.
I'm begging y'all to read this so I can have more friends to gush with over my love of Breed and K.T. Davies fun, often LOL funny, sometimes bold, writing style.
◻◻◻◻
If you need a couple of sample-sized short stories to convince you first, starring Breed in a couple of fun earlier exploits, go here K.T. Davies website and join Karen's mailing list to receive them both for FREE.
**Btw both short stories are fun little reads but Dangerous To Know aka Breed is even better. I don't believe there is one Fantasy reader - or one Horror reader for that matter - who would be able to put this book down after reading the first chapter. NOT ONE!
Super-duper Highly Recommended!
***And honestly, though I didn't think it even possible, it was maybe even better the 2nd time around. It's that good.
May 22, 2025
This is an amazing fast paced fantasy story filled with action, dark humour, and a main character who’s both tough and clever. So meet Breed who isn’t your typical hero. He’s sarcastic, morally grey, and doesn’t always do the right thing but that’s what makes him such an interesting character.
”Humans were constantly eating, drinking and shi£#ing. It was a wonder they ever got anything else done.” - Breed
The world building is imaginative and you get just enough detail to feel immersed without being confused by long descriptions or made up words. The cities feel gritty and filled with realistic characters. I love a good bit of magic in a book and this has one which is mysterious and different. Every character in this book is extremely well written and are just as much fun to read about. They all feel like they have a purpose in the story and aren’t there just for the sake of being there.
The authors writing is sharp, funny, and is easy to follow, even when things get intense. There’s a lot of foul language that comes out of Breed’s mouth, my mother would say it needs a good wash out with soap, but that’s just who he is and it makes Breed’s point of view very enjoyable. The tone can be a bit rough and dark but it fits the world and the main character. The book doesn’t try to be deep or emotional it focuses more on adventure which I loved.
”There was only one person I’d ever been able to trust and that was me, and even then I quite often let myself down.” - Breed
Overall it’s a gritty fantasy full of action and attitude. With a bold lead character and sharp writing, it’s perfect for readers who enjoy fast paced stories with edge and humour. Breed is no knight in shining armour but something else entirely, and that’s part of the fun.
If you’re looking for a warm, uplifting story, this isn’t it. But if you enjoy flawed characters, sword fights, and dark humour it’s perfect. I loved it and can’t wait for the next..
”Humans were constantly eating, drinking and shi£#ing. It was a wonder they ever got anything else done.” - Breed
The world building is imaginative and you get just enough detail to feel immersed without being confused by long descriptions or made up words. The cities feel gritty and filled with realistic characters. I love a good bit of magic in a book and this has one which is mysterious and different. Every character in this book is extremely well written and are just as much fun to read about. They all feel like they have a purpose in the story and aren’t there just for the sake of being there.
The authors writing is sharp, funny, and is easy to follow, even when things get intense. There’s a lot of foul language that comes out of Breed’s mouth, my mother would say it needs a good wash out with soap, but that’s just who he is and it makes Breed’s point of view very enjoyable. The tone can be a bit rough and dark but it fits the world and the main character. The book doesn’t try to be deep or emotional it focuses more on adventure which I loved.
”There was only one person I’d ever been able to trust and that was me, and even then I quite often let myself down.” - Breed
Overall it’s a gritty fantasy full of action and attitude. With a bold lead character and sharp writing, it’s perfect for readers who enjoy fast paced stories with edge and humour. Breed is no knight in shining armour but something else entirely, and that’s part of the fun.
If you’re looking for a warm, uplifting story, this isn’t it. But if you enjoy flawed characters, sword fights, and dark humour it’s perfect. I loved it and can’t wait for the next..
July 26, 2022
I found this a chore to read to be honest. The writing style just didn’t grab me at all. The protagonist just didn’t feel likeable, or interesting. The comedy also didn’t tickle my funny bone. This could be personal taste though.
December 27, 2022
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Dangerous To Know
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of 5 of The Chronicles of Breed series
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): K.T. Davies
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 2nd April 2018
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5
Breed is a sucker for trouble. After narrowly avoiding death by dragon, he stumbles upon a cave where he is tricked by a demon into making a deal; finding The Hammer of the North's hammer, in one year and a day, or else. Along his travels, he finds himself bound to servitude by a priest/sorcerer, being followed around by a beggar named 'Tosspot', and making friends with an eleven year old girl who looks like a rat. As they accompany him to help the priest, Breed has to come up with a plan to outwit everyone and get the hammer before the demon comes to collect his debt. Or, y'know, improvise everything and hope for the best.
Dangerous to Know was described to me as a cross between Deadpool and Game of Thrones. That promise was delivered. Written with a consistent sarcastic wit, amidst multitudes of cursing, and the turf wars, the first instalment of The Chronicles of Breed series definitely had aspects of each franchises.
However, I can't say I enjoyed it, I think that that's because of my particular taste, rather than it being a bad book. But personally, I couldn't warm to any of the characters in the book, this includes Breed; the protagonist. I felt like the characters lacked depth, and were there merely for the convenience, rather than bringing anything new to the story.
The book seemed to rely more on its sardonic narration, rather than elaborating on any details in-depth that might have helped to imagine the scene a little better. For some reason, it seemed to take me an age to get through it, and I thought that the ending to such a long-winded fantasy book was a little anti-climactic. In all; a promising beginning, a lengthy middle, and a disappointing ending.
🧚🏻♀️
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𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Dangerous To Know
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of 5 of The Chronicles of Breed series
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): K.T. Davies
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 2nd April 2018
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5
Breed is a sucker for trouble. After narrowly avoiding death by dragon, he stumbles upon a cave where he is tricked by a demon into making a deal; finding The Hammer of the North's hammer, in one year and a day, or else. Along his travels, he finds himself bound to servitude by a priest/sorcerer, being followed around by a beggar named 'Tosspot', and making friends with an eleven year old girl who looks like a rat. As they accompany him to help the priest, Breed has to come up with a plan to outwit everyone and get the hammer before the demon comes to collect his debt. Or, y'know, improvise everything and hope for the best.
Dangerous to Know was described to me as a cross between Deadpool and Game of Thrones. That promise was delivered. Written with a consistent sarcastic wit, amidst multitudes of cursing, and the turf wars, the first instalment of The Chronicles of Breed series definitely had aspects of each franchises.
However, I can't say I enjoyed it, I think that that's because of my particular taste, rather than it being a bad book. But personally, I couldn't warm to any of the characters in the book, this includes Breed; the protagonist. I felt like the characters lacked depth, and were there merely for the convenience, rather than bringing anything new to the story.
The book seemed to rely more on its sardonic narration, rather than elaborating on any details in-depth that might have helped to imagine the scene a little better. For some reason, it seemed to take me an age to get through it, and I thought that the ending to such a long-winded fantasy book was a little anti-climactic. In all; a promising beginning, a lengthy middle, and a disappointing ending.
🧚🏻♀️
♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡
↑ follow my socials for more bookish content. ��
September 12, 2018
5 Stars
Dangerous to Know (The Chronicles of Breed 1) is a fabulous start to a fun and highly imaginative world of fantasy. Davies has made something special here the world building is unbelievable. I loved Breed, the side kicks, the different god-like species, and the story itself.
An original dark fantasy that has much to offer.
Dangerous to Know (The Chronicles of Breed 1) is a fabulous start to a fun and highly imaginative world of fantasy. Davies has made something special here the world building is unbelievable. I loved Breed, the side kicks, the different god-like species, and the story itself.
An original dark fantasy that has much to offer.
December 1, 2018
Dangerous To Know is a book that falls far short of all your expectations. This book is purpotedly about Breed who's a fighter and thief of considerable skill who gets down on his luck and falls into the craziest adventures. And some of that does happen...I guess. Do you see his considerable fighting skills? sure if he's up against puny humans...considerable thieving skills, yeah sure if an "i stole it like a bad ass" speech is what you're looking for.
As for the adventures, well it's the first book and i can't say there were adventures per say but he does spend a fair amount of time bungling things through and getting beat up.
Breed does spend a considerable amount of time describing most of the areas he comes across in considerable detail. Take chapter 12 for example:"Level with the rim, the sightless eyes of a huge stone face gazed through me to the west. The face was that of a human woman which had been carved on a tall spire. The spire had snapped across the neck but hadn't fallen...
Does it end there? You wish it did....The tip of the spire had started to fall to seperate along a jagged fissure but some force held it an impossible angle....(there's a whole bunch of yarns) I dragged my gaze and peered into the depth of the crater. The face was one of four on the pinnacle of a pyramid building that looked like the world had risen around it. The crater was littered with other similar, but smaller structures. The civilisation that had once ...
There's goodness knows how many more lines of this expository nightmare and every chapter is littered with something like this.
There were a couple of continuation errors and the comedic value - which came across like i was actually in some bad version of British dry humour- or even what was supposed to be grim about the book fell flat for me. Although if grim = some form of inventive curse words peppered with characters spicing it up with saying fuck here and there you've got yourself a winner.
Not a great book, i didn't care one hoot for any of the characters and i'll honestly be hard pressed to spend what? £4.99 on the second book.
Sorry Gavin, i really tried to like this book 😘
November 30, 2018
Brilliant. Another unique world from another fertile fantasy author’s imagination.
A world with demons, dragons, Mages, assorted monsters. Most of the world is human but a lot of them aren’t too pleasant. And a fair bit of magic thrown in too.
The lead character, Breed, who provides the first person narrative, is a cross between a human mother and a ‘demon spawn’ warrior (created by humans in the past to help in a demonic war). Breed’s mother is a psychopathic gang leader with no motherly feelings but she’s brought him up well - as a thief/assassin! Breed has one important person in his/her life - Breed (gender undefined throughout- but I’ll use him for brevity).
Maybe this seems rather a dark world, and it is indeed fantasy at the grittier end of the spectrum, but there’s also a nice line in wry humour scattered through the text, often provided by Breed’s observations on his rather difficult life where everyone seems to be out to get him, and not helped by Breed’s rather stubborn, aggressive nature. Breed can handle himself well in conflict but doesn’t always win which is a nice change from some super, almost invincible, warriors I’ve come across in other fantasies.
The storyline is pacy, plenty of action and twists. Some interesting characters thrown in even if Breed normally regards them with contempt. It’s Breed’s ‘not giving a damn’ attitude to events, others, his own well being sometimes, that makes him the character you cheer for. By the end of the story it’s just possible Breed may be showing some spark of empathy for the odd individual. But not much!
Highly recommended.
A world with demons, dragons, Mages, assorted monsters. Most of the world is human but a lot of them aren’t too pleasant. And a fair bit of magic thrown in too.
The lead character, Breed, who provides the first person narrative, is a cross between a human mother and a ‘demon spawn’ warrior (created by humans in the past to help in a demonic war). Breed’s mother is a psychopathic gang leader with no motherly feelings but she’s brought him up well - as a thief/assassin! Breed has one important person in his/her life - Breed (gender undefined throughout- but I’ll use him for brevity).
Maybe this seems rather a dark world, and it is indeed fantasy at the grittier end of the spectrum, but there’s also a nice line in wry humour scattered through the text, often provided by Breed’s observations on his rather difficult life where everyone seems to be out to get him, and not helped by Breed’s rather stubborn, aggressive nature. Breed can handle himself well in conflict but doesn’t always win which is a nice change from some super, almost invincible, warriors I’ve come across in other fantasies.
The storyline is pacy, plenty of action and twists. Some interesting characters thrown in even if Breed normally regards them with contempt. It’s Breed’s ‘not giving a damn’ attitude to events, others, his own well being sometimes, that makes him the character you cheer for. By the end of the story it’s just possible Breed may be showing some spark of empathy for the odd individual. But not much!
Highly recommended.
September 11, 2014
I keep a pretty strict schedule when it comes to reviewing. Ninety nine percent of the time I work with the principle first in, first out. It makes it easy for me to keep track of what I am reviewing and when. There is an exception to every rule, however. For me, it’s when a new book arrives from K T Davies. I can’t help myself. I loved The Red Knight, and when I got my hands on Breed I began to devour it immediately. My colour-coded schedule of book-reviewing loveliness was swiftly forgotten, and I lost myself in this new fantasy from one of my favourite authors.
Breed is half human, half thoasan*1 thief who is not having what could be described as a good day. A very angry dragon, a demon with bad temper, and a plethora of vengeful assassins all want a chat. On top of all that, the psychopathic head of the local crime syndicate also wants a word. The fact that she happens to be Breed’s mother probably won’t help much either. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the only wafer thin chance of survival is doing what Breed does best – more stealing.
With a quaint sounding name like Appleton you might be fooled into thinking that the town Breed lives in as an idyllic locale. Sadly, you would be entirely wrong. Brothels, dosshouses, and grubby taverns are the order of the day; perfect if you’re a career criminal, mind you. There are lots of dark alleyways for darker deeds, and sewers for escape routes. You get the picture. Later, the action moves to the city of Valen, and there is more of the same just on a slightly grander scale. I got the distinct impression the author was relishing all this depravity. The luscious sights, sounds and even the various smells of Breed’s world all spring from the page vividly. Additional plus points to K T Davies for the truly inventive swearing that Breed is so fond of using. More than once I caught myself tittering at the latest colourful bon mot our playful protagonist had just issued.
Being drawn to the dark side of society means that Breed tends to keep quite low company. It’s hardly a massive surprise that the rest of the cast are an assorted melange of reprobates, maniacs and scumbags. My particular favourite is a scruffy vagrant known simply as Tosspot. Shambolic, uncontrollable and completely unpredictable, I loved the way he drifts in and out of scenes. You get the distinct impression that when he is not present he is off causing chaos somewhere else. Caring about consequences and the outcome of events is far too much trouble for Tosspot, and needs to be left to anyone else but him. That sort of gleefully debauched ne’er-do-well is always such a blast to discover in any book.
It’s always a pleasure when an author you’ve been following for a while*2 produces a new book and it clicks with you immediately. Brash, bawdy and with more chases than you could shake a big northern hammer at, Breed is fantasy caper that’s bucket loads of fun. Davies’ writing continues to evolve and delight in equal measure always retaining that joyous, blissful escapism that drew me to her work in the first place.
Breed is published by Fox Spirit and is available now. Well worth checking out in my opinion. I can only hope that Breed will return again in the future? I have similarly high hopes for the sequel to The Red Knight while we’re at it.
*1 think human sized lizard specifically created to fight demons in an ancient war.
*2 not a creepy stalker sort of a way, I mean following their work. Just so we’re clear.
Breed is half human, half thoasan*1 thief who is not having what could be described as a good day. A very angry dragon, a demon with bad temper, and a plethora of vengeful assassins all want a chat. On top of all that, the psychopathic head of the local crime syndicate also wants a word. The fact that she happens to be Breed’s mother probably won’t help much either. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the only wafer thin chance of survival is doing what Breed does best – more stealing.
With a quaint sounding name like Appleton you might be fooled into thinking that the town Breed lives in as an idyllic locale. Sadly, you would be entirely wrong. Brothels, dosshouses, and grubby taverns are the order of the day; perfect if you’re a career criminal, mind you. There are lots of dark alleyways for darker deeds, and sewers for escape routes. You get the picture. Later, the action moves to the city of Valen, and there is more of the same just on a slightly grander scale. I got the distinct impression the author was relishing all this depravity. The luscious sights, sounds and even the various smells of Breed’s world all spring from the page vividly. Additional plus points to K T Davies for the truly inventive swearing that Breed is so fond of using. More than once I caught myself tittering at the latest colourful bon mot our playful protagonist had just issued.
Being drawn to the dark side of society means that Breed tends to keep quite low company. It’s hardly a massive surprise that the rest of the cast are an assorted melange of reprobates, maniacs and scumbags. My particular favourite is a scruffy vagrant known simply as Tosspot. Shambolic, uncontrollable and completely unpredictable, I loved the way he drifts in and out of scenes. You get the distinct impression that when he is not present he is off causing chaos somewhere else. Caring about consequences and the outcome of events is far too much trouble for Tosspot, and needs to be left to anyone else but him. That sort of gleefully debauched ne’er-do-well is always such a blast to discover in any book.
It’s always a pleasure when an author you’ve been following for a while*2 produces a new book and it clicks with you immediately. Brash, bawdy and with more chases than you could shake a big northern hammer at, Breed is fantasy caper that’s bucket loads of fun. Davies’ writing continues to evolve and delight in equal measure always retaining that joyous, blissful escapism that drew me to her work in the first place.
Breed is published by Fox Spirit and is available now. Well worth checking out in my opinion. I can only hope that Breed will return again in the future? I have similarly high hopes for the sequel to The Red Knight while we’re at it.
*1 think human sized lizard specifically created to fight demons in an ancient war.
*2 not a creepy stalker sort of a way, I mean following their work. Just so we’re clear.
April 27, 2018
I found this book to be very interesting with all the slang words. This book follows Breed, as the character is called, around on their misadventures. Breed seems to be a magnet for trouble, chased by a dragon, bounty on her head by her own mother (who is a guild master), prior mate tries to kill her, and this is just in the first three chapters. There are some dark dealings in this book, so I do not recommend this book for those under 18 years old. The are drugs and murder and sexual content, if you don't mind those this is an interesting read.
May 22, 2018
This is a grim, dark fantasy but also amusing, witty and has a cast of unusual but lovably odd characters.
Sometimes an author just manages to connect with your wavelength and sense of humour and instantly you know that you’ll follow their characters wherever they lead you. That’s what happened to me with Dangerous To Know!
Breed is an amazing protagonist. We never find out Breed’s real name or sex but the description of Breed as a half thoasan/half human makes a more interesting character with some unusual attributes.
Some of Breed’s thoughts and dialogue are very funny, loved his revolting phrases (must reread and highlight!)
The other characters - Tobias the one handed priest whose magic is used reluctantly and often knocks him out, a vagrant called Rubin who Breed calls Tosspot and the delightful rat faced Clary- all will be your new friends by the end of this journey with them.
The adventure is fast paced but flows nicely and the plot is well thought out. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next book.
The writing style is quite unique with some imaginative descriptions of characters and places. I would say if you like Gaiman/Pratchett you should definitely give this author a try. Read the sample and if you like it (how could you not?!) you will enjoy the rest of the book.
Thank you K T Davies, loved it, bravo, keep it up!!
Off to read the 2nd book. 😁
Sometimes an author just manages to connect with your wavelength and sense of humour and instantly you know that you’ll follow their characters wherever they lead you. That’s what happened to me with Dangerous To Know!
Breed is an amazing protagonist. We never find out Breed’s real name or sex but the description of Breed as a half thoasan/half human makes a more interesting character with some unusual attributes.
Some of Breed’s thoughts and dialogue are very funny, loved his revolting phrases (must reread and highlight!)
The other characters - Tobias the one handed priest whose magic is used reluctantly and often knocks him out, a vagrant called Rubin who Breed calls Tosspot and the delightful rat faced Clary- all will be your new friends by the end of this journey with them.
The adventure is fast paced but flows nicely and the plot is well thought out. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next book.
The writing style is quite unique with some imaginative descriptions of characters and places. I would say if you like Gaiman/Pratchett you should definitely give this author a try. Read the sample and if you like it (how could you not?!) you will enjoy the rest of the book.
Thank you K T Davies, loved it, bravo, keep it up!!
Off to read the 2nd book. 😁
November 14, 2023
If you like a sassy rogue as a main character, Dangerous To Know by L.T. Davis is a book you want to check out!
It's a quick and easy read, if on the darker side of things. Plenty of sarcastic remarks and some banter made it a fast and entertaining read, that I breezed through in no time at all.
The world is unique and quite wild with all sorts of demons, or "people" like dragons, arachnids or even a mosquito! I'm not sure if I loved this, or if I found it a bit too much at times - either way it definitely was something different, so I did enjoy it.
The tone and voice was catchy for me, and I really enjoyed the way our main character is a selfish thief, and always quick to run his mouth even if it might get him into all sorts of trouble. Not a villain, but definitely not a hero, I liked his point of view!
It's a quick and easy read, if on the darker side of things. Plenty of sarcastic remarks and some banter made it a fast and entertaining read, that I breezed through in no time at all.
The world is unique and quite wild with all sorts of demons, or "people" like dragons, arachnids or even a mosquito! I'm not sure if I loved this, or if I found it a bit too much at times - either way it definitely was something different, so I did enjoy it.
The tone and voice was catchy for me, and I really enjoyed the way our main character is a selfish thief, and always quick to run his mouth even if it might get him into all sorts of trouble. Not a villain, but definitely not a hero, I liked his point of view!
May 13, 2023
Breed is an interesting protagonist and might be considered the ultimate outsider. We know Breed is half human and half thaosa – a lizard-like “warspawn” race created by magic centuries before. We learn Breed is visibly not entirely human. Breed is six feet tall, has clawed hands, clawed, scaled seven-toed feet, hair-spines, yellow eyes, and deep-red stripes on the neck and arms. As someone who has spent many hours playing the Elder Scrolls games, which are inhabited by the Argonians, a race of humanoid lizard people, I immediately pictured Breed as an Argonian-human mix. As a result of half-thaosan genes, Breed is stronger, faster, tougher, more agile, needs less food and sleep, can smell better and see better in the dark, and is less susceptible to either pain or emotion than any full human, and mainly views having a human side as an annoying weakness.
I also got the feeling just from the blurb that Breed was intended to be a gender-ambiguous character, and that was the main thing that interested me about it, after “thief-assassin.” (If you want to lure me into a windowless van, tell me you have a fantasy novel featuring a thief-assassin MC.) As I got into the book, that continued to be the case. Davies never hits you in the face with this point, but just quietly avoids the usual gender cues, leaving the reader to either notice the ambiguity... or not. The ploy is helped along by the near-universal contempt in which Breed is held by the humans, and terms like “it,” “that,” “that thing,” “that creature,” and “that demon-spawn” get thrown around a lot in lieu of “he” or “she.” It's also interesting how the gender ambiguity extends to the slang used throughout the book – while nearly every character except Breed has a clear gender, there are no general references to guys, chaps, chicks, blokes, tarts, broads, chippies, or bitches. Instead, it's all the less obviously gendered toffs, coves, culls, and lags. And it's interesting what I hard time I had resisting the subconscious urge to just lazily think of Breed as male even though there was no reason given in the text to do so and I consciously knew that I shouldn't. I suspect the meta-message here is, "This isn't a romance, and Breed's gender is totally irrelevant to any aspect of this story, so if you're burning energy wondering about it, you should ask yourself WHY it's so important to you." Of course, that message is totally lost on the many readers who never noticed the message and just assumed Breed was male.
So. Neither clearly human nor thaosa, neither clearly female nor male, with a parental relationship that seems to have no positives, born into a criminal underworld in which trust and loyalty are liabilities, and without a single real friend worth mentioning, Breed is about as clanless as it gets, and thus is instantly relatable to readers who have ever felt they were on the outside looking in at the rest of mainstream society. In this world, there are no support groups, no 1-800 numbers, and no social media where you can find other misfits like yourself. Breed just has to go it alone, and seems to be doing all right, at least on the outside. I'm sure being strong, fast, and ruthless doesn't hurt, and Breed spends a lot of time deflecting with snarky humor and cockiness.
Oh, did you want to know about the story?? It's a pretty rollicking, fast-paced sword-and-sorcery adventure with lots of chases, fights, captures, escapes, treachery, and heavily leavened with Breed's cheeky approach to life. It comes complete with an ancient war, mysterious ruins, a magic MacGuffin, and a prophecy. The plot gets a little chaotic, with Breed being incapacitated and then suddenly rescued so many times your head will spin. Some parts of it moved at a pace that felt too breakneck, and I felt it could have been constructed a little better, but it was still fun, and I want to vread the next one. Basically a 3 or 3.5-star book, elevated by a very interesting protagonist.
Audio Notes: Chris Coxon isn't the most remarkable audiobook narrator, but he's good, and his light counter-tenor is a good choice for the gender-ambiguous Breed.
I also got the feeling just from the blurb that Breed was intended to be a gender-ambiguous character, and that was the main thing that interested me about it, after “thief-assassin.” (If you want to lure me into a windowless van, tell me you have a fantasy novel featuring a thief-assassin MC.) As I got into the book, that continued to be the case. Davies never hits you in the face with this point, but just quietly avoids the usual gender cues, leaving the reader to either notice the ambiguity... or not. The ploy is helped along by the near-universal contempt in which Breed is held by the humans, and terms like “it,” “that,” “that thing,” “that creature,” and “that demon-spawn” get thrown around a lot in lieu of “he” or “she.” It's also interesting how the gender ambiguity extends to the slang used throughout the book – while nearly every character except Breed has a clear gender, there are no general references to guys, chaps, chicks, blokes, tarts, broads, chippies, or bitches. Instead, it's all the less obviously gendered toffs, coves, culls, and lags. And it's interesting what I hard time I had resisting the subconscious urge to just lazily think of Breed as male even though there was no reason given in the text to do so and I consciously knew that I shouldn't. I suspect the meta-message here is, "This isn't a romance, and Breed's gender is totally irrelevant to any aspect of this story, so if you're burning energy wondering about it, you should ask yourself WHY it's so important to you." Of course, that message is totally lost on the many readers who never noticed the message and just assumed Breed was male.
So. Neither clearly human nor thaosa, neither clearly female nor male, with a parental relationship that seems to have no positives, born into a criminal underworld in which trust and loyalty are liabilities, and without a single real friend worth mentioning, Breed is about as clanless as it gets, and thus is instantly relatable to readers who have ever felt they were on the outside looking in at the rest of mainstream society. In this world, there are no support groups, no 1-800 numbers, and no social media where you can find other misfits like yourself. Breed just has to go it alone, and seems to be doing all right, at least on the outside. I'm sure being strong, fast, and ruthless doesn't hurt, and Breed spends a lot of time deflecting with snarky humor and cockiness.
Oh, did you want to know about the story?? It's a pretty rollicking, fast-paced sword-and-sorcery adventure with lots of chases, fights, captures, escapes, treachery, and heavily leavened with Breed's cheeky approach to life. It comes complete with an ancient war, mysterious ruins, a magic MacGuffin, and a prophecy. The plot gets a little chaotic, with Breed being incapacitated and then suddenly rescued so many times your head will spin. Some parts of it moved at a pace that felt too breakneck, and I felt it could have been constructed a little better, but it was still fun, and I want to vread the next one. Basically a 3 or 3.5-star book, elevated by a very interesting protagonist.
Audio Notes: Chris Coxon isn't the most remarkable audiobook narrator, but he's good, and his light counter-tenor is a good choice for the gender-ambiguous Breed.
November 2, 2015
Short and bloodthirstily good. No, not me - or not just me - but KT Davies' ripping shaggy-demonspawn yarn.
Half human, half thoasa, Breed is the eponymous protagonist of this tale, permanently on the run, or landing in some sort of trouble, getting knocked out, imprisoned, bonded to a rather drippy priest, or raised from the dead by a demon bent on world domination. Shit happens, and Breed lands in a whole acre of arse-pickle rather frequently. In fact the author packs in as much action as you'd expect to find in a book twice the length, and still finds time and space for both world-building and plot machinations - which is a good thing. A well developed history it is too, with Breed chasing the Hammer's Hammer only to discover that... well, you'll have to find out for yourselves on that one.
The idea of the paradox of magic is another excellent idea, well-developed and used, as is the "apporting" apparatus (with more than a nod to Stargate too). The multi-leveled city of Valen is a fun location (for varying definitions of "fun", dependent on whether you are Breed or not...). Appleton is most definitely a place that all roads lead from.
Breed is an interesting character too. Self-centered and self-motivated, definitely, but also an honest narrator and as prone to make mistakes as the next person. An alarming tendency to be knocked unconscious, mind, but since that does move the plot along, we'll forgive that...
It may stand somewhere on the borders of Grimdark, but I'd say Breed is better than that. I thought it was illegal for fantasy to be this much fun. :)
Half human, half thoasa, Breed is the eponymous protagonist of this tale, permanently on the run, or landing in some sort of trouble, getting knocked out, imprisoned, bonded to a rather drippy priest, or raised from the dead by a demon bent on world domination. Shit happens, and Breed lands in a whole acre of arse-pickle rather frequently. In fact the author packs in as much action as you'd expect to find in a book twice the length, and still finds time and space for both world-building and plot machinations - which is a good thing. A well developed history it is too, with Breed chasing the Hammer's Hammer only to discover that... well, you'll have to find out for yourselves on that one.
The idea of the paradox of magic is another excellent idea, well-developed and used, as is the "apporting" apparatus (with more than a nod to Stargate too). The multi-leveled city of Valen is a fun location (for varying definitions of "fun", dependent on whether you are Breed or not...). Appleton is most definitely a place that all roads lead from.
Breed is an interesting character too. Self-centered and self-motivated, definitely, but also an honest narrator and as prone to make mistakes as the next person. An alarming tendency to be knocked unconscious, mind, but since that does move the plot along, we'll forgive that...
It may stand somewhere on the borders of Grimdark, but I'd say Breed is better than that. I thought it was illegal for fantasy to be this much fun. :)
April 13, 2018
Come for the foul tongued Breed.
Stay for the legendary journey!
In the dark and stench of Appleton, a half Thoasa/half Human that goes by the name of Breed returns home after a less than delightful encounters with an Ice Breathing Dragon and a rather annoyed Demon.
The path Breed takes onwards from here could ultimately save the Empire - If Breed doesn't rob it blind first.
This book is a classic fantasy with a twist. Narrated from the perspective of Breed, it is full of violence and carnage. An assortment of tag-along characters start following Breed on a fun (for the reader) adventure through a land that still hasn't recovered from a great magical war hundreds of years before.
Reading this book is a delight.
Note: This book was previously published as "Breed" through Foxspirit Books.
Stay for the legendary journey!
In the dark and stench of Appleton, a half Thoasa/half Human that goes by the name of Breed returns home after a less than delightful encounters with an Ice Breathing Dragon and a rather annoyed Demon.
The path Breed takes onwards from here could ultimately save the Empire - If Breed doesn't rob it blind first.
This book is a classic fantasy with a twist. Narrated from the perspective of Breed, it is full of violence and carnage. An assortment of tag-along characters start following Breed on a fun (for the reader) adventure through a land that still hasn't recovered from a great magical war hundreds of years before.
Reading this book is a delight.
Note: This book was previously published as "Breed" through Foxspirit Books.
February 14, 2019
The best thing about fantasy is you can love the anti-hero.
I fell for breed pretty much in the two free reads availible, and the first full length story cemented my love.
Breed is no ones idea of a hero and yet he managed to keep saving everyone, except those he killed that is.
Described as a kind of deadpool is no deception. Breed is a potty mouth killing machine. The blood ran as freely as the curse words, which I found highly entertaining.
The story was entertaining and very well written. The cast of characters full of humour and eccentricities, and not always what they first appear to be. It was easy to fall into the world painted for me. There were a few twist and turns, especially at the end, that made this a very enjoyable story.
Sadly the Dragon is only a passing character. But I still look forward to rejoining Breed on his next adventure.
I fell for breed pretty much in the two free reads availible, and the first full length story cemented my love.
Breed is no ones idea of a hero and yet he managed to keep saving everyone, except those he killed that is.
Described as a kind of deadpool is no deception. Breed is a potty mouth killing machine. The blood ran as freely as the curse words, which I found highly entertaining.
The story was entertaining and very well written. The cast of characters full of humour and eccentricities, and not always what they first appear to be. It was easy to fall into the world painted for me. There were a few twist and turns, especially at the end, that made this a very enjoyable story.
Sadly the Dragon is only a passing character. But I still look forward to rejoining Breed on his next adventure.
April 5, 2018
Bloody Brilliant!
An action packed romp from start to finish.
An action packed romp from start to finish.
September 30, 2018
Awful
Absolutely awful. I didn't even finish it, I found this book so annoying to read - and I always finish books!
Absolutely would not recommend!!!
Absolutely awful. I didn't even finish it, I found this book so annoying to read - and I always finish books!
Absolutely would not recommend!!!
November 28, 2018
A New Breed
A blurb called this book "Deadpool meets Game of Thrones" and I am a bit inclined to agree. Breed, a thief, murderer, and general rogue, begins this tale being chased by a dragon after stealing a sapphire. Life comes at Breed fast, as they (I am not sure a gender was ever specified) find out the hard way. Sold out, injured, betrayed by a lover, placed under geas, arrested... Breed 's life (for a couple of weeks, tops) reads like one extra long side quest and it is glorious, if a tiny bit clichéd. Recommended for people who like epic fantasy and adventure with no contrived romance and extremely foul-mouthed anti - heroes.
A blurb called this book "Deadpool meets Game of Thrones" and I am a bit inclined to agree. Breed, a thief, murderer, and general rogue, begins this tale being chased by a dragon after stealing a sapphire. Life comes at Breed fast, as they (I am not sure a gender was ever specified) find out the hard way. Sold out, injured, betrayed by a lover, placed under geas, arrested... Breed 's life (for a couple of weeks, tops) reads like one extra long side quest and it is glorious, if a tiny bit clichéd. Recommended for people who like epic fantasy and adventure with no contrived romance and extremely foul-mouthed anti - heroes.
March 25, 2021
3.5
This was an above average fantasy that's a touch on the dark side, more violent than expected, and much funnier than expected. It's the main character that carries the story, but he's only moderately likable. Although he does seem potentially redeemable by the end of this first book.
I'm not in love with it, but it was engaging enough to make me want to see how it goes, so on to the next.
ETA: I like Chris Coxon's narration, but I find he's one of those narrators who reads faster than he pauses so if you speed the replay up to shorten the pauses then you get audio that's too fast (for me, anyway). It takes a little getting used to, but it's not insurmountable with this book. Also, there were several pauses that were so lengthy for no real reason that it ended up seeming like the engineering could probably use a little work.
This was an above average fantasy that's a touch on the dark side, more violent than expected, and much funnier than expected. It's the main character that carries the story, but he's only moderately likable. Although he does seem potentially redeemable by the end of this first book.
I'm not in love with it, but it was engaging enough to make me want to see how it goes, so on to the next.
ETA: I like Chris Coxon's narration, but I find he's one of those narrators who reads faster than he pauses so if you speed the replay up to shorten the pauses then you get audio that's too fast (for me, anyway). It takes a little getting used to, but it's not insurmountable with this book. Also, there were several pauses that were so lengthy for no real reason that it ended up seeming like the engineering could probably use a little work.
January 29, 2021
Both a fantastic action/adventure fantasy and a comedy of errors all packed into one wonderful tale. Breed is a wonderful mystery, a fun non-human (or only partially human) protagonist with a massive chip on his shoulder and no miraculous turnaround to do the right thing unlike most fantasy MCs. Very much looking forward to book 2, though a short warning for prudes... there is a LOT of swearing in this. It's quite fitting to the character and a lot of the creative insults are hilarious, but your mileage may vary.
September 8, 2022
Honestly, I think you're either going to love it or hate it. And I happened to love it.
I think it is mostly dependent on whether you're willing to be in for the ride and are in the mood for some shenanigans or are you in the mood to actually judge and evaluate the mc. Because if so, you're going to have a really bad time, as Breed (the mc) is hardly moral or ethical, they are fun though. By the end of the first book I've still no clue about their gender and I realised I actually really like that.
I think it is mostly dependent on whether you're willing to be in for the ride and are in the mood for some shenanigans or are you in the mood to actually judge and evaluate the mc. Because if so, you're going to have a really bad time, as Breed (the mc) is hardly moral or ethical, they are fun though. By the end of the first book I've still no clue about their gender and I realised I actually really like that.
March 23, 2024
A good story.
April 24, 2018
Dangerous To Know is the first in a duo of fantasy novels by K.T. Davies. It follows the misadventures of the titular Breed, a misanthropic, magically engineered killing machine, as he tries to escape the attentions of his sociopathic mage of a mother, the curse of a demon, and a whole host of others that would like to kill him. Usually with cause. It’s got magic, history to go with it, as well as complex, evolving characters with a penchant for vicious banter, and steel-edged, page turning plot. It is, in short, a lot of fun.
As the title may indicate, Breed is the centrepiece of the text, and a rather dangerous one at that. Breed is a Warspawn – or at least, partially. These were monsters, bred for war in long ago battles against demons and hordes of darkness. Now they’re socially and politically suspect. Nobody likes a seven-foot lizard who can eviscerate them on a whim, after all. Especially when they’re a minority, and easy to blame. It does allow the text to quietly explore ideas of social and racial stereotyping, looking at the Warspawn as a group, looked down on and maligned by the majority of the population that they were originally built to help preserve.
Breed is a reaction to that. He’s smart, often sharp enough to cut himself. But he’s also got something of a temper, paired with an absolute refusal to take any crap. From the reader’s point of view, this is an absolute delight – watching Breed meet repression with a mixture of sarcasm and brutality never gets old. It does, however, tend to escalate, leading him into rather a lot of trouble. Breed is also reliably selfish. People haven’t been good to him, and his public face is one which rejects intimacy or even friendship, in favour of sticking knives into people and lifting their wallets from their still cooling corpses. Breed has been shaped by his environs, and it’snot a good look, to put it mildly. On the other hand, though he’s always willing to sacrifices a comrade if necessary, or take ruthless and brutal action when required, there’s still a lot of raw emotion floating round internally. Some of it is rage, lets be fair. Actually, rather a lot of it is rage. But if he doesn’t like the group of people he’s with, still he doesn’t find it in himself to throw them away. At least not often. Unless it’s necessary.
Breed’s journey here is one which isn’t deliberately of self discovery. Still, in achieving his goals, in tearing free from the enforced obligations which keep him inside the social constructs which have shaped and denigrated his people, Breed will get closer to understanding himself, and maybe making something of his own purpose. In the meantime, however, he has to fend off the geas of a demon, and retrieve the weapon of one of humanity’s greatest heroes. In which quest, he has some help. That help, admittedly, consists of a quiet girl, a semi-senile, drug-addled geriatric, and a priest-magician with what Breed feels are far too many morals. The first two are sadly underutilised; where they’re in the frame, it’s often for last-second assistance, comic effect, or the odd bit of foreshadowing. I liked what I saw of them, but as it was infrequent and from Breed’s perspective, it felt like the surface over deeper seas. Still, when they were there, they were engaging; it would’ve been great if they had a little more to do. The priest, however, gets a little more room. An idealist, he’s striving to both prepare the world for what he foresees as a time of coming darkness, and to stop the population from blaming everything on the already looked-down on non-human population. Thankfully, that idealism is backed up by some serious magical firepower. The clash between this idealism and Breed’s hard-headed pragmatism leads to some excellent, if often unspoken, dialogue, and lets us contrast our protagonist with a person who, in a simpler book, would be the hero.
Together, this merry band of occasionally bloodthirsty lunatics set out to find an artefact and, coincidentally, save the world – or, at least, stop it from getting any worse. In order to do that, there’s quite a lot of flashy magic, combined with some kinetically charged and rather visceral fight scenes, both of which kept me turning the pages. They were helped along by Breed’s pragmatically selfish character, which came with enough raw emotion to make him feel like a person, behind the words. Possibly not a very nice person, but that wasn’t in the brief, after all. There’s also a fair amount of plots and byzantine villainous schemes, backed by some people who are Very Bad Indeed, and whose tearing up the page is an absolute delight.
This is a thoroughly entertaining, unconventional and imaginative fantasy adventure – and one it’s worth your while to read.
As the title may indicate, Breed is the centrepiece of the text, and a rather dangerous one at that. Breed is a Warspawn – or at least, partially. These were monsters, bred for war in long ago battles against demons and hordes of darkness. Now they’re socially and politically suspect. Nobody likes a seven-foot lizard who can eviscerate them on a whim, after all. Especially when they’re a minority, and easy to blame. It does allow the text to quietly explore ideas of social and racial stereotyping, looking at the Warspawn as a group, looked down on and maligned by the majority of the population that they were originally built to help preserve.
Breed is a reaction to that. He’s smart, often sharp enough to cut himself. But he’s also got something of a temper, paired with an absolute refusal to take any crap. From the reader’s point of view, this is an absolute delight – watching Breed meet repression with a mixture of sarcasm and brutality never gets old. It does, however, tend to escalate, leading him into rather a lot of trouble. Breed is also reliably selfish. People haven’t been good to him, and his public face is one which rejects intimacy or even friendship, in favour of sticking knives into people and lifting their wallets from their still cooling corpses. Breed has been shaped by his environs, and it’snot a good look, to put it mildly. On the other hand, though he’s always willing to sacrifices a comrade if necessary, or take ruthless and brutal action when required, there’s still a lot of raw emotion floating round internally. Some of it is rage, lets be fair. Actually, rather a lot of it is rage. But if he doesn’t like the group of people he’s with, still he doesn’t find it in himself to throw them away. At least not often. Unless it’s necessary.
Breed’s journey here is one which isn’t deliberately of self discovery. Still, in achieving his goals, in tearing free from the enforced obligations which keep him inside the social constructs which have shaped and denigrated his people, Breed will get closer to understanding himself, and maybe making something of his own purpose. In the meantime, however, he has to fend off the geas of a demon, and retrieve the weapon of one of humanity’s greatest heroes. In which quest, he has some help. That help, admittedly, consists of a quiet girl, a semi-senile, drug-addled geriatric, and a priest-magician with what Breed feels are far too many morals. The first two are sadly underutilised; where they’re in the frame, it’s often for last-second assistance, comic effect, or the odd bit of foreshadowing. I liked what I saw of them, but as it was infrequent and from Breed’s perspective, it felt like the surface over deeper seas. Still, when they were there, they were engaging; it would’ve been great if they had a little more to do. The priest, however, gets a little more room. An idealist, he’s striving to both prepare the world for what he foresees as a time of coming darkness, and to stop the population from blaming everything on the already looked-down on non-human population. Thankfully, that idealism is backed up by some serious magical firepower. The clash between this idealism and Breed’s hard-headed pragmatism leads to some excellent, if often unspoken, dialogue, and lets us contrast our protagonist with a person who, in a simpler book, would be the hero.
Together, this merry band of occasionally bloodthirsty lunatics set out to find an artefact and, coincidentally, save the world – or, at least, stop it from getting any worse. In order to do that, there’s quite a lot of flashy magic, combined with some kinetically charged and rather visceral fight scenes, both of which kept me turning the pages. They were helped along by Breed’s pragmatically selfish character, which came with enough raw emotion to make him feel like a person, behind the words. Possibly not a very nice person, but that wasn’t in the brief, after all. There’s also a fair amount of plots and byzantine villainous schemes, backed by some people who are Very Bad Indeed, and whose tearing up the page is an absolute delight.
This is a thoroughly entertaining, unconventional and imaginative fantasy adventure – and one it’s worth your while to read.
August 30, 2018
I really tried to like this book a lot more than I did. It's well-paced, the characters are interesting, there's some good lines....but the writing style is just difficult. I realised why eventually - the book just needs a good, hard, edit. From a professional who knows what they are doing. The self-published thing is all well and good, but you're never going to produce a quality product without support.
It's also constantly profane - I love a cuss as much or more than the next, but less is more when you're trying to create impact - and fewer odd made up slang words would probably help as well.
It you can get over those issues, there's a world which would reward further interest, and an interesting story under there somewhere.
It's also constantly profane - I love a cuss as much or more than the next, but less is more when you're trying to create impact - and fewer odd made up slang words would probably help as well.
It you can get over those issues, there's a world which would reward further interest, and an interesting story under there somewhere.
Read
January 13, 2019Couldn't finish it, returned it to Audible
November 28, 2018
A great, witty book that made me laugh so hard my stomach ached.
The main character is just delightful and the story is so complex and well-put together that even the most seemingly insignificant scene has a perfectly established place in the puzzle that Breed is.
The world-building is definitely... exotic and the story light and refreshing even though it might seem like the most horrible things happen. ... Ergh, well, they totally do, but that's besides the point! :))
It's just funny and K.T. Davies has a way with words. At times the writing was a bit difficult (for me) but that's in no way the author's fault.
The words and expressions Breed uses are simply part of who he is and that's what makes him so unique and memorable in comparison to other characters. Considering the world the action takes place in, the writing style is quite fitting and only serves to immerse the reader into the book.
And yes, I see Breed as a "HE".
That's one interesting choice the author's done there but I think it only serves to show the focus of the book is not and shouldn't be centered around Breed's gender.
Breed's personality is so colorful that it throws everything else into shadows.
The plot is very unexpected and it's got a fast pace, never allowing you to get bored because you don't have the time for it. Things keep happening one after the other, events unfolding and trapping you into them.
What can I say more? I loved it and K.T.'s writing has definitely become a source of inspiration for me.
Exceptional read. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
The main character is just delightful and the story is so complex and well-put together that even the most seemingly insignificant scene has a perfectly established place in the puzzle that Breed is.
The world-building is definitely... exotic and the story light and refreshing even though it might seem like the most horrible things happen. ... Ergh, well, they totally do, but that's besides the point! :))
It's just funny and K.T. Davies has a way with words. At times the writing was a bit difficult (for me) but that's in no way the author's fault.
The words and expressions Breed uses are simply part of who he is and that's what makes him so unique and memorable in comparison to other characters. Considering the world the action takes place in, the writing style is quite fitting and only serves to immerse the reader into the book.
And yes, I see Breed as a "HE".
That's one interesting choice the author's done there but I think it only serves to show the focus of the book is not and shouldn't be centered around Breed's gender.
Breed's personality is so colorful that it throws everything else into shadows.
The plot is very unexpected and it's got a fast pace, never allowing you to get bored because you don't have the time for it. Things keep happening one after the other, events unfolding and trapping you into them.
What can I say more? I loved it and K.T.'s writing has definitely become a source of inspiration for me.
Exceptional read. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
May 25, 2018
The beginning of this book involves Breed, a thoasan warspawn, stealing a sapphire at the behest of his mother and then running from a dragon spewing cold fire which misses most of him but peels the skin from his shoulder. As he falls through a fissure, he sees stars and, just before he passes out, rolls away from the hole he fell into as the dragon above sends a torrent of ice down on him , again missing and causing the dragon to vent his fury on the surrounding mountainside. And it rarely slows down after that.
Breed is a gang member and assassin of his mothers underworld kingdom, one of many thugs that hurry to do her bidding, and he is constantly getting in trouble as he tries to do what she demands of him. She would kill him herself if he didn't double-talk his way out of it. In between he is marked by a demon to do an impossible task, put in jail, released indentured to a monk, involved in the monk's own impossible tasks, is involved in many fights and battles, killed and brought back to life and, most surprising of all, ends up being a hero! This is a rollicking adventure that you most certainly will enjoy but be advised that BECAUSE OF GRAPHIC FIGHTING AND DESCRIPTION OF GORY INJURIES AND FATALITIES AS WELL AS LANGUAGE, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. This book was gifted to me but this review is all mine and I think that most of the adults out there will enjoy the adventures that Breed goes through. If you enjoy it don't forget to look for the second book in Breed's subsequent travels!
Breed is a gang member and assassin of his mothers underworld kingdom, one of many thugs that hurry to do her bidding, and he is constantly getting in trouble as he tries to do what she demands of him. She would kill him herself if he didn't double-talk his way out of it. In between he is marked by a demon to do an impossible task, put in jail, released indentured to a monk, involved in the monk's own impossible tasks, is involved in many fights and battles, killed and brought back to life and, most surprising of all, ends up being a hero! This is a rollicking adventure that you most certainly will enjoy but be advised that BECAUSE OF GRAPHIC FIGHTING AND DESCRIPTION OF GORY INJURIES AND FATALITIES AS WELL AS LANGUAGE, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. This book was gifted to me but this review is all mine and I think that most of the adults out there will enjoy the adventures that Breed goes through. If you enjoy it don't forget to look for the second book in Breed's subsequent travels!
December 31, 2018
In all honesty I gave up on this about 30% in. The main character is just such an arse I had absolutely no interest in him living or dying and his constant insulting to everyone just got on my nerves so I gave up. I am sure some will love it just not for me .
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