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The He-Dog Chronicles #1
White Sands, Red Steel
Mad.
Brutal.
Unpredictable.
And those are their good points.
Vicious.
Hateful.
Foul-mouthed and bad tempered...
He-Dog and Balless are all of these and more but, as mercenaries go, they are not without some merit. After accepting a mission that no one wanted, He-Dog and Balless travel the treacherous Lands of the South to the glittering city of Foust. There, they find the fabled walls under a massive Beastman siege.
No one in their right mind would try to get past an army of Beastmen. But He-Dog, Balless, and their companions aren’t in their right minds.
Getting into Foust is utter madness.
Getting out will get them killed.
Brutal.
Unpredictable.
And those are their good points.
Vicious.
Hateful.
Foul-mouthed and bad tempered...
He-Dog and Balless are all of these and more but, as mercenaries go, they are not without some merit. After accepting a mission that no one wanted, He-Dog and Balless travel the treacherous Lands of the South to the glittering city of Foust. There, they find the fabled walls under a massive Beastman siege.
No one in their right mind would try to get past an army of Beastmen. But He-Dog, Balless, and their companions aren’t in their right minds.
Getting into Foust is utter madness.
Getting out will get them killed.
Audible Audio
First published February 20, 2012
54 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Keith C. Blackmore
38 books911 followersBooks are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 17, 2018
White Sands, Red Steel is an excellent Grimdark novel following a group of four mercenaries as they fight their way into a fortress under siege and become a part of the defense. Blackmore published this in 2011 and hasn’t written an additional novel on these leads, which is a pity because they are some terrific characters. Now, seven years later, it seems everything the author writes is gold. It would be nice to see him use his developed skills to give us another story or perhaps make this a series.
January 25, 2017
Coarse,rugged and brutal,a wonderful read.
Hard-core action from unlikely hero's, uncompromising characters with more soul than the blues and as unlikable as they are, you can't help but cheer them on. I don't think anyone who likes fast paced fantasy like Abercrombie should pass over this little gem.
Hard-core action from unlikely hero's, uncompromising characters with more soul than the blues and as unlikable as they are, you can't help but cheer them on. I don't think anyone who likes fast paced fantasy like Abercrombie should pass over this little gem.
October 19, 2023
White Sands, Red Steel is a little bit of grimdark, a little bit of Sword-and-Sorcery, and a little bit of D&D, but it turned out to be a lot more than this reader expected.
I assumed I'd find it fun, and it was. However, for me, it became a whole lot more. There's was a little of a side-story that I'm not sure I understand why Mr. Blackmore put in this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less.
Please, Mr. Blackmore give us more stories about these guys.
I assumed I'd find it fun, and it was. However, for me, it became a whole lot more. There's was a little of a side-story that I'm not sure I understand why Mr. Blackmore put in this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less.
Please, Mr. Blackmore give us more stories about these guys.
May 10, 2015
Pretty darn good tale. Kind of a dungeons and dragons vibe. Not bad at all. I enjoyed it a lot.
January 27, 2020
Ha ha ha ha! I read this book in 2019, and for some reason, I totally forgot to review it.
So I'll make it short:
You like Grimdark? Read this book.
You enjoyed The Troll Hunter or any of the 131 Days series? Read this book. Same world, same timeline, same awesome style, and, for the audiobook, same John Lee!
Get It!
So I'll make it short:
You like Grimdark? Read this book.
You enjoyed The Troll Hunter or any of the 131 Days series? Read this book. Same world, same timeline, same awesome style, and, for the audiobook, same John Lee!
Get It!
December 16, 2022
Another amazing story from the ancient Rome-esque world created by the author! Life is hard. The inhabitants of the land are often brutal. Survival really is about being the fittest; physically and mentally.
I love the close, gritty, vicious fighting between the ManThings (humans) and BeastMen (kind of like orcs). Each clash between the two is told in stark, gory, delicious detail. Getting each side’s perspective is an added bonus. You catch yourself understanding and almost rooting for the BeastMen a few times.
This is grimdark done exceptionally well. I wish this was part of a series.
Audible
5
I love the close, gritty, vicious fighting between the ManThings (humans) and BeastMen (kind of like orcs). Each clash between the two is told in stark, gory, delicious detail. Getting each side’s perspective is an added bonus. You catch yourself understanding and almost rooting for the BeastMen a few times.
This is grimdark done exceptionally well. I wish this was part of a series.
Audible
5
September 1, 2025
A very fun, fast paced little book in the 131 days adjacent world! It was definitely non stop action from the beginning of the book, and it felt longer than it was since the story was so thorough and engaging! The characters are very memorable and I cried at the end 🥲
September 1, 2019
Another Blackmore Bloodbath!
Anyone who has enjoyed Blackmore's "131 Days" series will feel immediately at home with this as the author dips into his back catalogue to bring us more vicious, nasty but somehow still honourable mercenaries. He-Dog and Balless are not the kind of people you would want within about fifty miles of you unless you were in an incredibly tight spot and of course had the gold coin to pay them!
They really are thoroughly dislikeable by pretty much any standard and yet the skill of the author is that you still end up cheering them on to the end. They have standards you see, not about much, and not great standards but they have a pseudo moral code and a thuggish likeability that is often Blackmore's forte.
As you would expect from Blackmore in this mode there is more bloody violence than is good for anyone and a body count to match most minor wars.
It's not for the faint-hearted or those that need to have likeable characters butit is a good old-fashioned ballsy knees-up of a tale that never relents or holds its punches.
Anyone who has enjoyed Blackmore's "131 Days" series will feel immediately at home with this as the author dips into his back catalogue to bring us more vicious, nasty but somehow still honourable mercenaries. He-Dog and Balless are not the kind of people you would want within about fifty miles of you unless you were in an incredibly tight spot and of course had the gold coin to pay them!
They really are thoroughly dislikeable by pretty much any standard and yet the skill of the author is that you still end up cheering them on to the end. They have standards you see, not about much, and not great standards but they have a pseudo moral code and a thuggish likeability that is often Blackmore's forte.
As you would expect from Blackmore in this mode there is more bloody violence than is good for anyone and a body count to match most minor wars.
It's not for the faint-hearted or those that need to have likeable characters butit is a good old-fashioned ballsy knees-up of a tale that never relents or holds its punches.
July 12, 2022
This book has the same gory grittyness I loves so much in other books of Keith C. Blackmore.
White Sands, Red Steel is a fast-paced story with loads of bloody combat with very interesting charachters and an interesting world.
White Sands, Red Steel is a fast-paced story with loads of bloody combat with very interesting charachters and an interesting world.
January 2, 2022
As if you're watching from afar
I purchased this book because I'm a big fan of both John Lee and of action-packed thrilling stories, fantasy or otherwise. This book therefore seemed perfect for my taste.
However, it's very different from what I expected. This story has me watching some ongoing war scene from afar, a mountain top say, seeing two enemy parties clashing, fighting, killing eachother, without me knowing who's who exactly and why I should care about any of it.
If you like such a bird's eye view - like perhaps watching a war front scene in a computer game, fascinated by the mechanics, the eb & flow of it, the mathematical movement of attacks, defenses, trying out breach strategies, but also the sheer brawl of it - then this may be perfect for you.
For me however, I need at least some characters to follow along with and care about. Is there a main character? And if so, who is he, what's his history, what are his goals, his motivations. Also, I need at least a resemblance of a plot. World building. You know, a story.
In short, this book could not hold my attention for more than 2 hours. I couldn't even finish it, because my mind kept wandering while listening - despite John Lee's narration; I just couldn't focus on it because there was no hook for me to grab onto. Pity.
For me this was a wasted credit; for you, this may of course be different. N=1.
I purchased this book because I'm a big fan of both John Lee and of action-packed thrilling stories, fantasy or otherwise. This book therefore seemed perfect for my taste.
However, it's very different from what I expected. This story has me watching some ongoing war scene from afar, a mountain top say, seeing two enemy parties clashing, fighting, killing eachother, without me knowing who's who exactly and why I should care about any of it.
If you like such a bird's eye view - like perhaps watching a war front scene in a computer game, fascinated by the mechanics, the eb & flow of it, the mathematical movement of attacks, defenses, trying out breach strategies, but also the sheer brawl of it - then this may be perfect for you.
For me however, I need at least some characters to follow along with and care about. Is there a main character? And if so, who is he, what's his history, what are his goals, his motivations. Also, I need at least a resemblance of a plot. World building. You know, a story.
In short, this book could not hold my attention for more than 2 hours. I couldn't even finish it, because my mind kept wandering while listening - despite John Lee's narration; I just couldn't focus on it because there was no hook for me to grab onto. Pity.
For me this was a wasted credit; for you, this may of course be different. N=1.
March 25, 2021
I find this one a little hard to review.
On the one hand, I was really invested in the characters and their story. On the other hand I nearly dozed off whenever there was a battle. It’s as if the battles were written by another author, who’s not very good at it. And almost every scene with the beast men was similarly boring. On top of that, the world wasn’t developed enough. I mean, it feels like there’s a story there, about the world and how it came to be what it is etc, but it just wasn’t presented. Maybe in a different novel of the same world? I wouldn’t know as this was my first time reading this author’s work.
However, with all these shortcomings, I found the story and the characters interesting and well fleshed out. The parts of the book that dealt with them and their relationships with the people in the city were great. I also liked the fact it all happened in the sieged city, it’s a very interesting setting for a story.
After having read so many less then mediocre book recently, I’m happy to give this 4 stars, even if it wasn’t perfect.
On the one hand, I was really invested in the characters and their story. On the other hand I nearly dozed off whenever there was a battle. It’s as if the battles were written by another author, who’s not very good at it. And almost every scene with the beast men was similarly boring. On top of that, the world wasn’t developed enough. I mean, it feels like there’s a story there, about the world and how it came to be what it is etc, but it just wasn’t presented. Maybe in a different novel of the same world? I wouldn’t know as this was my first time reading this author’s work.
However, with all these shortcomings, I found the story and the characters interesting and well fleshed out. The parts of the book that dealt with them and their relationships with the people in the city were great. I also liked the fact it all happened in the sieged city, it’s a very interesting setting for a story.
After having read so many less then mediocre book recently, I’m happy to give this 4 stars, even if it wasn’t perfect.
April 4, 2025
Note: The He-Dog Chronicles is a spin-off series from the 131 Days series. Reading the other series isn't necessary to enjoy the story and characters, but the war and world have more context if you have.
3/5 stars
0.5/1 ★ for plot
0.5/1 ★ for characters and character development
0.5/1 ★ for writing style and narration
1/1 ★ for pace
0.5/1 ★ for world-building
Another fantastic narration by John (Rafter) Lee.
3/5 stars
0.5/1 ★ for plot
0.5/1 ★ for characters and character development
0.5/1 ★ for writing style and narration
1/1 ★ for pace
0.5/1 ★ for world-building
Another fantastic narration by John (Rafter) Lee.
March 13, 2022
I enjoyed it but it read more like a new campaign world's first adventure for mid-level AD&D characters.
It hit the ground running with a really big fight
The world building was sufficient and no more.
The conclusion left it open for the next quest.
A good-enough book but I think i'd rather have played it than read it, truth be told:)
It hit the ground running with a really big fight
The world building was sufficient and no more.
The conclusion left it open for the next quest.
A good-enough book but I think i'd rather have played it than read it, truth be told:)
February 14, 2024
Blackmore excels at bringing us anti heroes. In fact, they're something a bit more than that. They are anti anti heroes. They are everyday folks thrust into larger roles due to circumstances beyond their control. He Dog, Balless, and the rest are perfect examples in this fast moving, bittersweet adventure.
September 5, 2019
Another great read by Keith C, Blackmore, he is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors, i can't understand why his ratings aren't in the hundreds of thousands, an absolutely first class story teller.
January 28, 2020
Great stuff
Very good read from one of my favorite authors. The characters are very vibrant and each have fairly deep independant personalities. They truly felt like real people and not just imagined personas. The story itself was original and kept me intersted to the very end.
Very good read from one of my favorite authors. The characters are very vibrant and each have fairly deep independant personalities. They truly felt like real people and not just imagined personas. The story itself was original and kept me intersted to the very end.
July 25, 2021
The first scene of this book almost had me returning it. I'm glad I didn't. What I thought was going to be an excessively gore filled empty story turned into a great read. I hope there will be future books.
August 4, 2024
Grimdark fantasy in the Blackmore universe. The main characters aren't too bright but they can really fight, and in this world, that's what counts. Lots of gore, nasty monsters, and close call escapes from impossible situations. John Lee narrates the audiobook splendidly.
June 11, 2017
Way too much fighting but otherwise pretty darn good.
September 15, 2019
Ballas was one of the best, most complex characters I've ever read in a grimdark. Wonderful, brutal, heartbreaking.
June 29, 2021
I enjoyed it even though the plot was a little thin. This book is really in need of a sequel though as there are unresolved conflicts.
January 10, 2022
It's OK, but not a "GOOD Read"
February 23, 2022
DNF. Boringly annoying with bad narration.
May 3, 2025
Good one!
I came upon this story by chance and glad I did. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I came upon this story by chance and glad I did. I look forward to the rest of the series.
December 2, 2024
This book is authored by one of my favorites. Even so, it was difficult for me to get into the story and the characters. The difficulty ceased once I realized this book is a part of the same world of 131 days and Troll Hunter. I thoroughly enjoyed those books and the world the author has created within them. I immediately started the book over from the beginning and paid extra attention to everything that was happening. I came upon this book because I am reading everything by this amazing author. He has a very special gift and I am thankful for his contributions to the craft of writing within genres I am supremely interested in. I did not gel well with the main characters in this particular story but by the time the book closed I was very invested in the story and the characters. Fortunately, after finishing this book I found out book 2 will be coming out soon so I'll go ahead and pre-order that; I very much look forward to reading it. If you found your way to this book and you were debating reading it, I recommend giving it a go.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews