Started: April 30
Finished: May 10
Notes: So last summer I was at Howard Days sitting around a table with a group of other authors and editors when author David J. West opened a pack and started taking out books, one of which was this fantasy novel, Brutal. I had seen the book online but didn't know much about it or its author, but come to find out, David J. West is actually also James Alderdice, so I was sitting with the author of Brutal himself. I couldn't turn down the chance to pick up the book as the author was there to sign it, so I promptly did that, and now, almost a year later, I'm finally getting around to enjoying it.
Mini review: Reader, you will not find many of the traditional fantasy tropes here. Oh, there are plenty of swords, a couple of beasties, and a handful of wizards, but that's about as far as it goes. If anything, the tropes presented here are much more aligned with the genre of the Western. In fact, if you're a fan of Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Dashiell Hammett, or even Carlo Goldoni, you will recognize the basics of the story here. That being said, there are also plenty of surprises to be found. This was just a fun, hard-hitting tale of rugged adventure. There's even an additional novella, "The Mad Song," which is much more rooted in the traditions of Sword & Sorcery and a fine tale in and of itself. If you like sword-swinging and skull-splitting action, do yourself a favor and read this book.
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