Originally posted 2015-11-18 17:00:51.
Title: Son of the Black Sword
Author: Larry Correia
Published: October 27, 2015
Pages: 432
Genre: High Fantasy
Series: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior
Kid Friendly Rating: 4/10 for graphic violence and some language. Probably best for kids around 15 or 16 as some concepts are heavy and not relatable for younger readers…or at least for me at that age. Outside of that age frame I would give a general rating of 9/10. This book is freaking awesome.
Synopsis:
I have been reading Larry Correia’s books since first finding out about his Monster Hunter International series. I’ve enjoyed each of those books and have even begun to write a Monster Hunter International role-playing game campaign since finding out that it was a published tabletop RPG. Those books are great, I really do enjoy them, but I think that the author really went balls to the wall with Son of the Black Sword.
Ever since I was young I have enjoyed high fantasy game settings and books. I have read nearly all of the Dragonlance books, and while I feel at home with that setting within the high fantasy genre I could not help but feel as if I was being taken back there with Son of the Black Sword. It’s not often that I feel like somebody has truly fleshed out the world that they are writing about but you can see from the first paragraph of this book that no amount of detail was overlooked or bypassed just to get to the end.
In Son of the Black Sword you find yourself immersed in a world that has lost its gods and fights amongst itself for power in the upper echelons of society all while stomping on the throats of those unfortunate enough to be born into a lower caste. Threats from within the borders of the mainland threaten to tear the known world asunder all while demons that even cast to the sea by the Forgotten God begin to arise and wreak havoc on the citizenry.
One of these best part of this story is that the lines between good and evil are heavily blurred. While there are those who really do not care about the lesser castes of people there are still those that fight for the greater good. The thing is just like in real life even though you may be part of the greater good it does not mean you are going to win. In many books, damn near all, the good guys always win and the fact of the matter is that becomes very unrelatable. The world is a difficult place in general, and when the greater good always prevails there is an innate sense of detachment that accompanies this. You know you are reading a book, you know that the Paladin and shining armor can never be defeated, then you know that his band of adventurers are going to vanquish evil… Supposedly at any cost… but let’s face the virtually all end on a happy note… very unlike real life.
Son of the Black Sword possesses many of the elements that make up our own world. Love, hate, the struggle for power, the fierce fear of losing said power, and just a few people who are actually trying to make the world a better place in their own way. Well there are even the common doldrums that the everyday people of the world like you and I experience present in this book, and it is the idea of those individuals who are affected the most by the upper class and demons that I find the most captivating.
While I could go on to spoil much of this book I will not do so simply because there are ideas here that are truly original. I know that after you read so many books so I please have any games stories become old hat and you may struggle to find something worthy of your time and money, I promise you that this is one you will not regret purchasing. This book was only published days ago, and I cannot wait for Mr Correia to continue on creating this world. It is arguably the best high fantasy novel that I have read in a decade or more.
While I have read all of the monster hunter international books and many of Larry Correia’s short stories I truly believe that by taking on this world he has set himself on to a higher tier then he was before.
Have you read this book? Give us your thoughts!
Happy Reading!
-[Vaytrexxsys]
