Oath of Swords

This book is an odd one to review. I started making my usual list and found myself coming out with more negatives than positives, but the fact is that I enjoyed this book a great deal. It just had that spark that kindled something inside, a whimsical edge to everything that often left me with a slight Pratchett vibe. So I guess that I better get to dissecting the book to figure out exactly how it ticks.

At its heart, this is a buddy book, with our lead Bahzell and his best friend Brandark having to go on the run after Bahzell beats the ever-loving shit out of a prince he catches raping a young woman. These two then fall into one misadventure after another as they try to slip the assassins sent after them and the watchful eyes of the gods who have them pegged for some divine plan. This isn’t a book of epic battles and deep, multifaceted plots, but then it isn’t trying to be. Weber spends his time and effort building these main characters, and he does a hell of a job of it. First and foremost, Bahzell is just completely relatable. He’s the very best kind of hero. He doesn’t want to fight anyone. He’s just incapable of standing by while evil is done, and once he commits, he does so to the fullest. No hesitation. He’s stubborn as an ox and built like one too, but unlike a bovine, he has a complete distain for bullshit. No flouncing around the point, no subtlety, no fuss. He’s very much ‘well, if you’re dead set on making me kill you, then I’d best be about killing you’. What also stands out is Bahzell’s language. Brandark is somewhat more educated than his thundering friend, but it’s Bahzell’s Horsestealer twang that is really something wonderful. Maybe I like it so much because I know a fair few farmers around my way that genuinely speak like Bahzell, but I find his everyday turns of phrase brilliant.

As for the universe that Weber has created, authors always lose a few marks from me when the regurgitate the classic fantasy races. I know it makes things easier and some authors are able to put genuinely novel spins on them sometimes (see the Grey Bastards series), but I always think they’re missing a trick when they spit out the usual elves, dwarves, and halflings when they could have invented something entirely new. Here, though, we get a bit of both. Yes, those other races are all there, but Bahzell and Brandark are something entirely new: Hradani, a tall, well-built, fox-eared people with a nasty habit of succumbing to ‘the rage’ when riled. But they aren’t just mad berserkers. There’s true wit and intellect to our heroes, and while yes, some of their fellow Hradani are a little more bestial in their actions, this isn’t the overall impression we get, and I for one think the foundations are there for a truly original and engaging fantasy race.

Now to the story itself. I don’t so much have an issue with the story per se, only that it doesn’t have a vast amount of substance to it. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows us to concentrate on getting to know the characters, but I just feel like it could have been a little more than it was. The actual written language as well isn’t particularly captivating. True, Bahzell’s speech is great, but the prose themselves are fairly humdrum, lacking any particular flare. The characters do this, then they do that, then they do some other thing. It’s more like biting chunks from the novel as opposed to taking a nice, long drink. The flow just isn’t there. A lot of tell and not so much show. Now I know Weber has it in him to write some truly astounding prose, though this book was originally published in 1995, so the man’s writing style has no doubt improved with his newer titles that I love so much. Still, I was hoping for a little more wit in the writing.

In short, Oath of Sword was a fun listen, and really isn’t that all that matters? I’m definitely going to download the sequel. Maybe not immediately, as I’ve got a couple new releases that I’m dying to tear into, but I’ll absolutely get around to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what shenanigans our pair of heroes stumble into in their next outing.

As for narration, I’m undecided on where I stand with Nick Sullivan. Firstly, his general narration voice sounds a bit like a stadium announcer. I’m half expecting him to tell me that someone’s car is being towed in between reporting the scores. That said, his Bahzell voice is absolutely perfect. And I mean, perfect. The other sundry characters are pretty good as well, especially those of a more divine nature (for which his voice suits superbly), but it’s Bahzell who’s at the centre of the story, and by Tomanak, Sullivan does it with style.

Personal Score: 4.0 stars

Professional Score: 3.75 stars