The Barrow
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Action, horror, politics, and sensuality combine in this DEBUT EPIC FANTASY novel for fans of George R. R. Martin and Michael J. Sullivan, set in the world of the Eisner Award-nominated Artesia comic books. To find the Sword, unearth the Barrow. To unearth the Barrow, follow the Map. When a small crew of scoundrels, would-be heroes, deviants, and ruffians discover a map that they believe will lead them to a fabled sword buried in the barrow of a long-dead wizard, they think they've struck it rich. But their hopes are dashed when the map turns out to be cursed and then is destroyed in a magical ritual. The loss of the map leaves them dreaming of what might have been, until they rediscover the map in a most unusual and unexpected place. Stjepan Black-Heart, suspected murderer and renegade royal cartographer; Erim, a young woman masquerading as a man; Gilgwyr, brothel owner extraordinaire; Leigh, an exiled magus under an ignominious cloud; Godewyn Red-Hand, mercenary and troublemaker; Arduin Orwain, scion of a noble family brought low by scandal; and Arduin's sister Annwyn, the beautiful cause of that scandal: together they form a cross section of the Middle Kingdoms of the Known World, united by accident and dark design, on a quest that will either get them all in the history books...or get them all killed. From the Trade Paperback edition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thieves with high connections conspire to find a lost treasure in a grim quest fantasy that gradually heats to a satisfying boil. Stjepan, called Black-Heart, joins two old friends from his college days, brothel owner Gilgwyr and crazed magician Leigh, on a trip to find the legendary sword Gladringer. They bring along new companion Erim, who wears male garb to survive in a world where men treat women as inferiors, and two disgraced nobles hoping to redeem their house's reputation. After a very slow start, the story hits its stride once the adventurers begin the trip to near-certain doom at the titular barrow. Plot twists and character work are the highlights, with Smylie doing a great job of developing individual personalities within the large cast. The novel shares a setting with Smylie's Artesia graphic novels, but it's entirely accessible to new readers. Despite the book's pacing flaws and a preponderance of casual violence and sexism, fans of quest-centered stories will find this well worth their time.
