Rogues of Merth
Robert Zoltan
Paperback $14.99
Ebook $6.99

I’d thank Robert Zoltan for sending me a review copy of this book.  And if you don’t recognize the name of Robert Zoltan, you need to remember it.  If he continues writing, it’s one you’re going to be hearing in the future.

The subtitle of this collection is The Adventures of Dareon and Blue, Book 1. I’m  looking forward to further collections.  These stories are lean, fast-moving, and most importantly they are a heckuva lot of fun.

Dareon Vin is a poet and one of the best, if not the best swordsman, swordsman in the port city of Merth, the “largest, most diverse, most decadent of westerly cities on the continent (and known  world) of Plemora”.  Blue is an Indari warrior, a member or a savage race that rarely are seen in civilized realms.  Indari don’t tell strangers their real names, Dareon calls him “Blue” because he’s covered with blue tattoos.

Throughout the book, and their wanderings, they encounter lost temples in swamps, malicious merchants who are more than they appear, scheming women, cursed villages, hanged men who speak cryptic warnings, lost cities, a ship sailing to the end of time, living idols, citadels  where the only way out is to go all the way through.

One thing I was impressed by was how Zoltan presented a diverse society without descending into identity politics. Dareon and Blue are from different races.  Each has his own culture.  And there are a number of other cultures presented in these stories, along with a variety of races.  And it’s all presented organically, a natural part of the world that none of the characters think twice about.  I can think of some writers who could learn a think or two from Mr. Zoltan.

There’s a lot of imagination in these stories.  Dareon and Blue change and grow throughout the tales. They aren’t stock characters from central casting. These are tales in the vein of classic sword and sorcery, with heroes who are also rogues.  There are echoes of Conan in some of the stories, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in others, with a dash of Harold Lamb. But these aren’t mere imitations or pastiches. They are very much a fresh breath of adventure and fun.  I’m looking forward to the next volume.

Highly recommended.