Tag Archives: James Alderdice

August of Alderdice: The Slayer

The Slayer
James Alderdice
print $9.99
ebook $2.99

Robert E. Howard wrote a handful of straight historical yarns before he decided to rewrite history in the guise of fantasy.  The Slayer is in much the same vein as Howard’s historicals, although there’s a bit of fantasy involved in some of them.  This a collection contains four historical fantasy stories, the two longest centered around the the Fourth Crusade.  The central character is a Viking mercenary named Tyr who has taken up service on the side of the Crusaders.  The other two tales take place later in his life.

In “The Dogs of War”, Tyr helps breach the outer defenses of Constantinople.  In “Whispers of the Goddess”, he’s inside the walls on a mission from his employer, only to get caught up in machinations both human and divine.  “Hel Awaits” concerns vengeance against a caliph and a rescue from a harem.  “Sailing to Valhalla” takes place after Tyr has settled down and become a father and is trying to establish his own homestead.

Alderdice (AKA David J. West) handles the characters and historical events in a way that makes it look easy.  The combat is bloody and visceral.  Most of the supporting cast in the stories dealing with Constantinople are actual historical figures.  The dialogue comes across as natural and believable, unlike in some novels where the character seem to be reading off of a script.

The Slayer isn’t a long book, but it’s a good collection that should appeal to all fans of heroic fantasy and historical fiction.  I haven’t seen many stories about the Crusades lately, and you can never have too many Viking books.  Check this one out.

A Look at Monsters by James Alderdice

Monsters (Fantasy Noir #1)
James Alderdice
ebook $2.99

As most people know, James Alderdice is the pen name of David J. West.  I reviewed his most recent novel a week or so ago.  Monsters isn’t part of that particular series, but it does kick off a nice fantasy-noir blend.

It’s a short book, so I’m not going to go into a lot of detail.  I don’t want to spoil the plot for you. I will tell you up front that there’s a cliffhanger ending, so if you’re waiting for the next installment in the brutal trilogy, you might feel the same way when you read the end of this one.

Tam Zphinx works as a Rat Catcher, which is slang for a private detective in his city.  One day he and his partner are visited by a beautiful woman.  She wants to hire them to retrieve a chalice her husband, a powerful nobleman, has taken from her and to find proof that he’s cheating on her.

In case you haven’t read many private detective stories, clients often lie.  Especially beautiful ones. Continue reading

James Alderdice Gets Fierce

Fierce
James Alderdice
print $16.99
ebook $4.99

Last summer I highly enjoyed Brutal, the first volume in the Brutal Trilogy.  At the end of July, the second volume went on sale.

Fierce is the type of book too often missing in the fantasy offerings from the mainstream publishers.  It reads at times like it was written by the love child of Robert E. Howard and Karl Edward Wagner.  Although the influences of both can be seen at places, Alderdice very much has his own voice and tells his story on his own terms. Continue reading