Review: The Envoys of War by Dave Lawson
Blurb:
Don’t kill the messengers.
As a bodyguard for the King’s Envoys, Gen is content with her life of traveling, drinking wine, and hitting things with her sword. It’s the perfect job. Until the King sends her and her friend Cordyn into war-torn enemy territory on a mission to deliver vital military intelligence to an allied nation.
The problem? The mission is a sham.
Gen is tasked with determining if Cordyn is a spy who is selling information to the enemy. Cordyn is the worst kind of libertine: brash, arrogant, and on the run from half the husbands in the kingdom, but Gen can’t imagine him betraying her or their nation.
With obtuse bandits, vengeful mages, and a resolute lutist, they embark on a daring rescue mission, complicated by Cordyn’s increasingly complex schemes. As ominous enemy plots surface, Gen and Cordyn must decide what matters most. Their nation or their friends.
A rollicking fantasy adventure for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, Nicholas Eames, and Michael J. Sullivan.
Review:
Once in a while there is a book that makes a splash in the reading world in a variety of ways. Enter Envoys of War in such a fashion, taking the reading world by storm. I saw it multiple times with the most memorable being the cover that had the mustaches on every character as well as the sword. Little did I know that it would be a sign of how the stage was set for a very fun read that reads like a breath of fresh air for the fantasy genre. The author does a great job of introducing the characters and story that set the stage for what ends up being a debut with a lot of heart and even more humor. I did do this as an audiobook and felt that the narrator did an exceptional job of portraying this story. The jokes were able to hit just right, much like the sword of Gen. Overall, fans of Dungeons and Dragons will fall in love with this story that has a lot of elements of fantasy in a lower stakes setting. There is a lot happening in the background that I believe will eventually come to light for the readers, but this is an excellent beginning to a series that will have a cult-like following in no time.
The strength of the novel are the characters, especially with the humor that is portrayed. Some of it is subtle, while others are deliberately thrown into the face of the readers to break up the action. I feel that readers will feel drawn to one of the characters more than the others, but it will all be one who they relate with the most. I found myself drawn to Tobias, finding his storyline very intriguing. Each will have a moment that will be memorable for a reason that will stay in a reader's mind for a long time. I did feel that there were moments of action that felt sudden and surprising, much like a video game or other RPG where the character would run into a mob of enemies that had to be vanquished. The action is well written and easy to picture, often being something that will get the heart pumping. I was pulled out of the flow a couple of times when these scenes did pop up, which surprised me as I tend to love all of the action. I can see readers easily looking forward to all of these scenes as they will play out like a movie in their mind.
This book knows exactly what it is and delivers with a resounding round of applause. With characters that will become beloved, a reader should look forward to a fun action packed romp of an adventure. I know that I look forward to the future stories that the author will deliver as this is one that was a perfect fit in between some denser reads, being a nice palette cleanser of a read. I encourage all fantasy readers to pick this up, especially if character driven adventures are a recipe for a good time. This one will hit the spot, just like the perfect wine.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!
