Review: The Pawns of Havoc by Dave Lawson

Blurb:

No Mercy, No Questions Asked.

Cork has quickly made a name for himself among the Kosellan mercenaries, but now his boss has come to him with an unusual job. Cork’s erstwhile countrymen, the Winn, have hired to him to travel into the barren Frozen Lands and destroy a convoy, leaving only one survivor.

Cork isn’t sure he can trust the Winn. He feels like a pawn in their political game. However, his mother is sick and the Winn have promised to heal her if Cork does the job. And killing is what a Cork does best.

To make matters worse. Cork’s crew has been decided for him: Arabella, an inexperienced and infuriating archer, and Nessa, a gloomy criminal with murder on her mind.

Cork will have to figure out how to complete the job, avoid Winn treachery, and manage conflicts with Arabella and Nessa along the way.

It’s going to be chaos.

An Envoys of Chaos Novella.

Review:

Have I, along with many others, been banging on Dave’s door for more books? Yes, however I seem to do that much too often and bog myself with endless ARCs, and so this review comes out far, far later than I hoped. My apologies. Or, as Cork would say, bugger off.

Pawns of Havoc is a short prequel novella to Dave’s debut, Envoys of War, highlighting the backstory of one of the more major players; Cork, a mercenary for hire originally from the island of Winn, Cork takes on work on the mainland to help buy tonics for his mother; a dying Winn mage. Could she get healed if she went back to her homeland? Yes, but she refuses, and so Cork takes on jobs here and there bashing skulls in with his axe to keep her alive.

One such job presents itself at the beginning of the story. Cork must raid a caravan, destroy it and not just the people protecting it, but also the common folk aboard. Then, a sole survivor must be left. Normal, every day work for Cork. But then he meets his contractor, and he’s no longer so sure if what he’s doing is right. Made worse by two obnoxious yet lovable mercenaries hired alongside him. 

Nessa is a rude, bloodthirsty, dagger-wielding menace. She’s also a lot of fun, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for her over the others, even when she said she was going to kill them. Arabella, the other member of their ragtag party, is prim and proper and has quite literally no experience as a mercenary. That doesn’t stop her from trying to run the show, beginning a slew of funny interactions with Cork and Nessa.

As I’ve read Envoys of War many months ago, I was already quite familiar with the world (or at least the world-building) here. While it isn’t expanded on too much, this is certainly a welcome addition to the series. They travel together through frozen wastes, bash some heads in, and try to call it a day. I’ll leave you to read and find out how that ends up.

Cork, from Envoys of War, seemed like a great guy. Funny, good with an axe, blunt in an almost charming way. I DID NOT expect him to be so unhinged with the axe here though. I welcome it entirely. The fight scenes were very well choreographed and fast-paced, leading from one page to the next until we’re finished with the book before we know it. Dave did a great job pacing this story, which can be hard for novellas when the natural progression is to pack as much in there and make it drag, or get it over with quick and make it rush. Dave does neither, yet leaves us wanting more in the best of ways.

There is a small hint of romance here, similar to Envoys of War. Though unlike Envoys of War, I thought the romantic subplot worked a lot more and felt more natural in a way. I’m just wondering if Dave is going to tell us exactly what happens between Cork and Arabella in the time between Paws of Havoc and Envoys of War…Who knows.

The character work for Cork was really good, showing us his inner turmoil, though I do wish there was a bit more to it. Mercenaries that show remorse? Crazy. But there were times it seemed Cork was progressing just to cast that away for his original bruiser stereotype of bashing skulls and taking names.

All in all, Pawns of Havoc by Dave Lawson was a joy to read, and one that went by way too quick, in the best of ways. If you liked his previous work you’ll certainly like this, and if this is your introduction to Dave’s world, go on to Envoys of War, what are you waiting for?? Perfect for fans of dungeons and dragons and stories with all sorts of things going wrong at every turn (Dave’s words, not mine), you don’t want to miss this one.