Review by Dave Lawson

Blurb: 

Kings of the Wyld meets Deadpool in this action-packed fantasy adventure set in an Arab-inspired landscape.

Varcade fled to the deserts of Harrah to escape his past as an Educator, a member of an order of zealot warrior-monks that aims to shape the world according to their sacred Teachings by force. Varcade makes his living as a reckless sword-for-hire, caring only about himself, until his self-centered lifestyle is turned on its head when he is contracted to recruit a misfit team of unruly assassins and take out the mighty Bone Lord of Akrab.

But the Bone Lord is aware of the plot and sends her band of Dusters to stop them; individuals who have gained bizarre and lethal magical powers by snorting the pulverised bones of dead gods. Hunted by Educators and Dusters in a city-state where an escalating conflict between the human and demon population threatens to boil over in a civil war, will Varcade and his ragtag crew save Akrab from the cruel Bone Lord, or will they make things even worse?

Review: 

Okay, first things first: If you are looking for a classic epic fantasy with chosen one heroes, a medieval Europe vibe, and just a general Robert Jordan-ness about it all…THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK. 

Here, you will find fist bumps, giant toad mounts named Modzarellah, talking dog men, and a “guy” called the biter, who may be my favorite character of all. It’s insane. It’s hilarious. It’s the best damn time you’ll have all year. 

I’m going to go on the record and say this is my favorite book of 2024 so far, and the most fun I’ve had with a book since Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose, or the Gentleman Bastards sequence. 

 I loved it, and can’t wait to read more in the series. 

The world Samir creates is unique, well-developed, and immersive. Middle-eastern flair with some really interesting dynamics between the people (onions!) and the demons. The magic system is crazy fun, with God Dust being a sort of drug made from ground up gods, of course, that gives the user powers/abilities. 

Samir’s characters are full of the best kind of one liners and the book has wit, heists, and action galore.  Varcade, who is an ex-Educator–a group of extremely strong beings who keep order and “educate those” who err from what they believe; cult alert!. He’s on the run from the Educators and now works as an assassin. Edghar is an ex-government official who leads their mission to take down his ex-lover. The break up did not go well! The Biter, Dog Man, and several hilarious demons make up some of the other cast members, and Samir’s ability with characters shines throughout the novel. 

Like I said, if you only like serious classic fantasy or grimdark, this may not be the book for you, but if you want to laugh, have a hell of a good time, and root for some characters, this IS the book for you. 

Now I just need more!