Who, and where, is Amheris? The question that will dominate the fortunes of Hale – a former soldier turned blade for hire – and could yet decide the entire fate of Ambria.
After a bloody fight to protect the Lady de la Faye, Hale is offered a new task by his patron and frequent employer, the Lord Barthelme: to travel to Andrid, and escort two priests on their journey to find their missing contact, known only as ‘Amheris’. But despite the priest’s assertions that this a routine job for a routine payment, the task quickly turns into a lethal game of cat and mouse, as Hale and his charges find themselves pursued at every turn by a relentless and deadly foe.
Magic, muskets, mystery and mayhem are all unleashed in this swashbuckling fantasy thriller.
Swords, gunpowder, mercenaries and religion collide in this fantasy adventure with a mystery at its core.
A reckless mercenary is tasked with helping two priests find the mysterious Amheris, a person of interest to powerful parties for reasons unknown. As they travel they meet numerous allies and even more enemies, leaving a trail of bodies and damaged property in their wake. The action is the strongest part of this book, well-choreographed and tense, each wound taking a toll on the combatants.
The mystery of who Amheris is (and why it is important to find them) is not really unravelled but expanded, with each discovery tending to raise more questions than answers. By the finale everything is answered, but until that time it was hard to know why the characters, or the audience, should care about what was going on, other than the fact that someone ruthless clearly didn’t want anyone else to know. (And I’m not sure if it was down to genre savviness, but there’s a hint at one point that led me to guess what the answer was well before the reveal).
The dialogue is a little indulgent, but punchy and fun, and the characters live well on the page, even if none of them have that intangible sticking power that the best characters have. A lot of the elements in A Blade for Hire sat in that tricky place between “okay” and “good”, and in a weaker group of books this would have likely grabbed a semi-finalist spot.
Ultimately, I do recommend A Blade for Hire, especially if you like a straightforward adventure with strong action beats.
Verdict: Cut.
