Review: A Path of Blades by R.E. Sanders
Blurb:
This life is a path of blades. Will you grasp the hilt or face the point?
Ingvar Darelle is an honour-bound soldier, a knight tasked with defending his country whenever he is called to battle. Violence and war provide no glory for Ingvar, who only wants to be at home on his rural estate.
His hopes for peace are shattered and his life is thrown into turmoil as secrets are revealed and plots are hatched. Beset on all sides and running out of allies, how will Ingvar’s friendships and family cope with the forces that try to tear them apart?
How will he even survive?
Which path will he choose?
Review:
A Path of Blades is a standalone epic fantasy by R.E. Sanders. It starts off from the perspective of our protagonist Ingvar, a knight captain, in the dying embers of a successful battle. Following the fight is a distasteful order from his count to kill the fleeing combatants. From there, the evilness nor the action let up.
“Not today. Today he would act. Today he would right a wrong.”
Most of the plot revolves around Ingvar trying to live with a world that makes demands of him that he can’t meet without impugning his honor. It’s an interesting dichotomy where he actively empathizes with friends and family who go along with the ways of the world but he is unable to do so himself. Ingvar is like an anchored ship in a sea surrounded by sharks and pirates, and if you enjoy seeing a protagonist struggle while faced on opposition from all sides, you’ll like A Path of Blades.
The novel reminded me a lot of Dragon Age: Origins (in particular the “human noble” and “city elf” backgrounds) with its worldbuilding, setting, and characters. The world is a realistic one with how it deals with conflicts and the demands of feudal overlords. One of the novels strongest features is how the world and the combat felt real. For example, most medieval battles don’t end with wanton slaughter and most armies only lose 10-20% of their soldiers in a battle, and you see that demonstrated from page one. You also see how vassals gripe, rub their hands, swear, and ultimately go along with whatever their overlords demand.
The result that comes around from this worldbuilding is like watching Rocky in the final fight. You see Ingvar get beat down by the society and his betters and he keeps getting up. It makes it easy to root for him and if you’re looking for the demonstration of honorful tenacity, he has it in spades.
“This life is a path of blades, Ingvar, and you must be sure you are holding the hilt, not facing the point.”
I did have a few issues with the book, namely in the characters and the pacing. Sometimes, the book is moving too quickly for its own good, and sudden revelations of marriage, loss of loved ones, or general pontifications come across rapidly and don’t hit as hard as they should. The characters themselves generally brush it off even more quickly than the reader does, and it makes the characters feel flippant at times. Additionally, some of the characters as well, particularly the count, felt rather one dimensional.
Overall, I’d still recommend this book and will be reading R.E. Sander’s next work. I’d recommend this for anyone looking for classic epic fantasy and likes feudal societies, duels, and looking for an honorable protagonist trying to do his best in a murky world.
