“Kings of the Wyld” takes readers on a unique journey

By: Zoe Ohye

Staff Writer

“Kings of the Wyld” is Nicholas Eames debut fantasy novel and it does not disappoint. 

The book takes place in the fantastical world Heartwyld, and is about a band of retired mercenaries who get back together to help save one of the men’s daughter from a brutal war. 

The book begins with the main character, Clay Cooper, coming home from his job to his wife and daughter and living a nice normal life.

Clay was once apart of a famous band of mercenaries named Saga, also known as the Kings of the Wyld. However, Clay’s days of fighting monsters and saving the day are over. He is now in his forties and is finally living the simple life he has dreamed of.

That is until one night when one of the other members of the band shows up at Clay’s house looking to get the band back together to save his daughter Rose from the war in Castia. 

In the beginning, Clay is completely against this idea and does not even consider it. However, after talking to his daughter, he realizes that if he was in his friend’s position he would do the same for his daughter no matter the cost. He agrees and they set off to try to recruit the rest of the former band. 

The story sets off and takes the reader through the process of getting the band back together and all the misadventures of trying to rescue Rose. This novel has the adventure and journey script while still remaining wholly original. 

“Kings of the Wyld” is surprisingly hilarious and the banter and wit between the old friends is great. I found myself laughing and smiling throughout the book. There will be a really action-packed fight scene and the characters won’t be fased by it and will instead try to make light of every situation. 

Even though we are introduced to the characters from when they are retired, Eames has written very well rounded characters. You can feel the loyalty, friendship and history between the band members even though we as readers have not experienced the history of their friendship. 

That says a lot about Eames writing ability. While this is a fantasy adventure novel, he still pays attention to detail with each character and their relationships. 

“Kings of the Wyld” discusses the idea of good and evil. For example, the war is between the mythological creatures and the humans.The creatures, or monsters as the band views them, are just like them, they have the same desires and needs as humans. They are just trying to live their lives and humans are killing them because they are monsters. 

Throughout the novel, the main character, Clay, is constantly torn between his old views of the monsters versus how he understands them now .He is trying to remove his prejudices against the monsters but finds it difficult.

 Eames has written an action-packed, comedic fantasy book with much deeper ideas and themes that you might not expect from a fantasy story. 

“Kings of the Wyld” is the first book in a trilogy and I am looking forward to returning to the world of Heartlwyld in the second book. I rate this four out of five stars.