Bloodaxe is one of those rare stories that hits you head on. Quite literary (sorry bad pun). Written by author James Tallett, it is a tale of a murdered king who sets out to reclaim his broken kingdom.
It is written in the first person, which most authors tend to shun, but it is a great style to use if done correctly. James Tallett has definitely done it well. Told from King Bloodaxe's perspective, the reader gets the fallen monarch's view of the world, which is often very honest and blunt - making this a hilarious read.
After forging his own kingdom (Rudvic), Bloodaxe is murdered by his own son. What follows is his tale of hanging around in the afterlife waiting to be reborn, being reborn, growing up and then setting off with his mother to reunite a fractured nation.
In a whirlwind narrative we go from seeing Bloodaxe living as a farm worker to picking off barons and other would-be rulers one at a time. This is a great, quick and funny read, even for those who are not keen on fantasy. There are enough jokes and cynical obeservations to keep the reader laughing until the end.
The only drawback of the tale in my view is the lack of character development with some of the co-characters, such as Bloodaxe's mother, considering she is described as having quite a fiesty personality. However, this is only due to Bloodaxe being a short story rather than anything else and is not a reflection on the author's sharp, witty and hilarious narrative.
Bloodaxe is available on Kindle for $1.30 here
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