Monday, July 5, 2010

Black Blade Blues: By J.A. Pitts

BLACK BLADE BLUES

SUMMARY

Sarah Beauhall has more on her plate than most twenty-somethings: day job as a blacksmith, night job as a props manager for low-budget movies, and her free time is spent fighting in a medieval re-enactment group.

The lead actor breaks Sarah’s favorite one-of-a-kind sword, and to avoid reshooting scenes, Sarah agrees to repair the blade. One of the extras, who claims to be a dwarf, offers to help. And that’s when things start to get weird. Could the sword really be magic, as the "dwarf" claims? Are dragons really living among us as shapeshifters?

And as if things weren’t surreal enough, Sarah’s girlfriend Katie breaks out the dreaded phrase… “I love you.” As her life begins to fall apart, first her relationship with Katie, then her job at the movie studio, and finally her blacksmithing career, Sarah hits rock bottom. It is at this moment, when she has lost everything she has prized, that one of the dragons makes their move.

And suddenly what was unthinkable becomes all too real…and Sarah will have to decide if she can reject what is safe and become the heroine who is needed to save her world.

REVIEW

Mythology has been in style in fiction for centuries. Whether it be the Odyssey or Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, people are interested in mythology. Unfortunately not all mythology has been as widely used and accepted as others. For example while people across the world can tell you who the king of Olympus was, very few could tell you anything about Norse or Egyptian gods or myths. Black Blade Blues tries to rectify this problem by bringing to light the stories of Norse mythology.

Let me start this review by saying Black Blade Blues was an ok book. It had some interesting aspects, including; Norse mythology, swords, action, a band of fighters, and magic. But it was still missing something. That something is not apparent to the naked eye, for if you look at Black Blade Blues and what makes it up, you would say it would be a great novel.

Norse Mythology: Check

Urban Fantasy: Check

Action: Check

Decent plot: Check

Reasonable Dialogue and interactions: Check

But still there was something missing from taking this novel to the next level. That said Black Blade Blues is not a bad book at all. If you are fan of Norse mythology or want to be by the time Thor comes out in theatres, then this is a great book for you. But for me it was still missing something from making it the next Harry Dresdan or Nightside series. And so because of this I would say a good summer read, but not a must have summer read.


RATING
7 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Tor

Published: April 27, 2010

Price: $15.99

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