At first glance, The
Grim Company appears to be a bog standard fantasy novel. In a city state ruled by an ancient despotic
mage, a disparate group of adventurers struggle to end his rule. There’s a young man destined to be a great
hero, a couple of grizzled barbarians, a troubled young woman, an underpowered
mage, etc etc….
Fortunately Scull almost immediately sets about
deconstruction of these tropes. The gap
between the young man’s mental version of his life and the actual version is
comical. The barbarian has a rich
internal life. The underpowered mage
doesn’t power up and defeat all their foes.
He develops these characters somewhat slowly, but carefully. They’re flawed, but still able to generate
our sympathy and interest.
The plot itself is rapid and propulsive, as the group
encounters numerous dangers and problems on the way to reaching their
goal. The climactic battle sequence is
suitably epic, with plenty of carnage. Despite
the book’s length, it feels like a short quick read.
There were a couple of problems, though they are common to
first novels and to the start of a series in particular. Early in the book there’s quite a bit of
infodumping. While the information is
necessary, the manner of delivery is awkward and interrupts what is otherwise a
strong narrative flow.
The other problematic area is the lack of development of the
female characters in the book. While
there are numerous female characters on all sides of the moral spectrum, most
are underdeveloped with their plotlines seemingly leading nowhere. Hopefully these plotlines will be developed
further in the subsequent books in the series.
Despite these flaws, The
Grim Company is an impressive first novel.
Scull has created memorable characters and a unique fantasy world that
should only improve with subsequent volumes.
Highly recommended for fans of Abercrombe, Sullivan, et al.
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