Review: With His Father's Sword by TM Carruthers

With His Father's Sword is a fantasy novel by T.M. Carruthers about a bastard noble who goes on a quest for revenge and faces many trials and tribulations.

It has the feel of an epic at times, and I think that was what Carruthers was going for. The world building is decent and the prose is passable. The central premise of a heroic individual going on an epic quest of revenge can work in some situations.

I just feel like this one was heavy handed. 

The core issue that With His Father's Sword faces is that its main character, Lord Harald Fairhair, doesn't really have any flaws. He is good at everything; A real power character that exudes badassery at every turn. He also seems to find fans wherever he goes. It's almost like the world is designed to help him succeed. He has a brooding sense of injustice that he nurses constantly. For most of the book, the only people to suffer are those around him. While there is some development nearer the end of the book, it comes too late to have any real impact. Nothing is hard won by Harald. Despite the trials he faces at every turn, he seems to push through them with only minor effort. For most of the novel it didn't feel like there were any stakes. 

The plot races by at a breakneck speed and by the end I felt like I'd read a full trilogy. Harald goes from place to place but there isn't enough time to get settled before he moves on again. Without that time to breathe, the book feels rushed, as though the author was trying to skip the boring bits. Ultimately, With His Father's Sword has an issue with scope. It's trying to say and do too much in a single story. Simplification would have helped this book feel less rushed and more cohesive. 

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Book Details

Author: T.M. CarruthersLength: 360 pagesSeries: Empire of the Beast Book 1Genre: FantasyReleases on January 23rd on Amazon