Review of Swords for hire by Will Allen

Book Reviews - June 2003

Swords for hire: Two of the Most Unlikely Heroes You'll Ever Meet by Will Allen
humourous fantasy
168 pages, ISBN: 0972488200
Review scribbled down on the 8th of June 2003
I rate this book 6/10: **********

You can find other peoples opinions of this book at Amazon's websites (where you also can order the book):
Read more about the book (and buy it) at Amazon.co.uk (Europe)'s and Amazon.com (USA)'s pages about the book

At the age of 22, Will Allen released his first novel ever, "Swords for hire". Unfortunately it was released in a rather small quantity, to be more precise; five copies were distributed to his family as gifts for Christmas. Four months later Will Allen died in cancer.
Years later Paul, the brother of Will, re-discovered the fine novel when reading it for his children. That was the start for the idea to make the novel more widely available and Paul began typing the story into his old Mac. The result is this book that I just finished reading.
A simple farm boy, Sam Hatcher is happily helping out his parents taking care of ... the farm. That is, until the day when he turns 16 and his father decides that it is time for them to have a talk. His father, a retired old member of the kings guard, wishes his son to walk in his foot steps. Rather reluctantly Sam Hatcher follows his fathers' wish and ends up as an apprentice by the quite original figure Rigby Skeet, proud member of the kings guard. Not minutes after Sam get to meet Rigby they find themselves out on a quest to find the imprisoned king of Parmall.
You will find yourselves surrounded by all the types of figures that you find in any basic fantasy novel, although in this story they are all far from perfect, like the sourcerer who has to do with gold painted furniture and cheap tricks since he is lacking any real powers.
Although regarded as a childrens book; in a style similar to Robert Asprin this story is a well worth read for persons of all ages!