The City Stained Red, my review

The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fantastic trip courtesy of Sam Sykes. After years adventuring in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city of Cier'Djaal to be paid for their work. And Lenk plans to take his gold and give up his life of killing.

But the City of Silk is not a good place to lay down your sword. . .

I'm going to say it right up front. This is the best deconstruction of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I've ever read. Lenk's companions are the stereotypical adventuring party. A fighter, a mage, a cleric, a rogue, an "elvish" ranger, and a barbarian; which ion this case is also a dragonman. Right from the start, you see these familiar tropes and roles, and the reader feels confident about what's about to happen.

Then it all gets torn apart. The fighter is sick of killing. The mage is immature, the cleric is plagued by doubt, the rogue is a cynic, the "elf" (actually a Schict) has been cut off from her people for too long and is torn between love and family, and the barbarian? Well, he just hates everyone and wants to kill.

This makes for a fascinating set of characters entering a city undergoing immense stress. There are factions, lies, dark cults, secrets, and an entire city sitting on the edge of utter chaos. This makes for a fun read as we watch Lenk and the company handle their plans falling apart and the mounting threats.

A really great book. I held back one star because it ends on a cliffhanger. I know that it is the first book in a series, but I just prefer that each book has an ending that ties up that book while leading into the next. I felt that was lacking here.

Great book. Sam Sykes is rapidly becoming my favorite fantasy author.




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