Theft of Swords

I'm a glutton for a story about an assassin, but then add in his partner who's a mercenary with a heart of gold and you've got me hooked. Now, paint a slightly askew picture as compared to your bog standard medieval fantasy and you're two for two. Then add in a layer of political intrigue and some heists and I'm all in.

On some levels, this story feels like a buddy cop movie, except instead of cops we have a pair of fixers (men for hire who can steal, kill, implicate, and solve ‘problems'). From the first book on, they're involved in more than what they ever intended, being hired to do a too-easy job for far too much money, which goes bad very quickly. From there, we see them help a kingdom and then a small village.

I think what makes this book so great is the interaction between Royce and Hadrian (our assassin and mercenary, respectively). The roles are pretty standard with the assassin being angst and short-fused, and the mercenary having his own code of honor and wanting to what's right. Yet, it just feels so good to watch them do what they do and in the way that makes sense to their character. I love that Royce thinks of himself first and maybe everyone else later, and that Hadrian is looking to do what's right for others and be honorable, despite his association with a thief and assassin.

I highly recommend this book.