The Black Hawks: Articles of Faith, Book 1

Seriously the best thing I’ve read since finishing Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy. Comparisons tend to annoy me, but this was similar in tone, snarky banter, and characters you just can’t get enough of. It was very entertaining, action-packed, giggle-worthy in a lot of places, and chalk full of great characters. Word of warning, however, if you’re a little wary of profanity then keep that in mind – but for me, well, I just loved all the banter even if it is a little crude at times.As the story begins we meet Chel, he’s about to find himself between a rock and hard spot, which is just par for the course, by the sounds of it. Chel is sworn under oath in the service of his uncle, which seems to involve, mainly, carrying clothes around – yep, that’s Chel, he’s like the newbie sent out for everyone’s coffee and believe me he doesn’t enjoy his role at all, it’s just not what he imagined! Then the City is attacked by the fire-wielding Norts and Chel attempts to flee before becoming a fireball himself. This is when he is unwittingly roped into the service of a young prince, Tarfel Merimonsun and their adventure really begins. Chel’s prior obligations are removed when the Prince makes a bargain with him – Chel will become the Prince’s protector, relinquishing the oath to his uncle and upon delivering the Prince to safety Chel will be released. By this time Chel has figured out the idea of ‘honor’ and ‘service’ are not what they were cracked up to be, so, wanting nothing more than to go home, Tarfel’s offer appeals and so the deal is struck.Unfortunately for Chel it seems that there are other parties interested in the Prince and so it isn’t long before trouble catches up with them.Enter the mercenary group known as the Black Hawks. There’s Loveless, Lemon, Rennic, Whisper and Spider. Every one of them is distinct and the author makes them easy to envision. Some you’ll love more than others but you will never tire of their presence, or their pithy quips. All are very different characters indeed and they have an easy camaraderie. I can’t deny that when they entered the scene they stole the show a little. But, that’s not to take anything away from Chel and Tarfel. Their story is very easy to enjoy and are the sympathetic characters you’d imagine. Chel, what he lacks in sword skills he makes up for in smarts and determination, a moral code and sheer good luck. Tarfel is completely clueless but very endearing in his gullibility. The relationship between the prince and protector develops throughout the story and is one of the winning elements to the book, as is their interactions with the mercenaries. As for the Hawks, they’re just so well ‘drawn’ and even the more brooding members of the crew will eventually work their magic on you or at least you’ll be relieved when they show up in the middle of a tight spot.As to world-building, there is no magic or monsters in this one. Just lots of skirmishes, running, narrow escapes, injuries, fighting and a good deal of stabbing. I was constantly on the edge of my seat and a few times gasping in surprise or relief.I enjoyed this so much so that about 40% of the way through, I ran straight to Goodreads and messaged the author to ask if he was working on book 2 because I had to know there wouldn't be a 2 year lag until the next book. Fortunately, the next installment will be out sometime late next year. Or so that seems to be the plan. I was ecstatic. And that was before I'd finished the book. And now? Now I'm OVERJOYED, because GOD! THAT! ENDING

I'm a big fan of the Black Company and Berserk manga/anime. The idea of mercenaries rising above their, usually common roots, has a strong appeal for me as a background for characters.We don't get the immersive world building of Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin, but there are things going on that ned to be paid attention to.The Black Hawks themselves are a small group of mercenaries hailing from different parts of the world with different backgrounds. This is so far a low fantasy, lower even than the Black Company or Berserk. I've seen no indications of magic or monsters, just bad people and clever people.The characters often have nicknames like the Spider or Loveless but our pov character is Chelm aka the sand crab, son of a minor family whose doing his best to survive and make sure his ward, the youngest prince of the current king, survives.During the process he's injured, repeatedly, and look on with a mix of awe and wonder at the fellowship most of the Black Haws have with one another and while not a direct member, is counted often among their numbers.The book has several twists and turns to it at keep the reader engaged. The ending is sudden and if there wasn't a book two coming out, would generate howls of rage.But since there is, looking forward to getting my hands on it.Well worth the read if you're looking for low-fantasy grimdark tales.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but as it progressed the poor characterization and random plot points began to make me dislike it. An initial warning should have been the main characters' names, Chel, Rennic, and Tarfel, which sound like random syllables the author thought up. Successful fantasy tends to use variations of existing names to make them sound believable. Chel, the main protagonist, goes through this novel (and the subsequent) being leery of picking up a weapon and fighting all the various people that come after him and his companions. Meanwhile, he's the sworn man of Prince Tarfel, which suggests he's somewhat of a bodyguard. And given the bloodletting around him, he really should get over his squeamishness. Similarly, Prince Tarfel doesn't grow as a character at all, just acts consistently petulant. I also take issue with the mercenaries being referred to as a company. They number about five, making them more of a band or squad. The worst part comes towards the end, when the main villain has to explain all his machinations in perfect the-butler-did-it style. A better novel would have seeded the ground with this information, weaving into the action so it actually makes some kind of sense at the end.Final note, this book essentially ends mid-story. The sequel is required to continue following it.

THIS is the kind of book I love to read. David Wragg writes in the tone and style that I search for in a book. My review cannot begin to express my joy in finding this book.Let's start with the characters. EXCEPTIONAL character building. This is what screamed a joyous roar at me. Each character had their own personality. I run into so many books where personalities are so alike and generic. Oh! What a scrumptious joy to journey with the gang The Black Hawks. And my favorite by far is Lemon! I think she was the best character ever created. She was absolutely hilarious!Fantastic adventure. The Black Hawks was always on the go. The action was crazy good. I was virtually doing BAMS! and POWS! along with the story. But the BEST part was the cussing/cursing and humor. And Lemon was the full fledged star of this.I know my reviews are kind of weak. But from my heart I cannot tell how much I loved this book. You bet your booty I'm getting the second book....when it comes out. Goodreads says it should have came out last month. Amazon has the pre-order date set for October 15, 2020. Still, no title. So we'll see.

Das Buch wird oft mit den Werken von Joe Abercrombie verglichen und in Anbetracht der Grundkonstellation der Geschichte sowie der rauen Welt des Romans ist dies durchaus zutreffend. Der (mal wieder) junge und unerfahrene Hauptcharakter zieht nach der Flucht aus einer belagerten Stadt unfreiwillig mit einer kleinen Truppe hartgesottener Söldner durch ein von Rebellion und Gewalt gezeichnetes Land, während er versucht seinen jungen und unbeholfenen Lehnsherren am Leben zu erhalten.Die Ausgangssituation der Geschichte hat mich schnell an die „Shattered Sea“ - Trilogie erinnert, allerdings hat der Autor bei mir nicht die gleiche Sogwirkung erzeugt wie Abercrombie mit seinen Büchern. Bis auf wenige Ausnahmen bleiben sowohl die handelnden Charaktere als auch die treibenden Fraktionen sowie die Welt an sich blass und wenig greifbar. Viele Hintergründe werden wiederholt kurz aufgegriffen oder kurz umrissen, dann aber wieder fallen gelassen, wodurch ich als Leser letztlich das Interesse an ihnen verloren habe. Dementsprechend lief für mich auch die eigentlich gute Wendung am Ende der Geschichte ins Leere, denn das bis dahin geschaffene erzählerische Fundament war einfach zu dünn, um dessen Wirkung zu tragen.Der Roman ist mit seinem abschließenden Cliffhanger und den vielen angedeuteten Bezügen der Charaktere deutlich als Beginn einer Reihe angelegt, ich werde den bereits angekündigten zweiten Teil der Geschichte um die Black Hawks trotz der durchaus ansprechenden Schreibweise des Autors jedoch vermutlich nicht lesen.

It has been a while since I read fantasy but this one caught my attention and I'm really glad it did. A cast of strong characters all with their own unique attributes and personalities gives immediate depth to the narrative. The character interaction is very strong which suggests a rich back story and history prior to where the action starts. The world building is solid too - I found myself immersed for the start and keen to learn more about the different parts of Wragg's world as each element was foreshadowed. The whole thing felt very cinematic to me.Aside from the technical strength of plot and character it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Humour is used to excellent effect and I found myself really caring about the characters - even those of morally-suspect background!This is a proper fantasy novel and a genuine page turner. I didn't see the twist coming and, unlike some others, I liked where the book ended - if for no other reason that it seems likely there will be a second instalment.Highly recommended.

I had such a bloody good time with this! I haven't laughed so much through a book in quite a while, and I'm only sorry I didn't jump into this sooner.We follow Chel, a knight who basically just wants to go home. As the city he is in descends into chaos, Chel escapes with Prince Tarfel and they strike a deal. Chel protects the Prince, and he will have his wish to be oath free and return home.The action is brutal and gory as they dodge soldiers, wolves and - I kid you not - cannibals. All while finding themselves in the company of The Black Hawks, a mercenary band.This is where the hilarious banter comes in. I really enjoyed their comaraderie and their snark with each other. I loved following Chel, but my favourite character has to be Lemon, one of the mercenaries. She stole every scene she was in and had me cackling with laughter. Her dialogue was my idea of perfection.While the plot is nothing new for fantasy, it moves at a good pace, and it got twisty toward the end which I really enjoyed. But overall it was the characters and their hilarious interactions that stole the show for me! This is a great adventure fantasy debut, with a ragtag band just trying to do their best. It's entertaining and hysterically funny. Go read it.

There are some good points with this book. The plot keeps you interested and the character interactions are generally good. But the author doesn't detail the surroundings or general world building very well. That becomes a real problem during the fight scenes where it's very hard to imagine the scene and follow the fight when new conflicting details keep emerging. It was definitely frustrating and sometimes painful to read during those scenes

Despite what they say I bought this book based on it’s beautiful cover.I was pretty disappointed overall. David Wragg clearly has talent as a writer and I can see him developing this into a great series but I did find this book boring and quite difficult to follow. Not a lot of plot development happens and it’s just essentially one calamity after another.There are some really funny lines in here and Wragg’s ability to write authentic and entertaining dialogue is the highlight of this over wise dull book.The ending, as has been noted by a few other readers is a bit of a mess. I love a cliff hanger, especially one with a big twist but this left me having to re-read the final chapters to figure out what had actually happened and why I cared.