Darkblade Assassin. Andy Peloquin. 2018.
Dark fantasy. Grimdark fantasy.
When a legendary shadow assassin is betrayed by his own guild and left for dead, he must weaponize a forbidden, soul-consuming dark blade to hunt down his former masters before the weapon devours his remaining humanity.
Assassin is a fantasy in the sword and sorcery tradition. I cut my teeth on this tradition and suspect that Robert E. Howard would approve of this book, even though Peloquin has modernized the tradition.
The Hunter of Voramis is a killer. He begins this story on top of the world in full control of everything. Then a villain arrives who turns his world upside down, forcing him to recover and avenge or surrender and become a vassal of evil.
Since this was billed as grimdark fantasy, I expected a tragic and unsatisfying ending. Or, at best, a pyrrhic victory. Instead, this book provides a surprisingly optimistic conclusion that makes its long runtime worthwhile.
It is this ending, more than anything else, that puts this book—in my mind—firmly in the best fantasy tradition.
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