At the end of A Discourse in Steel, Nix picked up some strange plates while in a tower in a swamp. A bad choice, he finds out when a strange creature keeps chasing him to retrieve those plates. The fun comes from the contortions Nix and Egil endure to discover what the plates do. Then comes the confrontations with the creature which reminded me of a episode from the TV show Librarian where they characters had to keep repeating their actions with a bit of change each time until they got it right. You just have to wonder what weird adventure Egil and Nix will encounter next.

Larry Niven remarked to me not long ago that the best stories have already been written by Fritz Leiber. Nix and Egil are Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser lite.

I received a review copy of "A Conversation in Blood: An Egil & Nix Novel" by Paul S. Kemp (Del Rey) through NetGalley.com.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was my first foray into the Egil and Nix series, and it will be my last.

The story opens with Egil and Nix recovering from an adventure that apparently went a little sideways at the end. Egil has some sort of depression, which he recovers after a short visit with Nix and their adoptive mum. OK, I didn't really understand why this needed to be included but I guess it provides continuity for anyone that read the previous book. Next, they look for an adventure. They stumble into one because of a mcguffin that Nix picked up, which has them crossing paths with wizards and one of the most irritating and uninteresting monsters of all time: the Afterbirth. Our heroes get chased, wind up tangling with the Thieves' Guild and re-befriending an old acquaintance.

First of all, let's have a brief chat about fake swearing in Fantasy. Where an author takes the time to develop enough of a mythos that they can tie in their characters' swearing into that mythos, it can actually contribute to immersion. A big part of that is that the "fake" swearing does not come at the expense of "real" swearing, but complements it. See the Malazon Book of the Fallen for a perfect example of this being done well. Where a book substitutes a few fake swear words like "fak" or "shite" or "bunghole slubber", and it's not YA or tied into the setting in some way, it sounds juvenile and can seriously interfere with the reader's immersion. A Conversation in Blood provides the best example of what NOT to do that I think I've ever read.

Egil and Nix have some genuinely good banter in this book that had me laughing out loud - at first. After a while, the banter just stayed the same. Other dialogue was generally overly simplified and provided far too much exposition. There was an awful lot of telling and not much showing.

There was a lot of action, most of which did not contribute to the story in any meaningful way but Kemp writes action well so the fight scenes were quite good, if a little boring because none of the outcomes are ever in doubt when the heroes have healing potions. They did not, in my opinion, work well with the pacing of the story.

This felt like a novelette stretched out into a full-length novel. I think I would have enjoyed the story much more had it been significantly shorter.

I had high hopes for this book because I remember greatly enjoying the Erevis Cale stories from my teenage years. I was particularly disappointed in this Egil and Nix story. It felt too much like a self-published story that would have benefited from a lot of trimming and refinement.

I might recommend this as a YA read but I would not recommend it. If you want to read about interesting and cool roguish characters go pick up the Gentleman Bastards, the Riyria Revelations, anything from the First Law world by Joe Abercrombie, or the Night Angel trilogy instead.

Official Synopsis:
Nix is a nimble thief with just enough knowledge of magic to get into serious trouble. Egil is the only priest of a discredited god. After a bout of heartbreak, all Nix wants to do is cheer up Egil. And, of course, strike it so rich that they need never worry about their combined bar bill. But when Nix plunders a tomb and snatches mysterious golden plates covered in runes, the treasure brings terrifying trouble. Pursued by an abomination full of ravenous hunger and unquenchable wrath, Egil and Nix find all they hold dear—including their beloved tavern—in dire peril. To say nothing of the world itself...

**Minor Spoilers**

I was fortunate to review one of Paul S. Kemp’s previous books, Lords of the Sith, so I was very interested in checking out another of his books when the opportunity arose. A Conversation in Blood, being of the fantasy genre, was right up my alley.

A Conversation in Blood is the third book in Paul Kemp’s Egil and Nix series, and I was a bit concerned to start as I have not read the previous books. My mind was immediately put at ease. You are introduced to the characters in such a way that makes it easy to jump right into the story without feeling lost. I was brought up to speed with just enough info to get me by, but not enough to ruin the previous stories should I decide to go back and read those as well. Which I plan to, by the way.

So, that concern aside, I was able to comfortably sink into the story and get swept away with the immensely fun and appealing lead characters, Egil and Nix — one a priest, the other a thief with a workable knowledge of magic. I read a fair amount of fantasy and sword and sorcery tales, but these two characters felt completely fresh. Their humor and camaraderie ooze off the page in the best way possible. You buy these two immediately.

Nix has come into possession of magical plates, and while seeking knowledge of exactly what they are and what they portend, he ends up with one wizard willing to do anything to acquire them, and pursued by a monstrosity, known as the Afterbirth, leaving devastation in its wake. All the while, his companion, Egil — not the biggest fan of anything even remotely magical — fights at his side even though the cost may prove to be a steep one. They are joined in this adventure by a seemingly minor character from their past named Jyme, who ends up being more important than any of them realize.

Egil and Nix, in a bid to be more respectable and responsible, also own a brothel. The characters found there play more of a supporting role here. Without knowledge of the first two books, I’m not sure how much more integral they are to the overall storyline. However, for the brief time they are encountered within this story, they are well-developed and interesting.

The pacing of the book is quick and no time is wasted. The suspense builds and doesn’t let up till the breathtaking and surprising finale. The book works quite well as a stand-alone story, but with the added bonus of being an on-going series.

The humorous banter between Egil and Nix led to a few laugh-out-loud moments, as well as a few heartwarming moments. Even without the knowledge of the first two books, it is clear how much these two care for one another. Best friends through whatever they encounter — through love, loss, and death, whether sober or drunk. You’ll find yourself wishing you could join Egil and Nix on their next rousing adventure!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book for review purposes.

Paul S. Kemp is back for his third installment of the Egil and Nix trilogy. An epic story about two best friends going out and causing havoc with an extra large dose of smartassery. ~Larry Killian, The Founding Fields


The Egil & Nix storyline is one that I’ve been following for years now, waiting with bated breath for the third installment to finally release after the series was sold to Del Ray. When the book was finally announced I was like a little school girl waiting for the book to become available for reviewer. Upon opening the book I knew the magic was still there, I knew this was something that the wait was worth it, and something that I hope is not finished yet. I think it would be great if Paul would take the series and make it into an epic saga instead of just a trilogy.

Nix is a nimble thief with just enough knowledge of magic to get into serious trouble. Egil is the only priest of a discredited god. Together, they seek riches and renown, but somehow it is always misadventure and mayhem that find them—even in the dive bar they call home. And their luck has yet to change.

All Nix wants to do is cheer Egil up after a bout of heartbreak. And, of course, strike it so rich that they need never worry about their combined bar bill. But when the light-fingered scoundrel plunders a tomb and snatches mysterious golden plates covered in runes, the treasure brings terrifying trouble. Pursued by an abomination full of ravenous hunger and unquenchable wrath, Egil and Nix find all they hold dear—including their beloved tavern—in dire peril. To say nothing of the world itself.

Egil and Nix are two characters that have an Odd Couple dynamic to them but it just fits. You’ve got the “magic school dropout” full of glib and sarcasm with Nix. Then you have someone who is serious but not quite totally straight faced with Egil, the priest of the momentary God, the only priest. The character dynamic between the two just grows even more with the third book. I do have to say takes on a bit of a darker tone compared to the first two. While there is still comedy there I feel as if there’s not as much as there used to be. This does not make the book bad, in fact it makes the book its own, not a cookie-cutter that is copying off the two previous books.

If you ask me if I’m going to recommend this book I’m going to say absolutely there’s no reason not to read it, it’s fun, it’s exciting, it has moments that make you hold your breath. Of course this is the third book in the series so you need to go read the first two. Paul definitely does not disappoint with this series, it is fantasy at its best.