Please note, Something Wicked is the third novel in The Chronicles of Breed. If I was prone to giving advice, I would strongly suggest you read books one and two before proceeding any further withthis review. Not only will it ensure you are informed of Breed’s prior misadventures you’d also avoid any potential minor spoilery type elements which may follow. I’d imagine the author of said novels would also be entirely appreciative of your additional custom.
We all know how it goes.
You’re getting old, slow…
All of your friends are dead…
You have to fight for your life in an arena, save the Goblin Queen, and defeat an evil sorcerer before she destroys a world of Wild magic.
And that’s before you even think about facing Shallunsard the demon, the Eldest of the Annurashi, and Halda the Red Witch who’s had a bone to pick with you for seven hundred years.
Live or die, this is Breed’s last ride.
So, are you ready? Good. Strap in and hold on.
I always get a little misty eyed when I get to the final book in a trilogy. If I’ve come this far then you can rest assured that I’ve become invested in the characters. Their journey has come to mean something to me, and I am always sorry to see them go. Since page one of Dangerous to Know Breed has always been a platinum level miscreant. Tooth and Claw further cemented Breed’s reputation as a reprobate without equal. I’m pleased to report Something Wicked is just good as its predecessors. Breed’s final tale turns the action up to an eleven and ensures everyone’s favourite sneak thief/warrior/assassin/wizard/dragon/adventurer has one last glorious, if somewhat bloody, hurrah.
I think of Breed as a character who lives in, and for, the moment. What happens next isn’t massively important, that will be dealt with when it arrives. When your main character is like that, there is a glorious sense of unpredictability. It makes each new story a joy. I’ve mentioned this before in previous reviews in the series, when you don’t know which way a character is going to jump you are always going to be in for a hell of a ride. Breed really is a one off. How can I best provide an appropriate analogy to fantasy fans? Think about it in terms of Dungeons and Dragons character alignment. If you checked in the manual between the text book definition of chaotic good and chaotic neutral, you’d find a picture of Breed slyly winking back at you.
As ever there is some truly creative swearing throughout. The author does not disappoint when it comes to crafting inventive curses. Breed is an eloquent cove and delivers every barbed comment with a flourish. I consider myself quite well versed when it comes to an offensive epithet but I am minor league in comparison. Unbridled snark and sass have never been quite so much fun.
On a more serious note, hiding just underneath the main narrative, there is a delightfully bittersweet element to Something Wicked. Breed has reached an age where there is far more looking back than looking forward. Memories are often tinged with regret, and physically the old body isn’t cutting the mustard anymore. I guess this comes to us all, it’s a pleasant surprise to find a fantasy novel where the main protagonist is suffering the vagaries of age. I can entirely relate, I’ve reached the point in life where whenever I stand up either I make a creaking sound or some sort of involuntary noise escapes. Being half human has given Breed an extended lifespan over other Thoasa* but even that precious time is going to run out eventually. Turns out you can only get so far before time catches up with you.
I’d dearly love to tell you that Breed has learned something over the course of their life but mostly not. Breed remains as incorrigible as ever. If anything, age has only enhanced that particular trait. Some people will tell you that with age comes wisdom. Utter nonsense, all you’ve managed to do is outlive everyone else. When you get old the thing you get to relish most is the opportunity to be as cantankerous and self-absorbed as you want. You’re going to die sooner rather than later so why not enjoy what time you have left. Breed has pretty much always been this way so old age is just a convenient excuse.
What of Breed’s ultimate fate? Well, I’ll not spoil the surprise, suffice to say Something Wicked ends exactly the way I had hoped it would. Well played K T Davies, well played. If you haven’t discovered The Chronicles of Breed yet I demand that you do so immediately. Trust me, you’ll be in for a rare treat. I haven’t had this much fun with a series for ages.
Regular readers will know I like to pair each book I read with some appropriate sounds. I agonise over making just the right choice. For me reading and music are indelibly linked. I thought long and hard about this one and my musical recommendation for Something Wicked is the soundtrack to Dead Cells by Yoann Laulan. Breed needs a proper send off and this album has a certain roguish flare that made it a perfect fit.
Something Wicked is published by Scimitar Media and is available now. I highly recommend this novel and the trilogy as awhole.
*humanoid reptilians bred for war with only a lifespan of approximately thirty years.
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