Allen, Will. Swords for hire.CenterPunch (PO Box 43151, Cincinnati, OH 45243). 168p. c2003. 0-9724882-0-0. $6.95. JSA JSA - Japanese Standards Association. This tongue-in-cheek fantasy is about a simple farm boy named Sam Hatcher and a royal guardsman and "sword for hire" called Rigby Skeet skeet: see shooting. , and their quest to rescue the rightful king. Said king, Olive, has been imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- for the past three years by his evil brother and usurper USURPER, government. One who assumes the right of government by force, contrary to and in violation of the constitution of the country. Toull. Dr. Civ. n. 32. Vide Tyranny, Boonder, a nasty piece of work who likes to put worms in his hair. All the trappings of fantasy are here: a feisty damsel in distress, treachery and betrayal, narrow escapes, villains who tend to blather on about their villainy Villainy See also Evil, Wickedness. Vindictiveness (See VENGEANCE.) Violence (See BRUTALITY, CRUELTY.) d’Acunha, Teresa portrait of devilish Spanish servant and kidnapper. [Br. Lit. (thus setting themselves up for defeat) and of course the heroes who overcome impossible odds. While very funny throughout, like Terry Pratchett's work, Swords for Hire has a serious undercurrent that gives it substance beneath the froth. A promising young writer, Allen died in 1980 just after completing the book, and that is a sorry loss to the genre. Appealing, engaging and well paced, Swords for Hire will appeal to a range of readers. Donna Scanlon, Children's Libn., Lancaster Cty. Lib., Lancaster, PA |
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