BOOK REVIEW: 'The Godblade' by J.Christopher Tarpey (DMR)

"Born is the Hammer, one of three

To strike the door, and Farick's free
Not ill Nitaar, not Albrunn's spire
Can stand against The Armor of Ire."

Eternal Champion - 'I Am The Hammer' 

THERE'S AN OBVIOUS crossover between fans of epic heavy metal, RPG players and readers of fantasy literature. So, for fans of Eternal Champion wanting to immerse themselves deeper into the world of the Texas four-piece's two albums 'The Armor Of Ire' (2016) and 'Ravening Iron' (2020), this debut novel by the band's singer Jason Tarpey is a dream come true.

The story centers around the warrior smith Raenon, whose mission is to destroy the mad god Brakur. To this end he must journey to find the tomb of the long-dead deity Farick, whose remains are necessary for the forging of the Godblade - a sword so sharp it can cut through armour like butter. Only with the Godblade can Raenon slay Brakur and stand against the armies of the foul cult of Arhai to save his homeland.

Tarpey's writing is energetic and authoritative - especially when describing at length the process by which the Godblade is forged - but he's no Michael Moorcock, and at times his prose lacks polish and depth of characterisation. But the story moves on at a steady pace, rich with incident, so that you're never far away from a bloody fight, a foul monster or a ripe-breasted sorceress. Tarpey's world (like his sorceresses) is well built (although a map would have been useful) and invites further exploration. The narrative style and pace is reminiscent of Warhammer literature and the work of Gygax. It's never boring, and leaves you with a healthy appetite for a sequel. Essential for fans of Eternal Champion and obscure fantasy literature.

J. Cooper (2021)

Top 50 Releases of 2020

 

THE BEST 50 RELEASES OF 2020

• ABATUAR – ‘Mortandad’
• ABVULABASHY – ‘Atomik Triumphator Elite’
• ACID CROSS – ‘Dungeon Thrash’
• AKHLYS – ‘Melinoe’
• ARDENTE – ‘Citadelle Des Brumes’
• BLACK CURSE – ‘Endless Wound’
• BOG BODY/PRIMITIVE WARFARE – ‘The Gate Of Grief’
• BUTCHER – ‘666 Goats Carry My Chariot’
• CHILDREN OF TECHNOLOGY – ‘Written Destiny’
• CIRITH UNGOL – ‘Forever Black’
• DEVASTATOR – ‘Baptised In Blasphemy’
• DRUGOTH – ‘Militaristic Division Of Chaos’
• ETERNAL CHAMPION – ‘Ravening Iron’
• EURYNOMOS – ‘From The Valleys Of Hades’
• FERAL LORD – ‘Victorious Hellfire’
• GLASS COFFIN – ‘Bound To The Demon’s Abyss’
• GOATPENIS – ‘Decapitation Philosophy’
• HELLRIPPER – ‘The Affair Of The Poisons’
• HORDE OF HEL – ‘Doden Nalkas’
• INTERNAL ROT – ‘Grieving Birth’
• INVULTATION – ‘Wolfstrap’
• KARLOFF – ‘Raw Nights’
• KORGULL THE EXTERMINATOR – ‘Sharpen Your Spikes’
• LITURGY OF DESECRATION – ‘Traverse The Threshold Of Blasphemy’
• MEGATON SWORD – ‘Blood Hails Steel, Steel Hails Fire’
• MIDNIGHT – ‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’
• NECROWRETCH – ‘The Ones From Hell’
• NIGHT FIGHTER – ‘Unholy Sepulchre’
• NIMBIFER – ‘Demo II’
• NOTHING IS REAL – ‘Regeneration Through Self Devourment’
• OBSIDIAN HOOVES – ‘Sovereignty’
• OF FEATHER AND BONE – ‘Sulfuric Disintegration’
• ORCRYPT – ‘Balrog & Roll’
• OVERCHARGE – ‘Metal Punx’
• PARANOID – ‘Out Raising Hell’
• PRIMORDIAL SERPENT – ‘Ascension Of The Dark Age’
• REAPER – ‘Unholy Nordic Noise’
• SANCTIFYING RITUAL – ‘Tales Of The Sinister Appearance’
• SIEGE COLUMN – ‘Darkside Legions’
• SPIRIT POSSESSION – ‘S/T’
• STALKER – ‘Black Majik Terror’
• TENEBROSIDAD – ‘La Ultima Palabra Sera De Satanas’
• THE EYE OF THE NORTH – ‘Black Thrashing Onslaught’
• THERMONUCLEAR DEVASTATION – ‘Worshipper Of Darkness’
• UNDERGANG – ‘Aldrig I Livet’
• UNHOLY NIGHT – ‘Succubus’
• VIOLENT HAMMER – ‘Riders Of The Wasteland’
• WARFECT – ‘Spectre Of Devastation’
• WARGORE – ‘Cursed Existence’
• WITCHTRAP – ‘Evil Strikes Again’