Review by Booklist Review
A dashing artillerist and the sorcery-animated puppet who has been his lifelong companion travel in search of proscribed entities in need of destruction in this series of nine short stories, one of which is original to this collection. Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz are itinerant agents tasked with enforcing the ancient and largely forgotten Treaty for the Safety of the World, identifying and exterminating dangerous godlets who have entered the world from another dimension, while leaving beneficial and benign godlets undisturbed. In each tale, Hereward and Fitz find an entity on their list and endeavor to banish it with the combined fighting and artillery skills of Hereward and the powerful sorcery of Fitz, helped and hindered by various locals and acolytes. A disappointing lack of character growth prevents these stories from reaching their full potential; Hereward and Fitz display no changed attitudes or characteristics between the beginning and end of each story or across the span of the collection. However, these sword-and-sorcery adventures will be enjoyed by readers who appreciate straightforward heroic fantasy.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestselling YA author Nix (the Abhorsen series) brings together eight previously published tales and one original story, all featuring his recurring swashbuckling heroes, for his marvelous first adult collection. Sir Hereward, the honorable son of a powerful witch, and Mister Fitz, an animated puppet created as a weapon to combat malevolent gods, work for the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World. Nix's wit and descriptive skills make accepting this oddball team easy from the outset. In their first adventure, "Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again," the duo pose as mercenaries to gain access to Shûme, a town controlled by the godlet Tanesh, a "cross-dimensional parasite" poised to suck the essence out of all life beyond the town's boundaries. Lovecraftians will especially enjoy "Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarsköe," in which the companions battle a starfish-shaped entity, aided by a female pirate captain capable of shape-shifting into a leopard-like creature. Original to this collection, "The Field of Fallen Foe" finds the heroes seeking passage through a field of poisonous bones. Subtle worldbuilding and unconventional plots make each tale a treat. Nix's fans won't want to miss this. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Steampunk combines with sword and sorcery--along with a bit of gunpowder--to bring Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz to colorful and frequently explosive life in this collection of tales of adventure and the righteous elimination of gods and godlets who threaten the balance of the world. They roam as Agents of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World, creating chaos and righting wrongs wherever they travel, bantering and complaining wherever they go, and managing to save their own hides. This unlikely duo, the knight who should never have been born and the self-motivated puppet and sorcerer who should have turned to dust long ago, will remind readers of the classics of the sword and sorcery genre, while the premise of gods acting in their world makes this a fine collection for lovers of Lois McMaster Bujold's "Penric & Desdemona" series. VERDICT Though all but one of these stories have been previously published, fans will appreciate finding them all in a single volume; readers new to Nix's (The Sinister Booksellers of Bath) adult work will have a real treat on their hands.--Marlene Harris
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