This collection contains twenty-one stories published between 2011 and 2014, and each one is a rollicking adventure in a different vein. It's got everything from warriors gone a-Viking to mythos inspired space adventures, and even a few Crusaders going full Deus Vult. The longer pieces are interspersed with one or two page vignettes and something I wish we saw more of these days - epic poetry about blood and thunder. That style of adventure fiction shouldn't begin and end with Odysseus and Shakespeare.In my initial take, I mentioned that the first few stories didn't give me the virtuous hero fighting for truth, justice, and the [insert local positive theme here] that represent all my favorite heroes. By the end of the book, I got what I wanted.
West seems to be a part of the Utah action-writer crew along with Correia and Torgersen, and his work reminds me strongly of Correia's. They share a healthy blue-collar disregard for literary frippery in favor of a blunt, smash mouth style of writing. I actually prefer West's writing to Correia's - the Monster Hunter International series felt cold and angsty to me. So if you're looking for more in the Correia vein, West is a safe bet.
Given that these works are all a couple of years old, and that West writes at Pulp speed, I'd actually recommend starting with his more recent work. He seems to be a pretty smart cookie, and it's a safe bet that his writing has only improved since he inked The Mad Song. I haven't read his Porter Rockwell series yet, but it's on my short list. If you've read it, let me know what you think.
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My first novella, King's Dragon is free to download, for today only.
It's the story of a badass hero killing a big snake.
Think of it as my Saint Patrick's Day gift to you.
