Revenge, one of the most powerful driving forces in story. In Seven Blades in Black, the first installment of The Grave of Empires, Sam Sykes spins a powerful revenge tale laced with violence, magic, and gunpowder. The tale is told mostly by the first person narrator by the name of Sal the Cacophony. Well, most of the novel is told through Sal’s voice, because when we first meet her she is in prison awaiting execution and we see conversations between Sal and Tretta, her jailor. When Sal launches into her own story, we as the reader all in the wake of the strong ship that is Sal’s voice.
Her magic was stolen. She was left for dead.
Betrayed by those she trusts most and her magic ripped from her, all Sal the Cacophony has left is her name, her story, and the weapon she used to carve both. But she has a will stronger than magic, and knows exactly where to go.
The Scar, a land torn between powerful empires, where rogue mages go to disappear, disgraced soldiers go to die and Sal went with a blade, a gun, and a list of seven names.
Revenge will be its own reward.
In a land beset by a war without end, Sal the Cacophony is a wandering gunslinger, but she doesn’t carry an ordinary gun. It is named Cacophony and speaks to her, it has formed a bond with her, for it needs lives and souls. Think Elric’s Stormbringer, but as a gun. When Sal comes upon an enemy, for example one of the sorcerers who stole much of her power prior to the events of the novel, or a “vagrant” wizard, the Cacophony can unleash a powerful spell. That’s the cool factor. Well, that and Sal has a sword named Jeff. Jeff doesn’t speak to her, but Jeff is a cool name for a sword.
Much of the novel is a game of cat and mouse, revelations and secrets. Sykes is asking his readers to trust him quite a bit, because for much of the novel, Sal’s full reasons for revenge aren’t clear. Only the barest minimum is revealed. Since Sal is essentially telling her story to her jailor, many details are left unsaid. Both Sal and her jailor have a fair understanding of their world, why should Sal’s story include many world-building details. Only those details essential to the story she’s relaying to her jailor are pertinent. It’s an economy of storytelling I can appreciate.
On the other hand, when Sal takes breaks in her first person narration and the narrative shifts to third person between Sal and her jailor things slip a bit. There’s a crack. In other words, Sal just might be an unreliable narrator. Many first person narrators can likely slip, but Sykes plays this trope to really nice effect. The framing story, the conversation between Sal and her jailor is reminiscent of Pat Rothfuss’s the Name of the Wind, but Sykes is doing something different in his story. Sal is playing more of a game with her audience, at least her immediate audience, than Kvothe was.
This back and forth, cat and mouse game makes for not just world details being held back, but much of Sal’s motivations being held back. Sure, revenge is the larger reason, but the core of that revenge becomes clear slowly. Impatient readers may be frustrated, but Sykes’ does such a fine job with the character of Sal and getting the reader (especially this reader), invested in the character, the later revelations of those finer details aren’t a problem.
Sykes also gives Sal what could be a good romantic relationship with another woman. The two characters clearly love each other, but Sal’s thirst for vengeance, and addict-like connection to the gun Cacophony, override anything else. Throughout the novel, Sykes illuminates their relationship and love for each other in a way that deepens each character. It makes them both more believable.
Overall the main thing for me about Seven Blades in Black, is just how fun it is. It has elements of western and fantasy; as a fan of Stephen King’s Dark Tower, I couldn’t help but draw some parallels. That’s not a criticism, by the way. Sykes takes the western and fantasy elements and spins a tale uniquely his own. I’ve been following Sam Sykes on twitter for years and find much of what he says about genre, character, and storytelling to align with my reading sensibilities. Much of that shines through in the novel. This was the first novel I read from Sam Sykes, but I doubt it will be my last.
Recommended
© 2019 Rob H. Bedford
Orbit Books | Trade Paperback
April 2019 | 704 Pages
Review copy courtesy of the publisher Orbit Books
Excerpt: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sam-sykes/seven-blades-in-black/9780316363433/#module-whats-inside
