If you've been yearning for strong heroines and seasoned warriors like Brick in Ken Lizzi's Thick as Thieves, you're in for a treat: more where that came from! Hello, Boss. Welcome to my reading room. Everyone else in my crowded Kindle, make way for Falchion, aka "Boss."

Boss (Falchion's Company Book 1)

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The Quick Synopsis:

Wizards may rule the city of Groft, but local crime lords create their own rules and enforce them as The Code. A soldier of fortune arrives in town after his latest battle, looking for work. Assaulting merchants--civilians--if they fail to pay extortionary fees to the overlords? That's not Falchion's style. He crosses the Boss, then becomes the Boss. With brains as well as brawn, leadership skills and tactical genius, Falchion raises his own ragtag army, battling organized crime and wizards (aka Phenomators) in their lofty towers. With recruits like Mad Hazlett, Red Hewitt, old Codge, the amputee Trunch, a witch, and a boy who shows promise as a future wizard, Falchion faces the impossible and shows what true grit and teamwork can do. Can he "run his own crew in what amounted to an urban warfare campaign?" For every obstacle he conquers, another one pops up. Groft has more than enough conflicts to keep Falchion on a trajectory to "Captain" in Book Two (coming soon) and "Overlord" (#loveit!) in Book Three.

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I've reviewed Ken Lizzi novels at Steemit before. E.g.,
Hollywood needs to give us Ken Lizzi movies--and "re-infuse pulp sensibility" into fiction

Lizzi's characters are gritty and real, decent and honest, even if they're sometimes in need of a social filter, and especially if everyone keeps calling them a^^hole. Falchion, whose name comes from a medieval weapon, lives up to all of a Lizzi fan's expectations. He's flawed, yes, but he has principles. Falchion is resourceful, quick-witted, strong, brave, and able to rally others to fight for justice. When he appears ready to claim the spoils and take over as a debt collector, readers may wonder what the heck this guy is thinking, but rest assured, this Lizzi hero isn't going to the dark side.

"Boss" is an awesome tale of a mercery soldier starting a new job, thinking "This isn't a good way to do business," and expecting a pat on the back for keeping his co-worker from using violence to collect dues owed for services rendered. He gets a kick in the head and a threat, instead, along with an order to do the impossible. Or what would be impossible for anyone else.

The themes are timely and relevant. This may be a medieval fantasy, but how familiar is this?

This surveillance was some intrusive sh^t. The thought that merely passing by a vendor’s stall could allow someone to track his movements made him feel violated.

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The cast of minor characters is rich and memorable, but as with all good fight stories, some of those we love most will fall in battle. This is one reason I rarely read military fiction. Ken Lizzi, however, delivers so much more than action and adventure. His characters are thoughtful and authentic. One of the things I love most about Falchion is the way he remembers his father, who instilled values and ethics in him and didn't want his son to be a mercenary, but Falchion went that route anyway. In between battles, he feels a little lost. Fighting is what he does best. Then again, uniting others to fight for a just cause may be what he does best. Falchion inspires others, earns their trust, and treats them right. Spoiler: he really isn't an a^^hole, however often he's called one.

He has a conscience:

"It doesn’t feel right to me. I don’t think I could do this day after day, year after year... Threatening people who are just trying to make enough slices to put bread on the table.”

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Something tells me Falchion would rather slaughter other mercenaries in battle than be a menace to civilians.

His father warned him that soldiering "was a dirty, unpleasant, bloody business," but it's what Falchion does. After what happened to his mother, who can fault him for becoming a mercenary?

I hate war, I hate weaponry, and yet I love the way Lizzi writes about it. E.g.,

He lifted the falchion from the rack, hefting it. He curled his fingers about the grip, laying his thumb along the back of the grip, along the axis of the single-edged, slightly curved blade.

Weapons collectors will find plenty of descriptive action bringing these antiquities to life.

Clever dialogue and witty repartee

is always on tap in a Ken Lizzi novel. I love Alida, the one woman in town who can handle Falchion:

Fighting your own little gang war,” Alida said. ”Are you winning?”
“Now who’s the asshole?”
“Hey, it’s a legitimate question. What is it you want, Falchion? What are you trying to accomplish?”

Hardboiled

is another element of Lizzi's' style. Fans of Elmore Leonard and Glenn Cook will enjoy Lizzi's prose. E.g.,

The neighborhood sagged, buildings leaning up against each other for support like so many revelers at a guildhall celebration.

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Astute observations and insights, satire and cynicism

are other hallmarks of Ken Lizzi novels. I love Falchion's wry observations and wish they didn't sound so true of our own contemporary politics, e.g.,

All the Phenomators were inculcated with a belief in public service, that their good offices were essential to the functioning of Groft. What was interesting to Trunch was the individual variations in self-deceit, venality, and corruption among the Phenomators.

Like the demon-fighting hero of Karl Thorson and the Jade Dagger, Lizzi's previous release, Falchion faces some super-humanly powerful adversaries. It may strain credulity to believe a mere mortal could overcome wizards, sorcerers, but "he’d come this far on little except gall and positive thinking," which can be as powerful as any weapon. Seeing the good guy win is so much fun, I don't care if it's possible only in fiction. That's why I read fiction!

Nothing in a Ken Lizzi novel is gratuitous or superfluous. E.g., "In addition to the dried gore he found a signet ring — a bas relief griffon, its wings clipped — on the silver bezel, mounted on a copper band." I kept noticing Falcon's habit of rotating this battle trophy on his finger and wondered what the ring signifies. Hint: we'll find out at the end of Book 3.

I've enjoyed a sneak preview of the next two books in the series (no spoilers from me!), and I'm hoping to see more of Brick in future sequels to "Thick as Thieves." (Hint, hint!)

Author Bio

Ken Lizzi is an attorney and the author of an assortment of published short stories. His novels "Reunion" and "Under Strange Suns" are now available from Twilight Times Books. When not traveling - and he'd rather be traveling - he lives in Oregon with his lovely wife Isa and energetic daughter V.V. He enjoys reading, homebrewing, exercise, and visiting new places. He loathes writing about himself in the third person.

If you skipped ahead to the end of the review,

here's the low-down:

Ken Lizzi heroes are strong and awesome, rational and competent, and I can't get enough of 'em.

Back to reading, writing, and book reviewing!

Keangaroo

because Kean sounds like Kane (not keen, hint, hint)

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