Book · 2017
Kings of the Wyld
by Nicholas Eames
Five washed-up mercenaries reunite the old band to cross a war-torn continent and rescue one of their daughters from a siege.
What does Reddit think of Kings of the Wyld?
Three separate threads describe the plot almost the same way: a crew of retired adventurers gets back together for one last job. That repetition is the real signal here, not the mention count. r/Fantasy treats it as comfort-read shorthand, the thing to drop next to Red Country and the Age of Madness trilogy when someone wants grimdark with warmth attached. r/suggestmeabook pitches it cold, full plot summary included, to strangers who never specifically asked for fantasy. One commenter even wanted the book's battle-of-the-bands finale adapted before Mistborn's Kelsier-versus-the-Inquisitors fight. Nobody in these excerpts argues against it, which reads either as real convergence on a rock-band-reunion fantasy novel, or as a reminder that top-voted recommendation threads don't surface complaints in the first place. r/booksuggestions logs its share of mentions without much commentary attached. Whatever's happening beneath the surface, what surfaces here is warm, repetitive, and largely uncontested.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A band of has-been adventurers reuniting for one last job
- · Fantasy staged like a rock band's farewell tour
- · Grimdark stakes played for warmth instead of despair
- · Found family among aging mercenaries
Common praise
- + Gets named alongside Red Country and the Age of Madness trilogy as the honorable mention for aging-mercenary fantasy.
- + A commenter wanted its battle-of-the-bands climax adapted before Mistborn's Kelsier-versus-Inquisitors fight, ahead of an actual Sanderson set piece.
- + r/suggestmeabook pitches it cold with a full plot summary rather than a title drop, more effort than people spend on books they're lukewarm about.
Common criticism
- − The same plot description, retired adventurers reuniting for one last job, gets typed out almost verbatim across three separate threads, which suggests the premise is doing more work than anyone's memory of the actual prose.
- − Every displayed excerpt here is a recommendation or a list entry; none of them argue with the book, so this sample can't say what its detractors think.
- − It shows up constantly as someone else's honorable mention, behind Abercrombie, behind Sanderson, rather than the first name out of anyone's mouth.
Who it's for
You want the Rolling Stones' farewell tour, but with swords and a bass player named Clay Cooper. Retired-mercenary nostalgia is the whole engine here, so if 'one last job' already exhausts you as a premise, this won't convert you. r/Fantasy keeps reaching for it when someone wants grimdark stakes without grimdark despair: Abercrombie's violence, but people still crack jokes in the middle of it. Given how often it turns up as a comparison point, the Red Country mention, the Age of Madness pairing, rather than as the headline pick, expect it to work best as a palate cleanser between heavier series, not a first fantasy novel to hand someone brand new to the genre.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/Fantasy 2,595
- r/suggestmeabook 714
- r/booksuggestions 323
- r/printSF 22
- r/YAlit 8
- r/horrorlit 4
- r/RomanceBooks 4
Which Reddit comments matter for Kings of the Wyld?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Kings of the Wyld is exactly this, and I heartily recommend it.
“I’ve got the perfect book for ya. Nicholas Eames’s Kings of the Wyld. It‘a about a old, retired team of adventurers who must reluctantly and with many complaints, have to strap on their gear and head out to save the world again. It’s funny too:)
“Kings of the Wyld is about a bunch of retired adventurers getting Back together for one last time.
“Lamb - Red Country Shivers - Age of Madness trilogy Honourable mention: Clay Cooper - Kings of the Wyld
“Kings of the Wyld is about a bunch of older retired adventures going back for one last hurrah. I enjoyed it a bunch.
“Kelsier vs. the Inquisitors after freeing the skaa and the following scene The big battle of the bands at the end of Kings of the Wyld would be a blast if well adapted
“Kings of the Wyld...
“Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. It’s all the fantasy, but it has fun with it and doesn’t take itself seriously. Also, The Grey B******* by Jonathon French - orcs on battle hogs, what more could you want?
“Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is about an aged former group of mercenaries (or band) getting back together for one last mission to save the daughter of their leader. It has all the bonuses you’ve asked for. Very funny book, very heartfelt, and a ton of music references and Easter eggs.
“*Kings of the Wyld.* Fun classic fantasy adventure, almost like a D&D campaign mixed with an action movie. For something cozier: *Legends & Lattes.* It’s an utterly charming book about a retired orc warrior who opens a cafe.
“I'm also 17 and was kind of in the same boat until last year. This is a list of some of the books that got me back into reading (they're mostly fantasy so I hope you like that), {{Kings of the Wyld}} by Nicholas Eames {{Mistborn}} by Brandon Sanderson {{The Lies of Locke Lamora}} by Scott Lynch …
“Kings of the Wyld is a love letter to fantasy that is about a group of adventurers getting the boys back together. They have a lot of history but love keeps them together. Just a bunch of used up old dudes loving on each other
“I think that Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose, both by Nicholas Eames, fit this criteria. Both really great, fun reads. I read them after a fairly dark series and it was a great palate cleanser.
“Probably the biggest for me is the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. More sci-fi than fantasy, but one of my favorites of all time. I also was avoiding Sanderson for some strange reason, but I haven’t found a book of his that I DON’T love. Kings of the Wyld, and it’s sequel, we’re absolutely an…
“Try Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. It's essentially a D&D story about a group of retired adventurers who get back together for one more mission.
Convinced? Pick up Kings of the Wyld
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Kings of the Wyld — counted from the comments, not curated.
Kings of the Wyld — frequently asked
Is Kings of the Wyld basically a rock band reunion novel?+
That's how Reddit keeps describing it. Multiple r/Fantasy comments frame it around a crew of retired adventurers getting the band back together for one last tour, and one commenter specifically wanted its climactic battle scene adapted before a signature Mistborn fight. The reunion framing shows up so consistently it reads as the book's actual pitch, not just marketing copy.
Where does Kings of the Wyld rank next to Joe Abercrombie's Red Country?+
As a companion pick, not a replacement. One r/Fantasy list (↑406) names Red Country and the Age of Madness trilogy first, with Kings of the Wyld tacked on as an 'honourable mention,' third billing in its own recommendation thread. That pattern, present but rarely the headline, repeats across these excerpts.
Does r/suggestmeabook actually recommend Kings of the Wyld, or just mention it?+
Actually recommend it, at least in the top-voted case (↑433): a full plot summary volunteered to a stranger, unprompted, ending with 'It's funny too :)'. That's more effort than a passing mention takes, though it's one comment, not a subreddit consensus.
Is Kings of the Wyld too silly for grimdark fans?+
Depends what you want from grimdark. The displayed r/Fantasy excerpts describe it as fantasy that 'doesn't take itself seriously' while still delivering the genre's violence and stakes. Whether that reads as silly or as a relief depends on how attached you are to Abercrombie-style despair.