A Review of Swords Against Bastards

The End of an Era, and the Start of Something New

With heartfelt ends come new beginnings.

If there was one takeaway I had while reading Swords Against Bastards, Rob Rimes’ third novella (technically fourth) within his Barbarians of the Storm series, it would be just that. Within this one book alone, the first major story arc has now concluded in this world of swords and magic, derring-do, love, and sacrifice. Several characters' journeys end up finding their inevitable end within these pages, all while others’ are only just beginning.

As such, this review will be dealing primarily with book #3, along with some of my overall thoughts on the series thus far.

With that said, I feel like it would only be fair that I should disclose my own personal biases. Perhaps with the sole exception of The Long Moonlight, Rob Rimes’ Dan the Destructor was one of the first pieces of Iron Age fiction that I read. I came across the book while being in-between different places in life. Strangely enough, this came about as I stumbled across a (seemingly) random Twitter thread, where Rob was promoting other small creators.

The cover looked pretty neat, I thought to myself, and it was only a few months later that I finally purchased the story in question. Despite my initial apprehension, what I read shined through as a breath of fresh air, especially compared to what I was used to from many other indie creators. Here was just a normal everyman, Dan, who found himself teleported into a world full of magic and savagery, monsters and adventure, all the while having elements of “B-movies” thrown in for good fun.

Normally I hated tropes where magic was mixed with modern-day settings. However, something about this series just worked for me, even near the beginning when I was more wary of the idea.

It was only a day-or-so afterwards that I binge-read Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them. And even though I slightly preferred the first book over the second, still there was something which captivated me about Rimes’ writing as a whole.

It was fast, energetic, and above all, fun!

I say all of this, as only a few months later Rob was one of the first Twitter accounts to promote my writing. If it wasn’t for his weekly Wednesday posts, I don’t think that this blog would be anywhere close to where it is now.

As a result, Downstream Pulp owes much of its success to Rob Rimes and his contributions as a creator. For that alone, I offer my sincerest thanks.

Life hasn’t been quite the same since. Now on to the review.

Swords Against Bastards takes place immediately after the conclusion of Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them. Again, we follow Dan and Fenrik as they continue their quest in finding Elizabeth (Dan’s long lost ex-fiancé), along with the situation of the mainland being in a state of utter chaos.

Needless to say that a lot happens from what was established over the last several books. The scale is much bigger now, and as a result it feels like just about anyone could live or die in this final conflict. In a sense, you could even count this entry among the likes of Return of the Jedi or Avengers: Endgame. It’s the final chapter as we move our way forward to new horizons - only with a lot more macho badassery.

The final product isn’t without its own fair share of problems, but the spirit of good, fun storytelling is always at play here. And even though there are times when the overarching plot becomes just a little too confusing to follow, the strong character work always pulls it back from the brink.

More importantly what’s here is fun, engaging, and at several points, incredibly heartfelt.

Out of all the cast who end up returning, the side characters once again prove that they are the ultimate show-stealers. Major players like Dan and Fenrik are important to what’s unfolding; however, others such as Frank, Vasilia, and Kildr all play vital roles this time around.

For the most part I quite enjoyed this change in pace, at least considering that it never devolves into the dismal writing we see in modern Hollywood. However, it can sometimes feel like Dan and Fenrik (especially Dan) are being sidelined in a story that was made for them first and foremost.

Like I said, I wouldn’t consider this too much of a fault, as the supporting cast really does pick up the slack in a lot of ways. Dan and Fenrik get some notable moments in the spotlight. I just wish they had a little more.

The plus side of having a narrative like this is that battles can often feel epic and breathtaking in scope. This is certainly the case here, as villains like Xulgog really bring their A-game in terms of ferocity, not to mention vast hordes of enemies to fight. The tension ramps up even further as we arrive at the story’s conclusion, where it really does feel like the culmination of all that’s come before it.

Following this, we also have the short story “The Hunt for Cimmoarid”, a simple tale which shows us just how Fenrik and Vasilia first met, along with their quest to slay a dragon that’s out in the desert. In contrast to the main narrative that’s wrapped up beforehand, this particular side quest stays relatively brief and straightforward throughout. In my opinion, this only adds to its strengths, as witnessing both heroes take on a legendary wyrm is certainly a spectacle to behold.

Overall, a great little addition to an already solid book. So what didn’t I like?

Well, aside from what I’ve already mentioned above, there were a few other things that also caught my attention. Perhaps my biggest problem was something that I noticed first with Atomic Beasts - that being the very frequent swaps in perspective. Now normally, alternating between two or three different characters in a chapter is fine, but for some reason I noticed it more here. Perhaps this is a byproduct of Swords Against Bastards being a direct sequel to Atomic Beasts, or maybe a much larger story overall, yet I did find that juggling a half-dozen perspectives became just a little much after a while.

One could also say that the proposed reading order is just a tad confusing. There is a timeline that’s posted at the beginning of each book, which I think adds a lot to the sense of scale, not to mention keeping track of what’s going on. Yet I would still recommend reading in order of publication: Dan the Destructor, Atomic Beasts and Where to Kill Them, Eyes In All Shadows, and then Swords Against Bastards. It might seem a little odd to go from book #2 to prequel, then finally to book #3; however, trust me when I say that Eyes In All Shadows really has a major effect on what’s going on here.

In some ways, you could say that my points of critique above are a little harsh. And to a certain degree you would be correct. Swords Against Bastards is the climax to one of the first series of the Iron Age. It isn’t perfect, yet I think there’s the potential for it to grow into a real bestseller, given enough time and discipline. What it does right, I think there’s hardly a contender even among its contemporaries. The world of Barbarians of the Storm is vibrant and ever-changing, and its wide array of characters reflects that fact just as much.

Like life itself, bad things can and often do happen. However, it’s how you pick yourself up, defy the odds and push forward - that is what makes a difference.

If there’s one thing that rings true about Swords Against Bastards, or perhaps Barbarians of the Storm in general, it would be just that.

If you would like to learn more about Swords Against Bastards, you can find it here on Amazon. Also, Rob Rimes has his own Substack page, where he gives news and updates on his latest projects.