Review: Blood Feud: A Legends of Ansu Novel by J.W. Webb

Steeped in shadowy secrets, buried powers, and richly drawn villains, Blood Feud is the fantastic first book in a new trilogy of the Legends of Ansu saga by J.W. Webb. The lives of three unlikely heroes are thrown together to face a dark evil rising up from the past in this fast-paced and well-penned adventure.

Jaran Saerk is not a Northman to be trifled with – one of the most fearsome warriors under Imperial Shen’s command with a short temper and a mastery of death-dealing. However, the whispered words of a dying man rip Jaran more than 25 years into the past – to his murderous uncle, the father he never knew, the mysterious Traveler who saved he and his mother, and the cruel witch who started it all. With the promise of vengeance, Jaran must return to the heart of his childhood tragedy, but he isn’t going alone.

Jaran may be the swarthy figure at the center of every brawl, but Savarna, the high-born assassin in the skin of a slave, may be the most entertaining character to emerge in this first installment. With a whip-smart tongue, plenty of fighting skills to back it up, and a unique set of talents, she is the wild-card third leg of this adventurous trio, with Finvar the thief proving his usefulness in unexpected ways, despite his sneaky, tight-lipped persona. It is an unlikely group fleeing Shen enemies on all sides, and seeking justice of all kinds, but the bonds that begin to grow between them are compelling and believable, giving readers the feel that they are almost a part of this eclectic fellowship.

This is a classic sword and sorcery fantasy tale, with murky pasts and gruff characters, sharp dialogue and gritty, occasionally gruesome action scenes. With an air of R.A. Salvatore, the prose drips with visceral imagery and descriptions, complimenting the deep world-building Webb has laid the foundations for in his eight previous Ansu novels.

The dialogue is particularly notable, with few throwaway lines or clumsy exposition delivered through conversation. This is a frequent issue in generic fantasy books with lazy storytelling, but Webb’s ability to capture humor and organic speech is remarkable. Jaran is blunt but funny, Finvar is cryptic and manipulative, Savarna is fearless and determined, and Sheega is the deadly shadow that hangs over these pages, casting an ominous gloom to the tone.

As with so many journey novels driven by quests and distractions and unexpected forks in the road, there are some sequences where the pace gets sluggish, and the occasional extra descriptor that could be cut for cleanliness, but there are few passages or chapters that are unimportant, tangential or “filler.” Webb manages to build and sustain a suspenseful sense of purpose, interspersed with release valves of humor and twists in the plot.

The creativity embedded in every aspect of Blood Feud is impossible to deny; even the basics of the world, its history and magical mechanisms have few parallels in the genre. Webb has developed an immersive world within this Ansu saga, and this first book in a fresh trilogy bodes very well for all that is still to come.