On page 33 of my copy of Kings of the Wyld there is a section that beings with the line “And there it remained” and goes to the end of the chapter. It is two or three paragraphs and concludes chapter three, a chapter that by title (“Hitting the Road”) and placement within the book is surely a building chapter, there to get the story going. And yet, this section was for me the greatest part of the book. All the fantastical creatures, extraordinary treks, wacky antics, rich comradery, and dangerous encounters to follow stemmed from this one simple moment where Eames gets to the heart of matters, and elegantly.

It took a similar amount of chapters to impress his fellow author Sebastien de Castell (as mentioned in the acknowledgements) which was the beginning of Eames’s ascension to agent and publishing. I’m not surprised. I imagine it was this moment that sealed the deal. It is a beautiful thing to draw emotion from comedy, pull pathos from romp. Sometimes more beautiful than doing so in a work where it is the chief goal.

Great characters, clever interweaving, fun rock ‘n’ roll dressing, and some famous scenes. An excellent read.