BOOK REVIEW: SIR HEREWARD & MISTER FITZ by Garth Nix

BOOK REVIEW: SIR HEREWARD & MISTER FITZ by Garth Nix
Allen & Unwin
August 2023
Paperback – RRP AUD$32.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
70%

Garth Nix should be well known to fantasy fans – especially through his YA writing – with his myriad of titles selling over six million copies around the world, and 65+ short stories published in different outlets.

This collection gathers eight previously published plus one new short story featuring the titular artillery captain/knight/mercenary/lady’s man (especially ones with facial scars) Sir Hereward, and his magically animated papier mâché puppet-sorcerer companion/ex-nanny/mission leader Mister Fitz.

This unusual duo are charged with an important mission: locate and remove evil godlets from their world – extra dimensional entities which have been listed as nemeses of humanity. They are, in a word, godslayers, equally (more or less) dependant on Hereward’s brute force and war smarts and Fitz’s magic.

It’s a simple premise which allows Nix to paint a colourful and exciting world full of characters in much the same way as Robert E Howard did with his Conan series. There are no rules other than that which the author creates for themselves.

That Nix creates a world so vividly engrossing and endlessly unfolding in such short stories (which range from twenty pages long to around fifty) is testament to his skill, and Sir Hereward & Mister Fitz will prove boon companions for any readers willing to join them on their journeys as they join pirates to tackle giant yellow starfish creatures behind massive seagates, soul-sucking demons seeking sacrifices from a monastery of nuns, and much more besides.

It’s worthy noting that although Nix has a fine upstanding reputation as an author for young people, these stories edge towards the adult in content – at the very least an M rating.

 

 

Category: Book Reviews