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The Cardinal’s Blades, by Pierre Pevel
Published in 2010
Where I got it: library
Why I read it: I like historical fantasy, and how can you say no to that beautiful cover art?
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Over the last few days, Pierre Pevel’s The Cardinal’s Blades has proven very difficult to review. I think I will make my life a lot easier if I divide The Cardinal’s Blades in half: beginning, and end. To be succinct, the beginning was a mess that suffered from severe putdownability and lack of focus. And the end? well, the end more than made up for the problem-addled start to the point where I am actually quite excited to read Pevel’s recently released The Alchemist in the Shadows which I’m assuming is the 2nd book in this series.
The premise of the story is as other reviewers have been saying: Three Musketeers (swashbuckling, duels, blackmail, intrigue, secret societies, and more duels and blackmail) plus dragons (humanoid dragons, half breeds and their not as bright cousins used as pets and messengers) More alt history than historical fantasy, I wish Pevel had done more with the dragon aspects, and I hope he does in future books.
Paris, 1633 and Cardinal Richelieu has called back his favorite dirty jobber – Captain LaFargue, the leader of an elite group of swordsmen (and women!) known as The Cardinal’s Blades. A man of unshakeable honor, LaFargue will do any task to protect the French crown, even those unsavory kinds of tasks that caused The Blades to be dishonorably disbanded five years ago. Tasked with “getting the band back together”, so to speak, LaFargue must find his Blades, and convince them by force, if necessary, to join him in doing Richelieu’s bidding once more. He may be a man of honor, but his blades are a different story. They have their own demons and debts to pay.
the Little Red Reviewer 
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