‘The Last Shield’ – Cameron Johnston (Angry Robot)

It took me a little while to get round to reading ‘The Last Shield’ but I got there in the end and I’m really glad that I did. I know, I’d normally say something along those lines at the end of the post but sometimes, a book is just so much fun that you have to open the proceedings by saying exactly how you feel. And ‘The Last Shield’ is a hell of a lot of fun, mostly because I’m a bit of a fan of ‘Die Hard’ but there’s a lot more to it than that. Let me try and explain a little better...

The ancient forest realm of Sunweald is bordered on two sides by far mightier nations – a precarious situation. At its centre, the Sunweald Palace is home to the Lord Regent and the heir to the throne, together with numerous precious and powerful artefacts. The Palace is protected by the realm's elite Shields, dedicated to guarding the royal line against all foes.

A group of vicious brigands called the Wildwood Reivers have been stealing arcane artefacts and smuggling them across the borders, out of Sunweald. And the objects they most desire are stored in the mystical Wyrm Vault, hidden away deep in the bones of the earth, within the walls of the Palace itself.

As political and religious tensions mount, Sunweald's druids prepare to enact rituals for the Summer Solstice – but the Wildwood Reivers and their treacherous allies have other plans. It falls to Briar, the commander of the Shields, to defend the ancient corridors and secret tunnels of the Palace. The odds may be against her, but she'll see every enemy head adorning a spike or she'll die trying…

It has been pretty much impossible to see ‘The Last Shield’ mentioned without seeing the words ‘Die Hard in a castle’ so I’m just going to jump in with that.

‘The Last Shield’ does owe a lot to ‘Die Hard’, both in its concept and the little nods to events in the film but you know what? I finished the book a few days ago and I’m still in awe of just how Johnston took the concept and made it his own. The influences and nods are there (I loved the ‘safe-cracking’ scenes) but I never once found myself thinking ‘urgh, Die Hard rip off’. ‘The Last Shield’ is an affectionate homage, with all of twists and excitement that entails, but it’s very much its own thing at the same time and that is what kept me reading.

Key to all of that is the character of Briar, absolutely ruined physically but still turning a bad situation round by sheer force of will and refusal to let her injuries define her. Every scene she is in is jawdropping and her presence is so tangible at the same time, it’s a real testament to Johnston’s characterisation that you read these moments and just take it as read that Briar can still do what she does. It made me chuckle to think that she actually doubted herself. I’m not a huge fan of the word ‘badass’ but that is exactly what Briar is, one hundred percent.

But there is even more to ‘The Last Shield’ than that. At its heart, the book is about having that connection to the land and knowing that you will do anything to protect it, whether you’re a disabled veteran Shield, the Lord Regent or the heir to the throne. And you can tell that Johnston has that connection to, both to the book itself and the countryside that he has drawn inspiration from. It’s enough to make this city dwelling type want to get away from all the concrete and discover that feeling for himself. It’s a good job that I’ve got this book to keep me going in the meantime ;o)

And I almost forgot to mention the skeletons… Harryhausen would be proud of just how menacing this lot were.

If you’re even later to the party than I am, don’t hang about, grab yourself a copy of ‘The Last Shield’ and get reading. It had everything I needed in a fantasy novel so I can guarantee that there will be something there for you.