The Fifth Ward: First Watch

by Dale Lucas

Overview

The grit of grimdark meets a police procedural in this rollicking debut fantasy series where two watchmen protect the streets of one of fantasy's most dangerous cities.


A member of the Yenara City guard has gone missing. The culprit could be any of the usual suspects: drug-dealing orcs, mind-controlling elves, uncooperative mages, or humans being typical humans.


It's up to two reluctant partners — Rem, a miscreant who joins the Watch to pay off his bail, and Torval, a maul-wielding dwarf who's highly unimpressed with the untrained Rem — to uncover the truth and catch the murderer loose in their fair city.


"A brilliant premise, wonderfully told. A city that breathes, and heroes you can't help but root for." — Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld


"A glorious tour through fantasy's seamier side. A wilder ride than Middle Earth, and you'll love every minute of it!" — Jon Hollins, author of the Dragon Lords series

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316469074
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Series:	The Fifth Ward , #1
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dale Lucas is a novelist, screenwriter, civil servant, and armchair historian from St. Petersburg, Florida. When not writing at home or trapped in a cubicle at his day job, he loves travel, great food, and buying more books than he'll ever be able to read.

Editorial Reviews

07/10/2017
Lucas (the Doc Voodoo series) opens the Fifth Ward series with a gritty tale set in the fantasy city of Yenara, where humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves coexist in an uneasy détente. Rem, a human new to the city, wakes up in a dungeon cell after a tavern brawl. Almost out of money, he is given the option to earn his freedom by serving in the city watch for the neighborhood called the Fifth Ward, where he’s assigned to a partner, Torval, a maul-wielding dwarf. On their first night together, they stumble across a corpse that turns out to be Torval’s absent partner, Freygaf. Together, human and dwarf set out to find who is responsible for Freygaf’s death and search for a rich man’s missing daughter, battling assassins and using magic spells to get to the truth. Lovelorn Rem and family man Torval get along almost too well; there are echoes of Fritz Leiber’s classic Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tales in their relationship. The complicated rules governing Yenara are reminiscent of Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos adventures. Readers who enjoy this combination of high and low fantasy will eagerly await Rem and Torval’s return for a second tour of duty. (July)This review has been corrected; an earlier version misstated that the watch, not the neighborhood, was called the fifth ward.

Publishers Weekly

"If you're looking for a book that will give you everything you love about fantasy in a way you haven't seen before, you've found it."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

"A brilliant premise, wonderfully told. A city that breathes, and heroes you can't help but root for."—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"A glorious tour through fantasy's seamier side, complete with irreverent dwarves and rabble-rousing orcs, mages, and humans. A wilder ride than Middle Earth, and you'll love every minute of it!"—Jon Hollins, author of the Dragon Lords series

"[An] entertaining story.... A real page-turner."—RT Book Reviews

"Great fun ... [First Watch] injects new life into a well-established formula ... [a] thoroughly splendid debut."—The Eloquent Page

"Fans of diverse cityscapes, mismatched buddy cops, and high adventure will relish this fantasy series launch... tantalizing."—Library Journal

"A well-written adventure."—Cannonball Read

"Dale Lucas tells a rambunctious tale that sends the two watchmen into the worst parts of Yanara, fighting orcs and dealing with elves. The case is far bigger than either expected and leads to villainy that is actually illegal in the city. I can't wait for the next case."—University City Review

"I could have read this story for eternity, the characters and world building are that good ... every scene is brought to life with blazing imagery that is tied to constant movement. The characterization is superb and continues to surprise as events unfold."—Koeur's Book Reviews

"First Watch is a thrilling adventure, it's a buddy action movie masquerading as a fantasy book... an awesome read."—The Tattooed Book Geek

"First Watch is brilliantly written. Action, intrigue, and humor... Genuinely, CSI: LOTR."—Reality's a Bore

From the Publisher

07/01/2017
Not long after waking up in the dungeons of the Fifth Ward in the city of Yenara, Rem talks his way into joining the ward watch. Partnered with the dwarf Torval, he isn't given much trust (or a weapon) at first, but as Rem and Torval stumble into a murder, they start to form a bond. Young women are being abducted from Yenara's streets, and to uncover the culprits, our duo will have to go up against orc crime lords, smooth-talking elves, and the vicious ward captain who thinks they're invading his patch. Rem is afraid a young woman he met in the marketplace might be one of the victims, and when an attempt is made to assassinate the pair, it looks like they might be getting close. VERDICT Fans of diverse cityscapes, mismatched buddy cops, and high adventure will relish this fantasy series launch by the author of the "Doc Voodoo" supernatural thrillers. One hopes the tantalizing clues about Rem's noble blood and the reason he ended up in Yenara will be addressed in the next volume.—MM

Library Journal