Review: Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth by Nick Horvath
‘When his former lover, Kiira, finds herself the target of a mysterious dark-web assassin network, modern-day gladiator’ Einarr ‘Sledge’ Laukkanen, embarks on a blood-spattered mission to uncover who lurks at its heart. But as he bludgeons his way down to its lowest depths, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear… no one escapes the labyrinth.’
That’s right, coming in like a wrecking ball’s worst nightmare that crumbles on impact like papier mâché hitting pure tungsten metal, is the action-packed, thunder-punching Sledge vs. The Labyrinth by Nick Horvarth.
Nick Horvath
In this savage action thriller, we are introduced to a brand-new beast of an anti-hero by the name of Einarr ‘Sledge’ Laukkanen. Joining a list of greats such as Frank Castle A.K.A. the Punisher, Marv from Sin City, Judge Dredd, Lisbeth Salander, and a shit ton of others who can cure any bad guy’s constipation quicker than a laxative.
I’d not heard of this work of literary dynamite until it started cropping up on my X timeline, and it seemed to be receiving some pretty badass, positive reviews. But I didn’t really investigate them too much, as I like to go in somewhat blind. It’s quite normal for me to read a book without ever giving the synopsis a look. In fact, I didn’t with this one, at all because two things initially caught my attention that made me want to delve in: the cover and the title. Firstly, I really love the pulpy, worn and battered stylisation of the design, which, having now read the novel, is totally complementary and in keeping with its tone. So, a definite shout-out is due to Jemma Cheer for her fantastic work on that design.
Secondly, the title… Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth. If you’re going to write a behemoth, bone-crusher of a character, Sledge is a solid name to go with, Chisel Vs. The Labyrinth just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. From that alone, you already know that you’re going to get some solid, shit-kicking punishment being dispatched, and you get that in wealth. But we’ll get into that in a bit.
When read the ‘Vs.’, that immediately made me think, ‘Right, this is just the beginning for this character.’. If that title does not suggest that there’s more to come from this character, then nothing does, and I love how it felt and feels like a series before it even gets going. And of course, you instantly want to know more about the Labyrinth and to find out exactly what that is all about. So, you have badass fuckery, a tease of more to come, and mystery thrown in for good measure. That’s me sold all the way the hell in.
My initial expectations of this were generally that it was pretty much probably going to be an all action, skull-stomping, bitch-slap extravaganza, and that’s cool, because sometimes that’s all you need, and all you want. Just some good, old-fashioned mean, Goliath bastard beating on the bad guys. To that end, I was not disappointed, and neither will you be, but that’s not the be-all-and-the-end-all of Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth. Far from it.
Let me start by talking about the main man himself, Sledge Laukkanen. We have so many anti-heroes out there, that it must be difficult to create a new one that stands out from the rest or at least, stands strong enough to sit amongst them. It’s taking the blueprint traits of what differentiates a hero from an antihero and adding your own new take and personality to deliver someone that feels fresh and unique, which I feel that Nick has most certainly achieved with Sledge.
I was looking at the quote on the front cover, which reads:
“THINK REACHER, BUT MEANER AND LEANER.”
Well, yeah, that’s a great quote, and pretty sodding accurate. One of many. He is meaner. A lot meaner, I’d say. The only thing Jack would be reaching for is his mothers’ hanky to wipe away his snotty tears after a Sledge hammering. He really is an effectively brutal, deeply driven character. He looks at what needs to be done, and executes it with Terminator-like focus, with absolutely zero concern with what it takes to achieve his goal. He just gets the job done, regardless of the dangers involved, and when he’s complete, you won’t be back, unless he decides to spare you – broken though, you will most certainly be.
He truly is a tough sonofabitch. He could knock you down so hard that you'd be sharing a grave with the bones of a T-Rex for the next 200 years before a palaeontologist accidentally stumbled across your mangled, fossilised, skeletal frame, and he knows it. At first, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Wow! He really loves himself and basks in the glory of his own extraordinary physical dominance over others.’ But I quickly came to the realisation that that isn’t the case at all. He’s merely self-aware of his own formidability and owns it. This is what makes him such a genuine threat to pretty much everyone. He uses his self-awareness to hone every skill and strength to his advantage. To play it any other way with this character just wouldn’t have had the same impact.
He isn’t the ‘muscles from Brussels’ delivering subpar Jean-Claude Van Damage. Sledge is a flesh-wrapped, iron-boned titan delivering ultimate damnation. He’ll send you to hell and put you though it ways you couldn’t image, before you ever get there. But, as badass as he is, he’s not indestructible, you must have some form of vulnerability to bring balance to the character. He is, after all, human, although it’s fair to question that at times. And, he’s also not just a lumbering machine that stomps ever-forward in thunderous footsteps and animalistic grunts. There’s actual depth to Sledge, and personality. He is a thoughtfully developed character. As opposed to one that’s just been slapped on the pages to distribute violent justice… which he does… efficiently.
I like the fact that he’s already established within the world. People know his name and are generally shit-scared of him. His name demands fear and respect. Sledge is aided by his former lover Kiira and a character by the name of Gow, amongst others. Now, I’m not going to get into these characters, simply because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I really enjoyed Kiira, especially. Mostly because she’s pretty badass herself in the way that she does not put up with Sledge’s crap and has no problem with telling him exactly how she feels. Which is great, because that dude needs keeping in check by someone, as much as that’s humanly possible.
Like Sledge himself, this novel isn’t all brawn and no brains. It’s not all about the action. There is, at the root of it, a well-developed mystery that to me felt kind of old school, almost noir in some respect. I’m not sure why my head went with that feeling. I mentioned Marv earlier from Sin City. Sledge vs. The Labyrinth is written from the first-person perspective, and I don’t really know why, but I immediately started reading in the same style that Marv does in the movie. That gruff, moody and darkly gritty tone, that created a whole atmosphere of its own in my head. I don’t know whether anyone else has done that, but it gave me a better feel of the book and integrated me as a reader into the story.
As I stated, it is a mystery also, and it’s one that has been written incredibly well. The idea of the labyrinth is one that I have not read before, or seen, and certainly one that wouldn’t see Jennifer Connelly skipping through it or Davie Bowie fingering his transparent balls to jaunty songs. I absolutely love the originality of it and its intricate design. I like how it both escalates in story, and brutality. Likewise, I thought the scoring/point system is such a great addition. It’s cool as hell and Nerds of a certain ilk will definitely appreciate it, but again, I’m not going to go into that in any great detail, as I just want you to enjoy it for yourselves. There are a collection of quality characters in this book, and they are all relevant and interesting in their own right. Each with their own personality.
The pacing is terrific. Like the labyrinth itself, the story progresses with exceptional design, elevating the flow of the story with each turn of the page, without ever stumbling backwards or losing its thread. The dialogue is equally brilliant, and absolutely unapologetic from start to finish. It’s crass, brutal, raw, colourful, shocking, and punchy. Exactly how it should be. If you’re easily offended, well, suck it up, because the nature of Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth demands it to be. This is not a Mills and Boon novel. There is great humour littered throughout, also, which is a great counterbalance to the arse-whooping, torso destroying ferocity.
The action is plentiful and extreme. Some scenes are beautifully over-the-top, and wild as fuck, and they had me howling with laughter on multiple occasions. Nick makes sure that the character of Sledge lives up to his name and reputation, and delivers exactly what you want to see from this character: blood, revenge, violent determination, and an unstoppable force of terror. The visuals that played out in my head were outstanding.
To sum up: Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth is a pulp, hard-hitting, throwback that not only delivers in action, but brings the world a brand-new anti-hero. Who not only captivates the readers, but sits as a challenge to other creations out there to step up their game. Because Sledge is about to overtake many of them in popularity. It is the sheer awesomeness of this character, coupled with the engaging, and wonderfully imaginative mystery that comes with it, that makes both Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth and Nick Horvath a force to be reckoned with. You will enjoy this wild ride, which will bring you to absolute satisfaction at its climax, and I don’t care how provocatively sexual that sounds. It’s just that good. This novel hits so hard that by the time you’ve finished it, you’ll feel like you’ve been shit-kicked by a giant Sequoia.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I look forward to following Sledge on his journey of destruction for as long as it continues. I know that book two is Sledge Vs. The Wendigo, whom readers will recognise briefly from this novel. I can’t wait to read more about him kicking the shit out of people and solving more mysteries.
Don’t waste any more time. Go and buy this novel IMMEDIATELY, if not sooner.
You can purchase Sledge Vs. The Labyrinth by clicking on the image at the bottom. To keep up-to-date with all the latest Sledge news and buy the book, head on over to https://www.sledgevsbooks.com/ and follow on X at @SledgevsBooks, on Facebook, and Instagram.
BE THE HAMMER!
