Oldo and Vunt, a dynamic duo
Henchmen
by Matthew Hughes
Seattle: Amazon, 2025
$19.99 / 9781927880463
Reviewed by Sophia Wasylinko
*
“Here we go.”
Prolific Skeena region author Matthew Hughes (Barbarians of the Beyond) returns to the world of Baldemar in this new novel—set 20 years earlier and starring two members of its supporting cast! When a new decree forces all able-bodied men to seek employment, Vunt the gambler and Oldo the farmer sign up to work at a warehouse. Should be a harmless job, right? Well, the pay is suspiciously high and both the employers and clientele are shifty. Vunt and Oldo soon realize there is smuggling going on, but they keep quiet to learn more and, more importantly, to avoid getting killed like their predecessors.
Things take a turn when the men discover the goods being smuggled are stolen gods. After contacting Thelerion, a thaumaturge (or wizard; also called “practitioner”) from the Guildhall, Vunt and Oldo are tasked with gathering intelligence. Their mission takes them to Olliphract, home to power-hungry thaumaturges, collecting said stolen gods for world domination, and one very mad wizard, Chenzu the Impenetrable. Motivated by curiosity and wages to keep going, Vunt and Oldo quickly find themselves in way over their heads.
Before going any further, I should share the meaning of the word “henchman.” While synonymous today with villainous sidekicks like Jaws from the James Bond franchise, the original role of a henchman was your standard majordomo. In the Middle Ages, it specifically denoted a squire, page, or even groom to a high-ranking official. So when you see someone occupied as a “henchman” in this book, don’t assume right away that he’s involved in dodgy affairs. (Though in Vunt and Oldo’s case, most henchmen are.)
As far as duos go, I enjoyed both protagonists. Vunt has seen more of the world and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He’s also the kind of guy who goes with the flow, even if he doesn’t understand what’s going on. And while less worldly-wise, Oldo is self-educated thanks to his love of reading. He’s also more prone to wonder and awe than his skeptical counterpart. They couldn’t be more unalike: [Oldo] “I’m always open to new experiences, if they don’t seem likely to kill me.” [Vunt] “I’ve learned to focus on the here and now, especially in situations where a lack of attention can be fatal.”
Despite, or rather because of, these differences, Vunt and Oldo play off each other beautifully. “I think,” Vunt says, “we should find out exactly what kind of criminality is going on.” In reply, he hears, “And report it to the City Watch?” “And figure out how two enterprising fellows could profit from the criminality,” Vunt responds. Vunt’s skepticism and Oldo’s fascination are a great foil to Thelerion’s overly serious manner, giving way to outright impudence in the presence of the Guildhall’s members. Their shared caution and common sense are drastically different from Chenzu’s obsession. And compared to unfortunate henchmen Benveniand Creech, they’re better equipped at facing both physical and magical foes.
As someone who hadn’t previously read the Baldemar stories, I found it easy to enter Henchmen’s world and follow the events of the first half, which also established the distrustful relationship between “noncomps” (non-wizards) and practitioners very well. Although a fantasy title, the novel contains elements of science fiction, namely time travel and different technologies, which are introduced in a rapid-fire manner during the second half. I was in turns amused and overwhelmed, much like Vunt and Oldo themselves. Thaumaturges like Chenzu either dump this new information on them or don’t bother with the explanations: “To make you understand, I would have to deliver another lecture on the nature of reality. And there is no guarantee you would understand.”
While the pacing in Henchmen’s first part is gradual, building up to the astounding revelations in Olliphract, the second part descends into chaos. The book’s final chapters steamroll through wizard skirmishes and trips between aeons and physical and mental spaces to an abrupt ending. Again, as someone unfamiliar with Hughes’ previous works, I was as much a fish out of water as Vunt and Oldo. If I hadn’t kept notes of each chapter, I would have been more lost by these time and space leaps. Seasoned readers, or at least those who’ve read the Baldemar stories, might not have this difficulty.
A lesser criticism, coming as a woman, was the almost complete lack of female characters in this novel. On the one hand, if we take Henchmen’s setting as a reflection of the Middle Ages, the male-dominated environment makes sense. Even so, I found the lack of female representation slightly disappointing. Only two women are addressed by name, one by the honorific “Sera” and her surname “Bodrum” (of the forever stew). The other, Audra, plays a minor yet important role, but her scenes are too brief and I wished we could have seen more of her.
Finally, while the text as a whole flowed smoothly, there was a scattering of grammatical errors throughout. Despite an eagle-eyed editor’s best efforts, a dropped period here or an extra quotation mark there aren’t uncommon, especially with self-published books. When they occur repeatedly, these errors will take some readers (such as myself) momentarily out of the story, tempering their enjoyment.
When all’s said and done, Henchmen is a fun ride through a world where wizards are more wacky than wonderful and ordinary folk find themselves roped into extraordinary goings-on. Vunt and Oldo were both likeable as main characters, and despite the confusion I felt in the second half, I finished this novel feeling curious about their later adventures and wanting to read more by Hughes. Henchmen will delight old fans of the Dying Earth subgenre and new fans just discovering Baldemar. And of course, Jack Vance enthusiasts will enjoy this newest novel by his “heir apparent.”
*
Sophia Wasylinko graduated from VIU, where she contributed to student publications. She was also one of the founding members of GOOEY Magazine and will edit its Fall 2025 issue. Sophia works as a library page and freelance content writer for Ichigo and spends much of her free time reading and revising one of her novels. She’s also on Bookstagram. While Sophia’s temporarily relocated to be with family in the Thompson-Nicola region, she hopes to return to the place that captured her heart: Vancouver Island. [Editor’s note: the review of Henchmen is Sophia’s first for BCR.]
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The British Columbia Review
Interim Editors, 2023-26: Trevor Marc Hughes (non-fiction), Brett Josef Grubisic (fiction and poetry)
Publisher: Richard Mackie
Formerly The Ormsby Review, The British Columbia Review is an online book review and journal service for BC writers and readers. The Advisory Board now consists of Jean Barman, Wade Davis, Robin Fisher, Barry Gough, Hugh Johnston, Kathy Mezei, Patricia Roy, and Graeme Wynn. Provincial Government Patron (since September 2018): Creative BC. Honorary Patron: Yosef Wosk. Scholarly Patron: SFU Graduate Liberal Studies. The British Columbia Review was founded in 2016 by Richard Mackie and Alan Twigg.
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