Clare Hooley reviewed The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan (Lands of the Firstborn, #1)
When a malicious sword is the best character
3 stars
A past hero sets out on quest to investigate a warning of doom and finds judging who and what’s the evil to fight isn’t as easy as it was 20 years ago. The trouble is, not the writing exactly, but that the whole thing doesn’t get going, as we flit around visiting another DnD-inspired character in another location but never with enough time/detail to get any answers. The only exception is rather boring interludes as the main character’s sister seeks to rescue her son from danger. Only just finished the book, and all I really remember enjoying is the malevolent talking sword, with even that not injecting the humour or drama it could because it’s too often just told to ‘shut up’. The world does have potential as we learn of hints of more-interesting political ramifications near the end, but it just didn’t do it here. It is possible the …
A past hero sets out on quest to investigate a warning of doom and finds judging who and what’s the evil to fight isn’t as easy as it was 20 years ago. The trouble is, not the writing exactly, but that the whole thing doesn’t get going, as we flit around visiting another DnD-inspired character in another location but never with enough time/detail to get any answers. The only exception is rather boring interludes as the main character’s sister seeks to rescue her son from danger. Only just finished the book, and all I really remember enjoying is the malevolent talking sword, with even that not injecting the humour or drama it could because it’s too often just told to ‘shut up’. The world does have potential as we learn of hints of more-interesting political ramifications near the end, but it just didn’t do it here. It is possible the second book improves now we have set up the scene, but I wouldn’t buy it straight off.
