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A review by xenawl
Sword of Fire by Katharine Kerr
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have loved the Deverry series since I first read Daggerspell as a teenager, and I have read the first fifteen books at least 20 times each. I have now read Sword of Fire three times and listened to it once and this one really falls short for me. I find the the main drive unconvincing and dull. in a world of magic the solution is a book that sets a legal precedent? <\spoiler>
The characters are supposed to be likeable but they’re pretty bland and a bit trope-y, and the development is entirely predictable and not particularly enjoyable.
I know Kerr deliberately wanted to get away from reincarnation as a theme, but it’s one of the things that makes the fantasy world so rich and makes having a large cast possible - the connections between characters from past lives. The little teaser that Cavan is Cullyn reborn isn’t enough <\spoiler>
There are some nice Easter eggs for aficionados, but all in all it feels like it needed a couple more developmental edits at least,
A minor gripe, but (spoiler for earlier series) Apparently it’s common knowledge among the nobility that Rhodry was no Maelwaedd and therefore neither was Rhodda, yet they think everyone would overlook that and accept Rhodda’s 5/8 elven son as the heir to Aberwyn? <\spoiler>
With dweomer pushed to the margins, the world is much duller, and don’t get me started on the abomination that is ‘dwimmer’. Yes, language changes, but change it to something that sounds and looks good! Dwehmer would have been better, or deomer or pretty much anything else. I assume the next book will feature Cavan learning dweomer and hopefully also learning to say it, and having some more interesting character development. <\spoiler>
Despite my rather obsessive love of Deverry I can’t in good conscience recommend this book. If you’re new to Kerr, start with Daggerspell!
The characters are supposed to be likeable but they’re pretty bland and a bit trope-y, and the development is entirely predictable and not particularly enjoyable.
I know Kerr deliberately wanted to get away from reincarnation as a theme, but it’s one of the things that makes the fantasy world so rich and makes having a large cast possible - the connections between characters from past lives.
There are some nice Easter eggs for aficionados, but all in all it feels like it needed a couple more developmental edits at least,
A minor gripe, but (spoiler for earlier series)
With dweomer
Despite my rather obsessive love of Deverry I can’t in good conscience recommend this book. If you’re new to Kerr, start with Daggerspell!