Book Review: Sword of Fire by Katherine Kerr

Published in 2020. This is the first book of the author's new series, the 'Justice War,' but this is her second series in the same setting of Deverry. This story begins in Aberwyn, where the people are demanding justice reforms. But the Gwerbert refuses to change, allowing a bard to starve to death in protest. That creates more unrest and a riot ensues. The bard’s students in the collegium join in the protest led by the Gwerbert’s own daughter, Dovina. He demands that she leave the collegium and return home. She agrees but only if the bard’s body is returned for burial. Her father backs down and agrees. The funeral turns into an opportune moment for Alyssa, another student at the collegium, to escape to find a document that could bring about the justice reform desired at home. She leaves guarded by a young man, a hired mercenary, a Silver Dagger.

This was an entertaining story once I found my way through the difficult language. It’s archaic, filled with unfamiliar words. Perhaps they were clarified in the first series but not in this one. A glossary would have been very helpful. The dialogue followed the same archaic structure but I could still follow what happened. Like most fantasy stories, the cast of characters is large. This book adds an additional layer of complexity with the use of nicknames.

The title of the book refers to Alyssa whose words are said to be so powerful they’re like a ‘Sword of Fire.’ And her power of persuasion works. However, I was more enamored with Cavan, the Silver Dagger. His story brought the book to a climax, not hers. From the beginning of the book, I kept thinking that the title should have been ‘Silver Dagger’ instead.

There are more books in this series coming up. I’d look for them if they were easier to read.