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The Sword of the Spirits

(The Sword of the Spirits #3)

John Christopher

3.86 · Rating details · 680 ratings · 29 reviews

In the conclusion to the trilogy set in post-apocalyptic England, Luke returns a triumphant Prince from his expedition in the North, although he loses the three things he cares about most.

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Paperback, 212 pages

Published October 31st 1989 by Simon Pulse (first published 1972)

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· 680 ratings · 29 reviews

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Jul 05, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science, fiction, fantasy, young-adult, 20th-century

The Sword of the Spirits (The Sword of the Spirits #3), John Christopher
Sword of the Spirits trilogy: The Prince in Waiting (1970) Beyond the Burning Lands (1971) The Sword of the Spirits (1972). Written by Sam Youd under his pseudonym John Christopher.
Luke, readily assuming the role of military leader, extends his rule to Petersfield and Romsey and appears to be on his way to fulfilling the Spirits' command to unify the cities of the civilised lands. Then, from beyond the Burning Lands the Wils ...more

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Feb 21, 2011 David Nichols rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, favorites, sci-fi

The last volume of John Christopher's science-fantasy trilogy pays off, with interest, the narrative promise of the first two books. Luke Perry begins SWORD OF THE SPIRITS at the summit of his ambitions, enthroned as Prince of Winchester and betrothed to Blodwen, the most beautiful woman in the known world. Christopher quickly turns this fairy-tale beginning into a dark narrative of revolution, retribution, and self-destruction. Luke provides a premonition of the coming upheaval by breaking the The last volume of John Christopher's science-fantasy trilogy pays off, with interest, the narrative promise of the first two books. Luke Perry begins SWORD OF THE SPIRITS at the summit of his ambitions, enthroned as Prince of Winchester and betrothed to Blodwen, the most beautiful woman in the known world. Christopher quickly turns this fairy-tale beginning into a dark narrative of revolution, retribution, and self-destruction. Luke provides a premonition of the coming upheaval by breaking the rules of war in order to subdue a rebellious city and consolidate his rule. He then becomes the victim of revolutionary forces when Blodwen comes to Winchester and demonstrates that, unlike other “civilized” women, she has a mind and a heart of her own; when Luke imprisons Blodwen for thwarting his will, his own captains overthrow and banish him. Cast into a hostile world but inflamed with hatred, Luke enlists the technical support of his patrons, the Seers, and the military support of his erstwhile father-in-law-to-be, King Cymru of Klan Gothlen. With their aid he assembles a high-tech army to retake the city he has lost. What follows is essentially a twentieth-century updating of the final battle scene from A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. In the end, though, Luke's plans to recover his patrimony and wreak vengeance on his “betrayers” do not go quite as he expected.

One of the unusual features of this trilogy is the repugnant nature of its viewpoint character, Luke. The young prince has a great deal of courage and tactical cunning, but otherwise he is a thuggish, narcissistic lout, quick to anger, contemptuous of knowledge except when it helps him kill people, and wedded to a regressive social system. In this novel, Christopher delicately points out that Luke's opponents and foils are actually the most noble and progressive people in their society. Blodwen “betrays” Luke because she falls in love with someone else and because she never wanted to marry Prince Lout in the first place – she was betrothed to him as a prize for bravery in volume 2. The captains rebel because Luke has become a tyrant and a political liability, and in doing so they eliminate the monarchy and replace it with a (slightly) more egalitarian order. A progressive young prince, Eric of Oxford, who wanted to become Luke's friend and ally instead flees from him in disgust when he sees the bloody work Luke has done on his way back to the throne. Luke's old friend Martin quits his allegiance to the Seers, becomes a Christian, and organizes a surprising defense of Winchester because he believes there may be more important things than the Seers' scientific and technological revival (which has, after all, done little more at this point than give Luke machine guns). As for Luke himself: after he breaks with his friends, leaves his home, and becomes the Seers' destroying angel, there is nothing left of him. The forces he has helped to unleash will so profoundly change society that there will be no place in it for a violent barbarian princeling. As a teenager I found the conclusion of SWORD OF THE SPIRITS quite sad, but as an older reader I can appreciate Christopher's subtler point: in the end, the person who loses the most turns out to have been the bad guy all along. ...more

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Jul 14, 2016 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, british-author

I was not expecting the ending of this trilogy--and that is a good thing. I know many readers will be left wondering what just happened. That's because The Sword of the Spirits explores philosophical themes and the human condition in a way that is unique in the canon of John Christopher's young adult books. Firstly, why does no one talk about this trilogy as a retelling of the legend of King Arthur? A boy who is raised in the lower classes, suddenly has a prophecy for greatness, becomes a king w ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Night0vvl rated it really liked it

این کتاب به نسبت دو کتاب قبلی این مجموعه با روندی سریعتر حوادث را روایت میکند و بسیار ساده و قابل فهم برای سنین پایین، جریان شکل گیری یک دیکتاتور و تقابل مذهب و علم را به تصویر میکشد. بر خلاف تصورم، کتاب واقعا لذتبخشی بود.

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Aug 19, 2019 Sam Hutchinson rated it really liked it

The final book in the tale of Luke of Winchester. His hopes and ambitions from the first two books come crashing down in a bitter and twisted finale, reminding readers of the harsh reality of the barbaric world that Luke calls home.

The whole trilogy expertly deals with themes of religion, enlightenment, deceit, chivalry, feminism and pride.

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Jul 06, 2013 J.J. Rodeo rated it liked it · review of another edition

این کتابو تو دوره نوجوونی خوندم. الان بعد از ده-پونزده سال، هنوز بعضی از صحنه های کتاب تو ذهنم زنده ن. داستان یه آینده سیاه رو از بشریت نمایش می داد و شخصیت ها، در محیطی ناامن و خطرناک زندگی می کردند.

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Oct 08, 2020 Jennifer rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a review for the whole three-book series.

I remembered enjoying this series as a young teen in the 80s, so when I was reminded of it recently I was happy to read it again. It's an... odd series. I didn't remember much past the first book, and I can see why--young me would have been enchanted by the medieval world slowly revealed to be post-apocalyptic, and charmed by the reveal that the protagonist had been chosen by a secret cabal of scientists to bring science back to the world.

The seco ...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Ines rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Wow. Quite an unexpected but very good and thought provoking ending to the trilogy. Spoiler warning: DO NOT READ THE VERY LAST SENTENCE OF THE BOOK BEFORE YOU GET THERE! It'll ruin the whole experience. ...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Marcia Van Camp rated it it was ok

such an odd book

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Aug 29, 2007 John rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: everyone

what I learned from this book is to never give up on your true love even know you THINK she is cheating on you.

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Dec 26, 2016 Joshua rated it it was amazing

When I first found Prince in Waiting, the first book of this trilogy, it was through searching for books with 'gray morality'. Now, this third and final book does not disappoint! It fully lives up to being the 'Game of Thrones for kids' that I hoped it would be.

Now that Luke, the main character, has returned from the adventure beyond the burning lands, the politicking is back in full swing. Cities need to be conquered, political enemies are waiting for a chance to strike, and Luke still doesn't have a good grip on how to play the game of thrones. Luke suffers betrayal after betrayal and plots his revenge.

The plus points in this book (the whole series actually), are that most of the character, except a few, are not evil. Even if they betray the main character, they had their reasons for doing so. And Luke himself isn't a clear cut 'good guy' either, as he goes through extreme lengths to get his revenge. Spoiler alert, but many characters die, including characters you might like. Even the innocent are not spared.

There is much question of morality in the book. The questions are ultimately never answered by the plot or the characters. They seem to do things based on their nature, and either just accept it things as the way they are or work to change them. Still character development is high in this book as many face-turn-heel and heel-turn-face events occur.

Grey morality and moral dilemmas highly intrigue me. I find them to be the most real a story can get. This series definitely pulled it off. However, it didn't exactly pull it off well, what with the passable book 2 and weirdly written book 1. This book has a pretty abrupt and absurd ending too. Still, if you are searching for a book with gray morality, then this can serve your reading itch.

One last thing. This book and series are rated as 'for children, 10-14'. I believe this is a gross miscalculation. Although this series is written for kids, the themes in it are far too mature for such an audience. At such a stage, children may not have fully developed moral compasses. If they cannot fully understand or appreciate difficult moral choices and the significance of death, they should not read this book. I should know because I study psychology at uni.

Score Breakdown:
Story/Plot (50%): 5/5
Character Development (25%): 5/5
Writing style (25%): 3/5

Total : 4.5/5
...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Jenny rated it liked it · review of another edition

Luke has been a hard character to sympathize with since the beginning of the series, and this book just sealed the deal that he was a blind tyrant. Just like with the other books in the series, this novel was hard to get into until the last 70 pages of the book. It was heartbreaking that Luke did not get what he wanted, but did he really deserve to have it? At the same time, maybe Christopher wanted to explore a main character who wasn't exactly a hero. ...more

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Oct 03, 2018 Bahman Bahman rated it it was ok · review of another edition

سه گانه "کوههای سفید. شهر طلا و سرب و برکه آتش" که به سه گانه "سه پایه ها " مشهورند با نام جان کریستوفر نویسنده چیره دست انگلیسی گره خورده است. سه گانه " شهریار آینده. آنسوی سرزمین های شعله ور و شمشیر ارواح " و کتابهای " نگهبانان " و " غروب شیاطین " از دیگر آثار وی هستند "
کتاب شمشیر ارواح آخرین بخش از مجموعه سه گانه شهریار آینده است و پایان این رمان خواندنی ...more

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Aug 08, 2020 Larry rated it liked it · review of another edition

The final book of a dreadful series! Dreadful NOT in the author's writing or characters, but in the portrayal of humans as a species. I was screaming and shouting at the sheer stupidity of the protagonist and his reactions to what was happening around him. In that alone, the author was brilliant in his writing. After reading this series, I know I will avoid Dystopian stories with a vengeance. ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Saeedhaje rated it really liked it · review of another edition

من سالها پیش در نوجونی خوندنش و عالی بود

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Jan 25, 2021 Zahra Poursheikhali rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

perfect!
I like it.

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May 25, 2020 Heather Bayless rated it liked it

Easy to follow without having read the previous books. An easy read, covered it in under 24 hours. A decent filler book.

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Jun 12, 2019 Hadi added it · review of another edition

خیلی بد بود .آدم دلش میگیره وقتی میبینه اون دوتا جلد اون قدر خوب اما جلد سوم این قدر گند و پچگانه و ناحرفه ای نوشته شده .نویسنده نباید فقط به فکر پر کردن صفحه های کاغذش باشه .
#یک-شکست

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Apr 07, 2013 Gale rated it liked it

Shelves: action-adventure-young-adult, sci-fi-young-adult

SWORD? SPIRITS? BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!

The title does not mean much, either for the book itself or for the series. The middle book ended on a sad note, but this one concludes on a tragic (or pathetic) note. Christopher does leave room for a possible fourth book, but Luke, the protagonist, has not undergone any real character development after all the ordeals in this trilogy. Now he is a young adult who has antagonized almost everyone who likes or loves him. The author seems to have painted himself ...more

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Jun 10, 2015 Mitchell rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-and-irish-fiction, ya, sff

This is the third and final book in Christopher’s Sword of the Spirits trilogy, and I have to say, I can’t think of any other trilogy in which the name is derived from the title of the last entry rather than the first.

Having killed his brother at the climax of Beyond The Burning Lands, Luke is now the ruler of Winchester, and is working to consolidate his power while the Seers – openly a religious order, but secretly working to restore technology to the world – assist him. Other factions, includ This is the third and final book in Christopher’s Sword of the Spirits trilogy, and I have to say, I can’t think of any other trilogy in which the name is derived from the title of the last entry rather than the first.

Having killed his brother at the climax of Beyond The Burning Lands, Luke is now the ruler of Winchester, and is working to consolidate his power while the Seers – openly a religious order, but secretly working to restore technology to the world – assist him. Other factions, including some within Winchester, are working against him.

I wouldn’t say Luke is a well-developed character, pe se, but he is interesting in the sense that he breaks the mould of the traditional young adult protagonist. There are signs as early as the first book that he is headstrong, proud, self-important and lacks intellectual curiosity (indeed, he rarely seems more than indifferent towards the goal of the Seers). But it only becomes clear towards the end of The Sword of the Spirits that he is, in fact, the villain of the trilogy. The hero is one of his old friends, whose travels and adventures have taken place almost entirely out of the reader’s eye, but who returns at the climax to save the day in a rather unconventional way. Luke is presented with the error of his ways and is begged to reconsider, and – much like the climax of The Guardians – I was honestly uncertain which way it would go; whether he would achieve redemption or sink into tyranny. John Christopher was no George R.R. Martin, but he most definitely didn’t follow the unwritten rules of the genre. I won’t ruin the surprise, but suffice to say that even after Luke makes his choice, the novel ends on a very different note than I thought it would, with a particularly bleak final sentence.

In five years time I will have forgotten the names of all the characters and likely much of the plot as well. I will, nonetheless, remember certain events, and the overall trajectory of the novel. The Sword of the Spirits trilogy doesn’t come close to matching Christopher’s Tripods trilogy, but it’s nonetheless a step above most young adult fiction, and well worth reading if one is interested in the genre. ...more

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Feb 02, 2017 Mads Kamp rated it really liked it

This just took a turn...

I started out the series expecting a somewhat straightforward YA-story about a prodigy-boy finding his feet as a wise ruler of the lands.
Boy, have I been sursprised!
The first book lulles you in. The second has you starting to question the motives of both Luke (the protagonist, Luke Perry to be exact ;)).
Now after the third and final book, I bow my head in respect for John Christopher. Young Luke suddenly turned into a spitefull human being. Wanting revenge and going for ...more

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Apr 10, 2008 Anie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, fiction, sff, male-author, male-protagonist, borrowed

A good conclusion to the trilogy. I found myself unable to put the book down - I really, really wanted to know what was going to happen next. The ending is excellent, and I think far better than most "children's" fantasy. Christopher is unafraid to write a protagonist with flaws or a non-fairy tale ending, and it makes the book shine. Overall, a fun series. ...more

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Aug 28, 2015 Shady Lubbad rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book, but I hated the ending... what the hell was that about... that is not an ending... especially if there was no other book being made? come on... if i know this was going to be the ending i would have not wasted my time with this book... come on.... some one needs to write another book finishing this story....

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Sep 30, 2012 Kevin rated it really liked it

This is the final installment in the series of the same name, and it wrapped up well. I continue to be amazed at how packed these older novels are. In one chapter, twenty pages, Christopher does as much as would often take up half of a longer novel. Yet, it still doesn't feel skimpy or shallow. These are quick books, but quality. ...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Barbara Brien rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult, read-in-school

I remember not enjoying this book that much, as it was darker than I usually read. Other than that, I have very vague memories of the book.

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Jun 03, 2012 Elaine Nelson rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, sci-fi, kid-lit

I remember that there were some interesting twists in the final volume...but 6 months later, I don't remember what they were! But I do want to read it again sometime. ...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Greg added it

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

Young adult my be pushing it, but I enjoyed it anyway

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Aug 25, 2015 Caleb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

His city gets taken over but he gets it back using machines

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Aug 23, 2015 Nathaniel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

i liked it.

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Mark Odonohue rated it it was amazing
Apr 20, 2013

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About John Christopher

John Christopher

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Sam Youd was born in Huyton, Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.

As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: ‘In the early thirties,’ he later wrote, ‘we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.’

Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cric ...more