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The Lords of Dûs #3
The Sword of Bheleu
While fighting the deadly plots of the Baron of Skelleth, Garth trys to overcome the attempts of the powerful sword of Bheleu to take control of his will
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 1, 2022
This book of the series seems like a lull in the storm. There is a substantial amount of recapping. Garth spends a lot of his time fighting against the influence of the sword, or getting other people to handle the recovery from the chaos and mayhem caused by the sword. The introduction of the council of wizards was amusing. And then it wraps up with Garth finally giving in to the demands of the Forgotten King after having spent the entire book trying not to do so. In a way I kind of like that rejection of the common trope of the lone hero being able to always solve the problem without having to submit to the malign manipulative influence, but I can understand why a lot of people find it frustrating. One more book to go, and I am curious how Watt-Evans is going to wrap this up.
December 31, 2012
Pause with me for a moment and admire the silliness of this book's cover...
...gotta love the cheese platter that swords and sandals can provide from time to time.
What I didn't love: middle book syndrome--as in Watt-Evans increasing the amount of exposition while slowing down the pace of the story. The shift crept up on me before I realized that I was bored--bored dammit!--and that nothing of huge import was happening in the story. Then Watt-Evans set up a few bull sessions where characters review the major events of the first two books; and then he introduced a new set of characters who have to figure out the events of the first two books from incomplete information.
What?! Are you serious?!
What did I like amidst all of this inert prose? Scenes of major magicks running amok, tearing up earth and trees and sky and shit; a council of wizards that is, on the one hand, very learned, and, on the other hand, kind of a collection of dumbasses; and, as ever, watching Garth, who always means well, finding himself buried in ever-increasing amounts of unforeseen consequences, until finally he gives in to the inevitable and says, "Alright already! I'll do what you asked!"--which subsequently brought on an unexpected scene that gave me the woolies. So cool!
In the end--in fact, in the last 60+ pages--I had fun. Now to finish this quartet.
...gotta love the cheese platter that swords and sandals can provide from time to time.
What I didn't love: middle book syndrome--as in Watt-Evans increasing the amount of exposition while slowing down the pace of the story. The shift crept up on me before I realized that I was bored--bored dammit!--and that nothing of huge import was happening in the story. Then Watt-Evans set up a few bull sessions where characters review the major events of the first two books; and then he introduced a new set of characters who have to figure out the events of the first two books from incomplete information.
What?! Are you serious?!
What did I like amidst all of this inert prose? Scenes of major magicks running amok, tearing up earth and trees and sky and shit; a council of wizards that is, on the one hand, very learned, and, on the other hand, kind of a collection of dumbasses; and, as ever, watching Garth, who always means well, finding himself buried in ever-increasing amounts of unforeseen consequences, until finally he gives in to the inevitable and says, "Alright already! I'll do what you asked!"--which subsequently brought on an unexpected scene that gave me the woolies. So cool!
In the end--in fact, in the last 60+ pages--I had fun. Now to finish this quartet.
May 5, 2013
The Sword of Bheleu slows down a bit from previous books, and focuses on different characters for a while, which isn't actually a good thing. Still, it has you adrift in a sea of moral ambiguity (which may or may not be to your taste, of course), rolling your eyes at fantasy tropes subverted (the mystical vault full of powerful objects, for example) and there's some epic magic slinging going on, too.
What I do really like is the feeling that no detail is incidental. I might be wrong about a couple of things, but I really hope they play a part in the final book, The Book of Silence.
I love that contains so many typical fantasy tropes, but feels different.
What I do really like is the feeling that no detail is incidental. I might be wrong about a couple of things, but I really hope they play a part in the final book, The Book of Silence.
I love that contains so many typical fantasy tropes, but feels different.
August 31, 2020
This is the third book in the Lords of Dûs series from Lawrence Watt-Evans. If you’ve read my prior reviews, you know that these books have gotten progressively better as the series has gone on. This one was no exception. You might be inclined to attribute that to my nostalgia, since I had mentioned that this was the only one of the series that I had read as a teen. However, after reading this I’m not so sure that I actually finished this one back then. Other than the very introduction, none of it was familiar to me and it surprised me in some great and unexpected ways.
The story itself is interesting. Once again, the focus is on Garth, the overman. This time he must deal with the consequences of taking possession of the Sword of Bheleu, a sword that embodies the ancient God of Destruction. Garth’s internal struggle attempts to keep the sword’s interests in check, with limited success.
This installment of the series is much more balanced in its pacing and focus, spending nearly half of the time following other characters as they attempt to keep Garth’s powers under control and prevent Bheleu’s influences in the world. There was a real depth to character development as Garth’s own beliefs clashed with the wishes of the dark god, with some themes of free will and questions on what parts of ourselves we are willing to give up if given the chance at fame, fortune, and/or power.
It set things up perfectly for the final story and left me really anxious to find out what happens next and how or if there will be a happy ending. While the books are all written so that they could be read independently, the series so far is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
The story itself is interesting. Once again, the focus is on Garth, the overman. This time he must deal with the consequences of taking possession of the Sword of Bheleu, a sword that embodies the ancient God of Destruction. Garth’s internal struggle attempts to keep the sword’s interests in check, with limited success.
This installment of the series is much more balanced in its pacing and focus, spending nearly half of the time following other characters as they attempt to keep Garth’s powers under control and prevent Bheleu’s influences in the world. There was a real depth to character development as Garth’s own beliefs clashed with the wishes of the dark god, with some themes of free will and questions on what parts of ourselves we are willing to give up if given the chance at fame, fortune, and/or power.
It set things up perfectly for the final story and left me really anxious to find out what happens next and how or if there will be a happy ending. While the books are all written so that they could be read independently, the series so far is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
September 11, 2017
Nice to see Garth's progression as the Sword influences him. it was also pleasant to have more points of view beyond where the overman resided - less so those like Haggart and more Shandiph for the most part. The powers which the Sword granted Garth were quite unexpected. I enjoyed watching the Council make all these preparations for unleashing their grand weapon, only to learn that Garth had already dispatched with it and its guardian months ago.
The idea that magic was diminished by the time that the modern Council could wield it was also nice - and, again, watching them trying to wield the powers of their ancestors for naught. The Council bickering like children was mildly entertaining.
I hadn't expected Bheleu to speak to Garth directly toward the end, nor that Garth had literally been born to be his vessel upon the earth. Nice to see the Forgotten King could assist in the matter. I will complain that Garth's reticence to get on with it became a bit tedious.
In all, a good novel. I'm disheartened that there is only one left after I've found this series so recently. I hope the author has written more in this world after The Book of Silence.
The idea that magic was diminished by the time that the modern Council could wield it was also nice - and, again, watching them trying to wield the powers of their ancestors for naught. The Council bickering like children was mildly entertaining.
I hadn't expected Bheleu to speak to Garth directly toward the end, nor that Garth had literally been born to be his vessel upon the earth. Nice to see the Forgotten King could assist in the matter. I will complain that Garth's reticence to get on with it became a bit tedious.
In all, a good novel. I'm disheartened that there is only one left after I've found this series so recently. I hope the author has written more in this world after The Book of Silence.
January 14, 2023
Anything by Lawrence Watt-Evans is generally good, if not excellent. It's meat and potatoes sword and sorcerry stuff but written with such believability. Rarely in other books do you see characters asking "Well, what if this works. Or what if I do something this way". It's a barbarian of the waste novel with an evil sword who doesn't want to be evil, or a barbarian. Great stuff.
March 27, 2019
This one is a little different than the previous two. The action comes to Garth instead of him going to the action.
I particularly liked the clever way the Basilisk from the first novel tied into this one.
I particularly liked the clever way the Basilisk from the first novel tied into this one.
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October 23, 2025The sword that Garth had stolen from Dusarra marked him as the chosen of Bheleu, god of destruction, and gave him immense power. This power could only be used to destroy, and Garth wanted to build. He chose to refuse the god's gift. Bheleu did not intend to allow that.
November 7, 2025
One of my favourites in the series. In this book there's a battle for control between a sentient weapon and the wielder. Wizards get to unearth and use the most potent trove of magic artifacts in all the books I've read. And a constant struggle between morality and survival.
December 23, 2024
this book broke the formula of the first two and elevated the plot, i really liked how it advanced the story and i even found it a bit epic, great sequel.
July 11, 2014
Watt-Evans is always so delightful to read. The Sword of Bhelue isn’t very deep or serious, but is sufficiently creative and inventive with just enough weight to feel worth reading. I think it’s part of a series and I will definitely read more of the series when I get a chance to lay my hands on it.
I really enjoyed the interplay of the different kinds of magic and the characters’ mutual ignorance. And while the story isn’t deep, the politics and consequences of ignorant, half-informed leaders making decisions based on rumors, conjectures, and misunderstandings rings with a hard, sad truth.
And I really like Garth. He was an intelligent and sensible hero with just the right amount of foolhardy egotism, not enough to irritate, but enough to make him believable and engaging.
I really enjoyed the interplay of the different kinds of magic and the characters’ mutual ignorance. And while the story isn’t deep, the politics and consequences of ignorant, half-informed leaders making decisions based on rumors, conjectures, and misunderstandings rings with a hard, sad truth.
And I really like Garth. He was an intelligent and sensible hero with just the right amount of foolhardy egotism, not enough to irritate, but enough to make him believable and engaging.
March 26, 2014
Loved this book. There is a short and tasteful recap of earlier work but its brevity makes it a welcome help rather than fluff.Much of the culture which had only been hinted at in the story to date is painted in greater detail in this fascinating series. Sweet twists and sudden turns added to yummy development make this one of my favorites so far. I am starting the last of the series immediately.
September 3, 2015
I picked this up as a cheap paperback at a used bookstore, looking for sci-fi and fantasy novels that I might enjoy reading by or in the swimming pool but wouldn't worry too much if I accidentally dropped in the pool! To my surprise though, this was excellent, and now I'm hooked. I'm going to get the whole series through Amazon when I can! Sword-and-sorcery style fantasy, but very well told, or at least very much to my tastes . . .
October 14, 2014
Great plot development in the series. There are wonderful elaborations on characters and new additions. The storyline becomes much more rich and encompasses the mundane and theological aspects of the inner-workings of the culture. Sweet twists and sudden turns make this one of my favorites in the series so far.
September 2, 2014
A good continuation of the tales of Garth, but Garth himself treads a lot of water in this book. The Council of the Most High is where a lot of the action takes place - but thankfully it all comes together in a very satisfying finale, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress in the next book.
March 19, 2009
Book two of the story of Garth the overman, Conan-a-like. Develops some major complications which pay off in the remaining two novels.
June 7, 2021
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
January 9, 2016
Slower than the first two, but I guess it had to be in setting up for the forth and final volume.
March 7, 2016
A very good fantasy series with an interesting storyline and a great main character. Very recommended.
August 23, 2007
A series filled with destruction.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews