Kingfisher is one of my favorite fantasy authors, so I was very happy to receive a copy of Swordheart from NetGalley, and it didn’t disappoint. It was originally released in 2018, and a special version was just re-released under Tor’s Bramble imprint. I can’t speak to the shiny new copy as mine was digital, but a photo of the beautiful new cover is pictured below.
Halla is a widowed housekeeper to an elderly collector who dies and leaves her the estate. Unfortunately, she’s immediately set upon by angry relatives who want to force her to marry. Imprisoned in the house she now owns, she considers stabbing herself – but unsheathing the sword releases Sarkis, a warrior who is cursed for eternity to be servant and bodyguard to whoever wields the sword.
With Sarkis’ aid, they flee the house and set out to regain Halla’s inheritance. Along the way they are set upon by thieves and the cult of the Hanged Mother, until they team up with a helpful priest of the White Rat and Brindle the gnole (an ox-cart driver who resembles a badger).
This book had all of Kingfisher’s humor, warmth, and creativity. It’s written in an oddly rambling tone, with a lot of “err’s” and run-on sentences, but if you like dialog that’s written the way people actually talk, you’ll enjoy it. It’s also longer than most of Kingfisher’s books, but I enjoyed the characters and the world so much I was happy to stay in it for a while.
Kingfisher excels at creating characters you’ll wish you could actually meet, and this book also excels at building friendship and romance between Halla and Sarkis. Their banter and chemistry was great and the dialog laugh-out-loud funny. Plus Kingfisher creates very real insecurities and quandaries that keep the pair apart. Sarkis, after all, is her servant, so he doesn’t have any choice about being with her, and Halla needs him to gain her independence. Sarkis is a mature (some 450 years) man of the world while Halla is, at best, unsophisticated. But she’s the first sword-wielder who actually cares how Sarkis feels about being trapped in the sword. She’s also not above playing dumb to get herself out of danger.
I enjoy the way Kingfisher turns tropes on their heads. It’s a journey novel but the characters do travel in circles quite a bit and even through landscapes that have a will of their own. It’s written in a way that you can both enjoy the wit and humor but also feel immersed in the world. There’s a lot of focus on the logistics of Sarkis’ imprisonment – does he get hungry or have to pee when he’s in the sword, for example – but you also feel his anger and frustration with his servitude.
The pacing isn’t always perfect, as there’s a fair amount of repetition and a plot point or two that didn’t fully work. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and now I need to read Kingfisher’s other books set in this world (Paladin’s Grace, etc.). This book would be perfect for those who enjoyed the humor of The Princess Bride and the light-hearted warmth of Legends and Lattes.
Note: I received this book as an advanced review copy from NetGalley and publisher Tor/Bramble. This book was re-released February 25, 2025
