The Bard's Blade
3.5
2
5
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432
Paperback
12.59
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781250214645 |
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| Publisher: | Tom Doherty Associates |
| Publication date: | 01/28/2020 |
| Series: | The Sorcerer's Song , #1 |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Sales rank: | 224,117 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d) |
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Customer Reviews
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The Bard's Blade
3 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
4 reviews.
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The Bard’s Blade is the first novel in a brand new series by Brian D. Anderson. This series is called The Sorcerer’s Song, and is understandably setting a theme, one of a musical inclination. This is a fantasy series, one that flips tropes and expectations.
Lem and Mariyah may not know it just yet – but they are about to go off on a wild adventure. Their reasons for going will be very different, as will their path. For you see, these two lovers will be following different paths.
Lem is the most talented musician around, and that’s being modest. His talents have allowed him to travel far and wide, even if he really would prefer to just stay home near Mariyah. But his talent – and destiny – call him onward.
Mariyah is the daughter of a wine maker, though it’s no secret that she’s the brains behind the operation at this point. She’s content with her lot in life. Especially with Lem by her side. That is, until he gets some news that changes everything for them.
“Never allow the wickedness of others to dictate who you are.”
The Bard’s Blade was a fast-paced and highly entertaining read. It sent our leading characters all over the map, chasing and running from one adventure to the next. Seeing their travels made for a very fascinating read, through and through.
The world created in The Bard’s Blade is a fascinating one. I found myself desperate to learn and see more of it within two chapters. And that feeling stayed the whole way through, an impressive feat. I’m happily looking forward to the sequel already, for that very reason. I loved the magical system, the different cities, and the border itself (which you’ll quickly learn about if you give this book a try).
This novel used switching perspectives (with Lem and Mariyah being two of the dominant points of view) in order to tell the story. I loved that, as it allowed me to see more of this world, the character involves, and the messes they seemed to keep getting themselves into.
What I loved the most about this novel is how it subverted expectations and prophecies. This isn’t a typical bard tale – though I couldn’t help but think “I got a four!” once or twice while I was reading (couldn’t resist the OOTS reference there, sorry!). It was in fact something completely different from what I expected, and I mean that in the best of ways. And that is truly saying something, since I was expecting something fun and different from the beginning.
Okay, that might have been the thing I liked second best. What I enjoyed the most was how much The Bard’s Blade surprised me. I couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen in this book – for good or for bad. And that made for a highly entertaining read.
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If I read one more book that isn’t actually the epic adventure that the synopsis led me to believe it would be then I just might cry. Why does this keep happening? Going into The Bard’s Blade, I was so ready to fall in love with a new fantasy adventure. Plus, obviously, a bard would be featured, which is something I love and have wanted to see more of in fantasy books. So yeah, I was pretty stoked for this one. Within twenty pages I felt let down.
My biggest issue was, you guessed it, the lack of adventure. I think I was hoping for something more along the lines of Eragon or LotR. That’s not what I got though. The two point-of-view characters stayed stationary in the story for long parts at a time, only to move on to another place where they’d be stuck for a good while. Not what I call adventuring. And yes, this is an issue of taste, so it could definitely appeal to others. But all of this really slowed the story down. It just felt like nothing was happening for pages upon pages. Which leads me to my next point.
This book wasn’t fun to read. What I mean by this is that, while it was slow and boring most of the time, whenever something did happen, it was bad. The characters were constantly in bad situations. And while this is necessary to set stakes for a story and engage readers, it just happened too much in this story. As a reader, I naturally want to root for the main characters. I want to have moments where I can cheer and. Celebrate along with them. I don’t want to constantly, for four hundred pages, be let down by the story because one bad thing after another happens. That’s not fun to read.
My last issue with The Bard’s Blade was the writing itself. It just… wasn’t very good. Not horrible, but nothing special either. The beginning was full of info dumps. The characters all felt wooden and were very much cookie cutter versions of the same characters seen in hundreds of other fantasy novels. The dialogue made me cringe at times. Overall the writing just felt so sub par, especially at a time when so many authors are going above and beyond in their own writing.
So yeah. I didn’t like this one. And I wouldn’t really every recommend it, not with the fantasy genre churning out so many other, better books on an almost weekly basis. But hey, if the problems I had with it won’t bother you, then by all means check it out. It’s a fast, easy read that leaves the story open for a sequel, but it really wasn’t my cup of tea.
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The Bard’s Blade reads a lot like a young adult rather than adult fiction and would certainly be a good choice for younger readers stepping into the adult fiction side of reading. Anderson’s writing toes the line with beautiful writing being almost too descriptive but he somehow managed to pull me in with the stark contrast of the lovely, peaceful descriptions of Vylari and the brutality of the outside world.
Given that this is the start of a new series, there is a lot of information to learn about the world and yet we only learn at the same rate as Lem and Mariyah which made the pacing maddeningly slow at times. After about 60%, the pacing picked up as the story arcs grew more compelling but the first 50% was a bit slow.
Ultimately, I wasn’t quite blown away but I was engaged enough to continue reading even when I had a stack of other ARCs to get to. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with Mariyah in the second book!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the team at Tor for sending a copy my way!
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Lem is the best musician in Vylari… he has great skill on a rare stringed instrument called a balisari. He can wow a crowd and keep them at the tavern ordering drinks. His betrothed Mariyah’s family own a select vineyard that brings fame to the region. And even though her father is not so enthused with her match with Lem, things are pretty darn good for the couple. Until… a stranger enters town. He is on his death bed, but it is suspected that he comes from beyond their secluded and warded land. Rumors abound about the outside world named Lamoria, and none of them good.
The strangers last words prompts Lem to run. To cross the barrier to Lamoria in search for answers to his bloodline, his talent, and all that has separated the two worlds for so long. Yet, when Mariyah and Lem’s uncle Shemi find Lem gone, they dash to follow him on his adventure to the dangerous land. They are split up and trying to find their footing amongst warring factions, religious zealots, and underhanded thieves. I won’t go too much more into the plot because it is just a joy to read these reveals through Lem and the other characters’ eyes…
Ok, gonna go with a list with this one.
The Bard: Usually a minor character in fantasy, but Anderson has elevated Lem to front and center of this series. Not only are we treated with a good dose of musical descriptions, he is a character who I just had to root for. It’s not just the fish-out-of-water factor, but he has a purity of heart that makes his cause much for intriguing.
Pacing: Pitch perfect (pun intended). This story was far removed from the grim sword fighting that usually fills my Kindle. But what a great change of pace. The conflicts are fueled by real love and relationships, not some bow and bicep. I wouldn’t call it slow; I would call it thought-out and connected to the character’s struggles.
Setting: It’s very hard for me to describe when an author has revealed too little or too much in their descriptions of setting. A little mystery is key, but without the info dumps. Here, you have the taverns, the musical/ theater troupes, the ancient cities, the government hierarchy, etc. But this info is just so perfectly placed.
Overall, there’s many parts of this book that are going to be familiar to fantasy readers. This is comforting, but The Bard’s Blade shines in its unique differences. A bard as main character, wonderful well-paced writing, and a setting that will have you wanting to take the risk and travel through the barrier yourself.
4.5 out of 5 stars
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