Twenty years ago, Alf and his companions defeated the Dark Lord and claimed his city. Now, those few of the Nine that remain find themselves unwilling rebels, defying the authority of both the mortal Lords they once served and the immortal king of the elves – the secret architect of everything they’ve ever known.
Once lauded as a mighty hero, Alf is now labelled a traitor and hunted by the very gods he seeks to bring down. As desperate rebellion blazes across the land, Alf seeks the right path through a maze of conspiracy, wielding a weapon of evil. The black sword Spellbreaker has found its purpose in these dark days. But can Aelfric remain a hero, or is his legend tarnished forever?
I was thinking that THE SWORD DEFIANT was one of my biggest surprises from 2023, but wow, the REAL surprise is that I read it in early 2024. Holiday brain is a nightmare right now, for sure.
But at any rate, yeah. In my review for THE SWORD DEFIANT, I talked a lot about how obsessed I was with Gareth Hanrahan’s debut novel, THE GUTTER PRAYER. But the follow-up to that one, THE SHADOW SAINT, just didn’t work for me. So I wasn’t sure what to expect from THE SWORD DEFIANT & I just loved it so damn much.
One thing I did learn from my experience with Hanrahan’s previous series: he is not going to write the same book twice, and that’s certainly the case with THE SWORD UNBOUND. In a lot of ways, this is a more complex, political, and character-driven story than the first book. And things have changed up a lot from book one to two, especially in terms of who we spend time with, and how much time we spend with them.
And while I think I preferred THE SWORD DEFIANT overall, this is an incredible follow-up, and pushes the story forward into some wild new territory.
Without really looking, it sure feels like we spend significantly more time with Bor and Olva (separately) here than we did in THE SWORD DEFIANT.
I can’t say that Bor was one of my favorite characters in the first book, but his chapters are actually some of the most entertaining & compelling in this book. He’s a huge part of the overall story, and I definitely felt him growing on me as the book went on. He’s joined by some interesting new characters this time around. Most notably Sir Rhuel, a poet who claims a lot of responsibility for the fame & public perception of the Nine, and who is now out to prove that brand of fame can just as easily be taken away. The pen being mightier than the sword, and all.
Olva is now the Queen of Necrad, much to her own surprise & chagrin. She’s the character who you can’t help feel the most sympathy for…she’s just kind of thrown into this leadership role in this twisted, haunted city. And all because she was trying to save her son’s life. And Derwyn, now known as The Uncrowned King is just…not the same person he was. But Olva continues to try to guide him the best she can, amidst the endless scheming and backstabbing that takes place in this world.
Then there’s Alf. And of course, Spellbreaker. This might be one of the most incredible duos in fantasy right now & one is a literal sword. It’s absolutely wild how much personality & gravity Hanrahan is able to give to this (relentlessly bloodthirsty) cursed blade! And you just can’t help but feel for Alf, man. Oof. This guy is just pushed past what any normal person’s breaking point would be, he’s suffered unimaginable betrayals & heartache, and still, he just keeps moving forward. I fucking love this character!
I love the tone of these books so much. It’s hard to really nail down in a review but there’s this great balance between like…yeah, everything is fucked, everything is pain, the world is shit, and most people are backstabbing bastards. But also…it’s a little fun? Even through the stinking fog of the necromiasma that hangs over Necrad, even with all the necromancy & zombies & mistrust between former friends…there’s something so goddamn fun about all this.
As with the first book, I listened to a huge chunk of this one on audiobook, and I again have to give massive credit to George Weightman for the outstanding narration. He shifts effortlessly between some really fun accents & just really immerses the reader in this world so completely. What he does with Spellbreaker is remarkable & imbued with a real sense of chaotic, malicious energy. And the certainly-influenced-by-Gollum voice he uses for a squishy vatling character named Threeday is just…so memorable. In fact, it was Weightman’s great performance as Threeday that made me realize the character has quite a bit less “screen time” in this book than the first, which is a shame.
This is big, dark, creepy epic fantasy. THE SWORD UNBOUND dives deeper into the political landscape of this world, which makes everything feel more epic in scope. Even though the focus remains on the control of Necrad, we start to see more & more of the dangerous world that surrounds it.
This was awesome! LANDS OF THE FIRSTBORN is shaping up to be an incredible trilogy, for sure. I think Gareth Hanrahan is one of the most impressive writers of dark fantasy & I’m eagerly awaiting news/a cover reveal for book three in this series!
Massive thanks to Orbit for the copy!
Grimdark Dad 