Gareth Hanrahan opens up a new fantasy series that is absolutely filled to the brim with magic, creatures, battles, and so much more. There is a lot going on in these 600+ pages, and therefore I think there will be a lot of readers who will absolutely devour this one, while others may have a much more subdued response.

Overall, I kind of fell somewhere in the middle. There was a lot that kept me turning the pages in The Sword Defiant, but I found there were enough drawbacks to the narrative to keep it from being an all time favorite.

As always, let's start with the good!

I really loved Hanrahan's main characters, particularly the two POV characters - Alf and his sister Olva. In the broadest sense, Alf is a pretty difficult character archetype to write. The middle-aged, gruff, and introverted ex-soldier all can start to feel like Geralt of Rivia - relatively bland and lacking personality. These characters can work as side characters and be endearing, but as the core they can come across as simply plot vessels (see: Rand al'Thor in The Wheel of Time). Alf never felt this way to me. He felt unique amongst his archetype compatriots in other books, a character I enjoyed spending time with without having to be exuberant.

It very much helped that Alf is surrounded by larger than life characters. This includes his dwarven best friend but is best exemplified by his evil talking sword. Yes, there is an evil talking sword who is an absolute riot. The sword was originally made and owned by The Dark Lord but came into Alf's possession when Alf killed The Dark Lord. This sword had more personality than most fantasy characters put together. I would most definitely read an entire prequel series with this sword at the center. The sword was simultaneously a perfect foil to Alf, while also be surprisingly layered in its desires, loyalties, and goals. If any character will surprise you while reading The Sword Defiant, it's this one.

I have less to say about Olva, the other POV character in the novel. She isn't quite as complex or memorable as Alf (she is a pretty standard version of the "strong mother going to rescue her child" type), and her plot is a lot less interesting than what Alf is going through. At times, it did feel like her plot was intentionally being slowed down because there was less going on and Alf's plot needed to catch up.

The rest of the cast of characters (and it is a pretty large cast) is a mixed bag of people you will loathe, characters you will love, and some that you won't quite know what to feel about. Hanrahan took on the unenviable task of introducing a lot of characters in a short amount of time; this is always the challenge of a book that has a questing band of nine people that need to be introduced. Some of them have a relatively low page count (since they all have their own reasons for not coming around very much), and it takes a bit of time to keep them all straight.

This is my first Hanrahan book, but I have always heard that he is a master at worldbuilding. This is not a lie. The Sword Defiant is almost bursting at the seams with how much Hanrahan has shoved into just this one book. There are multiple creatures, political entities, heroes, villains, and everything in between that are come to life with their own histories, lore, and backgrounds.

One of my favorite things about Hanrahan's worldbuilding here is that he was able to seamlessly combine elements of fantasy that felt comfy and traditional with elements that completely flew in their own directions. Here you will find elves, dwarves, orcs, and the rest of the races/creatures that have come to dominate "traditional" epic fantasy. And yes, they will definitely be recognizable to you. Elves have a dramatically extended lifespan (in fact, they are immortal in this world) and they are kind of pretentious; the dwarves come from the mountains and are endearingly gruff; the evil big bad coming back to power gives a sinister aura to the setting and plot. But Hanrahan also knows how to throw all of these things into a blender and sees what comes out.

I just wish that Hanrahan was as interested in the plot as much as he was in the world. This book really is its setting, and other than that the plot is pretty thin. The plot itself is dragged out over the chonky book, especially in its first half. I often forgot what the goals of the main characters even were a lot of the time because the narrative would stray into so many unrelated or semi-related directions. So while the large page count aided the worldbuilding, it came a bit at the book's overall pace and coherency.

Because of these plot issues, I never felt as immersed in Hanrahan's world as I would have liked to have been. I felt like I was floating above this world rather than actually being able to dwell in it. It was a world I enjoyed exploring in a very top-down two-dimensional kind of way; I liked hearing about the history and mythology and the political factions arguing over the best way to run the city, but I never felt like I was in the world with the characters. I was always slightly distanced from them and everything else going on. Despite the detailed worldbuilding, the world felt empty (and not just because it was a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting), but because the world's third dimension lacked richness and texture.

This really became a problem as the characters, particularly Olva, left Necrad to visit other parts of the world. Hanrahan paints Necrad so beautifully with clarity and detail, and yet the rest of the world is barren and generic. Whenever the narrative wasn't fixed on Necrad, I lost interest as I lost my sense of place in the book. In some books and storytelling styles this really works (like books going for that classical epic style), but I don't think it is what Hanrahan really envisioned here.

My only other small quibble with the book was that, at times, the book didn't quite know what it wanted to be in terms of its tone. As I said above, there were a lot of scenes that were quite humorous, but the city of Necrad was supposed to have this very mysterious quality around it. The clash between the humor (which is pretty joke-y like Nicholas Eames and less wry than Joe Abercrombie) clashes with the more dark/grimdark adjacent elements.

Despite some of the drawbacks of the book, I still enjoyed my time with The Sword Defiant, and I will pick up the sequel once it comes out. Hopefully, with the first book exposition out of the way, the series can really start to hit its stride.

Concluding Thoughts: Fans of traditional epic fantasy who like large casts of characters, the traditional fantasy races, and lots of action will be completely enthralled by what Hanrahan has to offer here. A Dark Lord imprisoned and now released, this book combines everything nostalgic about big chunky fantasy books and puts a spin on it. At times the worldbuilding gets in the way of the book's plot and pacing, which prevented me from feeling fully immersed in the story, but it was still a fun adventure that I will be continuing with.

The sword defiant by Gareth Hanrahan was such an incredible read and an amazing literary experience. Great book from start to end. Highly recommend!

If I could give it more stars, I literally would!

This was high fantasy I could get into! The plot, the characters, the world building, like holy guacamole this may have been the best fantasy book I've read so far! It had everything I could have wanted in a book. There was danger, adventure, and a freaking magic sword!! I mean come on! I could spend so much time raving about this book because it was intriguing, magical, and really pulled me in right away.

Gareth did an incredible job with this story and plot. Can't wait to read it again when it's released!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fantastic start to a series. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend after reading The Gutter Prayer. Both of these books are highly original and I can't wait to continue with this one to see what happens. Great easy writing style and engaging plot.

As much I enjoy a deconstruction of traditional tropes in any genre, I felt that this book struck a bit of an odd tone. It wasn't quite serious enough for me to take it at face value, but it also didn't commit to the idea of being a satire of traditional sword and sorcery fantasy. That tonal dissonance bothered me throughout the book.

The plot was solid enough, but it felt meandering at times; I think it could have been trimmed down without losing any of its impact. The characters were also decently drawn, but I wasn't particularly excited by any of them. I felt they were a bit of a pick-and-mix of sword and sorcery archetypes, all with the same "twist" on the classic trope of "they defeated the evil lord/king/etc,"--that is, that their lives ended up rather humdrum and disappointing after their big success.

Overall, this book was pretty run-of-the-mill for me, in terms of enjoyment.

Another great story from Gareth Hanrahan with all the dry humor and wit expected alongside great worldbuilding and fun characters, including an evil talking sword.

The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan, an interesting title, I overall liked it but there were a few times I felt that the storyline wandered around without actually going anywhere. Other than that it was a good book.

A very fun, classic style fantasy that manages to feel fresh at the same time. Really big fan and looking forward to getting the hardcover when it's released.

I grew up reading stories of Elric of Melniboné and his black bladed magic sword Stormbringer … the Stealer of Souls. So when you give me a tale about another sentient/magic sword (called Spellbreaker in this take on the story), I am immediately interested. Despite the obvious similarities, Sir Aelfric is more of a broken/fallen hero than an antihero, where he must overcome the corruption of experience instead of very nature from which he springs … and because of that I found him to be a much more sympathetic, if still tragic and world weary, figure.

Alf was one of 9 [companiosn] that had defeated the great evil of Lord Bone and has spent the last few years trying to pick up the pieces (both his own as well as the people at large) … which is probably one of the most compelling aspects of the world building. “The peace had been harder than the war in some ways;” Most stories end after the final conflict is won and happily ever after is presumed. A few may try to show the lie to that presumption and continue on, which is where this story begins … because nature abhors a vacuum and there is always a new evil waiting in the wings to step up and take advantage of the misplaced hope for some respite from the toils of Sisyphus. “”No wonderful the stories of heroes ended in hasty happily-ever-afters, and never spoke of that might happen after. The heroes put the world to rights, and the nit stayed right for ever.” Not here … “They rested in silence, and it struck Alf that all the fates of the fallen Nine were ignominious.”

While there is some action on The Road, the bulk of the story take place in Necrad, the fallen city of the vanquished Lord Bone and his Witch Elf allies (corrupted Wood Elves who become vampires when the fade). The city has yet to recover, with large sections closed off and forbidden while the remainder partitioned into “Liberties” nominally under the negligent control of one of the conquering heroes. And then there is The Pit out of which fresh horrors still climb even after the demise of their master. Stir in Vat grown clones/monsters, Wilder/Weres and Dwarves ... and the potential for conflict … politically and physically … is almost organic to the environment and context of the story. Magic seems to be divided into two sources; star/elf and earth/bio … that latter being very powerful and, ultimately, corruptible over time. Taken all together, this was a refreshingly new take on the genre that I enjoyed very much.

Alf’s sister Olva provides the second PoV, chasing after her wayward son on her own hapless adventure to give us an alternate view of the world that just didn’t seem to develop into anything interesting until her story merges with her brother Alf and the next battle begins. After that, there are secrets, betrayals and surprises to beat the band … for Death incarnate has come to the city of Necrad and nothing is what it seems.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheSwordDefiant #NetGalley

This is the second fantasy book published by Orbit this year that I have described as feeling like an homage to He-Man. This one feels like what would happen if the He-Man team got back together ten years later and discovered that Skeletor wasn't really gone and was maybe just the beginning of a bigger problem. The characters were awesome and I loved all of them, especially the sword. I'm excited for Gareth Hanrahan's next installment in this series.

I thought this book had a lot of fun ideas that are not typically explored in fantasy and ran with it. How does the fame, prestige, and power of the heroes effect them decades after their defining moment of life? What is the toll of being family to such people and seeing them place such relationships to the side as they go off adventuring? What would a defeated Mordor look like 20 years after occupation? What would it feel like to wield a talking sword that that is constantly trying to undermine you?

If there is one complaint I have it is it felt a little long. A main character spends a lot of time following where the clues and information leads him to solve a mystery of sorts. My attention started to wander a little after a couple hundred pages. I did think that this book was more focused than the authors previous books in the sprawling Black Iron series and (to me) the characters seemed more relatable. All in all I’m satisfied with it and look forward to see what comes next!

Gareth Hanrahan is such an imaginative author and one of my favorites when it comes to churning out edgy entertaining fantasy that doesn't fit the usual stereotypes. His Black Iron Legacy series is so brilliant and a reminder that great fantasy doesn't have to follow a certain formula, as he so deftly created one of the most original fantasy worlds in recent memory. Hanrahan also injects a healthy dose of the weird in his characters and setting, which I absolutely love. So when I saw that Orbit was promoting a brand new book by him that would be releasing this coming May, I couldn't move fast enough to try to scoop up an early copy.

The book begins by introducing us to Aelfric (or Alf as his friends affectionately call him) as he is conversing with the sentient demon sword Spellbreaker. TALKING SWORD - count me in! Anyway, Aelfric is one of The Nine Heroes who defeated the dark Lord Bone and in doing so wrested away certain tainted and evil artifacts such as the aforementioned Spellbreaker. We get the impression right away that the sword is a total pain in the ass and still has a desire for blood and to commit evil deeds even though it is now in the hands of the most honorable Aelfric. As the story progresses Alf begins to speculate about whether Lord Bone may not be dead as many of his companions firmly believed. At the very least Bone's lingering influence may still have a significantly strong hold on the cursed city of Necrad. This in the form of complex spells that one member of The Nine specifically is still struggling to decipher and untangle years after Lord Bone was defeated. It is from this point on where the story goes from good to flat out extraordinary. At least it did for me.

Just as with Hanrahan's previous series, THE SWORD DEFIANT has completely next level worldbuilding. Yes this one leans slightly more toward a traditional fantasy setting, but he still manages to infuse enough twisted and dark elements to keep things mysterious, creepy, and ominous. Especially when it comes to the dread city of Necrad where there are many secrets and layers that make this no quaint kingdom/village fantasy world. It's part of what made this such a fun read for me, I never knew what the next town or fortress would bring as many are populated by both dark magic and also witches, elves, and dwarves that are slightly off and disturbing. Or in some cases extremely off and disturbing.

Another aspect that really clicked with me was the whole "let's get the band back together" vibe. It reminded me a lot of Nicholas Eames' Kings of the Wyld. Part of what made this story so great was how faced with a potential new threat Aelfric has to travel around and work hard to assemble The Nine Heroes again, and let's say some are more challenging than others to get on board. Complacency is real apparently when it comes to once legendary heroes.

THE SWORD DEFIANT satisfies on so so many different levels and it really kept me transfixed throughout. If you enjoy fantasy that doesn't infodump or spoon-feed you to death, then you really should check out Gareth Hanrahan's books and this one in particular. Edge of your seat adventure, vile and unmerciful antagonists, a dark and mysterious world, macabre creatures straight out of your nightmares, and that trademark strange (in a good way) edge that is the backbone of every Hanrahan story. This is an absolute must read for every fantasy aficionado. Get your preorders in now because you don't want to waste a single moment plunging into this one once it is officially published.

So this book had Wonderful World building a great cast of characters and some very visceral action scenes a lot better than his previous books in my opinion I don't have nothing bad to say about it it's a great fantasy story no spoilers for me but you'll get a kick out of the sword and one the protagonist relationship, some great dark comedy going on

This eARC was given to me through Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is definitely one of the best novels I was NOT expecting this year! Having read Hanrahan's previous trilogy (the Black Iron Legacy) he has been an author I check on for future works to be coming out. Somehow I missed this one on my regular radar, and found it through Netgalley. It doesn't state it clearly, but this is probably going to be at least a two, possibly three, book series, and is certainly what I would consider an epic fantasy story.

In many ways, this makes me think of the LOTR series by Tolkien. I would liken it in the way that thirty years have passed since the completion of the Fellowship's mission, and one of the group is trying to get the group together to fight a new threat because they are the champions of the realm. It's definitely a good D&D type feel ... magical weapons, sorcerers, vampiric elves, wood elves, humans, dwarves, and a slew of histories and cultures spread out amongst them all. Hanrahan has done a wonderful job creating this world, including some maps, with multiple cultures, backgrounds, languages, and history. The MC being a human, shows signs of aging, indifference, regret - so many different feelings, as I could only imagine one would feel having 'lived the life' the author told. I felt drawn to the humanness of this character. Typically, the attitudes of some of the other races in the story were similar to how I picture them (ie. elves haughty, dwarves being loud, and demanding, etc).

Overall this is a well-written novel and I am anxious for a follow-up(s) though I am sure I may be waiting quite some time if it is to match the quality of this first book.

Loved reading the book. It was great from start to finish. I loved the world-building. The systems of magic. The characters were real and genuine to me. I can't wait to read the next one.

This was a bit of a slow starter for me for whatever reason but soon enough became a page-turner, and now I'm sad I need to wait for the second volume in the series. I saw the author say something to the effect he was going 'full Tolkien' here; for me it felt a little more rooted in D&D/Dragonlance and all the RPGs (and some fantasy series) that made use of the Tolkien 'races' and Tolkieny lore. Whatever the case the fact is the author knows Tolkien and those inspired by J.R.R. down to the bone and the worldbuilding here is first rate - intriguing, evocative, and with pay offs in this first book in a series. The plot kept me guessing and wanting more; I'm quite eager to see where the story continues. Highly recommended.

A GREAT thanks to Gareth & Tor for the chance to read this book.

First book I've read by Gareth and I enjoyed it greatly. I will definitely be reading more by him.

I read the description but was still a little unsure how he would tackle the "typical" fantasy story and tropes. The story sets off in an Inn & began Introducing a Dungeons&Dragons style group of nine that included paladins, wizards, dwarves, elfs...and well Alf...but that's where the similarities end.

Alf or Aelfric, begins the story through memories, and interacting with the previous nine who had to take on the task of ruling after defeating the dark lord and taking over his city.

Alf, his wisecracking, demon sword that he's been tasked to babysit & the remainder of the nine may have a new task...

Read the book to enjoy the twists and extraordinarily imagined deconstruction & rebuilding in Gareth's ideals, of fantasy.

You'll be glad you did.

Thank you to Orbit books for this epic opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is available May 2, 2023.

Yessssss! This is how you write high fantasy! The danger, the adventure! The characters were great. The story was hitting from every angle! Oh my good god I will be buying this book once it comes out

The MC was one of a group of nine champions that had vanquished the necromancer overlord and his minions twenty plus years ago. Now significantly older, more tired and much more achy, he is out of sorts. His state of mind is aggravated by the sword he carries. It was the necromancer's treacherous weapon, and it is sentient, bloodthirsty and untrustworthy. He can't just set it aside since it will entice another to wield it. And now there are whispers of new evil afoot.

At first this story was very difficult to become absorbed in. The MC's name is Aelfric, but his nickname is Alf. Everytime I came across his nickname I was thrown back in time to that eighties sitcom! That finally stopped happening to me by the time I was halfway through. Another snag was determining the lay of the land, so to speak. We learn about the previous events via the MC's reminiscing as he wanders about, or sometimes through conversations. It wasn't until he started to meet up with the members of his former heroic band that things became much more interesting, and this didn't happen until the 15-17% mark. That's when I really started to enjoy the book in earnest.

I loved following along with these unconventional characters! I was right there with Alf trying to read their motivations. But most of all I enjoyed reading about a mature cast. Most stories feature characters that are composed of the young, energetic and beautiful. It's really refreshing to come across an older generation.

My gosh, this book is so dense! There are many different races, legends and beliefs. The story is very complex, and there is a rich history deftly woven into the tale. The main city's description is extremely vivid; it gives off dark vibes like a palpable threat. I had never read anything written by this author before, but that's going to change! Recommended for those that enjoy a hefty and highly-detailed fantasy.

The Sword Defiant is, as the author says, a deconstruction of traditional fantasy. What that means for this book is that it does away with romanticized ideals and keeps most everything else. At various times throughout the book it's explicitly stated that this isn't how the story is supposed to go. How you feel about that may be the most important determinant for your enjoyment. To be clear, this isn't parody or satire, though it does have comedic moments. It's a serious and sincere attempt at providing a traditional fantasy story minus the feel-good assurances. By traditional fantasy I mean there are humans, elves, dwarves, and a host of fantastical creatures. There's an adventuring party, a dark lord, a talking sword, healing potions, magic, and a farm boy who has become a hero. It even starts in a tavern. Much of what can be expected from traditional fantasy is here, though its presentation differs.

Fifteen years ago a band of nine adventurers defeated the Dark Lord and took control of Necrad, the city that was his base of operations. That's where most stories would end, even though their lives and the world continue on. Alf is a human swordsman on the wrong side of forty-five and hasn't quite known what to do with himself ever since their victory. He's the keeper of Spellbreaker, a sentient sword that nullifies magic and was forged by one of the greatest elven smiths then empowered by the Dark Lord. It implores him to slaughter, provides comedic relief, and tells everyone what they don't want to hear. Spellbreaker is my favorite character in the book and one of the best talking weapons I've ever come across. There are also dream visions, which Alf dislikes, that have him seek out the one who gives him a prophecy, which he distrusts, of a rising evil. Thus he sets out on a new adventure to discover and defeat whatever it is that imperils the world, because at least he has a purpose again for his life. The other viewpoint character is his sister, Olva, who doesn't want to be involved, let alone have Derwyn, her son, be involved, in anything other than their life on the farm. Unfortunately for her, events transpire that force her to adventure as well, where she becomes far more involved than she could have ever imagined.

The eight other adventurers aren't faring much better, because this is their lives as they are now, and really always were, because life isn't how it goes in the songs and the stories. It's only in retrospect that can one can see the greater context of their life, and even then much remains unknown for why and how events came to pass. However, the understanding of that context may yet entirely change depending on what has yet to occur. The same can be said of this book's twists and turns that by the end seem to set the course for the trilogy, but I wouldn't be surprised if some later reveal provides an entirely different direction.