I tries reading this several times and I really wanted to love it. It gave tolkien vibes which i love but it just didn’t work for me.
It had all the elements of a great story but i was just bored and jumping to the different povs made the story feel disconnected and lack the build up and character development

This is a Netgalley ask that if I’d known more, I’d have never made.

I have a very low tolerance for fantasy stories that consciously feel like fantasy – meeting in taverns like you’re a D&D party – and for that to work for me, they need to be a warm-hearted adventure. Which this isn’t.

Nothing in the opening few pages told me to stick the course after stumbling onto a concept that doesn’t click with me, so I exited quickly.

This is a brilliant book. I had this on an eARC but saved myself for the Inkstone Special edition.

Readers of D&D and mythology should read the blurb and see if this appeals to them. It did to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan takes a simple premise and makes it dark. What happens when the dark lord is defeated and all the people who defeated him are slowly corrupted by the power he leaves in his wake. It didn't always hit the mark for me, but I enjoyed the ride.

We follow Aelfric, the stalwart commoner sidekick of the group of heroes that managed to defeat the dark lord and end his reign of terror. After a brush with death he takes a two year sojourn across the country only to return and find that his fast friends aren't so friendly anymore, and the body of both the dark lord and the noble paladin who defeated him are missing from their protected tomb.

There's also Olva, his sister whose life is turned upside down when her teen son learns of his uncle's exploits and leaves to follow in his footsteps. Fearing for his safety she enlists the help of a scoundrel and tries to hunt him down before anything bad can befall him.

Hanrahan has a way with settings, building something this time dark and oozing with mystery and corruption, while feeling familiar enough to classic fantasy stories (especially Lord of the Rings) to have a special twistedness to it. This certainly isn't the first 'what happens after the dark lord is defeated, I'll give you a hint, it's not that everyone lives happily ever after' story by any means, but it does a good job of both being its own thing and giving homage to the most prominent stories of this style.

I did find however that the plot was pretty slow to get going - this is in part the nature of the protagonist and the type of story involved. It's a mystery, where some vague dark threat is rising, and Aelfric is tasked with gathering back his fellowship and defeating it. Unfortunately, Aelfric couldn't reason his way out of a paper bag, the most intellect he posses being in the form of an evil talking sword. And thus he stumbles his way into and out of trouble, almost making more of a mess of things than if he never tried at all. Olva also meanders her way along, completely unprepared for the dangers on the road.

I could have done with more characters to love - neither of the protagonists truly grabbed me and the majority of the side characters were different flavours of terrible personalities. That feels purposeful - Aelf never quite knows who to trust until close to the end - but it was a negative for me.

I never quite felt the heady heights of the Black Iron Gods series here, although there was plenty to enjoy. Definitely one for those who enjoy the darker side of fantasy, and well worth checking out if you want a twisted take on some classic fantasy elements.

The Sword Defiant is a gritty fantasy novel that takes a wonderfully fresh approach to the Quest Against the Dark Lord.

You know the one - a powerful wielder of magic stretches out his withered arm over the land, threatening all.

The Strong don't recognise the threat, or are diverted by their rivalries, so it falls to a band of lowly adventurers to bring down the evil through their endurance, mutual loyalty, courage and guile.

Once they do this, the evil vanquished, all can live in peace and freedom.

Well, not here. Hanging his story off a stray line of Tolkien - in which, if I recall correctly, JRRT was rather testily pointing out that Lord of the Rings was not an allegory of WWII: if it had been, the Ring would have been used "and Barad-dûr would not have been destroyed but occupied"- this book doesn't focus on the Quest - though there are flashbacks and we hear some of the legends, ridiculously embellished, recounted - but on the aftermath.

Twenty years after the Nine defeated Lord Bone, his city of Necrad is occupied by the League (Elves, Dwarves and Men in uneasy alliance) but also still inhabited by Witch Elves, Wraiths, Vatlings and other servants of Lord Bone - many of them resentful and nostalgic for the good old days. Rather than Bone's sorcery having been destroyed, magical secrets are hoarded by the League, and so also openly (though illegally) traded.

The Nine have fared variously. Magician Blaise has taken Bone's tower and studies his secrets. Thief Berys runs her own smuggling racket. Aelfric (Alf), the swordsman, stays in Necrad to fight the horrors living in the pits below it until, numbed by the horrors he saw there, he drifts off into the wilderness, carrying Bone's sword, a thing of evil which whispers to him incessantly.

The story gets moving when Alf's nephew, Derwyn, discovers who his uncle - the hero told of in countless legends and songs - was, and sets out to find him, trailed by his mother Olva, Alf''s sister, and her dog Cu. So, we have an Unexpected Journey here, and Hanrahan drops a number of other knowing Middle-Earth references which made me smile - allusions to a foreign country where the stars are strange, for example, and a frustrated dwarf who wonders if the lore she seeks may appear in lettering only visible by moonlight (though, Torun asks herself, what would be the point of that?)

More seriously, there clearly is a threat brewing but it's not yet clear what. And the team that won through twenty years ago is not what it was - fractured by rivalries, weariness and the temptations of peace. We're seeing things from wildly different perspectives - those of the world-weary Alf, the inexperienced but shrewd Olva and the star-struck Derwyn. It's possible they are all missing the point, somewhat, but the variety of outlooks allows Hanrahan a nuance of approach here which acknowledges that, well, the world just isn't simple. There isn't a single enemy at least not yet, and the fallout of the previous conflict has left a more or less colonial situation in the North where the oppressed Wilder are being driven off their land while the Witch Elves are sullenly resentful of their subjugation. I mean it as praise, but this is really a book where social policy and political compromise matter - especially if renewed war is to be averted.

But in a world where the earlier may have taken its toll, but is remembered rather in glorious in songs and stories, the easiest approach may always seem to be the sword with eager young knights ready to take up their weapons and earn their own songs. (In fact some of them are rather underwhelmed when they finally meet Alf - he's definitely not the Hero they expected).

It is a complex, subtle and morally chewy story which addresses head on a range of issues often - for perfectly good reasons - left out of classic fantasy, and Hanrahan really delivers on the concept, creating a believable and liveable world.

I'm eager what the next book - Lands of the Firstborn - has in store!

If I was in a certain frame of mind, I could be cynical about Gareth’s new Fantasy novel. It could be said that it is ‘typical’ Fantasy, (whatever that means). After all, there’s dwarves, elves, swordsmen (and a talking sword, thank you Mike Moorcock), mercenaries, gods, thieves and wizards, not to mention taverns, ships, libraries… in fact, most of the characters and places you would expect out of a <em>Dungeons and Dragons</em> box set. (I have learned since reading this novel that Gareth’s previous employment was in D&amp;D games design - which makes sense.)

It is therefore not a book you’d score points for on originality. BUT, and it’s a big BUT…. for someone’s first Fantasy read or someone who just likes Fantasy, it ticks all the boxes. You may go into it knowing what to expect…. but it is well done.

In a book like this it’s all about the characters, and I find that whether you like them or not determines how much you enjoy the novel. The story is focused on Alf – that’s Aelfric, one of the Nine Heroes that destroyed Lord Bone and his city of Necrad nine years ago. These days Alf has the burden of carrying the evil speaking sword, Spellbreaker, a totem forged by the Witch Elves who clearly owes a lot to Elric’s Stormbringer and others like it. Once allied to the Dark Lord, Spellbreaker is now made to do Alf’s bidding – although this is often by no means a happy pact.

When Alf is summoned by Jan, who used to be one of the group and is now the Illuminated One, Priestess of the Intercessors, Alf is requested to get who is left of the band back together in order to face a new peril, a darkness rising. With Spellbreaker, he then goes off to find Berys the Thief, Blaise the Wizard, Gundan the Dwarf, Princess Laerlyn of the Wood Elves, Lath the Changeling, and Thurn of the Wilder Folk in order to defeat this unknown threat. This involves returning back to the cursed city of Necrad, Lord Bone’s old capital, and dealing with things that have gone awry after the triumph of The Nine there.

You can just see the board being set up, can’t you?

The plot is pretty much set up in the first thirty or so pages. Much of the book is Alf getting the group together again – and many have changed, not all are willing – and then dealing with the danger by the end. There’s a sub-plot involving Olva, Alf’s estranged sister and his young cousin Derwyn, who leaves Olva determined to find adventure, which leads to Olva meeting the faeries currently estranged from the alliance keeping the cursed city of Necrad alive.

Originality aside, I found myself in the first fifty pages quickly immersed in the characters and the setting. We have magic through the Blaise the wizard, battle action through Alf the barbarian and Grumpy – sorry, Gundan the dwarf, mysticism through Jan and earth-power through Laerlyn and the elves. The themes of loyalty and fellowship, honour, duty, betrayal and treachery are all here too. It pretty much stick to the traditional templates that the premise would suggest. Think <em>D&amp;D</em> meets L<em>ord of the Rings</em> with a touch of Games Workshop’s <em>Warhammer</em> added and you’ve pretty much got the idea here.

<em>The Sword Defiant</em> is unpretentious and un-self-conscious, a book that revels in the trappings of Fantasy and, most importantly, celebrates them.

Having set these up, the book then begins to unpick the tropes. It doesn’t always stick to the traditional template that the initial premise would suggest. Alf is old and wishing for retirement. The Nine, far from being united and ruling in peace and in harmony, are in fact squabbling and at loggerheads with each other.  Now that they have the peace, they find holding it is perhaps harder. The city of Necrad is rather like Brandon Sanderson’s <em>Elantris</em> in that it is cursed, and filled with arcane and unholy relics of the past war. There are still deep divisions between the creatures there, with the servants of Lord Bone having to pay severe repatriations, and areas of the city still very dangerous.

My main issue was that the pacing seemed off, and that at 576 pages it was a little too long. After a brisk start, it slowed down in the middle quite a bit before picking up the rather quick battle at the end. I was a little disappointed that the ending was a cliff-hanger just to serve the setting up of the next book, although there was a certain degree of closure.

Sometimes you just need a book that gives you what you expected. To decry the book as unoriginal rather misses the point. This is a book that you can sit down with and be entertained, with no pretentions, no attempt to redefine the genre, no musing on literary style or allegory, no attempt to be at least as dark and as gory as the next grimdark tome. It’s just entertaining and that can sometimes be enough. As it is here.

<em>The Sword Defiant</em> takes the usual tropes of Fantasy and turns them into a well-done read that is highly entertaining, in the first part of a series that will give many fans exactly what they want and expect. It may be your next best Fantasy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I had to dnf this. I only got a few chapters in, but it just didn’t do it for me. I’m sure it’ll find its audience though.

I loved The Black Iron Legacy, a series that talked to my heart and made me love a gritty and complex world.
I was a bit wary about The Sword Defiant for two reasons: I didn't want to be disappointed and I know that Gareth Hanrahan is an excellent storyteller and I recently read other books with similar plot.
I am happy because I was wrong and this is another gritty and gripping fantasy novel, dark and entertaining.
I can't wait to read the next one, this one is highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I did not finish this book. I have read 30% of it, given or taken.
Usually, I am a big fan of books that talk about "what happens after". Usually, we have a war, we have a villain and when all is done, the war is won and the villain defeated well, what happens then? I really really love books that start with this idea. And I am also a fan of talking swords or weapons. They are just that nice touch that adds something to the story, and usually, they have a great sense of humor.
But this book, even if in theory should have all that I could possibly ask of it, wasn't the right fit for me. And the main problem is simply that this is quite bleak. And depressing. And I am not in the right mind space to enjoy something like that.
I love some good grim fantasy, from time to time, but I need some sense of humor, even if black or morbid, in there. A touch of self-deprecating irony or something along these lines. And here all of those were missing, even if from time to time it was possible to glint the possibility of it. But it was not enough for me. I tried because the story sounds pretty interesting, and Aelfric is an interesting MC, but he and his talking sword are not enough for me.

While it did have good world building. It was a bit slow in places. First like the pacing was up and down and all over the place. Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of it because of how the pacing of the book was.

Tenía mucha curiosidad por leer el nuevo libro de Gareth Hanrahan, situado en un mundo distinto al de su saga The Black Iron Legacy, que me encanta. Con The Sword Defiant el irlandés opta por una historia y un entorno mucho más convencional, por lo que para mí, a pesar de estar bien escrito resulta algo menos atractivo que sus otras obras.


La obra está estructurada en dos puntos de vista protagonizados por dos hermanos, pero son dos personajes radicalmente opuestos. Mientras que Sir Aelfric es un caballero honrado por todos por su participación en la derrota del señor oscuro de turno su hermana no ha salido prácticamente nunca de su pueblo. La historia está situada años después de la misión que le otorgó la fama tanto a él como a sus compañeros, en un tono que recuerda tanto Kings of the Wyld como en Redemption’s Blade, de otros autores apreciados en este blog.

La presencia de una espada maldita parlanchina le da una chispa extra a la novela, agilizando los diálogos y ejerciendo de “Pepito Grillo”, de conciencia externa del Aelfric, si aceptamos que el objetivo primordial de la espada es calmar su sed de sangre, lo cual puede que haga que sus opiniones no sean totalmente imparciales.

El bestiario del que hace uso Hanrahan tiene una mayoría de criaturas bastante convencionales, como elfos y enanos, pero con un giro extra para salirse del camino habitual. Los elfos son longevos, pero no inmortales, y ante ellos se abre la tesitura de acabar sus días a lo David el Gnomo unidos a un árbol o una existencia mucho mas siniestra como vampiros.

Tiene bastante importancia el desarrollo de las intrigas políticas y cómo se va llevando a cabo el relevo generacional en los humanos, cuyas cortas vidas son como fogonazos en comparación con la existencia del resto de las criaturas. Pero precisamente por eso, su influencia parece ser más notoria.

En resumen, The Sword Defiant es una fantasía bastante clásica, con algunos elementos novedosos que le permiten destacar ligeramente, pero que no llega a la altura de las novelas anteriores del autor, al menos en cuanto a construcción de mundo y originalidad. No dudo de que leeré el siguiente, pero lo espero con menos interés que la siguiente entrega de The Black Iron Legacy, que debe estar al caer.

The Sword Defiant has everything any fantasy reader would want. Set in a dark world, twenty years after The Nine had slain the Dark Lord and taken over the city of Necrad, Alf, or Lord Lammergeier, finds he's lost in the memories of the past. He carries the sword (an evil, rather stubborn talking sword!) that protects it's wielder as it thirsts for blood. His sister, Olva has seen her brother for years, but when someone comes to give her a message from her hero brother and her son goes in search of his illustrious uncle, Olva is dragged into a war she wants no part of..

The whole world building with this novel is refreshing and new, yet still within what we know as familiar. The city of Necrad is dark and filled with many strange and horrific creatures, all vying for their little bit of the city.

Hanrahan has created a huge cast of brilliant and intriguing characters. Alf, labelled a hero and still with one foot in the past, dreams of recreating the old days, bringing the Nine back together for one last great adventure against the forces of darkness. There are elves, dwarves, wizards, dragons and other strange creatures.

This was a truly engrossing novel which I really enjoyed. A real must for anyone who loves dark fantasy. I'm truly looking forward to book 2 in the series. Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in return for an honest review.

One of the things I’ve loved learning as I read is how books are always in subtle conversation with other books. There can be tribute; criticism and like music variations on other themes. Genre evolve over time as we do and reflect ever changing tastes and perspectives. In Gareth Hanrahan’s very impressive The Sword Defiant we get a poem about Nine heroes defeating a great enemy and it’s written by Sir Rheul. An interesting name that may make fantasy readers prick their ears but this tale is not a dodgy facsimile of fantasy’s classics but both a love letter and evolution of the epic fantasy novel.

Everyone knows the tale of the Nine. Young heroes human and elvish; warrior, thief and magical. Who fought a dark power known as Lord Bone for over a decade. Eventually at the cost of the greatest he was defeated; his fortress city Necrad taken and to save the world from his various magical creations now overrun by the Nine and other powers. A brave warrior of the Nine Aelfric (better known as Alf and dislikes his nick name of The Lammergeier) has after twenty years decided to get out of Necrad and seek something but not sure what. His only companion the dread black magic sword known as Spellbreaker. He is is eventually told a prophecy of a new darkness arising and so back to Necrad to meet the remaining Nine and the new leaders fo the world he goes but danger lurks there and also to his family far away.

Throw in Nine heroes, groups of all sorts of powers and a big black magical sword and seasoned fantasy readers may initially feel we’ve seen this before but hold on a minute you’re in for a surprise. This story does indeed give us as background the kind of stories that made countless trilogies and long running series. But Hanrahan is asking a more interesting question - what happens next. Now recently Grimdark would say it all turns to what gets pumped into rivers but Hanrahan pleasingly takes a more balanced view. Sone things got better but eternal peace and love is rarely going actually be together. Sometimes you have to have to do it all again to keep the peace.

What we have in the core plotline is Alf - the standard farm boy turned warrior turned Hero. But he is now middle aged; skilled, bright but weary, scarred and still carrying pain of that previous battle. He is the reluctant hero who hasn’t time for politics and leadership. He just wants to be back with his band and back to work. But now time is passing. We slowly meet the Nine and time has moved everyone on; they’re have responsibilities - his former wily thief Berys is now a CrimeLord; geeky wizard Blaine now a scholar forever seeking knowledge and his best friend and argumentative dwarf Gundan is perhaps a little too keen to do things the way they did things in the older days rather than make friends and influence people. Heroes are here symbols but not always who they used to be. It’s not simply people being greedy and evil just perhaps no longer the right people at the right time. This creates a lot of conflict for Alf as he tried to persuade and investigate what is the new threat. When we finally find it we find a much more powerful force has been unleashed.

I really enjoyed the world Hanrahan creates. Necrad is Barad-Dir mixed with various infernal inventions; wraiths of dead elves, vat created monsters and the odd vampires elf for good measure. The Nine have tried to save it and keep the dangerous stuff out of the wrong hands but how long can anyone be that lucky. It’s a wonderful dark, messy, dangerous and very eldritch city no one can ever be safe in. Once we get out in the world we see more fractures between communities and everything is on the edge. It just needs the wrong words to push it and chaos returns.

Now Hanrahan is not simply about creating a sequel with all the own cast. The story introduces the kinds of characters the old tales tended to avoid. In particular Alf’s sister Olva; the one he very much left behind and ignored who had her own life and finds her son is in search of his heroic uncle. Easily Olva would have stayed at home but here she goes on a quest too to find her son (not save the world) and gets mixed up with crime gangs and elvish politics and picks up a dwarf woman who wants to be a wizard in the form of Torun. Something the world doesn’t believe possible. It’s great to see a tale where we get twentyfirst capable female characters who have different templates to enjoy. They also in their story expose a lot more of the hidden plots this story wraps around.

Throw in dragons, monsters, possibly evil swords and elves out for revenge then the story is always moving. A slight reservation is there is a lot of positioning in the middle half of the tale (a standard part of any first book in a fantasy series) but I really enjoyed how Hanrahan plays with reader’s expectations. It’s a story not afraid to subvert and the choices made really work.

The Sword Defiant is an epic tale of how no world stands still forever. New battles will be required and the former warriors may no longer be set placed to aid them. That doesn’t mean you stop trying; it doesn’t mean you give in or give up. You persuade, fight and perhaps a new set of friends will come in. The book ends on a fascinating set of new revelations that suggest more upsets are to come. I will be very much there for them. Highly recommended!

Received arc from Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
This is a big book,centering around Alf an aging hero and Olva, who is looking for her son.
Two great characters and such a brilliantly written story.But my favourite character was a sword!!;)
There are so many great things about this story and so many great things to take from it to carry on into book 2.
My only concern was that the story seemed to slow down a lot and it gets bigger down in some of the scenes, but all in all a great read.

Gareth Hanrahan's "The Sword Defiant" is an epic and immersive adventure that slashes through the boundaries of traditional fantasy.

Hanrahan's prose wields the power of a master swordsman, delivering vivid descriptions that transport readers into a world teeming with magic and danger. The pages pulse with action, drawing readers into thrilling battles and heart-pounding quests.

"The Sword Defiant" introduces a cast of captivating characters, each with their own unique struggles and strengths. Their journeys intertwine in a tapestry of alliances and betrayals, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Hanrahan's world-building is a triumph, seamlessly blending intricate lore with imaginative landscapes. From towering citadels to treacherous wilderness, the settings breathe with life.

This enthralling tale of bravery and destiny will enchant fantasy enthusiasts seeking an unforgettable journey.

This is the first novel by Hanrahan that I have read and, although I don’t think it’s a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, it didn’t really grip my imagination. It felt rather generic in places.

The story follows Aelfric, a weary and worn character who helped save the world twenty years previously and his sister, Olva, who is looking for her son who has been kidnapped. Both storylines were fine, Aelfric’s was obviously the more interesting of the two, and they end up converging in a very satisfying way.

Hanrahan is obviously a fan of Tolkien and I mostly enjoyed his attempt at the, “what happens after the heroes have completed their quest” trope. It does work well for the most part but it doesn’t really feel like it’s bringing anything new to the table.

I did really enjoy the evil sword though. I have no idea why but sentient inanimate objects always amuse me, especially when they have a tendency to argue back with the main character.

The plot started well but started to drag in the middle before picking up again at the end. There were some parts that I felt could have been edited down because the plot gets away from itself at times and my mind started to wander when I was feeling a little bored.

All in all, The Sword Defiant was fine. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t awful. I just felt like it was a little too safe in its execution. There’s too much talking and not enough action and it stops it from standing out amongst all the other fantasy novels out there. Maybe my expectations were a little too high since the blurb made it sound amazing but the book just wasn’t quite there. It’s not bad, but I don’t think I would have paid to read it either.

The Sword Defiant is the first book in the Lands of the Firstborn series by Gareth Hanrahan.

I am a big fan of the Black Iron Legacy series by Gareth Hanrahan and when I heard he had a new fantasy series coming out I was excited. Thanks to #netgalley and #orbitbooks for the ARC of The Sword Defiant

I thoroughly enjoyed The Sword Defiant. It was a blast to read and really scratched my epic fantasy itch.

The plot centres on Aelfric and his sister Olva. Aelfric is one of a group of heroes known as the Nine who defeated the Dark Lord years ago and who has agreed to take on the cursed sword Spellbreaker (an evil sentient sword) and the charge to keep the monsters of Necrad (the Dark Lord's city) from getting out. Olva is Alf's sister who hasn't seen her brother since he left for adventuring and has only heard the stories of him since. She disdains his life of adventure but when her son is taken, she takes off on her own adventure to save him.

The characters were all well written, be it the POV characters of Olva and Aelfric or the secondary ones. One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was a main character who is middle aged and feeling it. Seeing Alf go through life and finding things harder that when he was younger was something I could sympathise with.

The world building was superb. The author has built a great world for his story and the different peoples and creatures fit so well. The city of Necrad where a lot of the story takes place felt so fleshed out and the politics of the city played nicely into the rest of the story. Through the story of Olva and Alf we get to see more of the word as well and their different perspectives on the world they inhabit.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend for any fans of Epic Fantasy and those who like their world building. I would also recommend for anyone who likes to imagine what happens to adventurers after the heroic quest if over.

As someone who consumes an ungodly quantity of TTRPG content, and someone who knew that Gareth Hanrahan is a game designer, I went into this expecting to have something of a classic adventuring party feeling with a twist - and I am so pleased to have broadly been right. The twist being that this is many years after the adventuring party defeated the big boss and since then they've started to maybe drift away from one another and in some cases drift towards some things that makes *them* seem a little bit iffy.
I was worried in some ways that this book would feel a bit 'macho' as many fantasy books with a man holding a sword on the cover can do - I needn't have worried as not only are the male characters in this book more than just sword-swingers but also there is a secondary plot following an older female character which was not only an interesting story in it's own right but also brought out elements of the other plotline - seeing the fantasy hero through another lens.
I loved this book, I found it immensely readable, with a creative world with a great mix of real world emotion and fantasy world...fantasy! Have you ever wondered what a necromancer's city would be like after the main necromancer got killed? Wonder no more!
I have so far loved every single Gareth Hanrahan book that has been released and I am very excited to see what comes next both in this series and in general.

Plot
The blurb for this one really drew me in. I'm a sucker for old crews/companies getting back together to see a job done, despite all being past their prime. It's a trope that will never fail to grab my attention and get me reading.
The Sword Defiant feels a lot like Lord of the Rings mixed with a grimdark D&D campaign. A fellowship of nine characters of all races and trades (man, elf, dwarf, wizard, paladin, thief, changling, barbarian, and priestess) who once defeated a dark lord in a dark tower in a dark land, along with host of corrupted creatures. It's your typical high fantasy story archetype. Except this all happened long ago and the Nine have settled into comfortable lives. All except Alf, who can't seem to settle at all. On learning a prophecy that the darkness is returning, he goes seeking the Nine once more.

This book has a really strong start. It sets up Alf as a hero and his motivations very well. It held my attention for a good long while. However, once I hit the halfway point, I started to realise that not a lot had actually happened. The middle meanders far too much. The compelling mystery of who opened the tomb was solved rather anticlimactically, with the mystery of the witch assassin taking its place. A mystery that wasn't nearly as interesting and did little to drive the narrative forward. This was also solved and began another mystery, and so forth. The story definitely found its pace again towards the end and finished on a decently satisfying high note.

The book's main problem is its length. Too often nowadays, fantasy books are bloated to 600 pages or more when really they only need to be between 400 - 500 pages. I feel this could be a lot tighter and a more succinct story if some of this was shaved off, but on the whole, I found it a compelling story and I enjoyed the read.

I was quite unsurprised when reading the afterword at the end to discover, according to the author, that this book is heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings and tabletop gaming. You can really tell, but without it ever feeling like a copy.

Characters
So I know the Fellowship of the Ring had nine companions, but unless you're going to explore all of those characters and give them all some form of growth, it might be best to trim the cast. Nine is just too many important characters to know so little about. I knew Alf. I felt comfortable with him as the MC and he worked really well. In fact, he gave me Geralt of Rivia vibes. He had the grumpy monster hunter thing going on. But the rest of his company felt very surface level. I knew only very basic stuff about them, and nothing deeper.

Gundan was great. I loved the foul-mouthed, quick-to-brawl dwarf. But did I feel like I actually knew him? Unfortunately not.

Olva, Alf's sister, is also strangely a large part of the story. Much like Alf's POV, I initially enjoyed her quest, but also like Alf's, it meandered too much and in the end I just started to lose interest and not care whether she ever for Derwyn or not. Her story didn't get interesting. I actually kind of hated how little she seemed to care about her dog, Cu. Like seriously. You can't let your character be neglectful towards a dog and expect readers to be cool with them. Too often Cu would get injured and Olva would just run away and leave him to eventually limp his way back to her. Want to make her likeable? Make her pick the damn dog up before she runs. For the majority of Olva's chapters, I was more concerned about how Cu was. You can't include a good boy and not expect readers to favour him. You just can't.

Setting
When I requested this book for Netgalley, I did so on the strength of the blurb. It was only after I began that I realised it was written by Gareth Hanrahan. I was immediately excited. I read the Gutter Prayer last year and was thoroughly impressed with the world-building. Hanrahan knows how to create something that feels vast, lived-in, and quintessentially fantasy.
The world within The Sword Defiant is no exception. This world is the very definition of high fantasy.

From the vast, sweeping landscapes to the range of different races and fantastical creatures. This is really where Hanrahan shines most.

Writing Style
Much like the Gutter Prayer, I found the writing really solid. Strong description of the world that didn't overstay their welcome but provided just enough for me to paint a picture. Would've liked a few more descriptions of the characters. It was hard to picture the all at times.
The battles and fight scenes were also great. Love a good, epic battle.
All in all, very strong writing.

Final Impression
This is a great read, if not an unnecessarily long one. I'd recommend it to LotR fans, Witcher fans, and D&D fans. If you're big on those three, you'll get a lot out of this book. It does seem there'll be a sequel and I'm as yet undecided if I'll pick it up. While this book has an interesting ending, I'm not sure there's enough of an incentive there to make me hungry for more, not enough of a open plot thread to make speculate where it could go next. Things were pretty much wrapped up here. There's not much of a hint as to what the next conflict could be, but who knows? Maybe I'll fancy it by the time it's out.