Cassandra Clare has sold over 50 million books worldwide. In this house we’re big fans of the Magisterium series (co-written with Holly Black), so when I was given the opportunity to read Clare’s first adult fantasy novel, Sword Catcher, I leapt at the chance!
What Is Sword Catcher?
In the time-honoured tradition of fantasy writing, Sword Catcher is a brick of novel and the first book in a series. It is set in the walled city of Castellane, in a world that bears a resemblance to our own during the medieval time period. It’s a classic swords and sorcery setting. Only Sword Catcher has no sorcery. Magic was expunged countless years before during “The Sundering;” the culmination of a battle between powerful sorcerer kings and a besieged queen.
All that remains are a few cantrips and glimmers; a shadow of the old powers, wielded by just one group of people. A pariah race, the Ashkar. The Ashkar are a diasporic people who live everywhere but are welcome nowhere. They live within a ghetto in Castallane where they are tolerated, not least because of the skill of their healers. Lin is one such healer; likely to be the greatest of her generation. Spurred on by her love for a dying friend, she’ll leave no healing art untried. During her investigations, Lin finds comes into the possession of a mysterious artefact that may well be a link back to the Ashkar’s magical past.
Far from the Ashkar enclave in status is the royal palace; home of Kel and Conor. Conor is the prince of Castellane, Kel, his “Sword Catcher.” Removed from an orphanage as a boy, because of his resemblance to Conor, it is Kel’s job to protect the Prince. To stand in for him, if the situation demands it. In a time when political unrest is rife, Kel finds himself not only having to protect Conor from physical danger, but he must also try to remain two steps aheads of the Crown’s political enemies too.
In a tale filled with intrigue, plots and counter-plots, Kel finds himself caught in web between two rival factions of Castellane’s criminal underworld, as well as unseen players with in the Court who want to see the Royal Family laid low. As he navigates the city trying to unravel schemes within schemes, he finds himself regularly crossing paths with Lin. Are their destinies intertwined, and are they destined to save or doom Castellane?
Why Read Sword Catcher?
I’ll start by saying I found Sword Catcher a bit patchy. I did enjoy it and would definitely recommend it, particularly if you enjoy political fantasy but the book weighs in at a fraction under 600 pages and there were times when I wish it cut the to the chase a little quicker.
Sword Catcher is at its finest when Kel and/or Lin were in pursuit of the novel’s secret plotters. There are a number of great set pieces and reveals, that lure the reader in and keep us hooked to find out what is rotten at the heart of Castellane. The ensemble cast is great. Not only Conor, Lin, and Kel, but the various nobles, city criminals, and the denizens of the Ashkar ghetto, add together to make a rich confection for the reader to consume.
The city as a character is something of a cliche in book reviewing terms, but here, the different aspects of Castellane do add a great deal to the novel. The world-building in the book is excellent. It draws on real-world history to give it added strength but the city of Castellane and the wider world in which it exists feel real, with the different factions and countries making a meaningful addition to the decisions made by the novel’s characters.
This is none more so exemplified than by the Ashkar, whose existence draw heavily from the experiences of European Jews. This reconfiguration is artfully done and simultaneously promotes sympathy for the Ashkar, whilst also highlighting injustice and prejudice in own world. The treatment of the Ashkar in Sword Catcher demonstrates the destructive power of misinformation and the nonsense of mistrust based on nothing but legend.
Despite the novel being 600 pages, having finished it, I am left with the curious feeling that a lot of it was setting the scene for what is to come. Of all the characters, Lin probably travels the furthest. Her story arc is compelling, and was left on a cliffhanger that I can’t wait to discover the resolution for. Similarly the story of Kel, Conor, and Castellane, hangs in the balance. The book builds to a climax, with an explosive finale, but as the smoke clears, a deeper plot is revealed and I was left with the feeling that, so far, what I had witnessed was the mere shuffling of pawns. The real power grab is coming in book 2.
This left with me feeling a little cheated. So many pages read, and yet much of it just scene setting and assembling pieces, ready for the full attack. Having said that, I find myself keen to find out just what exactly is going on. The depth of the world building and the interplay between the characters in Sword Catcher may have meant for a slower-paced read, but it also has left me invested in the kingdom and its citizens. I have come to know Lin and Kel, fallen for the charms of Castellane, and even have a grudging admiration for its criminals. I want to know what forces are set against them, and more importantly, I want them to succeed. Sword Catcher, then, is a slow burner, but a novel that burns with a bright flame.
If you would like to pick up a copy of Sword Catcher you can do so here, in the US, and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
