Review: Daggerbound, by T. Kingfisher
| Series: |
Swordheart #2 |
| Publisher: |
Bramble |
| Copyright: |
2026 |
| ISBN: |
1-250-40009-0 |
| Format: |
Kindle |
| Pages: |
436 |
Daggerbound is a secondary-world fantasy and a sequel to
Swordheart, although it follows
different protagonists for most of the book. It's also a sort of sequel to
the Clocktaur War duology in that one of the
protagonists was a protagonist of those books. T. Kingfisher is the pen
name Ursula Vernon uses for her adult fiction.
Learned Edmond was once a devout acolyte of the Order of the Many-Armed
God and a true believer in its teachings, including the ones about the
evils of women. Then he went on an adventure with, among other people, a
forger named Mistress Slate, during which he learned a great deal of
things about the world that his order did not teach him. He has spent the
subsequent years trying to bring this important new information to his
order and encourage them to adjust their view of the world accordingly.
The order has not changed, and Edmond is very tired.
Someone needs to carry a number of books and a magical sword to the city
of Archon's Glory. Edmond has volunteered and intends to perform the task
exactly as expected, and then never return. He is unsure what he will do
then, but at least it will be different.
Edmond did not expect to be waylaid by bandits or to accidentally draw the
magical sword. He certainly did not expect the man who appeared in a flash
of light and violently saved him from the bandits.
It would have been very convenient for the Dervish if Edmond died of his
injuries after drawing the sword. That would leave the sword without a
wielder and therefore the Dervish without someone he had to protect. All
he would have to do was sit and watch while the fever and cold and lack of
water did the work, and then he would be free. Given his past experience
with wielders, no one could even blame him. Except maybe his own
conscience.
I did not realize I wanted to read a novel about a traumatized Mercedes
Lackey sword waking up in a T. Kingfisher universe, but apparently I did.
The Dervish is not a sword, precisely, at least not in the way that
Need has become by the time we meet her in
Lackey's novels. He's a man trapped in a sword, he doesn't like it, and he
would very much like it to stop. But at the start of the book, he has the
rest of the vibe of a Mercedes Lackey protagonist: vast past trauma, poor
emotional regulation skills, and a prickly cynicism that only runs skin
deep. Pairing him with an Edmund who is far more mature than in the
earlier duology but still rather innocent and delightfully neurodivergent
is a great touch.
The rest of the plot was fine but not that memorable. Like the Clocktaur
series, there is a strong feeling of episodic D&D adventure as the
characters stumble across disconnected problems and hostilities while
collecting party members. Like Ursula Vernon's occasional D&D recaps, this
party has a tendency to adopt everyone they come in contact with, which
includes a gnole (as always one of the best parts of the book) and a
sentient giant pill bug. The pill bug, who has a complex
appendage-operated mechanical talk box and a banner that says "I DO NOT
EAT HUMAN MEAT," is the most Ursula Vernon character that has ever existed
in fiction.
There is a romance because there is always a romance in the novels set in
this universe. I didn't mind this one. Like every Kingfisher romance, it
involves a lot of irritating refusal to communicate and endless angst
about how the other person couldn't possibly be in love with them, but the
characters have rather more justification than usual and at least I didn't
spend most of the book thinking one half of the romantic pairing was an
idiot. Apparently it helps if no paladins are involved.
The strongest parts of this book are the beginning, before the Lackey
vibes unfortunately drain out of the story, and the end, when all of the
best characters from Swordheart show up again. The Temple of the
White Rat continues to be the best feature of this fictional universe, and
I could read endless books about how they solve problems.
The Dervish gazed at her with admiration. "And here I thought you'd be
on the side of law and order..."
"No, young man," said Beartongue, despite being several centuries his
junior. "I am on the side of justice. If we're lucky, the two run in
parallel. If they don't, we bend the law to attain justice, not the
other way around."
The ending also featured some exploration of the edge cases of the rules
for the sentient swords that reminded me a bit of
Fred Saberhagen with better characterization.
Daggerbound was not as charming as Swordheart, mostly
because Halla appeared only at the end. I wish Kingfisher had leaned more
into the Mercedes Lackey vibes rather than taking her normal D&D-flavored
romance approach. But this was enjoyable, charming at times, had great
supporting characters like all Kingfisher novels, and was a satisfying
continuation of the series. I am looking forward to the third (and I
believe final) book, which is supposed to be out next year.
Recommended if you liked Swordheart.
Followed by the not-yet-published Shieldborn.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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