published 1996; paperback 1996, Harper

Kingmaker's Sword gets my award for Stupidest Cover Blurb of 1996: "Destiny is like a sword. It will cut you if you grip it by the blade." (Huh?) But don't judge this book by its cover. Kingmaker's Sword, the first book in the Rune Blade Trilogy, is an enjoyable if somewhat lightweight sword-and-sorcery tale that features entertaining characters who jazz up an otherwise predictable storyline.

Mouse is a resourceful slave who escapes gelding and manages to foil his pursuit by burning down the guard barracks on his erstwhile master's estate. When his pursuers do catch up to him, Mouse's tail is pulled out of the fire by Cullin, a Tyr (read Celtic) warrior who takes him on as a companion. It is revealed that Mouse is truly a Tyr, and his name is Kian dav Leydon dav Medroch. Kian is Cullin's nephew and the grandson of a Tyran Clan Laird.

In keeping with the fantasy motif of the nondescript, downtrodden servant who finds out that he is heir to unknown powers, Kian also learns that he has magic at his disposal, a genetic bonus from his mysterious mother Twyla. Through an altercation in which he bests a bounty hunter, Kian gains a magical sword that bonds to him and grants him access to his untrained abilities. To top it off, a young swordswoman named Kerridwen al Jorddyn turns up and tells Kian he might be much more than the grandson of a lord: he might also be the grandson, and thus the direct heir, of the Prince of Skai.

To Marston's credit, while leading the reader down this well-worn path she manages to create some interesting scenery to walk past. Kian, unlike many heroes who find themselves in such a position, is not at all thrilled. He doesn't like magic, doesn't want royal power, and is content to live his life as a hired sword, guarding merchant trains with his uncle and foster-father Cullin. Being the foster-son of a lord's younger son is quite grand enough for Kian, who spent his childhood thinking he had no family at all, much less a royal one.

Kerridwen is something of a stereotypical warrior maiden, especially at first, except that unlike many of her fantasy sisters she can fight competently and without fuss. Many fantasy stories poke fun at fighting women and their protestations that men don't need to help them (e.g. Eddings' Belgariad series, in which a princess who decides to go to war is portrayed as a Barbie doll with tastefully accessorized armor), but Cullin and Kian quickly learn to accept Kerridwen as a comrade, not a burden. An obligatory love-hate romance, however, springs up between Kerridwen and Kian, who have formed an accidental but unbreakable soul bond.

Cullin too is someone we've seen before, but it's hard to get tired of a character like him. He's open-hearted, generous, a fierce and deadly fighter, and has a sense of humor. He's the sort of guy you'd like to spend an evening drinking with, if you don't mind getting into an occasional barroom brawl.

It's not difficult at all to spend some time reading about the adventures of Kian, Kerridwen, and Cullin. In fact, as a Tyran might say, it's a verra pleasant, bonny read.

Review by Sara Lipowitz
Reviewed March 2, 1997

ISBN 0-06-105629-4

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