Book Review: Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

[juushika]

Title: Swordspoint
Author: Ellen Kushner
Published: New York: Arbor House, 1987
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 269
Total Page Count: 52,813
Text Number: 154
Read For: mrkgnao's recommendation, checked out from the library
Short review: Richard St Vier is a master swordsman living with his lover Alec in Riverside, a twisted district inhabited by beggars and thieves. St Vier hires out his services to the aristocracy that live up on the Hill, where both political gain and personal spite may inspire a man to contract a murderer. A pair of job offers draws St Vier into a web of schemes and intrigue, wherein a dozen characters struggle against each other, each with everything to gain and his own life to lose. Although Swordspoint contains no fantasy except for its setting, Kushner nonetheless weaves a fairytale. Her characters, sword master and madman, political figure and young aristocrat, are vividly conceived. Their complex, conflicting motivations that create the plot, which is a careful balance between intrigue and passion. The book's conclusion seems a bit too simple for such a complex story, but all told this is wonderful book, clever and romantic in equal measures, and I recommend it.

Swordspoint takes a few pages to come into itself—not because Kushner begins slowly, but rather because she begins at a run, swift with action and intrigue, and it takes the reader a little while to catch up. Once he does, however, the book becomes a joy to read—provided that the reader has an appetite for courtly intrigue and bloody swordfights, because Kushner embraces both with a passion. As one of the original "fantasies of manners," the book is foundational in that respect. The plot weaves a dense maze, but it is never illogical or impossible to follow, nor does it ever overwhelm the other aspects of the book. In fact, the plot is largely driven by the conflicting forces of its characters. All of these characters are vividly imagined, even where the image is unsavory. They err just on the side of fairy tale greatness, large and brightly colored, but never become unbelievable—a compromise that makes them both ideal and real.

Characters are driven by their own motivations, and these motives build the plot, pulling unlikely allies and enemies together. Kushner balances cunning intrigue against heartfelt passion, another successful compromise that enlivens the intelligent thrill of haughty personalities and careful schemes with baser human instinct and passion, such that the reader is never distanced from the story. These various balancing acts are the result of skillful writing, and Swordspoint is a joy to read: intelligent and bloodied, artistic and romantic. Given all of these factors, the book's conclusion is somewhat of a let down. It's certainly not bad, but against the complex plot it's just too simple. The book begs a bigger finale with some romantic suffering and—given that the protagonist is a swordsman for hire—a bit more blood.

All told, however, the conclusion is the only drawback, and hardly a major complaint at that. Swordspoint is a great novel. Vivid, passionate, and brilliant, it is a fairy tale driven not by magic but by the power of its characters. It's a fulfilling read for fans of fantasy of manners—and as a foundational novel for the mini-genre, required reading as well. I'm glad that I received this recommendation, because I enjoyed the book have already picked up the sequel to read next. I recommend the book to fans of fantasy and of other genres alike.

Review posted here on Amazon.com.

I'm finally caught up on reviews! For the next day or so before I finish another book, but still—this is something to be proud of.