Brian Plunkett reviewed The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
The Bright Sword (4.5 Stars)
4 stars
This was just as good as everyone said (see Bookmarks). It is long, but to me it never felt like a slog. It also has a fair amount of violence, but apparently I have a much higher tolerance for sword and sorcery-type violence than for gun violence. It's exciting, funny and very well written. The magical battle between Nimue and Merlin had me on the edge of my seat, and that chapter also provided one of my favorite quotes: It was his soul that had been lost, and like so many who'd lost their souls, he had to insist the bargain was worth it and show contempt for those who still had theirs. I really enjoyed getting the backstory for Nimue and each of the knights. Although it's fantasy, it touches on serious/current issues (e.g., diversity, mental health and immigration), and I appreciated that. Excellent storytelling, and I thought …
This was just as good as everyone said (see Bookmarks). It is long, but to me it never felt like a slog. It also has a fair amount of violence, but apparently I have a much higher tolerance for sword and sorcery-type violence than for gun violence. It's exciting, funny and very well written. The magical battle between Nimue and Merlin had me on the edge of my seat, and that chapter also provided one of my favorite quotes: It was his soul that had been lost, and like so many who'd lost their souls, he had to insist the bargain was worth it and show contempt for those who still had theirs. I really enjoyed getting the backstory for Nimue and each of the knights. Although it's fantasy, it touches on serious/current issues (e.g., diversity, mental health and immigration), and I appreciated that. Excellent storytelling, and I thought the audiobook narration by Nicholas Guy Smith was great as well.