The Bard's Blade (The Sorcerer's Song, #1)

by Brian D. Anderson

The Bard's Blade is the start of the new Sorcerer's Song fantasy adventure series from Brian D. Anderson, bestselling author of The Godling Chronicles and Dragonvein.

Mariyah enjoys a simple life in Vylari, a land magically sealed off from the outside world, where fear and hatred are all but unknown. There she's a renowned wine maker and her betrothed, Lem, is a musician of rare talent. Their destiny has never been in question. Whatever life brings, they will face it together.

Then a stranger crosses the wards into Vylari for the first time in centuries, bringing a dark prophecy that forces Lem and Mariyah down separate paths. How far will they have to go to stop a rising darkness and save their home? And how much of themselves will they have to give up along the way?

• ISBN10: 1250214645
• ISBN13: 9781250214645
• Publish Date: 1 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Bard's Blade is the first book in a new fantasy series by Brian D. Anderson. Released 28th Jan 2020 from Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 432 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a coming of age fantasy set in two disparate worlds with enough page content to explore its themes against a much larger background of ethnicity, religion/zealotry, magic, xenophobia, propaganda, politics, and philosophy. If that seems like a very large (overwhelming) list, it is, and the characters do tend to get a little lost in the tumult.

The writing is nearly flawless. The scenes are technically well put together with a number of interwoven plot threads which are intertwining more and more as the book progresses toward a richly drawn central plot theme. The world building is exceptionally detailed with the almost Brigadoon-like Vylari being literally veiled magically from the Lamorians on the other side of the barrier.

The story is told from the two alternating storyline PoVs of the main characters whose lives take very different paths when they leave Vylaria and enter Lamoria. About 30% of the first book is used to segue into the second (and further) books. The plot is all about the long game. For fans of strictly battle based epic fantasy, this one might not fit the bill. There are no chapter-long war descriptions or campaigns as such, at least not in this first book.

Four stars. I was impressed with the plotting and writing. I'm looking forward to the next book(s) to find out what comes next.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Bard’s Blade through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Bard’s Blade is the first novel in a brand new series by Brian D. Anderson. This series is called The Sorcerer’s Song, and is understandably setting a theme, one of a musical inclination. This is a fantasy series, one that flips tropes and expectations.
Lem and Mariyah may not know it just yet – but they are about to go off on a wild adventure. Their reasons for going will be very different, as will their path. For you see, these two lovers will be following different paths.
Lem is the most talented musician around, and that’s being modest. His talents have allowed him to travel far and wide, even if he really would prefer to just stay home near Mariyah. But his talent – and destiny – call him onward.
Mariyah is the daughter of a winemaker, though it’s no secret that she’s the brains behind the operation at this point. She’s content with her lot in life. Especially with Lem by her side. That is, until he gets some news that changes everything for them.

“Never allow the wickedness of others to dictate who you are.”

The Bard’s Blade was a fast-paced and highly entertaining read. It sent our leading characters all over the map, chasing and running from one adventure to the next. Seeing their travels made for a very fascinating read, through and through.
The world created in The Bard’s Blade is a fascinating one. I found myself desperate to learn and see more of it within two chapters. And that feeling stayed the whole way through, an impressive feat. I’m happily looking forward to the sequel already, for that very reason. I loved the magical system, the different cities, and the border itself (which you’ll quickly learn about if you give this book a try).
This novel used switching perspectives (with Lem and Mariyah being two of the dominant points of view) in order to tell the story. I loved that, as it allowed me to see more of this world, the character involves, and the messes they seemed to keep getting themselves into.
What I loved the most about this novel is how it subverted expectations and prophecies. This isn’t a typical bard tale – though I couldn’t help but think “I got a four!” once or twice while I was reading (couldn’t resist the OOTS reference there, sorry!). It was in fact something completely different from what I expected, and I mean that in the best of ways. And that is truly saying something since I was expecting something fun and different from the beginning.
Okay, that might have been the thing I liked second best. What I enjoyed the most was how much The Bard’s Blade surprised me. I couldn’t predict anything that was going to happen in this book – for good or for bad. And that made for a highly entertaining read.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks