I don’t think I have ever read a historical fiction novel set in the Eastern Roman Empire in the late 5th Century. In fact, I cannot think of a single novel that has explored this era. When I was invited to read this novel, I was a little nervous because this era is not one I know anything about, and I feared I would be walking into this story blind, but thankfully, Cynthia Ripley Miller has understood the dilemma of her readers and made this historical backdrop, although rich in the telling, easy to get to grips with.
The story is about a fictional relic—The Sword of King David. But what makes this relic slightly different is that it is cursed and only the “chosen one” can wield the weapon successfully. However, for those who have the sword in their possession they can very easily become obsessed with it, whether they are chosen or not. Unfortunately, if the sword deems you unworthy, it will bring you nothing but heartache and death. I really liked the concept of a sacred sword. It reminded me a little of Tolkien’s novels, minus the whole Middle Earth idea.
The sword comes in to the possession of Emperor Flavius Valerius Marcian. He decides that the safest thing to do with the sword is to take it to Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. However, getting the sword to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will require a special kind of person. One who will not draw attention to themselves, and so he asks his late son’s wife and her new husband to take the weapon to its final resting place. And thus, the adventure begins; and what a thrilling adventure it is. It is a story of good verses evil, political corruption (the sword really belongs to the Jews, but they don’t get a look in) and surprisingly, it is also about forgiveness, which was something I was not expecting.
Death stalks the sword and even when it is in Arria and Garic’s safe keeping, death surrounds them because although they are trying to remain inconspicuous, the word is out that the sword is on the move, and this sword is worth a king’s ransom, so there are many people who would do anything to get their hands on it and then sell it to the highest bidder.
I thought the author approached the telling of this story in a really intuitive way. Instead of just seeing things from Arria’s perspective, we also get an insight into those who want to steal the sword. I thought this rounded perspective really made this story all the more realistic in the telling.
The story is incredibly fast paced and the pages simply flew by as I lost myself in the story. This is the kind of novel that is easy to read but difficult to forget. A real page turner.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and favorable review. It's much appreciated!
ReplyDelete