Reviews

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

platypusinplaid's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring

5.0

AUDREY'S ONE-SENTENCE BOOK REVIEWS

POV your eccentric uncle, the Mad Duke, has DECEIVED you into exploring your gender and sexuality by signing you up for swordfighting lessons and gifting you a backstage pass to a takarazuka show

sapphic_book_dragon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

saluki's review against another edition

4.0

The Melodrama of Manners continues a generation after Swordspoint closes. Katherine Campion Talbert is delivered to her notorious uncle Alec Campion's Tremontaine estate with youthful romantic notions of coming-out into society at balls and finding the handsome suitor of her dreams. But the Mad Duke has other ideas. Katherine is to learn the sword so she begins to learn sword techniques... reluctantly. Little is she aware of the adventurous and independent course cut out for her.

Alec's character is fleshed out more in this novel. He's perceived as mad but there is method to his madness. He thumbs his nose at society and appears to live in decadent eccentricity but is he truly mad or uncommonly clever? He does try to save those he cares about from oppressive society ideals in a strange round-about way. I love that we find out everything about Alec as he flits between Tremontaine and Riverside, and of course Richard, through the course of this book.

Katherine is dressed as a man but it isn't the usual gender-bending comedy of manners because it's nearly always obvious she is a young woman irregardless of her clothing, especially after her first famous duel. Rather than a young woman's coming-out we experience her coming of age in a time where women are severely restricted and have few options. Katherine is given choice in her role as swordsman especially after she finds her favourite story, "The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death", has an upcoming theatrical production. I love metafiction and this framed narrative device reflects the differences between fiction and reality as well as social appearances versus reality. It's interesting how the readers, or the plays audience, react differently to the story and it's effect on their future actions. For Katherine it is a turning point. She is no longer in her own Regency Romance. There is a lot of symbolism of privilege... but of course us readers care more about the privilege of the sword. The Sword is power and I was excited to find out who Katherine would champion with that power.

We not only encounter Alec who I liked much more in his maturity even though he's still a trial to family and society, but we learn more of his lover Richard St Vier, the previously self-exiled Michael Godwin and the Duke's bitter enemy Lord Ferris. Unresolved plots from Swordspoint come to fruition. But this doesn't read as a sequel as such because it's clearly Katherine's experiences, so it can be read without reading Swordspoint first. For me, this novel is better. There is more comedy, more commentary about honour, more likeable characters and a few we love to hate, and a distinct learning curve both mentally and physically for our protagonist Katherine. I found myself caring about secondary characters; the Ugly Girl Flavia, Teresa Grey the Black Rose, Katherine's two close friends Lady Artemisia and Marcus, far more than I did in the first book. But most parental figures left little to be admired.

And, the swordsmanship was excellent.

Have to say the beginning was a little slow but it's one of those novels that deserves rereading for the depth of it's social intrigue, sexual politics and complex themes. I hadn't expected the outcome... but it was great, if a little hurried.

Thoroughly enjoyed this audio experience. The main narrators Ellen Kushner and Barbara Rosenblat, and the cast in the illuminated key scenes, are all wonderful voice actors.

This felt much more like an Austen writing fantasy with swords and Katherine is a believable protagonist with her youthful dreaming and feisty personality.

Liked it, a lot.

soinavoice's review against another edition

5.0

Thoroughly enjoyable! I agree with the reviewers who said they ending felt a bit rushed, and the author seems to have a thing for letting major storylines peter out or leaving them unresolved (Michael Godwin's in Swordspoint, Artemesia and the Black Rose's in this one) but all and all really energetic and engaging. Great characters, great world.

sebisges's review against another edition

Alec is such a dick.

lexxluthor's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

stolencapybara's review against another edition

4.0

What I love most about Kushner is how she never ceases to subvert the reader's expectations. Took me a while to get into, but my, what a splendid read. Her characters live in my head now.

debchan's review against another edition

4.0

more riverside!

katherine's progression was amazing. her inability to understand her role in society and her want to stay in dresses and drop the sword to her understanding of how women were treated and standing up to the male dominance that plagued the nobles and training to be fluent in the sword!
and i know i loved her journey and though her character was shady sometimes, she really flourished under richard st. vier. no surprise there.
katherine's and alec's views of richard are vastly different, and i think that katherine sometimes understands richard better than alec does. but alec really tries and although he has the emotional caring avuncular capacity of a rock, we can see that at least he tried.

why didn't we get more time with richard and alec? of course we want more of them; they're the stars of riverside and this whole series.

finlaaaay's review against another edition

3.0

I much preferred the first book in this series to this one. It was still good, of course - the story of a girl trying to become a swordsman, so it's got quite a lot of gender-bending. And it still has all the high-society stuff from the first book. But I got distracted by the sound effects added to the audiobook, I'm afraid. They added to the first book more than to this one. Also, shifting from some scenes played by a cast, to others narrated entirely by Kushner was confusing. I did quite love the voice of the other narrator, incidentally, the one that narrates the casted scenes. Kushner is indeed good at narration, but the other narrator is like warm androgynous syrup. I thought she should have read the entire book. I could lose myself in that voice.

I might read the next book instead of listening to it. But I'd also quite like to go back and listen to the first one again, actually. Also, I've seen online that Kushner has been collaborating with a bunch of other authors to write sequels to this, so I'm tempted to try that.

meganclancy's review against another edition

4.0

This is such a charming book. It's fantasy, but not high fantasy, and the emotions, actions, and thoughts that Katherine experiences are grounded and realistic. I especially like that Katherine encounters characters who vary in their sexual experience and preference, and that they are treated without judgement. It can be read without reading the earlier book about some of the same characters, Swordspoint (which is also excellent).