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sarahwriteaway's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is an unusual mixture of the quick-moving, high tension, action of sword fights with complex social and relationship issues that might seem more at home in literary fiction.
Our two protagonists are John, a swordsman who fights to settle the petty squabbles of the nobility, and Edwin, a neurodivergent student, who relies on a drug known as ‘Ash’ to calm his severe anxiety.
This is a second world fantasy, but with only a sprinkling of magic. The swordplay and system of Lords and Lordesses with names like Proud and Triumph feels medieval, but other aspects had more of a 17th or 18th century vibe for me: the monarchy have been overthrown, belief in magic has withered, and while belief in the ‘nailed god’ techically drives all legal decisions, it feels more like resignation than true faith. The world is also queer normative - the only thing people seem to find odd about John and Edwin’s relationship is their differing social status.
John and Edwin live completely separate lives during the day and come together at night, but not for scenes of smouldering passion for the most part - John is too tired (relatable). The relationship is sometimes loving, sometimes toxic. There were times when I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to root for them to be together or not. They just don’t talk, and when their plot lines do converge the reader can spot it way before they do.
Ultimately, the book was an interesting journey with both characters, but I found John’s storyline had more pace and direction than Edwin’s. The social change Edwin and his friend Audrey manage to enact seems to fade into the background of John’s struggles and I would have enjoyed seeing that foregrounded more in Edwin’s sections, creating more forward motion alongside the introspection. Still, it was an enjoyable rude and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for fantasy that’s a little different from the norm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
maisierosereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Read my full review on my blog!
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC so that I could share my honest review! How could I resist a book described as having gay swordsmen and angsty disabled scholars?
The main two characters of this novel are John Chronicle and Edwin Gaunt, and the chapters alternate between their perspectives. John is a swordsman surviving poverty by fighting on behalf of Lordess Triumph. His boyfriend Edwin is a bisexual autistic university student with OCD. The Sword in the Street not only follows them as John fights to get out of poverty and Edwin works to improve the structure of their society, it also focuses on their attempts to improve themselves and their (far from 100% healthy) relationship.
Caplan’s writing style is straightforward and action-focused, and I’d say that the overall pacing is medium-to-fast as a result. This style worked particularly well during John’s duels; if you like blow-by-blow structured combat, you will appreciate these.
There were a few aspects of the worldbuilding which I liked. There doesn’t seem to be any societal homophobia – John and Edwin do not hide their relationship and are affectionate in public at times, but this does not put them in any danger. I also really liked the concept of thaumatergy (magic) through sigil work, and how this is potentially linked to the characters’ surnames; I hope this is explored in more depth in the sequel Caplan is currently writing, as it was quite a small aspect of The Sword in the Street. I’ve seen other people compare the worldbuilding in this book to that in Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, but haven’t read Swordspoint myself to be able to talk about the similarities and differences.
Since it was the main thing that drew me to the book, I’d be remiss to not talk about the OCD representation! Through the chapters written from Edwin’s perspective, we see the internal aspects of neurodivergence which don’t always come across in media, such as his intrusive thoughts and the effects they have on him. The nature of intrusive thoughts does mean that this is not always a particularly comfortable book to read, and I would strongly encourage readers to check the content warnings I’ve listed above. Edwin uses a drug called Ash to manage his symptoms, which seems to function in much the same way as an SSRI (the main type of medication prescribed for OCD), complete with risks of withdrawal side effects. One notable difference between Edwin’s Ash and my citalopram, though, is that Ash also leads to the user having a magically enhanced sense of smell – I think it would send me straight into sensory overload, but I completely understand why Edwin takes it anyway! In addition to his OCD Edwin is autistic, which is also clear in the chapters from his perspective. I liked that Caplan included details like Edwin’s special interests (plays). Unlike a lot of autistic characters in adult media, Edwin is also very much not desexualised; he seems to have obsessions and compulsions relating to his sexual relationship with John, and this is one of the issues explored in their relationship.
I would have personally liked a few of elements of this book to be explored in more depth for a more definite conclusion in this book, but I can see how this might have been done in order to carry the plot and themes of this book through into the sequel. My other main issue with this book is that while none of the characters are perfect, I found the presentation of John’s patron, Lordess Triumph, very uncomfortable. Her appearance as a physically disabled woman is linked heavily to her personality flaws from the moment she is introduced, in a way which I think could have been omitted entirely or addressed more in the text.
Overall, I think The Sword in the Street is a good start to C.M. Caplan’s debut series, and I am sure it will fit right into many readers’ wheelhouses.
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC so that I could share my honest review! How could I resist a book described as having gay swordsmen and angsty disabled scholars?
The main two characters of this novel are John Chronicle and Edwin Gaunt, and the chapters alternate between their perspectives. John is a swordsman surviving poverty by fighting on behalf of Lordess Triumph. His boyfriend Edwin is a bisexual autistic university student with OCD. The Sword in the Street not only follows them as John fights to get out of poverty and Edwin works to improve the structure of their society, it also focuses on their attempts to improve themselves and their (far from 100% healthy) relationship.
Caplan’s writing style is straightforward and action-focused, and I’d say that the overall pacing is medium-to-fast as a result. This style worked particularly well during John’s duels; if you like blow-by-blow structured combat, you will appreciate these.
There were a few aspects of the worldbuilding which I liked. There doesn’t seem to be any societal homophobia – John and Edwin do not hide their relationship and are affectionate in public at times, but this does not put them in any danger. I also really liked the concept of thaumatergy (magic) through sigil work, and how this is potentially linked to the characters’ surnames; I hope this is explored in more depth in the sequel Caplan is currently writing, as it was quite a small aspect of The Sword in the Street. I’ve seen other people compare the worldbuilding in this book to that in Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, but haven’t read Swordspoint myself to be able to talk about the similarities and differences.
Since it was the main thing that drew me to the book, I’d be remiss to not talk about the OCD representation! Through the chapters written from Edwin’s perspective, we see the internal aspects of neurodivergence which don’t always come across in media, such as his intrusive thoughts and the effects they have on him. The nature of intrusive thoughts does mean that this is not always a particularly comfortable book to read, and I would strongly encourage readers to check the content warnings I’ve listed above. Edwin uses a drug called Ash to manage his symptoms, which seems to function in much the same way as an SSRI (the main type of medication prescribed for OCD), complete with risks of withdrawal side effects. One notable difference between Edwin’s Ash and my citalopram, though, is that Ash also leads to the user having a magically enhanced sense of smell – I think it would send me straight into sensory overload, but I completely understand why Edwin takes it anyway! In addition to his OCD Edwin is autistic, which is also clear in the chapters from his perspective. I liked that Caplan included details like Edwin’s special interests (plays). Unlike a lot of autistic characters in adult media, Edwin is also very much not desexualised; he seems to have obsessions and compulsions relating to his sexual relationship with John, and this is one of the issues explored in their relationship.
I would have personally liked a few of elements of this book to be explored in more depth for a more definite conclusion in this book, but I can see how this might have been done in order to carry the plot and themes of this book through into the sequel. My other main issue with this book is that while none of the characters are perfect, I found the presentation of John’s patron, Lordess Triumph, very uncomfortable. Her appearance as a physically disabled woman is linked heavily to her personality flaws from the moment she is introduced, in a way which I think could have been omitted entirely or addressed more in the text.
Overall, I think The Sword in the Street is a good start to C.M. Caplan’s debut series, and I am sure it will fit right into many readers’ wheelhouses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
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