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A review by ericderoulet
A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I wrote a detailed treatment of Anna Smith Spark's A Woman of the Sword for Typebar Magazine: https://www.typebarmagazine.com/2024/03/24/finding-space-for-the-literary-in-fantasy-a-reflection-on-a-woman-of-the-sword
In essence: Smith Spark's dreamy prose and her story told through the perspective of Lidae, a mother and a veteran who struggles who has never fully adapted to her civilian and domestic life, make this an uncommon piece of fantasy that's absolutely worth reading. The unconventional plotting and treatment of the very human protagonist's motivation, plus Lidae's from-the-ground perspective in what would otherwise be epic fantasy, constitute what I think are unique strengths of the novel, but these features may be turnoffs for consumers of more conventional high/epic fantasy. Still, it doesn't hurt for fantasy readers to broaden the types of literature they're exposed to, and those who think they orefer "literary" fiction over genre will find much to appreciate here.
There are occasional issues with editing (and the novel deserved a better treatment from its publisher in this respect), though the language that some readers find confusing is intentional more often than not. I find the book is unmissable in spite of a few small flaws, and this was probably my favorite read of 2024.
In essence: Smith Spark's dreamy prose and her story told through the perspective of Lidae, a mother and a veteran who struggles who has never fully adapted to her civilian and domestic life, make this an uncommon piece of fantasy that's absolutely worth reading. The unconventional plotting and treatment of the very human protagonist's motivation, plus Lidae's from-the-ground perspective in what would otherwise be epic fantasy, constitute what I think are unique strengths of the novel, but these features may be turnoffs for consumers of more conventional high/epic fantasy. Still, it doesn't hurt for fantasy readers to broaden the types of literature they're exposed to, and those who think they orefer "literary" fiction over genre will find much to appreciate here.
There are occasional issues with editing (and the novel deserved a better treatment from its publisher in this respect), though the language that some readers find confusing is intentional more often than not. I find the book is unmissable in spite of a few small flaws, and this was probably my favorite read of 2024.