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A review by kaje_harper
Sword Dance by A.J. Demas
5.0
A slow-developing fantasy romance set in an alternate-history quasi-Greek/Roman era. The characters were very engaging, particularly Damiskos, an older, world-weary ex-soldier dealing with the loss of a promising career. He has personal strengths that don't only apply on the battlefield, but at first this new assignment doesn't look like it will require them. Then violence and mysteries begin to change the shape of what seemed like a pointless assignment.
As Damiskos tries to figure out what is going on, who is on what side, and even how many sides there are, he's also trying to put his attraction to the eunuch sword-dancer Varazda into perspective. It would be a clear mistake to discount Varazda, for all his gender-ambiguous presentation and apparent lightminded decorativeness. And though many of the guests treat their hostess Nione who owns the villa as a prize to be won, Damiskos knows she is more than that.
This is a fun, although slow-building, mystery of sorts that has a lot of relevant things to say about gender roles and equality and privilege and cults and followership, wrapped in the adventure and the back-story. There is a solid HFN ending, but it's listed as part of a series and I'm looking forward to the next one.
As Damiskos tries to figure out what is going on, who is on what side, and even how many sides there are, he's also trying to put his attraction to the eunuch sword-dancer Varazda into perspective. It would be a clear mistake to discount Varazda, for all his gender-ambiguous presentation and apparent lightminded decorativeness. And though many of the guests treat their hostess Nione who owns the villa as a prize to be won, Damiskos knows she is more than that.
This is a fun, although slow-building, mystery of sorts that has a lot of relevant things to say about gender roles and equality and privilege and cults and followership, wrapped in the adventure and the back-story. There is a solid HFN ending, but it's listed as part of a series and I'm looking forward to the next one.