The Sword Defiant cover art

The Sword Defiant

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

 'Hanrahan's outstanding first outing in the Lands of the Firstborn series will thrill fantasy readers' Booklist, starred review

THE SWORD CARES NOT WHO IT CUTS

Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing the Dark Lord's cursed weapons, along with his dread city of Necrad. That was the easy part.

Now, when Aelfric - keeper of the cursed sword Spellbreaker - learns of a new and terrifying threat, he seeks the nine heroes once again. But they are wandering adventurers no longer. Yesterday's eager heroes are today's weary leaders - and some have turned to the darkness, becoming monsters themselves.

If there's one thing Aelfric knows, it's slaying monsters. Even if they used to be his friends.

Set in a world of dark myth and dangerous prophecy, The Sword Defiant launches an epic tale of daring warriors, living weapons and bloodthirsty vengeance.

'The front runner for my book of the year . . . The Sword Defiant is a love letter to roleplaying games, to Tolkien, to what epic fantasy has been about for me through my whole life. I adored this book from the first page to the last. Hanrahan has taken the best of the old, the best of the last two decades, and then brought it screaming into the modern era. Fans of Gemmell and Abercrombie need this on their shelves'
Ed McDonald, author of Blackwing

'Both a love letter and evolution of the epic fantasy novel . . . The Sword Defiant is an epic tale of how no world stands still forever . . . Highly recommended!
Run Along the Shelves

'Hanrahan is one of the best in the business at creating fantasy worlds that feel alive . . . I'll read any book that Gareth Hanrahan writes'
The Fantasy Inn©2023 Gareth Hanrahan Action & Adventure Dark Fantasy Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Mythology

Critic reviews

The front runner for my book of the year . . . The Sword Defiant is a love letter to roleplaying games, to Tolkien, to what epic fantasy has been about for me through my whole life. I adored this book from the first page to the last. Hanrahan has taken the best of the old, the best of the last two decades, and then brought it screaming into the modern era. Fans of Gemmell and Abercrombie need this on their shelves. (Ed McDonald, author of BLACKWING)
Hanrahan's outstanding first outing in the Lands of the Firstborn series will thrill fantasy readers (BOOKLIST (starred review))
A gloriously gritty adventure through Hanrahan's astonishing imagination (Peter McLean, author of PRIEST OF BONES)
Hanrahan's RPG roots are clear, but it's the incredible depth of his imagination that make his world and story unique. He takes traditional characters and settings, throws in his own unique and monstrous creations and builds something completely fresh. Simultaneously familiar and completely original, The Sword Defiant is a treat for all fantasy fans, and especially for RPG players. It's an absolute blast. (Justin Lee Anderson, author of THE LOST WAR)
I loved every page. With The Sword Defiant, Hanrahan takes all of my favourite fantasy tropes and infuses them with creativity and vigour. The characters were unforgettable. Best of all, by the final page, I felt like I'd been on a true adventure (Brian Naslund, author of BLOOD OF AN EXILE)
A slow-burning epic of faith and betrayal that explores what happens to heroes when the adventures are over and the lines between good and evil are no longer so clear-cut . . . This novel has the potential to become a fan-favourite among those who appreciate vast and eloquent epic fantasy. Readers will enjoy the unique twists, absorbing intrigue and endearing characters (LIBRARY JOURNAL)
In the tradition of Tolkien and Eddings, with a richly detailed narrative, well-drawn characters, epic battles, and political and religious intrigues, Hanrahan's outstanding first outing in the Lands of the Firstborn series will thrill fantasy readers - who will anxiously await the next book (BOOKLIST)
Gritty and rousing . . . Hanrahan creates fully realized environments with rich histories (BOOKPAGE (starred review))
Hanrahan is one of the best in the business at creating fantasy worlds that feel alive . . . It's a world that takes familiar fantasy archetypes, and turns them into cool characters with big personalities . . . I'll say it again - I'll read any book that Gareth Hanrahan writes (THE FANTASY INN)
Both a love letter and evolution of the epic fantasy novel . . . The Sword Defiant is an epic tale of how no world stands still forever . . . Highly recommended! (RUN ALONG THE SHELVES)
All stars
Most relevant
You'll like this if you want to vibe along with a couple of main characters on their quest to work out what the hell is going on in Necromancer City.

How sassy is your sword?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A great story exploring what happens after the heroes win . How happily after could be a nightmare.

It presents the world and the people in it well enough

The protagonists are interesting and well rounded.

It feels like a story with grit and struggle

worth a buy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the story is good and interesting but the characters need a bit of development. Alf's struggle with life AFTER the once in a generation adventure and what happens after the exciting parts of history is an interesting one. Few people have explored this in depth so yes it's a good story. the warrior character, (high strength and endurance but low intelligence) is also one that is rarely explored as a solo act, warriors on their own in fantasy world's tend to get everything explained to them so having one stumble with life on his own makes him seem vulnerable and it's a good spin.

The problem is all he does is moan about days gone by and how he doesn't understand what is going on. There is no real character development there. Rather than grow or adapt or think he just keeps doing the same old thing and it gets tiring listening to it.

The same happens with his sister, she leaves home and it's perceived safety for the first time, chasing off after her son (which is why in most fantasies the hero is an orphan I suppose) and it is a perspective I've not come across before. But she learns that she has potential to become and do more and all she can think about is dragging the boy back home. this attitude never changes. It makes the characters seem one dimensional.

The only character who shows any sign of change is the talking sword which starts wanting to be useful and it makes everyone else seem unrealistically set in stone.

Other than that, a good story and an interesting concept. will get the next book but will need to see fork there how it goes.

Characters are a little dull

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thank you grh for another series that has gripped me and leaves me wanting more

Gar writes awesome

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved The Gutter Prayer and The Shadow Saint, unfortunately this is like it’s written by someone else. I had reservations initially because of the narrator and managed to move past them. But unfortunately the characters are 2 dimensional and almost comic like. I kept giving it a bit longer to develop, but in the end gave up. It’s a shame because I quite like the plot, I just don’t like the world and cariacatures in it.. I’ll put my hands up and say I’m not drawn to books with elves, dwarves etc so that may have biased me, however to put that into perspective I love The Ranger Archives. The dwarves in that are equally loud and annoying, but that comes across more as personality stubborn, proud, and a bit laddie. In this it’s just shouting and ‘let’s go kill someone’.
All that’s my perspective, so I’d say listen to the sample and if you have any doubts, don’t get it.

Not for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.