Reviews

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

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finestgreen's review against another edition

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4.0

So much better than Swordspoint. I'd recommend this one even if you didn't like that one.

wodime's review against another edition

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2.0

extremely disappointing sequel :( doesn't work as a victory lap for swordspoint, and doesn't remotely stick the landing as a sequel in its own right either. pair that with awful pacing, awful structure, and trying so hard to have Themes that it ends up being about nothing... yikes. all that, AND this book has some of the most clunkingly awful sex stuff i've ever read??? bad enough how much age-gap stuff comes up, seemingly without comment, and even worse that throughout it all, katherine is written like she's twelve rather than sixteen. agonising.

two stars for the middle-aged men in love, though. yaoi <3

katieinca's review against another edition

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5.0

It's not often I like a sequel better than a first book, but I *loved* this book while I only liked [b:Swordspoint|68485|Swordspoint (Riverside, #1)|Ellen Kushner|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320445792s/68485.jpg|1453593]. And the Neil Gaiman Presents audio production is top notch. Felicia Day, for pete's sake! - although not enough of her.

crimsoncor's review against another edition

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4.0

Had previously rated this a 5, but that was 15 years after I had actually read it. It isn't that I don't love this book. I really did love it. Having re-read Swordspoint right before it opened up whole new avenues in this book, as the stuff with St. Viers came which so much more emotional baggage. So why only 4 vs 5. To me it really has to do with the ending.

Spoiler

I 100% get what Kushner was doing with this ending. There is some real literary finesse going on here. She sets up Death of a Swordsman was the popular view of how sword stories end and then goes about ruthlessly subverting it. It is brilliantly done from a story-telling perspective. But, as a reader who really wanted to see Kat hit more people with her sword, the lack of even a single transcendent moment for her really left me sad. The blunt brutality of the Ferris murder followed by the Alec just exiting stage right

(and I really recommend reading The Death of the Duke short story before this book because it helps pull all the pieces together)

Spoiler

felt real. And i know, I always agitate for worlds that feel real in fantasy. But I think that giving Kat her one shining moment of glory would have felt so much more satisfying, even if the book ended the exact same way.

. Super excited to move on to The Fall of Kings, which I somehow never read and then the two seasons of the Tremontaine serial.

noodletheriddle's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

laurentined's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

More bisexuals doing sword duels: Her Edition. I wish the resolution of relationships had ended up a bit different but I will be excited to see what kind of cast the author and her wife collaborated on in the third book.
Katharine's exploration of her gender and sexuality are relatively lighthearted and innocent as things go—aside from the one particular content-warning-worthy plot point. The fact that she bonds with Artemisia over loving a play, a nod to fandom culture in a way, is very cute. It's just a lot of teen girlisms as they all figure out their place in society and what they consider worth fighting for.
I don't think Swordspoint is mandatory reading before this one, but there are certain plot points that have added depth with that context. The superstitions around a swordsman going to view that particular play aren't repeated in this book, nor are Alec's motivations around democratizing the concept of personal honor really given—which really adds a layer to his desire to see Katharine as a swordswoman. Alec is a more sympathetic figure in general if you have his backstory to reference.
In all, just as enjoyable as the first in a very different way.