Young scholar Edmund is done with his life in service to the Many-Armed God. While he loves his studies and the time he’s allowed to research and write, he can no longer ignore his temple’s darker side, especially its discrimination against women. Tasked with transporting an ancient sword and some books to the city of Archon’s Glory, he decides to carry out his mission and then quietly leave temple life for good. He’s barely outside the city limits when he’s attacked by bandits. He reaches for the sword in desperation and gets the surprise of his life when an incredibly handsome man magically appears and cuts the thieves down. The swordsman is the Dervish, an immortal warrior who has been trapped in the sword and bound to its wielders for centuries.
As you can imagine, the Dervish has had his fair share of horrible masters, and he desperately wants to hate Edmund, but here is the thing: Edmund is annoyingly kind and smart. And while the Dervish swears up and down that Edmund is absolutely not his type, who is he trying to kid? Edmund is adorable. He even suggests the Dervish travel with him to Archon’s Glory, in the hope that the librarian who is supposed to receive the books and the sword might know something about how to free him. As the Dervish and Edmund set out together to break the curse, the Dervish realizes that while he can protect Edmund from almost anything—bandits, cultists, dragons—protecting his own heart proves much harder.
Author T. Kingfisher returns to the world of Swordheart with Daggerbound, a road trip-style fantasy that’s cozy but never low-stakes, sweet but never cloying, and it will have you grinning at its delightful cleverness. And as much as the love blossoming between Edmund and the Dervish is deeply sweet, it’s just as fun to spend time with their traveling companions: Dog Violet, a surly gnole (which is a creature most similar to a talking badger); Large Francis, a giant pill bug with a heart of gold; and Sweetness, an ornery mule. Longtime fans of Kingfisher will also find joy in all the little nods to other works in her immense backlist.
The road may be long and winding, but when you’re traveling with a kooky band of unlikely heroes in Daggerbound, it feels like no time has passed at all.