Swashbuckling!
It’s a word that I initially wanted to avoid at all costs for this
review as I suspect that it’s probably used in just about every review of Swords and Scoundrels by Julia Knight.
But, the more I thought about it, I came to conclude that it’s a word that
should be fully embraced.
Swashbuckling – it just roles off the tongue. It’s fun to say. It’s
one of those words.
So…let’s take a look at what it really means to swashbuckle and be
a swashbuckler.
Swashbuckler: a swaggering swordsman (swordswoman), soldier, or
adventurer; daredevil
Well, yes, this covers the 2 main characters (a sister and brother
duo) in Swords and Scoundrels. It
covers it really well, each having different aspects of a swashbuckler. But,
it’s really this definition below that I think captures the book.
[to] Swashbuckle: engage in daring and romantic adventures with
ostentatious bravado or flamboyance.
That definition above is Swords
and Scoundrels in a nutshell, though with some very important caveats. As I
said, the book is about a sister/brother duo, each embodying different swashbuckling
aspects in different ways – one traditionally flamboyant and one a fair bit
darker, though no less a swashbuckler for that darkness. It’s the duality in
many ways that has brings more to Swords
and Scoundrels than the traditional swashbuckling adventure, offering
swashbuckling commentary and even subversion of swashbuckling. Throw in a
fantasy setting, large-scale clockworks, a magician or two, and nice bit of
populism to add depth, and Swords and
Scoundrels is the perfect swashbuckling tale. And as the book is the first
in the Duelist Trilogy, there are 2
more presumably equally swashbuckling adventures to follow – excellent!
Swashbuckle!
The Duelist Trilogy
Swords and Scoundrels: Amazon
Legends and Liars: Amazon
Warlords and Wastrels: Amazon
Note, this review joyfully uses a variation of swashbuckle 15 times!
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