The Desert and the Blade (Emberverse #12)
S.M. Stirling
4.08 · 12 ratings · Published: 01 Sep 2015
Reiko, Empress of Japan, has allied herself with Princess Órlaith, heir to the High Kingdom of Montival, to find the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, a legendary treasure of an ancient dynasty that confers valor and victory to its bearer.
Órlaith understands all too well the power it signifies. Her own inherited blade, the Sword of the Lady, was both a burden and a danger to her father, Rudi Mackenzie, as it failed to save the king from being assassinated.
But the fabled sword lies deep within the Valley of Death, and the search will be far from easy. And war is building, in Montival and far beyond.
As Órlaith and Reiko encounter danger and wonder, Órlaith’s mother, Queen Mathilda, believes her daughter’s alliance and quest has endangered the entire realm. There are factions both within and without Montival whose loyalty died with the king and whispers of treachery and war grow ever louder.
And the Malevolence that underlies the enemy will bend all its forces to destroy them.
*Publishers Weekly (starred review)
- fantasy 4
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- sword & sorcery 2
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- horror 2
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- epic 2
- steampunk 2
- industrial era 2
- literary fiction 1
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- dystopia 1
- magical realism 1
- high fantasy 1
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- audiobook 3
- book 1
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The 'Emberverse' series
232 ratings 3.91 ·- Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling Book #1
- The Protector's War by S.M. Stirling Book #2
- A Meeting at Corvallis by S.M. Stirling Book #3
- The Sunrise Lands by S.M. Stirling Book #4
- The Scourge of God by S.M. Stirling Book #5
- The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling Book #6
- The High King of Montival by S.M. Stirling Book #7
- The Tears of the Sun by S.M. Stirling Book #8
action-adventure · apocalyptic · book · post-apocalyptic · fiction · epic · dystopia · audiobook · alternate-history · fantasy · adult · urban-fantasy · medieval · violent-conflict · survival · paranormal · industrial-era · steampunk · war · contemporary
Emberverse reading order and complete book list ❯