The gods have released twelve magical swords into the world. Each sword has different powers, and they have been placed into the hands of mortals – some good, some…not so much. I was impressed with how well Fred Saberhagen wrote this concept. While the story primarily focuses on Mark, a 12-year-old boy who possesses one of these swords, it switches through a few different viewpoints. There is plenty of action, and Fred Saberhagen has an excellent writing style. I have read novels from several other fantasy authors who published in this time period, and Saberhagen’s writing is my favorite. I was quickly absorbed into the world and enjoyed the story’s fast pace. However, since this is an older book, it does have some tropes and themes that are becoming repetitive in current literature; for example, the main character has mysterious parentage and exhibits some “Chosen One” characteristics. Although the main character is rather young, the story is complex enough to best suit older teens and adults. The First Book of Swords is the first book in a trilogy, and as not much is resolved in this first book, I wouldn’t recommend reading it as a standalone.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 5 mild obscenities; 4 derogatory names.

Violence/Gore: A character attends the funeral of five men who were violently killed, another man was maimed in the incident, causes are briefly discussed; 6-page battle scene resulting in deaths and injuries, including the death of a character’s family member, some detail; characters threaten and attempt to rob another; a character kills another, no detail; a few reports of death(s); characters shoot at each other with projectile weapons during a chase; characters are attacked by dragons, resulting in the death of a dragon and a few human deaths and minor injuries; a character is chased; two instances where a character injures a dragon; a character fights a monster, some minor gore; a few characters are killed by monsters, no detail; a character fights and kills many monsters, little detail; a natural disaster results in many refuges; a castle is besieged, resulting fighting causes some deaths and injuries; several characters are killed by a demon, not graphic; a character kills another with a sword; characters encounter a corpse, no detail.

Sex/Nudity: Brief explanation that traditionally after funerals unmarried men and women pair off and have sex, no detail; implied that two unmarried characters had sex, resulting in a pregnancy, this event is referenced a few times.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of a family member; illegitimate children; war; death (general).

Alcohol/Drug Use:

None