Sword-Bearer

A return to the vivid fantasy world of the highly popular Sword-Dancer saga, featuring iconic characters Tiger and Del. Sword-Bearer marks a return to the vivid world of Jennifer Roberson's highly popular Sword-Dancer saga, featuring iconic characters Tiger-the South's most famous and gifted sword-dancer-and Del, a Northern-born woman and expert sword-singer. Tiger and Del have settled into semi-retirement to raise their daughter, establishing a school for those who wish to become sword-dancers, part of a highly ritualized rite in which specially trained sword-fighters are hired to settle feuds among rich and powerful desert princes. Death-dances are few and far between; the goal is simply to win within the confines of "the circle." But Tiger is an outcast, a man who attained the highest level of achievement at the training school he attended faster than anyone before him, only to voluntarily break all oaths in order to save Del. By doing so, he made himself a target of men formerly his colleagues, now sworn enemies. He is constantly challenged to death-dances where rules, and oaths, no longer apply. Now, with the world around them falling victim to a malignant Northern-born magic, Tiger gathers Del and his adult son, Neesha, to end the magic threatening the world-and discovers, along the journey, yet another element of magecraft within himself. Yet even as Tiger learns more about his gifts, Del comes face to face with the daughter she left behind so many years before. Fans of Roberson's bestselling series should enjoy this wildest of rides alongside the Sandtiger and Delilah.

Jennifer Roberson is the author of the Sword-Dancer Saga and the Chronicles of the Cheysuli, and collaborated with Melanie Rawn and Kate Elliott on the historical fantasy The Golden Key, a finalist for the World Fantasy Award. She has also published three historical novels, and several in other genres. An exhibitor and breeder of Cardigan Welsh Corgis, she lives on acreage in Northern Arizona with eight dogs and two cats. She is currently working on the third Karavans novel, with prologue available at her website, http://www.cheysuli.com/author/Index.html.