Sword in the Storm

core novel 1999 The Rigante

Record

First published	1999
Original language	EN
Work type	novel
Canon status	core
Reader rating	4.31 (13,221 ratings, collected 2026-09-12)
First-edition ISBN	9780552142564
Internal chronology	1

Synopsis

Sword in the Storm opens the Rigante series with the birth of Connavar among the Rigante people on a stormy night during which his father is killed in battle, leaving the boy to be raised by his mother and stepfather. As neighboring tribes feud, northern raiders press at the borders, and the vast, expanding empire of Stone edges ever closer to Rigante lands, Connavar grows up amid constant threats to his people's way of life. Marked by tragedy and driven to prove himself, he trains relentlessly and gradually earns a reputation as a formidable warrior, eventually receiving a legendary sword from the mysterious, otherworldly Seidh. The gift, and the exploits that follow it, earn him the name Demonblade among friend and foe alike, setting him on a path that will shape the Rigante's future as the empire's shadow grows longer over the highlands.

Where it sits

• Universe: The Rigante
• Series: The Rigante core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
• Author: David Gemmell

Notes

• From the series record (The Rigante): Completed 4-book series, published 1999-2002.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

• Reading order, within the series The Rigante: position 1 of 4: next Midnight Falcon (2000)

Sources

• David Gemmell (English Wikipedia)
• Stormrider (English Wikipedia)
• The Rigante series listing (reader catalogue)
• https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/59012/sword-in-the-storm-by-david-gemmell/
• Locus Index to Science Fiction (1999)

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