Sword-Singer
core novel 1988 Sword-Dancer
Record
| First published | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.06 (4,940 ratings, collected 2026-10-07) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780886772956 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
Del is outlawed in her own country: to pursue her vengeance she killed her sword-master, and the law of the North gives her a year to return to the Place of Swords and stand in the circle to clear her name or meet her doom. Tiger, who has never left the South, goes north with her into a land of snow, forests and a magic he does not understand, where a sword-singer's blade, a jivatma, is quickened with a name and a song and the souls of the slain. Between them and the rendezvous lies a vast country of dangers from sword and spell, and behind them stalks an unseen and deadly presence intent on stealing the very heart of their sword-dancers' magic. The second novel turns the first book's banter into something darker as Del's song of vengeance nears its end.
Where it sits
- Universe: Sword-Dancer
- Series: Tiger and Del core; position 2 of 8 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Jennifer Roberson
Notes
- From the series record (Tiger and Del): Jennifer Roberson's Sword-Dancer saga (1986-), told in the sardonic voice of Tiger, the Sandtiger, a Southron sword-dancer, and following his partnership with Del, a Northern sword-singer: duels in the ritual circle, souls bound into blades, and the long question of Tiger's origins. Six novels published 1986-2002 as a complete arc, then two more (2013, 2022) with a ninth mentioned.
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 Tiger and Del: position 2 of 8: previous Sword-Dancer (1986) · next Sword-Maker (1989)
Sources
← Sword-Dancer dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.