The Blue Sword
core novel 1982 The Chronicles of Damar / Spindle's End
Record
| First published | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.20 (63,629 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 248 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780141309750 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
The Blue Sword opens after the death of Angharad "Harry" Crewe's father, when the newly orphaned young woman travels to Istan, a remote military outpost in the colonial territory of Damar, to live with her brother Richard. Proud, stubborn and largely without resources of her own, Harry initially struggles to find her place among the outpost's soldiers and their families. Her life changes when Corlath, king of the independent Hillfolk who inhabit Damar's interior, takes her from the outpost, and she is drawn into Hillfolk society, discovering unexpected magical abilities and being trained as a warrior and rider. As an invasion threatens from the north, Harry finds herself torn between the Homeland colonists she was raised among and the Hillfolk who have taken her in, with both peoples' survival at stake.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Chronicles of Damar / Spindle's End
- Series: The Chronicles of Damar core; position 2 of 2 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Robin McKinley
Awards (verified)
- Newbery Medal (Honor Book), 1983: honor
Notes
- From the series record (The Chronicles of Damar): Internal chronology is settled, not disputed, despite running counter to publication order: The Hero and the Crown (pub. 1984) is an internal-chronology prequel to The Blue Sword (pub. 1982) -- Aerin, its protagonist, is already a centuries-old legendary figure within The Blue Sword's own story. internal chronology values reflect story order (1=earliest), not publication order. Registered as a duology (2 books, no further Damar novels published or announced in over 40 years) per the duology enum value's intended use.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Chronicles of Damar: position 1 of 2: next The Hero and the Crown (1984)
- Internal chronology, within The Chronicles of Damar / Spindle's End: position 2 of 2: previous The Hero and the Crown (1984)
Sources
- Wikipedia -- Robin McKinley
- Wikipedia -- The Blue Sword
- Wikipedia -- The Hero and the Crown
- ALA -- Newbery Medal & Honor Books 1922-present
- ALA -- The Blue Sword award page
← The Chronicles of Damar / Spindle's End dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.