The Sword and the Chain
core novel 1984 Guardians of the Flame
Record
| First published | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.03 (4,256 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780451128836 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
The Sword and the Chain is the second novel in the Guardians of the Flame series, following The Sleeping Dragon. Karl Cullinane, Walter Slovotsky and the other former fantasy gamers who were drawn into the world of their old game have founded a settlement of their own, using their knowledge of Earth engineering to build a permanent home. From there they mount raids against the slave trade that dominates the region, intercepting slaver caravans before their captives can reach market. Opposing them are the combined forces of the Slavers' Guild and the Wizards' Guild, who see the newcomers' campaign as a direct threat to the old order. The novel follows one such expedition, an attempt to free a kidnapped child and return her to her family before the guilds can strike back.
Where it sits
- Universe: Guardians of the Flame
- Series: Guardians of the Flame core; position 2 of 10 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Joel Rosenberg
Notes
- From the series record (Guardians of the Flame): Ten-book series about college students transported into a role-playing-style fantasy world.
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 Guardians of the Flame: position 2 of 10: previous The Sleeping Dragon (1983) · next The Silver Crown (1985)
Sources
← Guardians of the Flame dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.