The Priviledge of the Sword

Oh.

I have long been an Ellen Kushner fan. Swordspoint is not only a favorite book, but a favorite curl up in bed with a cup of hot soup when it is dark and rainy and I have the flu book. I was neither furious or horrified when I hear that she was writing about Thomas the Rhymer, and if you know anything about the position True Thomas has in my personal pantheon, that's saying quite a bit. Oh, and I quite liked the book, as well. (And it's one of the relatively few piece of fiction I've brought from the Woodinville house to the boat. Come to think of it, I have got to grab my copy of Swordspoint.)

The Fall of the Kings I snapped up as soon as it came out (increasinly rare for me, with fiction -- I love fiction, but I have little time) and while it was an entertaining read, it was a bit of a disappointment. But a bit ago gwyneira mentioned that Kushner had written a new book, entitled The Priviledge of the Sword and a few days ago I managed to find myself a copy. It is easily now my favorite book that she has written.

Now, obviously, I am likely to have some fondness for a swashbuckling novel about a well raised young woman who is brought in to the city by her mad Uncle the Duke to learn to handle a sword. But that's not really why I'm writing this. What impresses me most, I think, is how the book deals with self-knowledge, sexuality, relationships and the tension between being a passionate idealist and living in the real world. It really is exquisite.

(And if you are a dear friend, and can promise to not only return it to me but to return it to me fairly quickly, you can borrow my copy.)