A Sword of Gold and Ruin by Anna Smith Spark

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Published – Out Now

Price – £20 hardback £3.82 ebook

The sequel to the masterpiece folk horror high fantasy A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, a lyrical blend of epic myth and daily life.

Kanda and her family are on a quest to rebuild the glory that was Roven. Mother and daughters stand together as a light against the darkness. But mother and daughters both have hands that are stained red with blood. They walk a path that is stranger and more beautiful than even Kanda dared imagine, bright with joy, bitter with grief. Ghosts and monsters dog their footsteps - but the greatest monsters lie in their hearts.

NB – This novel follows on from the excellent  A Sword of Bronze and Ashes by Anna Smith Spark there will be some mild spoilers

One thing that sometimes strikes me is the mythical heroes that have lasts a long time tend never to be entirely pure of heart. From Odysseus, various Arthurian Knights and a pantheon on gods there are aspects we are supposed to frown upon. Is this a reminder on what we as readers should be aware of or is there also just possibly something more human about needing to see ourselves in the otherwise otherworldly characters in stories. Do we need to see the humanity in characters? This really struck me in reading Anna Smith Spark’s A Sword of Gold and Ruin where we meet characters full of magic, power and legends but who also will strike us so familiarly as a family full of human strengths and weaknesses.

Kanda is the middle-aged mother of three daughters Sal, Calian and Morna, happily married to a farmer named Dellet. But her quiet life was interrupted by her past as Kandra once was both a legend and name that drew fear. Many years ago, she was one of the Six of Roven created by a High King to bring peace and order to the world a champion of all that was good; many years later she tired of such a life and then became allied with the forces of darkness and became known as  Ikandera Thygethyn whose armies destroyed Roven and swept the world in darkness. But eventually that life too no longer suited her and a small village and family was her next adventure. But dark forces from the past never stopped seeking her and Kanda had to push back there was though a huge cost to save the family. Sal fell into the underworld and came back a woman older than her mother, Calian has learnt she loves the violence of battle and Morna was killed in a desperate fight for survival. The family learnt the truth of their mother but have decided to move on and seek Roven, but now greater dangers are seeking Kanda out for revenge.

There are two early chapters of this novel that help explain the fascinating juxtaposition of the main characters. We start with Kanda back in her glory days of the Six preparing for a mighty battle. It’s a tale of legend, innocence, strength and magic -  a legend we have never heard before being told and feeling indeed like the kind of story we’d had heard when we were young. We then jump to Kanda as she is now, and she and her family are simply helping a village build a house. Here the story becomes earthy, very human focused on matters of health, hearth and family bonds with little antics like kids getting bored and people just wanting to celebrate after a good day’s work. Throughout this novel we have moments of heroism (and sometimes villainy) contrast with a family’s little rows, sulks and tenderness towards one another. Balance being one of the most powerful people in the world with needing to clean your teenage daughter’s messy backpack. Spark is excellent at reminding us readers that everyone and particularly in this novel women tend to juggle multiple roles at once and here again Kanda’s past is having a huge impact on the future.

In this novel the family have been trying to find some rest after the adventures and traumas of the last novel. Now all of them are slightly different, aware of their mother’s past and legacy and now her remaining daughters too have magic and power to use. Kanda wants to seek and hopefully rebuild Roven but has no memory of where it is. We watch them go across the country but a strange old woman with two dogs and the ghost of a screaming man running start a new and harrowing tale for the family. If A Sword of Bronze and Ashes was a novel unpicking how a woman could be so many things at once, then here I think it’s the family aspect that is fascinating and here we have a series of mythic adventures pitted against them and revealing families can be filled with love, anger, hate and more all at the same time.

Spark is extremely skilled at creating their own myths and while we can see as with any legends echoes of other tales you never feel this is simply a simply one mythology with the names filed off. We have a little village ruled by a King far less mighty than he thinks and yet these decent people are terrorised by a ghost; we will see a city with extremely powerful champions to take on this enchantress from Kanda’s past now seeing a reckoning. A simple adventure would just have our heroic family take each on and triumph, but Spark has their character’s various human frailties cause issues for them and those around them. How would you feel if one of the cruellest warriors ever heard of turned up on your doorstep with her family to stay a day or two? Is a teenager with immense power the best person to let have a sword when someone annoys her? Kanda herself may recognise what she once did was bad but as we find she also knows that having that power over the world was an immense thrill and her family comes first above anyone else. What I find fascinating in this story is when people here make mistakes with terrible consequences it is often that I as the reader was both horrified and yet strangely conflicted as to understanding why people acted as they did. I’d love their mistakes to just be wiped away as deep down I feel they are good people, but some actions can’t be wiped clean as easily as a bloody sword. This ultimately is less good versus evil but people battling their inner natures which is such a refreshing take in a story at the moment.

Long time blog readers will know I’m a huge fan of Spark’s writing and this is never going to be a simple tale told in passive third person. Spark is vividly describing scenes of nature, a family walking or a battle but always with a gorgeous use of language. Be that the use of colour, nature, repetition, sound or movement. The story is ever flowing, and certain phrases get used repeatedly but then slightly altered to create the right effect. This can be to show us beauty, battle or the disturbing compelling scenes of death and battle that we cannot look away from. This writing to ease yourself into the rhythm of the storytelling and just enjoy how the words are used and mix with one another. Often this for me moves these stories into the mythic side of fantasy again that feeling of much older stories finally being told and yet wholly original. The reveal of the enchantress’ reason for hunting Kanda down is excellently revealed and really upset all the family dynamics when people understand what is going on and still the story ends not where I was expecting at all.

There are clear signs further tales await and even a few hints more revelations of the past are in store for us and for that I am very eager to see where this family goes next.  If you loved the first novel then I think you’re in for another beautiful read in A Sword of Gold And Ruin which is perfect for the darkening evenings when we need to get away from the 21st century and yet still has something to say about being part of a family today. A read that is very strongly recommended!