The Sword Garden by Peadar O Guilin
Publisher – Wizard’s Tower Press
Published – Out Now
Price – £17 paperback £4.98 ebook
Never trust the dead.
The Empire's richest city is about to revolt and only Jarrod's dying father can save the day. The rebels have allied with ghosts. Hostile Northerners press at the borders, along with hideous beings of unnatural origin.
Jarrod doesn't want to fight. He was supposed to be a monk, reading precious books, singing hymns to the wise and gentle gods of his people. But he's about to discover something utterly horrific at the heart of the rebellion.
Prepare for the worst. Prepare for the fall of an entire world.
I do like the surprise of when a book moves between genres. It’s a good reminder that the term genre is a much more fluid ter than some purists think. The fantastical can be magic or very advanced science and perhaps the key for me is how coherent those moves are made. In Peadar O Guilin’s very interesting novel The Sword Garden we get a tale that morphs very entertainingly several times but each packs an emotional punch and raises the stakes as the fate of a world hangs in the balance.
The legendary solider General Ul-Elerek named the Emperor’s Bull has been assigned a new role of Governor to the mysterious and prosperous Northern city of Eem-Torad nicknamed the Sword Garden as its discovery in the earth has unveiled many technical marvels but it is also known for its wraiths that walk the Streets. The General cares however more that this city is showing signs of rebellion and announces to the Populace that he plans to destroy one of its marvels – The Spire. In the background lurks the General’s son Jarrod who very much does not want to be here. Family circumstances brought him out of his beloved monastery to follow in his father’s shadow. But the mysteries of the Toradians and the rebels have plans for his family and the bigger secrets of this city have dire consequences for him and the world.
This is going to be one of those reviews I am going to have to be wary of spoiling the plot. For me the book’s strength is very much that it organically changes direction several times, but each section stands on its own two feet and the internal logic connecting the parts of the tale is really well handled. In the first section we very much appear to be classic fantasy territory with Empires, rebels and a magic city. We sense long-running politics in this Empire have created simmering tension. Holding it together is the fantastic confrontational relationship between Jarrod and his father. Two very different types of men. The General is very much a warrior while Jarrod is very much a scholar. Little things like how reading is viewed as a weakness help show how this world works and creates in Jarrod a very interesting hero as despite his reticence we see very early on, he does indeed still know how to use a sword but is also very likely to throw up afterwards. O Guilin really works to make this feel solid and real and then using the idea o the wraiths start to unlock the wider story.
Now any science fiction fan I suspect will spot some early clues as to one of the world’s biggest secrets early on and I was initially thinking well that was a bit easy but to O Guilin’s credit its also some splendid misdirection. I’m very much thinking we are in one type of genre blend and instead very devastatingly we move into another. A bit more gruesome, a bit more higher stakes and lets say bloodier than I expected. O Guilin writes all the unusual characters we meet along the way very effectively and the reveal is handled very well and places Jarrod in massive danger and key to the story’s development. The resolution of all this requires battles, sacrifice and a very surprising and inventive idea that actually links various events together very smartly. Being delivered in a brisk circa 300 hundred pages it never outstays its welcome.
My only slight reservations is the rapid pace sometimes means we could perhaps have had a bit more time to get to know one other key characters. There is a fascinating disgraced soldier Sheerel who very much shows her disinclination to follow the rules and expectations of society and adds a rebellious mix to the tale but there isn’t a full lens on her very often as the story often centres around Jarrod’s experiences and I think having a few more points of view may have helped the pacing and bring the wider conflicts we see evolve to life. Another character named Mara is very much linked to the elements I won’t tell you about, but I liked how she very much is not the naïve young girl she first appears and knows her own mind.
The Sword Garden for me is a very engaging read and often a surprising one. Multiple good ideas are handled very well and mixed in a surprising way to create something I think even seasoned genre fans won’t fully expect at first glance. Discovery is part of the fun of reading, and this has a lot to discover. Highly recommended!
