Sword-Breaker (Tiger and Del)

I read this series years ago and the characters made an indelible impression on my mind. Of all the art work on the different releases of the books of Del and Tiger, I love the version on the cover of this book. The artist has captured what I always pictured Del and Tiger to look like. Del is beautiful but tough. Often the art work portrays her as her as either too tough or pretty but not strong enough. Tiger, although scarred, has the dark and handsome looks. To me, the art work is perfect.

Accused of murdering the man the Southron tribes believed to be their messiah but who was actually a clever, ambitious raider, Del and Tiger flee across the deadly Punja desert, hunted by religious fanatics and sword-dancer assassins. In addition to evading their enemies, Del and Tiger must also find a way to rid Tiger's sword Samiel of the evil sorcerer Chosa Dei who possessed the sword after Tiger killed him. Gradually, Chosa is using his power to gain control of Tiger who would rather die than become the puppet of an insane magician who seeks to unmake the world. As they battle sword-dancers and zealots, Tiger and Del are on a quest to find Chosa's equally powerful brother Shaka Obre. Aimlessly following tribal legends and Tiger's unique magical connection to Chosa, Tiger and Del must stay alive in order to free Tiger from Chosa's power. Roberson has crafted another fine entry in her fantasy series. In many ways, this is a book of healing as Tiger and Del forgive each other for betrayals and hurts and come to an understanding. But Roberson doesn't overlook action; there are many superb, exciting fight scenes and desperate chases through the desert.

Summary of previous books, as background: In the three previous books of this series, Sword-Dancer, Sword-Singer, and Sword-Maker, we met two very memorable main characters, the Sandtiger ("Tiger") and Delilah ("Del"). Tiger is a trained master of sword-fighting from the South of this fictional world, and grew up as a slave in the desert, until he saved his tribe from a deadly sandtiger that was killing off the tribes children. Del, meanwhile, is from the cold, mountainous North, and was also trained as a sword-fighter, albeit with more ritual and magic involved. They go off on several adventures, trying to find Del's kidnapped brother, facing enslavement, facing death by marauders, facing each other in a dance-to-the-death sword fight, tracking down the man who killed Del's family, and battling a legendary sorcerer. This story in the series: In the battle to defeat Chosa Dei, the legendary sorcerer, Tiger triumphed, but now Chosa Dei has "infested" Tiger's magic sword with his evil soul, and keeps trying to control Tiger, escape from Tiger's sword, possess Tiger or Del, or all of the above. What do they do about Chosa Dei? The legend has it that Chosa Dei and Shaka Obre, two brothers who were the greatest sorcerers of their time (millenia ago), turned the world into a lush paradise. Shaka Obre loved his masterpiece, and wanted all humanity to enjoy it. Chosa Dei loved the power they had demonstrated by making paradise, and wanted to un-make it, so that they could do it over and over again, reveling in their magic. The brothers fought, with the end result that the world was divided into the cold, mountainous North (i.e., think of Norway), with Chosa Dei imprisoned in it, and the desert-wasteland South (i.e., think of Saudi Arabia), with Shaka Obre locked in a cave somewhere in it. Tiger and Del thus figure that they must take Tiger's tainted sword, inhabited by Chosa Dei, into the South, and find Shaka Obre, so that the two brothers could settle their feud and leave Tiger's sword, and possibly his soul, safe from the evil Chosa Dei. This task is hampered by the fact that many people in the South think Tiger and/or Del killed their (false) Messiah, and a Southron princess wants to enslave and kill them slowly, because they killed her father (to escape enslavement). Commentary: I felt the first book, Sword-Dancer, was excellent, while the next two, Sword-Singer and Sword-Maker were very good, albeit with a few slow spots and some meandering. Sword-Breaker is the best of the bunch, with no slow spots, great writing, lots of action, many interesting characters and situations, and plenty of magic. Instead of just wrapping up al,l the loose ends and resolving the problems, Jennifer Roberson elevated the series with a stunning finale. The relationship between Tiger and Del has evolved nicely, starting with open distrust and just-business, to bickering over gender stereotypes, to friendship, to passion, to love. Along the way, both grew as peop

Sword Breaker is the fourth book in Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del series. It wraps up the original story arc of vengeance pursued by the obsessed Del. I have been a fan of this series since page one of the first book. Rather strange since I really don't care for much else from Roberson. As an author myself, this is the series I wish I would have written. The characters are fleshed out in a way rarely seen in any genre, much less fantasy. The odd contrast of heroic deed and all-too-human foible, especially in Tiger's case, makes for reading that will make you wish you lived there, and laugh at some of the things that happen to those who do. The fact the Jennifer chose to write this first person is surpassed only by the amount of insight to the male psyche she obviously possesses. Many were the pages when I mentally nodded my head at something Tiger did, because I probably would have done the same. The world Jennifer creates here is very simple, mere carbon copies of Norse and Arabic cultures, yet that is not the strength of the series. That focus comes from the reality of Tiger and Del and the way they reveal themselves, by bits and turns, to be so very human. I wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone looking for a good read that will stick to your ribs and leave you with memories of a life not your own, but one just as impactful all the same. So go out and buy Sword Dancer, the first installment, and before you know it, you will be setting down Sword Breaker, the fourth book, with a wry smile and a strange affection for uppity horses.

This series, and thusly, this book, are required reading for any fantasy fan. Roberson made an interesting choice in using first person perspective, and even though it is a strange choice in this genre, she carries it out flawlessly. Also, an interesting commentary on various social issues.