The Sword of Winter

Sword of Winter is one of those books that you keep thinking about long after reading it. I first read this novel a number of years ago and loved it. Had I been able to find other books by this author, I would have read them as well. Recently, I couldn't stop thinking about the book,so dug it out and read it again. It is still every bit as delightful as the first time I read it. This time I hope to be able to obtain some of her other stories.The story of a hardened woman warrior in an environment of political intrigue, who nonetheless finds a soft spot in her heart for an orphan, Sword easily held my interest.

I first read this book when I checked it out at the library at age 13. I got a copy of it in paperback for christmas one year and have kept it and re-read it at least once every two years since then. It is worn and ragged and probably should replace it with a nicer copy soon. It is absolutely my most favorite piece of fiction and holds all the thrills that 'warrior women' like Lara Croft and others do for me - it is on par with Lord of the Rings for 'fantasy'.

Not much sorcery, but plenty of swords, towered castles, etc, in the woman-warrior tradition. Randall writes with a good dollop of humor, too-- anyone who likes Robin McKinley's Daria series, or the Pern books or the Darkover series, should be very happy. Heroine Lyeth, a sort of knight for an evil king, finds herself tangled in battle for the crown (or in this case, ceremonial sword, hence the title) in a wintery land called Jentesi. Eventually, the story l becomes a murder mystery, but an appropriately enchanting one.