The Sword Unbound by Gareth Hanrahan

Book Review

Sarah Deeming

In the final pages of The Sword Defiant, Alf, hero of the Nine and friend to the elves, discovers his life and faith are based on a lie. The Intercessors humans pray to are nothing more than elven spirits, keeping the human population under control and pliant to elven manipulation. In discovering this, the elven prince, Maedos, throws himself on Alf’s sword, Spellbreaker, and dies, an act that is blamed on Alf and brands him a traitor. War breaks out with the elves calling their allies to demand Alf and Necrad be returned to them, but other humans want to be free of elven rule, and the dark elves in Necrad do not want their golden cousins to control them.

And Alf? He’s sick of it all. He wasn’t built for politics and scheming or magic swords constantly whispering in his ear. He was built for hitting things. But what he has unwittingly started, he can’t avoid, and try though he may, there is nowhere he can hide the elves who want him dead. It’s just a matter of how many of them he’ll take with him.

If you read my review of The Sword Defiant, you will know how much I loved it. The world-building, the mythology and history, the progression of ageing elves to either tree-dwelling spirits or vampires, the sword, Spellbreaker- there was so much freshness and innovation that I loved. Following this would be a tough challenge, but The Sword Unbound meets that challenge and goes further.

We pick up a little after the first book’s events after Alf’s nephew,, Derwyn, has been brought back from the dead, with Peir’s spirit in tow. Peir was the leader of the Nine who died when they defeated the Dark Lord twenty years before the events of this book. Alf often feels his loss keenly because Peir had the brain for the schemes while Alf was a blunt instrument to be pointed at the nearest enemy. It’s not that Peir is completely in control of Derwyn, but sometimes, Derwyn demonstrates characteristics that make it seem like Peir is back from the dead. This brings a new element of torture to Alf, who had avoided his family in the past to protect them from who he had become, and the ghost of his friend makes him yearn more for a time long gone. There is a serious amount of character development for Alf. 

Again, Hanrahan’s portrayal of elves is fantastic, and I love how he takes the trope of elves and twists them into something sinister. The fair elves, who seem benign and caring, are actually untrustworthy, and Alf is safer with the dark elves who sided with the Dark Lord. For the elves alone, I would recommend this book to someone looking for something a little different from their epic fantasy.

The book has plenty of twists and turns, and many of the questions from the first book are answered. It moves along at a good pace and satisfactorily takes us to the heart of the truth about the elves. I was thoroughly invested in Alf’s journey, and there was enough peril that I was genuinely afraid for his life, particularly as Spellbreaker constantly manipulates Alf, promising him the simpler time he craves if only Alf would use Spellbreaker as he was meant to; in battle. The ending is haunting, with amazing imagery that stayed with me long after I put the book down. I’m keen to see where book 3 will pick up from and who we will follow because it seems like some characters’ arcs are closed very finally, for better or worse. I will re-read the series with a feeling of returning to old friends. It would be best to read The Sword Defiant before reading The Sword Unbound, but you will not be disappointed. Perfect for fans of epic fantasy.