The Bard’s Blade by Brian D Anderson (The Sorcerer’s Song: Book 1)

Magical and mesmerizing; The Bard’s Blade is a note-perfect start to this promising new series.

Apart from the fact that a very close friend of mine enjoyed it and the fact that music played a significant role in the plot, I had no prior knowledge of this novel. Now, the music component is what initially caught my attention. Musicians? When it comes to their being the main characters in fantasy books, they are few and far between! I assert that The Name of the Wind, one of my all-time favourite books, is the only example I can think of right now (although I’m sure there are more). It seems that fantasy and music are rarely combined. Nevertheless, music permeates all facets of our existence. It is as old as time itself and speaks directly to our emotions. So why is it so uncommon in fantasy? I honestly don’t know, but Brian D. Anderson has once again made a compelling case for more musical fantasy, and hopefully we’ll see a lot more of these in the future.

Lem is enjoying his life. He is an incredibly gifted musician who consistently commands large audiences wherever and whenever he performs. His home is a stunning, utopian-like spot called Vylari, and he is engaged to Mariyah, the love of his life and one of the best winemakers in the area. This ideal scenario, however, is disrupted when the unimaginable occurs. Someone has managed to pass through the protective magical barrier separating Vylari from the outside world for the first time in decades, and this dying outsider has given dire news of an evil that is emerging from the past.

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“What we feared for so long has come to pass. He is coming. Soon doom will be upon us all.”

The stranger also forewarns Lem that he possesses unique talents that will attract this evil entity to him like a beacon and that the barrier won’t stand in his way. The only method Lem can think of to protect his love Mariyah and everyone else in Vylari from this unexpected turn of events and the threats that the warning poses is to cross the barrier into the strange country of Lamoria, leaving everything and everyone he knows behind with no possibility of returning.

Naturally, things don’t always go as planned, and why would we want them to since that would take the intrigue out of the story! When Mariyah learns that Lem has fled, she too jumps the barrier to go after him. However, fate has other ideas and sends them down divergent roads as she looks for him and he keeps moving to avoid the old evil he was warned about. However, providing more details might diminish some of the excitement.

As a result, the story is told from the perspectives of two different characters from beginning to end, which is a refreshing difference from the typical five or more povs that are so common in contemporary fantasy. The simply readable writing style provided ideal pacing, and every chapter grows better and better, making this one of the most entertaining books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year. It made for a short, enjoyable read. Lem and Mariyah were written as unique voices that matured suitably with the story, and both were easily able to generate empathy, making them both enjoyable to root for. As a result, both of the primary character arcs seemed highly genuine. I can only say that I am incredibly interested to watch how far they will travel down their individual roads because there are going to be some pretty intriguing times.

“Beware those who choose the shadows as their home.”

The Bard’s Blade offers the best examples of contemporary fantasy. While it clearly has elements of classic, chosen-one fantasy (which, let’s face it, though overused, is popular for a reason), Brian D. Anderson has infused the story with his own unique fresh take on this well-loved staple, succeeding in creating an engrossing first book in The Sorcerer’s Song series. A Chorus of Fire, the title of the second book, has firmly asserted itself as one of my most eagerly awaited readings of 2020.