By Pamela K. Kinney
Rhein, Walter. The Bone Sword. Rhemalda Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-9827437-2-0.
I hadn’t read a straight high-fantasy in a while. And that is what The Bone Sword is. The protagonists are twins, Noah and Jasmine. Jasmine has the ability to heal whatever living thing she touches. Jasmine has been healing hurt and sick animals on the family’s farm for a long time. But when her father is pronounced soon to die, and the village healer goes out to retrieve a priest, Father Ivory, Jasmine dares to go against Noah’s wishes and heals her father whole.
Unfortunately, to Father Ivory, a madman with delusions of godhood, this is an act of witchcraft and so, the twins must be brought before the Earl of Miscony to be judged and burned at the stake.
Meanwhile, Malik, a wandering ex-swordsman, is sick and looking for a place to rest. He walks into a tavern and ends up confronting a man, whom no one else in the tavern dares go up against because he is the cousin of the Earl of Miscony. Malik kills the man with his bone sword and tries to flee. He is captured and put in the same cart Noah and Jasmine are riding to be taken to the Earl, all three meant to be executed. Jasmine heals Malik, who is close to death. Thanks to that, Malik is able to escape, and takes Noah and Jasmine with him.
Pursued by the evil Father Ivory and deadly Nightshades, Malik and his companions help out people from villages along the road, people who have been tortured by the priest. Jasmine is looked upon with awe by the peasants and becomes their queen. Thus, the trio gains a growing army, which could allow them to go against the Earl and his men. Unfortunately, the Earl, or even the sadistic Father Ivory, are not the ones to fear; it’s someone from Malik’s past: Oberon Keels. Keels trained Malik to become a Camden Guard and gave him his bone sword, though Malik was never meant to make it far enough to earn it.
Now, after having escaped the Camden Guard, Malik must take on his former master and defeat him if he is to not only help the peasants and his friends succeed, but also confront his past. Even if that means he must die, too.
The Bone Sword is neither Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings nor George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Nor is it close to what makes those books classics. Still, I did enjoy this fantasy. Malik is a character I would like to see more of and hopefully, there is a sequel. And surely, there must be, for the ending had me craving for more adventures of him and the twins.
Winter is coming and if you crave adventure ( at least, beside a warm fire) and fantasy, then read The Bone Sword. You won’t be disappointed.
You can purchase The Bone Sword through Amazon.com.