Review: Sword of swords
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2012
I'm a fan of fantasy, although the genre probably only takes up 1/4 of my total novel reading time.  That's because the books are usually so long that I just can't dedicate the time to learning the maps, the languages, the 300 characters that are usually involved in epic fantasy.  It appeared that The Wrong Sword was a lighthearted fantasy with action/adventure but not all the stuffiness that sometimes overtakes epic fantasy stories.  It was as it appeared!The protagonist is a great blend of hero/anti-hero because he's not the typical knight, or wizard, or peasant who is really the King's bastard son etc etc.  In fact, he's kind of a creep, and definitely a con-man.  But he has a definite likeability that is further brought out by the sword, Excalibur, which talks to him. In that sense, the story takes on a "buddy-duo" feel to it, as the sarcastic sword argues with our equally snarky protagonist.  Excalibur is used to dealing with heroes, and Henry the Rat is anything but.  It was a very clever concept and it worked well throughout the story.At the same time, we get a great historical background that was well researched and provided an interesting setting in addition to the plot. Readers don't have to memorize a cast of 300 characters in this novel, but there is a supporting cast that has enough quirks to keep you immersed in the adventure.I noticed that The Wrong Sword is classified under Young Adult/Children's fiction and fantasy, but I really didn't feel that it was a YA book.  It could easily entertain a YA audience, and certainly can be classified as such, but my point is that if nobody told me it was YA, I wouldn't have guessed.  The story isn't at all simplified or "dumbed down," so adults can definitely enjoy it as much as young adults.