Sword Catcher

***Sword Catcher*** is the first installment of *The Chronicles of Castellane* series.

## Description

Two outcasts find themselves at the center of world-altering change in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles.

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill.

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword-Catcher—the body-double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are close as brothers, but Kel knows he has one destiny: to die for Conor. No other future is possible.

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community who still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls in the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend Mariam without access to forbidden knowledge.

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will Lin and Kel’s discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

**IT BEGAN WITH A THEFT. THE THEFT OF A BOY.**

Or, perhaps more accurately, the theft of a boy’s life and future. Young orphan Kel could never have expected a grand life in the vibrant port city of Castellane if fate had not intervened, but fate did. At the tender age of 10, he is removed from his orphanage and offered a unique position: to become Sword Catcher to Conor, Prince of Castellane and heir to its throne. Kel will be raised in luxury in the palace alongside Conor, trained and educated as befits a royal, and given every advantage in life–with one notable exception: His life will never be his own again. Bespelled to resemble Conor, Kel essentially becomes Conor for any occasions where the prince might be in danger, or at which he would rather not put in an appearance. He is Conor’s double, his shadow self, tied forever to a person he both loves and resents–and from whom he might never be free.

Eleven years on, tensions are growing–both personal and political. Conflicts with the neighboring countries are high, and Conor’s betrothal might be the only thing to calm the waters–an idea that Conor is furious about. And Kel is starting to chafe under the restrictions of his position, realizing as he grows how very many of the things he wants–like love and stability and a place to call his own–are simply not possible. But it is not until Kel catches an assassin’s arrow meant for Conor that things really begin to escalate, for it is then that he meets Lin–a young healer and a member of the only people still to hold a trace of magic. An outcast of society like him, Lin has her own ambitions and desires, and this fateful meeting is about to set a chain of events into motion that could alter the very fabric of both of their worlds.

## Gallery

### Editions

US coverUS audiobook coverBarnes & Noble exclusive editionBooks-A-Million exclusive editionIllumicrate exclusive editionIndigo exclusive editionOwlCrate exclusive editionWaterstones exclusive edition
### International covers

UK coverUK audiobook coverBrazilian-Portuguese cover (*O Portador da Espada*)Dutch cover (*Zwaardvanger*)German cover (*Sword Catcher - Die Chroniken von Castellan*)Polish cover (*Strażnik miecza*)Romanian cover (*Prințul din Umbră*)
### Art

Kel Saren looking out over Castellane harborMerren AsperLin CasterKel SarenConor AurelianThe Ragpicker KingMerren AsperAntonetta AlleyneJoss FalconetJerrod BelmerciVienne d'EsteKang Ji-AnLin CasterKel SarenAntonetta AlleyneMariam DuharyKang Ji-AnMayesh BensimonThe Ragpicker KingConor AurelianLin CasterKel SarenSword Catcher newsletter header by NoverantaleTeaser cover2nd teaser cover3rd teaser cover4th teaser cover
## Trivia

* The book, according to the author, was inspired by a story she read years ago about "an Iraqi man forced to give up his life to serve as the body double for one of Saddam Hussein’s sons."
* *Sword Catcher* has a split point of view while the narrative is in third person. There is a male and female point of view characters, Kel and Lin, respectively. They have two separate stories at the beginning but they dovetail together once Lin is called to the palace to heal the Sword Catcher after he is wounded.
* Cassandra's favorite dynamic to write in this book was Conor and Kel, Lin and Conor, and Lin and her grandfather.
* The cover shows the two halves of Castellane — the palace up on the Hill where the royals, the Aurelian family, live, and the lower city where crime and the Ragpicker King rule. Cassandra created a file she shared with her editor that contained images she loved and wanted to evoke and they worked off that.
* It was originally set to be released in the Spring of 2021, the date later on moved due to the pandemic to 2022. Then, it was further delayed to April 4, 2023 then September before it was rescheduled to October of that year.

## References

1. ↑ "Thrilled to announce that #SwordCatcher has an official release date: ⚔️October 10, 2023" Cassandra Clare on Twitter
2. ↑ Sword Catcher synopsis on Penguin Random House official website
3. ↑ Sword Catcher synopsis on Cassandra Clare's official website
4. ↑ https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/75497-cassandra-clare-to-pen-new-adult-fantasy-series.html
5. ↑ Transcript posted June 30, 2022 of a Q&A with Cassandra Clare on Instagram
6. ↑ In SC? Conor and Kel, Lin and Conor, and Lin and her grandfather. :) Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
7. ↑ "I love how it shows the two halves of Castellane — the palace up on the Hill where the royals, the Aurelian family, live, and the lower city where crime and the Ragpicker King rule." Cassandra Clare on Twitter
8. ↑ "With *Sword Catcher* I created a file I shared with my editor that contained images I loved and wanted to evoke and they worked off that." Cassandra Clare on Tumblr
9. ↑ Pan Mac splashes seven figures on Clare's first adult fiction | The Bookseller
10. ↑ October Interview with Cassandra Clare - TMI Source
11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfnITX7i8eo
12. ↑ Cassandra Clare's livestream with Niloa Gray
13. ↑ Cassandra Clare's July 2021 newsletter