The novel is written as a series of interviews or memoirs from France during the time of the 30 years war and so includes a number of different voices put together by a fictional professor - Edward Morton. Sounds complicated? Perhaps, but it works brilliantly. Like a patchwork this method gradually builds up the picture of events from all the partisan points of view. Told in the first person present tense, some of it is written in very modern-sounding English but this has the effect of drawing the reader in. Mostly told from the point of view of Jacques the stable lad, and his erstwhile employer's son, an aristocrat called Andre de Roland, the slow development of the relationship between these two boys is what glues the book together. We watch them through the highs and lows of warfare, through heroism and despair as Andre de Roland seeks to avenge his parents death at the hands of the Spanish. This book has some excellent set-piece action scenes, with gripping sword fights, pistols and cannon.At the climax the action zips from person to person in a few lines - and this filmic technique like cutting from shot to shot, was breathtaking.Highly recommended. "Sprawling" and "Epic" come immediately to mind -- but overall a very enjoyable read, with plenty of people getting skewered by swords and having their faces blown off -- more than enough to keep the pages turning, and the main character (the young, newly orphaned Sieur of Dax) is one pretty cool dude -- and the relationship that develops between him and his stable-boy aide, as they battle the nasty spaniards who invaded their town in the middle of the 30 Years War, is pretty engaging ... At moments a little emotionally mushy, but these moments were always compensated for by some good sword-skewering ... I wouldn't have minded shaving a hundred pages off the book, though .....
What do You think about Honour And The Sword (2010)?
A really good action tale full of honour, love, determination and loyalty!
—beethree
Intricately crafted plot and sympathetic characters. Very impressive.
—sibo
