The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

I would like the author and Tordotcom for an advance copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Tor Dot com

Published – 28/5

Price – £17.99 hardback £8.99 Kindle eBook

Maddileh is a knight. There aren’t many women in her line of work, and it often feels like the sneering and contempt from her peers is harder to stomach than the actual dragon slaying. But she’s a knight, and made of sterner stuff. A minor infraction forces her to redeem her honor in the most dramatic way possible, she must retrieve the fabled Fireborne Blade from its keeper, legendary dragon the White Lady, or die trying. If history tells us anything, it's that “die trying” is where to wager your coin. Maddileh’s tale contains a rich history of dragons, ill-fated knights, scheming squires, and sapphic love, with deceptions and double-crosses that will keep you guessing right up to its dramatic conclusion. Ultimately, The Fireborne Blade is about the roles we refuse to accept, and of the place we make for ourselves in the world.

Dragons as we all know are cool. To be fought, to befriend and to try and work out why so many cultures have a version of one across their history. Any story with dragons deserves attention for fantasy fans and with Charlotte Bond’s smart and inventive fantasy novella The Fireborne Blade we get as well as fascinating dragons, an unusual world and set of characters with various mysteries about themselves to untangle.

Ser Maddileh is currently out of favour from the royal court. It has always been difficult for her to be respected for her choice to be a knight and battle in various tourneys but punching a fellow knight (even one who has broken her heart) gets frowned upon. To reclaim her honour she has decided to seek one of the most famous lost weapons of the age – The Fireborne Blade. But that was taken by the dragons many years ago and those who seek it never come back. Together with her grumpy, intelligent and naïve squire Petros it is for Maddileh to now battle the catacombs, its dangerous ghosts and then one of the most powerful dragons to face alone. The odds are not in her favour.

I loved this story as Bond has created in a tale full of depth, subversive surprises and characters you root for with a delightful unpredictability as to where the story is going. With Maddileh we have a woman who is skilled, brave and as we get a variety of flashback filled with honour a sense of trying to do the right thing. However, she lacks much respect for daring to seek being treated by society as men are treated - even by her own family. She is ultra-competent whether traipsing through catacombs or acting as a bodyguard for secretive mages and that makes her a character we respect and want to see succeed. In contrast Petros who we meet at their first meeting I also quite unusually fragile, very smart but perhaps lacking in common sense and manners. The two are both figuring each other out and only by sharing a bit more about themselves do they work better but it is only after some mishaps that manage to be both funny and dangerous.

This story really works because of the world Bond has created. Interspersed throughout the story are tales of previous knights who battled dragons. Each one is an unusual short story in itself  but they also open the reader to the lore of Dragons as well as the way this world work. Dragons here are smart, filled with magic and very difficult to kill – even if you are successful the aftermath of a dragon’s death is often as dangerous as the fight itself. The battles often reveal a cruelty, greed and cowardice about the knights but are also quite creepy as each dragon’s death releases something ….dangerous to avoid. . Each story builds the world’s mythos up and also underlines the threat Maddileh faces in the catacombs. I loved the idea that the dragon’s catacombs are haunted by the violent ghost of all those killed prior who you must avoid by being completely silent - it adds excellent menace to the scenes as we get closer to the dragon known as the White Lady. We also get to understand the unusual sect of Mages who seem to always be interested in dragons and as we get to understand Maddileh’s world we know these magicians are divided on the future of their order. This is not a simple dungeon and dragon quest but part of a bigger story and the way these dragons work and their history with humans suggest there may be much more than simple deadly monster-killing going on.

Indeed a further dimension to the story is how women are treated. They are not expected to be in the world of magic or knights. Another key character is someone Maddileh learns to trust in the form of Saralene a woman who knows a lot more about the magical world than she is expected to. With references to those in history and Maddileh’s own issues again this is not a safe cosy world. Danger lurks around corners and women often get into the firing line.

The final acts are extremely well structured with various revelations and mysteries finally being answered to a startling conclusion which will make you hunger to see more of this world. The bigger plotlines underneath the story get into the open and also suggest many new avenues to explore. It is worth noting that this story while stands very well in its two feet has a conclusion also has a sequel planned for next year to explore the aftermath. I am more than ready for that!

The Fireborne Blade does indeed have dragons galore. Ones that are more complex than the Knights understand but also this is a world that is filled with danger, injustice and intrigue but also bravery, justice and lots of magic. Very entertaining, sometimes creepy and always inventive. dragons are cool and so is The Fireborne Blade Strongly recommended!