Sister of the Sword

I’ll admit, I approached *Sister of the Sword* with cautious optimism. The *Barbarians* trilogy has always been the grittier, less sentimental cousin in Dragonlance’s sprawling family, but too often, ‘gritty’ just means ‘exhausting.’ Not here. Thompson and Cook (yes, *that* Cook—Margaret Weis’s longtime collaborator) weave a story that’s lean, mean, and *focused*. The plot hinges on Khiri, a warrior-priestess whose faith is as sharp as her blade, and her struggle to reconcile duty with survival is the heart of the book. The magic system—tied to ancestral spirits and blood oaths—feels fresh even in a 40-year-old setting, and the final act’s twist on Dragonlance’s classic ‘hero’s sacrifice’ trope left me genuinely stunned. Now, the narration: Alan Robertson is *perfect* for this. His voice has the weathered gravitas of a veteran storyteller, but he never overplays the drama. The fight scenes, in particular, shine—Robertson’s pacing turns swordplay into something almost cinematic, with each clash and parry landing like a drumbeat. My only critique? The female voices occasionally veer into ‘generic fantasy tough-woman’ territory, lacking the distinctiveness of his male characters. And while the prose is tight, a few late-game revelations rely *too* heavily on characters suddenly explaining things they’ve known for chapters. Still, the audio production is flawless: no distracting edits, no volume spikes, just a seamless, immersive ride. If you love fantasy that balances mythic scale with intimate stakes—and narrators who *respect* the silence between words—this is a must-listen.