Sword Song [Paperback]

Rosemary Sutcliff's fleshing out of Kipling's fictional treatment of British history (Puck of Pook's Hill), concludes with Sword Song. Chronologically, her stories range from the Iron Age just before the Romans came, to the English Civil War, although it appears she did not write them in that order.

Her books are called "young adult" novels because the themes are simple and the good guys are generally good, while the bad guys have little to recommend them. There is violence--she writes of dark times--but no sex.

The bulk of her stories are on the edge of the Roman Empire, either geographically, taking place on the fringes of Britain, or in time, as the Empire disintegrates. In either case, individuals have to take care of their own business.

Most young adult novels have as their primary theme the change from child to adult through danger and difficulty.

Sutcliff's characters face dangers, and, most importantly, do so voluntarily. There are any number of times when they could choose to retreat, but go forward, for honor, for their friends, or for an ideal.

This, I would submit, is a terrifically important lesson to teach. Current pop literature for children seems to be trying to emulate Catcher in The Rye, where a perpetual loser is....a loser. Losers seem to be heroes.

In Sword Song, the young man leaves home due to having accidentally killed a man. It's clear that Bjarni has a good deal too much energy, not enough judgment, and perhaps doesn't even know enough to be afraid. Not surprisingly, he finds work as a hired sword, although he begins to give his loyalty to one of his employers, and gets loyalty back.

Later in the book, he is trying by himself, with no friends at his back, to facilitate the escape of a woman, herself an outcast, from danger. To do so, he has to back off from an encounter, to keep from being discovered. He informs the woman that for her he has, for the first time in his life, run from a fight. We all make sacrifices in our way and Bjarni is now growing up. He will fight, in the future, we don't doubt, but with somewhat more discernment.

The scope of the book is around the littoral of the British Isles, as Bjarni is a fighting man on the ships of various Isles warlords.

I would strongly, highly, unreservedly recommend any parent to supply Sutcliff's books to any child from about age fourteen on. The inevitable difficulty is that the parent is going to have to teach a history course in order to place the story in our own world. Given the state of education these days, without that primer, Sutcliff's stories might as well be fantasy or science fiction.

It is too bad. Sutcliff's stories tell important lessons about how we came to be who we are; through the stubborn courage of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances.

We are not through needing such people,and, although a number of Sutcliff's people are military, many are not. She tells us that we have to look to ourselves as we are, and not necessarily to depend on others who, as when the Empire fell, are no longer available.

In addition to the lessons which I, at an advanced age think are important, I can also say the stories are terrific reads. Sutcliff is particularly good on the seemingly unimportant detail which sets a scene and draws the reader into her world.

I helped my twelve year old choose this book to read. He found it humorous when I started reading it. "It's a book for Young Adults", he said. That was funny for several reasons, including the fact that he considers himself a young adult.

The book really is not just for kids. This is the first exposure I've had to Sutcliff. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the high quality of her writing to be focussed on kids.

This tale, wonderfully written, tells of a young man and a bad decision. It is a terrible decision in which some one dies. The treatment of the murder is very light. That may be the one criticism that I have for the story. Today, of all days, our kids need to know the very serious consequences of their actions. The setting of this story is far removed from our own, and is probably the way it would have been.

Through the life events and challenges resulting from the accident, Bjarni becomes a man. He learns the hard way how to do just about everything. This forging process helps him to grow physically and mentally.

This is a good story. There is a little death, a little love, and a lot of life.

Rosemary Sutcliff will always be one of my favorites. I am seventeen and been reading them for around seven years. (The first year may have been more like listening :>) This story is great. I love how her books aren't a series, yet some of them are connected. This one is connected to The Ninth Eagle and The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers. Her books are not about the romance though they usually have a girl. This one I think is especially sweet in "the girl" area. I started to read these not to long after Chronicles of Narnia. I will always love the Chronicles , and they have some amazing truths in them that you understand more as you grow older, but they are directed to a younger adience. Don't get me wrong, I love the Chronicles, but I don't think I'll ever get too 'old' for Sutcliff's 'young adult' books. I am a Christian and read few non-Chritian books outside of school reading unless I deem them Appropriate. :) I reccomend these books to everyone. they are such a good read.

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