What if you wanted to read a story that was equal parts fantasy and science fiction, adventure and misfortune? That’s about what I got when reading Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon. Reading science fiction and fantasy from the Golden Age eventually led me to this surprisingly short novel. So after reading, I decided to review it. Let’s get into it.
It might be safe to call Sword both sci-fi fantasy and sword and sorcery, but there’s more to it than that. The book first appeared as the story “Sea-Kings of Mars” in Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1949. From there, it developed into a novel published by Ace Double D-36. Buckle up because a lot happens in only so many pages. The plot follows Matthew Carse, a thief living in a Martian city. In this world, Mars had been colonized for some time, but multiple non-human races had existed long before humans arrived. Carse learns about the Sword of Rhiannon in a Martian tomb, but after stealing it, he ends up millions of years in the past.
Now, Rhiannon, in the past, shared the science of one Martian race, called the Quiru, with another race, the Dhuvians. Think Prometheus in this instance. Rhiannon, known as “The Cursed One,” ended up sealed away in the tomb, along with the Sword. Once Carse appears in the past, he ends up on an epic adventure involving multiple Martian races.
This book threw me into the action from the beginning. Throughout my time reading, I got the sense that there was a lot more to what was happening that I wasn’t going to get from this novel alone. Like other books and materials that existed, which further explained the characters and some of the history. It felt like the tip of the iceberg to a larger story, a small story in the face of a much bigger one. The same holds true for how fast-paced the story was, which seemed pretty standard for its more pulpy origins.
However, Brackett’s science fantasy/sword-and-planet reflects the genre in its Golden Age through and through. The worldbuilding does its job by packing so much into the story that it overflows. I also liked the characterization of the main character, specifically. He felt more than just a carbon copy of a pulp hero. In any case, it makes sense that this is some of Brackett’s best-known work.
Stick around for another book review next week! Also, another post this Saturday. As the holidays approach, I won’t be able to post as much (especially with traveling back home for the holidays), but I’m incredibly excited about what this new year brings. Happy reading!
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