By the Sword Summary
Mercedes Lackey

By the Sword Summary

The book's major theme is the necessity of honoring one's own calling and talents. This is shown primarily through Kerowyn's life and decisions.

When, at the very end of the story, she is "chosen" for new tasks in the realm of Valdemar, the theme takes on another aspect. Only through her faithfulness to earlier commitments does this chance become possible. While it promises an end to the hardscrabble life of a mercenary and the loneliness of command, these responsibilities were necessary to fit her for the next step in her life.

Honor is important in this entire series; not the honor of the hothead or braggart who is quick to take insult, but the honor which means one keeps one's commitments and defends those under one's protection. For years Kerowyn and her faraway lover Eldan fail to understand each other's codes of honor. Herald Eldan's loyalty to a...

(read more from the Short Guide)