Sword-Born: A Novel of Tiger and Del (The Sword-Dancer Saga) [Paperback]

Jennifer Roberson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tiger and Del | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

Swordfighters Tiger and Del return in this all-new swashbuckling adventure--filled with all the dramatic action, danger, magic, and the crackling repartee and verbal fireworks that characterize the national bestselling Sword series.

Sword-Born is the latest book in this continuing tale of a powerful friendship that transforms into something stronger, as two strong, opinionated people from very different societies live and fight alongside each other...even as their views of themselves and the world around them change and grow.


• 1.7 million copies of Jennifer Roberson's DAW books in print!
• All four books in the Sword series have been national bestsellers!
• A swashbuckling, intelligent fantasy that will appeal to sword and sorcery fans everywhere
• Magnificent cover art by Jim Burns

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-Del and Tiger have appeared in Sword-Dancer (1986), Sword-Maker (1989), Sword-Breaker (1991), and Sword-Singer (1986, all DAW). However, readers can pick up the saga with Sword-Born and not feel as if they are missing anything. There is enough background provided in context to fill in the subtext of Tiger and Del's multilayered relationship without breaking up the narrative. In this book, both partners are searching for a home. Del believes that the truth of Tiger's origins can be found on the island of Skandl, so the two set sail on an ill-fated voyage. Shipwrecked and captured by pirates, Tiger is forced to claim the place of a long-lost grandson in the home of the first of Skandl's Eleven Families. Even worse, a mage claims to recognize his own magic in Tiger. Trapped in a world they are only slowly coming to understand, the pair must find a way out without losing their honor or their lives. Since this story is told through Tiger's eyes, readers only learn about Skandl as he does. Although the pace is somewhat slow, Roberson entices readers to figure out the many facets of the quandary Tiger and Del face. The final pages set up the forthcoming book, Sword-Sworn.
Susan Salpini, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: DAW (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886778271
• ISBN-13: 978-0886778279
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sword-Born, January 8, 2000

By 

betty (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword-Born (Tiger and Del) (Hardcover)

I just finished Sword-Born and loved it. (took me only 3 day to read it!) I was lucky enough to have been able to read all 5 books in the sega one after an other. I now can't wait until Sword-Sworn is released. Diffently worth the money! :-) I really liked the history behind Tiger and Del, and how they joined and made their own together, without losing thier own sense of self worth and determation to complete the quests they had set for themselfs. Jennifer Roberson has a wonderful way of filling your mind with pictures not words. I felt that I was there next to Tiger and Del. I have read at lest 7 of J. Roberson's books and I haven't yet been disappointed in any of them.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sword-Dancer Convert, June 30, 2006

By 

bgilmore "Wanderer" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword-Born: A Novel of Tiger and Del (The Sword-Dancer Saga) (Paperback)

I began the Sword Dancer series just a couple of months ago, and bought all six volumes in one purchase. I had never read Jennifer Roberson novels until Sword-Dancer, but something about the story description on the back cover grabbed me. I had not read much in the Science Fantasy genre before, but I was ready to try something different. From that first volume, there have been no regrets. I love stories that take place in another time period, that involve cultural clashes, and if the choice of weapon to settle a disagreement is a sword, I'm in. This is no pirate story, although in Sword Born, Tiger and Del are captured by pirates and taken to what very well may be Tiger's homeland. What he discovers there about himself, in Skandi, strengthens his character, and entices the reader to want to know more about this SandTiger, not only why he was abandoned as an infant, but what his future holds for him, as much as Del does. Each book in the series is a stand alone story, but I recommend reading all of them. Jennifer Roberson appears to have done much research in creating the varied landscapes and locales in which Del and Tiger find themselves traversing. The story of the jivatmas (although in this volume the characters are without them, having lost them in the previous story), how they are created, how they bind to their maker, and how they relate to the one who wields them is quite unique. Swords with personality. The dialogue is real, sometimes funny, sometimes profound. I'm in the middle of her last book in the series, Sword Sworn. Ms. Roberson is an entertaining writer with heart and depth.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great! But, magic?, March 21, 2000

By 

Jeremiah Backhaus (Kenai, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword-Born: A Novel of Tiger and Del (The Sword-Dancer Saga) (Paperback)

This is a great book, it ranks up there with all of the others that Jennifer Roberson has written, she is a master story-teller, and she continues it. The first four books left Tiger and Del hanging and allowed one to make up ones own opinion as to what happened, but this account is very anticipated story gives an account that leaves the avid Roberson reader satified. the only aspect that brings the story down is Tiger without his sword and with, magic? Though Roberson handles this very well a Tiger without his sword, just doesn't seem like Tiger. Tiger's wanderlust is a great idea, and I fully recommend this book.