The Sword and the Flame (The Dragon King Trilogy, Book 3) [Paperback]

Stephen R. Lawhead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1996

Amidst ancient halls of stone, an age-old evil stirs. With a cunning more potent than sorcery, Nimrood the Necromancer has returned, bent on a monstrous vendetta that would strip Quentin of everything he holds dear. His loved ones, his faith, Zhaligkeer, the sword of his kingship, and ultimately, the kingdom itself, sway in the balance as Quentin, unguarded and alone, races toward a confrontation with his cruelest foe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is fantasy with thunder and chase, with peril and breathtaking escapes.' Fantasy Newsletter --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Stephen Lawhead’s best–selling trilogy, The Dragon King Saga, has sold in the millions. Now this spellbinding epic fantasy has been relaunched for a new generation of readers. Combining skillful storytelling with a strong spiritual vision, Stephen Lawhead has established his name among the front ranks of contemporary historical fantasy writers. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310205042
• ISBN-13: 978-0310205043
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,312,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen R. Lawhead is a prolific and bestselling author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He is best known for his King Raven trilogy, a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, and Pendragon Cycle, centering on the King Arthur legend. Other notable works include the Song of Albion, Celtic Crusades and Dragon King Trilogies, Byzantium, Patrick, Avalon, and the works of science-fiction Dream Thief and Empyrion saga. Lawhead makes his home in Oxford, England, with his wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative, involving entertainment with great new ideas, February 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sword and the Flame (Dragon King Trilogy) (Paperback)

Lawhead has written a masterful conclusion to the Dragon King series. The involving plot and emotional ties kept me thinking about the book through the day. I've never read a book with such an unusually complex -yet accurate- dipiction of God in a fantasy adventure series. The movement from the old gods into the God was so facinating. With a powerful, meaningful end, Lawhead never let the story down nor left any plots incomplete. This was not the story I expected to end the series. "The Sword and the Flame" was not a drug-out I-want-to-write-a-third-book conclusion, but rather it was a great story on it's own

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quinten again faces nimrod., May 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sword and the Flame (The Dragon King Trilogy, Book 3) (Paperback)

This is a great finish to the series that Lawhead developed. You can start with this book, but I would recommend reading the previous two first. Quinten again is matched against the evil Nimrod. He loses his son, his sword, and his wife has left him, to seek advice from the God most High, in his most needful hour. The book weaves in Christianity in a mysterious way and still has a great story line! What more can you ask??

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mature Quentin & Lawhead "Lite" - not deep, but enjoyable., July 3, 2001

By 

Godly Gadfly - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Sword and the Flame (The Dragon King Trilogy, Book 3) (Paperback)

"The Sword and the Flame" is the third title in Lawhead's "Dragon King" Trilogy, the series which propelled him to success. Quentin has assumed the throne, with Bria his queen, and is now the father of three children. The kingdom firmly established, he is busy building the King's Temple, a temple dedicated to the Most High. And he is armed with the enchanted sword, "The Shining One", whose "flame was the symbol of the god's presence with the King, and more." (p.94)

But enemies old and new are fiercely opposed to Quentin's overturn of the old gods. The evil necromancer Nimrood returns to collaborate with the defenders of the old gods - the priests at the temple of Ariel, who see the construction of the King's Temple as an inevitable sign of the destruction of their own High Temple. Suddenly, the peace of Quentin's kingdom becomes overshadowed by darkness. A close friend of Quentin is killed, his son kidnapped. Quentin must face open hostility from his enemies, and! even conflict from his own people, and treachery from his own supporters. But worst of all the flame of the sword goes out, and the hopes for the kingdom appear to be extinguished along with it: "One fell thrust and the fire of the white lanthanil blade had been quenched. The awful significance of what had happened struck him like a thunderbolt...the hand of the Most High was removed from him." (p.77-8) Is there any hope for Quentin or his kingdom?

The ensuing struggle makes this book the most emotional of the series. Certainly we are treated to lots of Lawhead excitement and action, one of the highlights being the intrigue and conflict of a castle under seige. But "The Sword and the Flame" doesn't quite have the same blazing glory of battle as the previous volume. It is far more introspective, as it focuses on Quentin's loneliness, his deep, dark and total despair, which nearly extinguishes his faith. "Now there was only darkness. In the space of half a day he had los!t his son, his trusted friend, and - worst of all - the favor of the Most High. His mind reeled at the enormity of his trouble, his heart ached with sorrow, his body throbbed with grief and exhaustion." (p.85) Lawhead treats this subject with raw and gripping emotion, precisely the ability later developed and fine tuned which made the "Pendragon Cycle" so powerful. Perhaps even more compelling than the glory of a kingdom, is the tragedy of a fallen king, who is so distraught that he rejects the Most High (p.166) and tumbles into the depths of despair.

Yet this personal struggle of the king occurs in the context of a great struggle for his kingdom. Does the extinguished flame of the enchanted sword mean that the Most High no longer is to be trusted? The people of the kingdom are convinced that the old gods are humbling their king for having chased after a new god (p.159). Yet in the end, even when the people are ready to lose faith in the Most High, the Most High is fait!hful. "It is not the One who forgets us, but we forget him." (p.199) Quentin must realize that "the flame of true faith can not be kindled on the fuel of the old religion." (p.230) When he renews his faith, the tide turns. The climax of the book is particularly powerful, with scenes reminiscent of the confrontation on Mount Carmel between Elijah the prophet of the Most High and the prophets of Baal.

In many respects, Lawhead's medieval fantasy world is reminiscent of Tolkien's world, although Tolkien's many fantastic creatures are absent. But what is absent in Tolkien is present in Lawhead: the Most High God. It is the strong spiritual vision where the Most High God and faith in God is central that makes Lawhead's books so powerful and so wholesome. Lawhead's "Dragon King" Trilogy paints a picture of spiritual warfare, kings and kingdoms, prophets, dreams and visions, and above all faith in the Most High. It's the picture of a time much like the glorious Old Testament !days of David and Solomon, who with prophets and visionaries fought for the peace of the Kingdom of the Most High in the era before the coming of Christ. Although not as deep or profound as "The Pendragon Cycle", this series of Lawhead "Lite" is still unquestionably a success.