Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday I check out one of the most potential laden upcoming fantasy books of 2023 with The Sword Defiant by Gareth Hanrahan.

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There have been many great new fantasy authors debuting in recent years, but one of the most highly regarded will have to be the very talented Gareth Hanrahan.  Entering the fantasy scene in 2019 with the first book in The Black Iron Legacy, Hanrahan impressed quite a few people with his first series, that introduced a dark and twisted fantasy world, loaded with intrigue and despair.  I had an excellent time with his very first book, The Gutter Prayer, which was one of my favourite debuts of 2019, especially as it wove together quite an enticing and haunting tale.  While I haven’t had a chance to read the rest of the trilogy yet, I am none-the-less extremely excited to see what Hanrahan will come up with next, especially as he has a very intriguing new fantasy tale coming out in early 2023.

His new fantasy book is titled The Sword Defiant, and it sounds pretty damn epic.  Set for release in May 2023, The Sword Defiant is another dark fantasy tale, which will focus on a former group of heroes who bear cursed swords.

Plot Synopsis:

Set in a world of dark myth and dangerous prophecy, The Sword Defiant launches an epic tale of daring warriors, living weapons, and bloodthirsty vengeance.

The sword cares not who it cuts.

Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing the Dark Lord’s cursed weapons, along with his dread city of Necrad. That was the easy part.

Now, when Aelfric – keeper of the cursed sword Spellbreaker – learns of a new and terrifying threat, he seeks the nine heroes once again. But they are wandering adventurers no longer. Yesterday’s eager heroes are today’s weary leaders – and some have turned to the darkness, becoming monsters themselves.

If there’s one thing Aelfric knows, it’s slaying monsters. Even if they used to be his friends.

Ok, now that is a particularly awesome sounding read.  I love complex tales that look at former heroes who have survived their famous legendary quest, only to be forced back into action years later, and I am really interested to see this author’s take on such a story.  Having 10 companions get corrupted by the cursed weapons they took from a pervious big bad is very cool, and I love the idea of the protagonist being forced to deal with what remains, even if that means putting some of his former friends down.  No doubt that this will result in some very intense moments, and I can’t wait to see how the damaged protagonist deals with it.  This has all the hallmarks of being quite an exceptional read, and I am very excited to see what happens in this book.  Gareth Hanrahan has already shown he has quite a lot of skill as a dark fantasy author, and I can’t wait to see how his new adventure turns out.  I think that The Sword Defiant has an incredible amount of potential, and it is one of the fantasy books I am looking forward to the most in 2023.