''Hanrahan''s outstanding first outing in the Lands of the Firstborn series will thrill fantasy readers'' Booklist, starred reviewTHE SWORD CARES NOT WHO IT CUTSMany 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.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 front runner for my book of the year . . . The Sword Defiant is a love letter to roleplaying games, to Tolkien, to what epic fantasy has been about for me through my whole life. I adored this book from the first page to the last. Hanrahan has taken the best of the old, the best of the last two decades, and then brought it screaming into the modern era. Fans of Gemmell and Abercrombie need this on their shelves''Ed McDonald, author of Blackwing''Both a love letter and evolution of the epic fantasy novel . . . The Sword Defiant is an epic tale of how no world stands still forever . . . Highly recommended!Run Along the Shelves''Hanrahan is one of the best in the business at creating fantasy worlds that feel alive . . . I''ll read any book that Gareth Hanrahan writes''The Fantasy Inn