Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
"Swordspoint" is a compelling narrative set in a fictional world where social class distinctions play a significant role, particularly highlighted by the dichotomy between the aristocratic elite and the less reputable Riverside. The story follows Richard St. Vier, a skilled swordsman who becomes embroiled in a series of deadly duels and political intrigues after he kills two men at a noble gathering. Living with his lover Alec, a former student of his, Richard navigates a landscape filled with manipulation, honor, and betrayal, as various nobles seek to use Richard's talents for their own ends.
A pivotal event occurs when Richard is hired to challenge a young nobleman, Michael Godwin, who has taken an interest in swordsmanship. As tensions rise, Richard's actions lead to the death of Michael's master, further complicating the relationships among the characters. The narrative explores themes of loyalty, honor, and the consequences of power struggles, ultimately culminating in a courtroom revelation that reshapes Richard and Alec’s destinies. The tale concludes with the couple returning to their roots in Riverside, emphasizing the tension between societal expectations and personal identity. "Swordspoint" offers a rich exploration of character dynamics set against a backdrop of political maneuvering and the art of swordplay.
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Subject Terms
Swordspoint
First published: 1987
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—high fantasy
Time of work: An alternate eighteenth century
Locale: The Hill, Riverside, and Chartil
The Plot
This fairy tale begins in a time where men wear swords and women carry scented pomanders. Up on the Hill, where the aristocrats live, Richard St. Vier kills two men during a party in Lord Horn’s garden. Richard returns to Riverside (the less reputable part of town), where he lives with his lover, the aristocratic former student Alec.
Because of the duel’s outcome, Lord Karleigh, one of Lord Halliday’s political rivals, goes into hiding at his country estate. While discussing the duel over cups of chocolate, the Duchess Tremontaine flirts with Michael Godwin, a young nobleman, and succeeds in planting the idea that he should become a swordsman. When Richard St. Vier refuses to tutor him, Michael goes to the studio of one-armed swordsman Master Applethorpe. There he discovers he has a talent for swordwork.
Meanwhile, Lord Ferris comes to Riverside in disguise and attempts to hire Richard to kill Lord Halliday, so that Ferris can gain control of the Crescent Council. Alec recognizes Lord Ferris and tries to convince Richard not to take the challenge. Lord Horn, angered that Michael did not succumb to his amorous advances and feeling insulted, tries to hire Richard to challenge Michael. His approach to Richard is so ignoble and lacking in honor that Richard refuses the assignment. Enraged, Lord Horn has Alec kidnapped.
When Richard realizes that his lover is no longer safely under his protection, he carries out Lord Horn’s assignment, but when he finds Michael at Master Applethorpe’s studio, the master accepts the challenge on Michael’s behalf. The fight exhilarates both the combatants and ends with Richard killing Applethorpe. Michael is horrified by the loss of the master, but Duchess Tremontaine takes him as her lover and dispatches him to handle negotiations in a foreign land where his skill with the sword gives him status.
After Alec is released, Richard, on his own volition, kills Lord Horn. Richard is arrested and brought before a small council of nobles, who ask him if he killed Lord Horn on assignment for some patron. When Richard claims that the killing was a matter of his own honor, no one cares, for Richard is not a noble. Lord Ferris subtly lets Richard know that he will sponsor him, which would make Richard beholden to Ferris and no longer his own man. Before Richard has to decide whether to be owned or instead to hang, Alec enters in the clothes of a nobleman.
Alec, it is revealed, is the heir of the Duchess Tremontaine. He had left university and hid himself in Riverside after his friends were persecuted for proving that the earth revolves and the heavens are fixed. Alec claims that according to an old law, this case must be tried before all the nobles, not only the Court of Honour. In front of the larger assembly, Alec forces Lord Ferris to dishonor himself and take the blame for the killing. Lord Ferris is then banished so far from the Hill that he will be unable to continue his political manipulations. Richard is absolved of the crime and returns home. Alec deserts the life of a noble to rejoin his lover, and together they enjoy the close of the fairy tale back in the lusty, frosty, perilous world of Riverside.