The Silver Blade follows the Red Necklace in a set of fantasy stories that take place in the years following the French Revolution. I didn't read the first one, but I never felt confused nor did I ever feel that I should have read the original.

In the case of the Silver Blade, the story follows the gypsy Yann, a young man, who uses his fantastic and popular carnival shows to smuggle potential victims of the Reign of Terror out of France. To those he rescues he is known only as the Silver Blade (in reality, most members of the show are assisting in the rescue of these people). A second story behind this one is the struggle between Yann and the villain from the first novel, who is now some sort of undead zombie vampire. Believed dead, he returns from the grave to kill Yann's beloved, a young girl named Sido.

The history part of this was very enjoyable for a history geek like me. The fantasy elements were bare bones, and not a large part of the story. The villain could have very easily simply been a psychopath rather than a vampire and I wouldn't have noticed much of a difference. And it takes a long time for these overarching tales to connect.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked this book. It's dark and somewhat melodramatic, but there's also a light, heroic element to it in Yann, whose swashbuckling exploits almost make him feel out of place in this world. But that's sort of the point I think. That contrast was entertaining and I think most young readers would also enjoy this young adult novel (their parents may balk at the graphic violence however).

Overall, the Silver Blade was an above average read set in an interesting world. ( )

I will confess to liking The Red Necklace more, but Gardner's second book was all right. I like the magic/mystical elements and how they're effortlessly fused within the historical context of the French Revolution. I like the characters we're meant to like and hate the ones we're meant to hate, there's very little grey area, and that's okay. I'm not sure why I didn't like it as much, but the ending was satisfactory. ( )

Spannend historisch leesboek. ( )

Marks Review:
This book has a fun plot but also gives an almost realistic account of possibilities in the french revolution. However their is a magical backbone to this story. Yann, the main character, contains some degree of magic.
This story also has a dark side, not just the daunting threat of the guillotine, but also a man who has made a pact with the devil. The man, Count Kalliovski, wants revenge on Yann and Yann's love, Sido, who is hiding in England.
This story is exciting, magical and a wonderful tale. But it would help if you read Bk1 The Red Necklace first
This is the 2nd book I read for my summer reading challenge 2011 ( )

I enjoyed this one less than the first one. There was just something about this series I didn't enjoy. I found I was getting very confused as to what was happening in most parts and struggled to understand how the younger people (who it is written for) could understand it. Maybe it was just me not paying THAT much attention. I didn't like the romantic side of it or the way it was written. However, I did enjoy the French Revolution side to it and learning about the Revolution. That part interested me. ( )