Ellen Kushner writes fantasy that combines courtly intrigue, swordplay, romance and carefully observed social hierarchies. Swordspoint introduces Riverside, a dangerous district where professional swordsman Richard St Vier is drawn into the manoeuvring of aristocrats who hire fighters to settle private disputes. The Privilege of the Sword returns to the same world through Katherine Talbert, a young woman forced into sword training by her eccentric uncle, while The Fall of the Kings, written with Delia Sherman, explores scholarship, politics and older magic. Thomas the Rhymer draws on the Scottish border ballad tradition for a more folkloric, lyrical story. Kushner's fiction is elegant, dialogue-driven and character-led rather than built around large-scale battles. It fits mannerpunk, queer fantasy, historical-flavoured fantasy and literary sword-and-sorcery. Read more Less
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