The Sword Smith
Encyclopedia
The Sword Smith is a low fantasy
fiction by Eleanor Arnason
, published in 1978 by Condor (ISBN 0-89516-028-5). It had no introduction, the beginning of the story plunged straight into the narration of a smith on the run, named Limper, with a young dragon named Nargri. Almost all explanations about who they were and why they were on the run was revealed through dialogues between the characters.
Unlike other fantasy novels where there was a definite plot, this novel subtly examines various themes of prejudice
, artistic aspirations versus pragmatism, stoic
acceptance of life and the right of a man to enjoy simple freedom, without weaving a grand major plot.
Nargri is a young dragon companion of Limper. In this world, adult dragons were the size of adult humans, but were supposedly of more advanced, having built cities when humans were still living in crude mud huts. By the time of the story, dragons were so rare that many thought them as legends. It was revealed that dragons were sophisticated creatures and superior craftsmen compared to humans. But as the human race became dominant, many dragons sought to protect their culture by retreating underground. Nargri descended from the exceptions who believed dragons should remain above ground, to interact with the changing world, while withdrawal from the world would lead to extinction.
Low fantasy
Low fantasy is a term used to describe a variety of works within the sub-genres of fantasy fiction. Low fantasy places relatively less emphasis on typical elements associated with fantasy, setting a narrative in real-world environments with only vague elements of the fantastical, sometimes just...
fiction by Eleanor Arnason
Eleanor Arnason
Eleanor Atwood Arnason is an American author of science fiction novels and short stories.Arnason is the daughter of H. Harvard Arnason, who became the director of the Walker Art Center in 1951, and Elizabeth Yard Arnason, a social worker by profession who has spent her childhood in China...
, published in 1978 by Condor (ISBN 0-89516-028-5). It had no introduction, the beginning of the story plunged straight into the narration of a smith on the run, named Limper, with a young dragon named Nargri. Almost all explanations about who they were and why they were on the run was revealed through dialogues between the characters.
Unlike other fantasy novels where there was a definite plot, this novel subtly examines various themes of prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
, artistic aspirations versus pragmatism, stoic
STOIC
STOIC was a variant of Forth.It started out at the MIT and Harvard Biomedical Engineering Centre in Boston, and was written in the mid 1970s by Jonathan Sachs...
acceptance of life and the right of a man to enjoy simple freedom, without weaving a grand major plot.
Characters
Limper was the smith of King of Eshgorin. Dissatisfied with the work assigned to him by the king, he quit. But in his world, quitting is only possible if the king is not able to get his hands on him. Despite being not a fighter and having a limp, Limper demonstrated wit and a strong instinct for survival necessary in his pursuit to follow his own path.Nargri is a young dragon companion of Limper. In this world, adult dragons were the size of adult humans, but were supposedly of more advanced, having built cities when humans were still living in crude mud huts. By the time of the story, dragons were so rare that many thought them as legends. It was revealed that dragons were sophisticated creatures and superior craftsmen compared to humans. But as the human race became dominant, many dragons sought to protect their culture by retreating underground. Nargri descended from the exceptions who believed dragons should remain above ground, to interact with the changing world, while withdrawal from the world would lead to extinction.