The Society of the Sword Trilogy

Society of the Sword #1-3

by Duncan M. Hamilton

All three books of The Society of the Sword Trilogy that has been described as "Game of Thrones meets The Three Musketeers"This omnibus edition contains all three parts of the trilogy, including The Tattered Banner, which was featured on BuzzFeed's 12 Greatest Fantasy Books of 2013, and is over 1000 pages of swashbuckling heroic fantasy.When Soren is plucked from the streets and given a place at the prestigious academy of swordsmanship, he thinks his dream of being a great swordsman has become a possibility. However, with great intrigues unfolding all around him, Soren discovers that he is little more than a pawn to the ambitions of others. As he is swept from high society into exile in foreign lands to escape those who see him as a threat, he must rely on a mysterious gift and the lessons learned at the academy if he hopes to survive in a society where disputes are settled with a sword.Get your copy now and save 20% over the individual list prices.The Tattered Banner (Book 1)In a land where magic is outlawed, ability with a sword is prized above all else. For Soren this means the chance to live out his dreams.Plucked from a life of privation, he is given a coveted place at Ostenheim’s Academy of Swordsmanship, an opportunity beyond belief.Opportunity is not always what it seems however, and gifts rarely come without conditions. Soren becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of intrigue and treachery that could cost him not just his dreams, but also his life.The Huntsman's Amulet (Book 2)Alone in a foreign land, Soren must come to terms with loss and a gift that has been as much a burden as a benefit.A long abandoned city may hold the answers he seeks about the Gift of Grace, but a lethal assassin proves that old enemies have not forgotten him.As misfortune pulls him ever farther from an unsettled score, he finds hope in an unexpected place…The Telastrian Song (Book 3)A remote farm and meagre crops are a far cry from Ostenheim and the life of a banneret, but they are not far enough. For Soren to be free of Amero, there is only one answer.In Ostenheim, Duke Amero presides over a war-weary population and an empty treasury, but still he hungers for more.An Intelligencier uncovers the disturbing resurgence of sorcery in the city, while an avaricious colleague sees the chance to prove his worth to the Duke.Enemies and allies emerge from unexpected places, as Soren must face his former patron and idol for a final reckoning.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Action

810 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2016

About the author

Hi, thanks for visiting my page. I’m Duncan, a fantasy and science fiction author from Ireland. I love to blend my passion for Medieval and Renaissance history with the freedom of fantasy environments to create fast paced heroic fantasy adventures with compelling characters and high stakes—exactly the types of stories that I love to read, so I hope you’ll like them too.

You can find more of my online hangouts and my work at the links below. Don’t forget to sign up for my news letter if you want to keep up to date on all my news and new releases!



I’m delighted to announce my most recent trilogy with Tor, Dragonslayer - a heroic fantasy tale about redemption, revenge, and megalomania. Oh, and dragons. Plenty of dragons! The entire trilogy - Dragonslayer, Knight of the Silver Circle, and Servant of the Crown - is now out in the wild, and available to purchase. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.



My next trilogy is already well under way, and I've a couple of new projects that occur in different worlds (and genres!) that I'm very excited about, and hope to start releasing this coming Spring 2021.If that’s too long to wait, then please check out my other books, all of which are currently available!

Society of the Sword



The Tattered Banner was one of Buzzfeed's 12 Greatest Fantasy Books of 2013!

In a world where magic is outlawed, ability with a sword is prized above all else. For Soren this means the chance to live out his dreams.

Plucked from a life of poverty, he is given a coveted place at Ostenheim's Academy of Swordsmanship, an opportunity beyond belief.

Opportunity is not always what it seems however, and gifts rarely come without conditions. Soren becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of intrigue and treachery that could cost him not just his dreams, but also his life.

Wolf of the North



It has been generations since the Northlands have seen a hero worthy of the title. Many have made the claim, but few have lived to defend it. Timid, weak, and bullied, Wulfric is as unlikely a candidate as there could be.

A chance encounter with an ancient and mysterious object awakens a latent gift, and Wulfric’s life changes course. Against a backdrop of war, tragedy, and an enemy whose hatred for him knows no bounds, Wulfric will be forged from a young boy, into the Wolf of the North. This is his tale.

If that’s not enough, I’ve a standalone novel, and some shorter work to give you a taste of what I write. You can get a free digital copy of the Marcher Lord if you sign up for my news letter!

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got these from Audible in the "Trilogy Form" in other words all 3 books at once. I can recommend this trilogy, I like it, it's engaging and draws you in. There is action while also giving you a good "coming of age" tale (and I'm not a big "coming of age" tale person, but a good one will really snag me).

So, sword play...a sort of super protagonist...intrigue...romance...all good.

Enjoy.

[Brian Ming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many reviews on this book series, some of which were extremely negative and even scathing. Some said this was "okay" or "a near miss at being good or even great." Honestly, I loved this book series. Okay, so I admit it, I didn't read but actually listened to this series on Audible. And, perhaps, that's the difference in my opinion from some of other reviews, at least on Goodreads. The narrator was very good and made the story come alive. I also loved the pace and character development. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I was constantly rooting for Soren in his endeavors during his setbacks, believing he will endure the difficulty, and hopefully learn something constructive concerning his special gift as a swordsman.

It's been described as a mix between Game of Thrones and Three Musketeers. Here's my two cents worth: This book series is much less sensual than Game of Thrones. Don't get me wrong, there was love had and lost with a borage of shady sexual encounters by various characters along the way, but doesn't go into graphic detail that derails the story line (again, my take).

Some people have said the books get progressively worse and book two is very slow. I actually really enjoyed book two as well as three. I think what others may be referring to about book one is that it ends with a major twist that almost left you feeling like the end of the first Godfather movie (just pretty great and hard to rival, that's all). Book two, in particular had much more travel to connect dots later on. I especially loved a certain voyage to a once important city (now abandoned) where Soren learns a lot about his gift.

All in all, I felt the 30 plus hours spent listening was very entertaining and well worth the time.

[Anne Monteith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this trilogy and devoured the entire trilogy in a few days. Soren can't believe his luck when he's plucked from the streets and sent to the prestigious academy where the noblemen send there sons. He wants to repay his mentor, but as time passes he realizes that it wasn't kindness and benevolence that prompted his mentor to sponsor him.

The book has a few problems, it seems as if Soren just goes from problem to problem without understanding the reason or the consequences. I understand that all mention of magic has been eradicated so it is to be expected that there is little explanation in the beginning of what it is and why it happens. Also, The Tattered Banner was the authors first book so you expect some roughness because it is not the property of a big publishing house that has polished it and charged $13-$20 for each digital book. In the two subsequent books, the writing improves and the story becomes even better.

This is an author that I am planning on watching and I look forward to reading additional works.

4/5 STARS: **I read this novel using a selection from my Amazon Unlimited subscription; the review reflects my honest opinions.**

[Edel Ryder-hanrahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book and a half of this trilogy and then it just started to drag. It's a little *too* formulaic and I never really felt invested in the main character. It wasn't that he was unlikeable so much as he seems to be nothing more than a set of unusual abilities with no real personality behind him. And "The Love Interest" (tm) seems to exist exactly and only as that. Even the events in her life seem to serve only to inspire Main Character towards revenge and /or stupid actions.
The last book, in particular, really dragged for me. But I got through to its pretty predictable end eventually.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good trilogy. The main character shows growth from his origin through this ascent into the ranks of the Bannerets.

Over the course of the books, you really get a sense for how the cast of characters grow, evolve, and change the world based on their actions. Not every series gets this right and this series did,

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

A more accurate title for this trilogy would be “Society of the ‘Sword’” and by ‘Sword,’ I mean ‘Penis.’ Within the hundreds upon hundreds of pages in the first 2 books of this trilogy (or first TWENTY ONE HOURS of the audiobook, there are only 3 named female characters: 1) a gorgeous barmaid with whom Soren falls desperately in love , 2) a plain Jane princess whom Soren somehow brings himself to find somewhat attractive despite her ungainly features, and 3) a kidnapped heiress whose value is her dowry and making her fiancé happy. The barmaid has no agency and her entire existence is wrapped up in her relationship to Soren. The princess, despite being surrounded by her own court and country, “shall be lonely” without Soren after having only known him for a month or two. And the kidnapped heiress has approximately 2 lines of dialogue, neither of which are substantive. 🙄

Aside from these 3 named women, the only other women to grace the pages of the first 2/3 of this trilogy are a whore who specializes in S&M and a bevy of bodacious babes accompanying the rich and beautiful kidnapped fiancée of a man Soren wishes to please.

The author doesn’t even make minor characters female or allow any of the female characters he does include to have any worth outside their use to Soren.

I gave up on this trilogy after book 2 when I couldn’t stomach the misogyny any further.

Aside from the casual sexism oozing out of this book, the story is derivative and boring. It’s basically a string of anecdotes threaded together. The author bounces from scenario to scenario without ever fully developing any of them. Added to that, the protagonist is unlikable, unbelievable, and has a super lame “gift.”

[Jan Mc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this series, narrated by Derek Perkins, who did a fabulous job. He's definitely going on my "favorite narrators" list.

The first book of this fantasy trilogy was really fun. A young thief on the street is plucked up and sent to an exclusive academy, where he—of course—discovers he has special powers. Those powers, along with hard work (unusual in these stories), allow him to become an excellent swordsman. From then on, he was super-human in sword fights, which weren’t really a challenge.

However, by the second volume, the amount of killing, betraying, and testosterone-juggling man-talk is pretty overwhelming. I think I nodded off a few times, but it didn’t make any difference in the long run. Basically, I think the series could have been much shorter and still as entertaining.

• Lots of bad men killing each other (or trying to)
• Some magic, not well explained
• Tons of political intrigue between countries (yawn)
• Interesting (if predictable) sword fights
• Huge body count, assisted by questionable morals
• Few characters have any redeeming qualities

Speaking of characters, there are VERY few women even mentioned in this story, and most of them are “whores.” Even the main squeeze was a prostitute for a while. The main character, Soren, grew in knowledge and experience, but his personality wasn't fully explored. I would have had more empathy for him if he hadn't been so ruthless.

By the time the drawn-out conclusion finally begins, the political maneuvering was getting very old. I couldn't keep the main players in the plot straight in my mind, which is usually a result of listening instead of reading. The conclusion was satisfactory, if over quickly and—again—predictable.

Lots of violence, some foul language, some sexual references but nothing graphic.

[Christopher Harju · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never heard about this book before. And had no friends who have read it either. The sample narration sounded good and the premise sounded ok, so I decided to give it a try!

This book is *technically* quite well written. BUT, utterly uninteresting. It's quite strange, there is no apparent flaws that I could point out, like too many clichés, poor characterisation or lack of complexity. It was simply boring and failed to keep my attention, I guess it could be a lack of imagination and creativity for the story itself. I gave this up and stopped reading at approximately 30%.

So if u wanna pull a wild card, go ahead. But can't really recommend it! :)

[William F. Rogers III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done!

There are many reasons I give the author such high rating, I shall name only there. The story is well developed and the characters are not flat - a mixture of good and evil. The ethical lesson of the trilogy is that good triumphs and evil is punished, something often forgotten in our amoral times. Last but not least, is the understanding that humanity may err but is redeemable. Thank you Duncan

[Trevor Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up after I had read Duncan's newest trilogy. I did it backwards but still enjoyed seeing some of the side characters from that one when they were younger. I could definitely tell he has improved in his writing as well. All in all I enjoyed it and am hoping to get a in depth review done at some point for my blog https://thebloggoblin.com/

[Richard Radgoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the story contained within The Society of the Sword Trilogy. I listened to the Audio version which was well produced and narrated.

If you look at the tags above, you'll see it's got a lot of different things going for it. Part of this is because each novel has a different flavor.

The first novel we are introduced to Soren, a street rat with some natural ability with a sword. He catches the eye of a famous duelist from the arena and sponsored into the Academy to learn swordcraft. The novel seems to be going in the 'School career & events' direction for about half of the novel until things go sideways and Soren finds himself in the Army. There he fights barbarians and starts to become a pawn in some very high stakes political machinations. Things go really bad then...

The second novel has a completely different flavor. In this one, Soren finds himself dealing with Pirates. The story follows directly from the first novel, but his direction takes him to life on the water, first as a passenger, then a prisoner, and finally a pirate himself. Interlaced into this is his desire to find out more about his special power that manifests itself during combat and his search for Allesendra.

The third novel is the culmination of everything. Soren is tired of running from Assassins. He has tried to live as far away as possible from his enemies as he can, but he fears for Allesandra's life as the assassins continue to confront them. He finally decides to return home and confront his enemy. He quickly finds that the entire town is roiling under the dukes iron grip and political machinations & plans are being made by many groups...

Overall, I really enjoyed the novels and the stories within. I was put off a bit that books 1 and 2 had one POV character and book 3 had 3 POVs. And frankly, I saw no reason for three. Perhaps that storyline, ultimately cut short, will lead to more novels in the world, but I found it annoying and distracting. In the end, it didn't reduce my overall enjoyment of the trilogy, however.

[Wes Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

The highpoints were quite high. Overall, it's an engaging, multi-layered story that concludes well. It doesn't feel rushed, nor does the pace suffer across each of the three volumes. They also work standalone, which is nice. The experience is better reading all three, but you won't be completely, utterly lost if you pick things up midstream, or plan breaks between each of the books.

Where it tails off for me is with some of the complimentary characters. Things that feel super important wind up being footnotes, others seem to linger to no real effect. I'll go ahead and throw up the Spoilers tag, but I'm specifically thinking of the Assassin, the 12, the Island, and the ambassador. In each case significant time is devoted to a potential antagonist, only for things to be dealt with in a matter of pages. They came across more as delays versus build to the final encounter.

Finally, I really, really struggled with Alisandre. It felt like the book was caught between giving its hero a quest reward and giving its reader another interesting, fully fleshed out character. Getting stuck in the middle led to the worst of both worlds: a fairly shallow figure that routinely went through horrible experiences. Only, they were all off-screen and generally not addressed in any meaningful way. All we know is that, at points during the story, she loses her family, gets forced into prostitution, captured by pirates, sold as a slave, back into prostitution, reunites with our hero, vanishes, reappears in the epilogue. At one point the hero even makes a comment about how they haven't really discussed things... AND THEY NEVER DO! She was maddening.

Anyways, fans of the genre will greatly enjoy this book. I liked it a lot, but there were some structural items that prevented it from being truly spectacular.

[Glenn O'Bannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero is Soren, who rises from an orphan on the mean streets to one of the finest swordsmen in the known world, aided by an innate gift that he does not fully understand. Part of the story is learning about what the gift is.

Along the way, he goes from academy schoolboy to soldier to assassin to the Duke’s guard to fugitive to… You get the idea. Adventure, intrigue, danger, romance, and a little bit of magic.

He encounters dukes, inquisitors, sailors, pirates, remote tribesmen, desert rulers… What’s not to love?

But it’s not a mindless, non-stop adrenaline ride. The writer takes time to develop the characters and the plot, and he takes time to describe the places and the people in each place he visits (which is most of the countries surrounding the Middle Sea). It’s a bit like Name of The Wind in that way, only I liked these books much better.

Be aware it’s not a book for kids, in case you were wondering. It has more than a few, F-words, violence (but not overly graphic for adults), and some sexual situations.

In order for me to like a story, I have to enjoy most of the characters. The author brings these characters to life well and you root heartily for or against them.

Duncan M. Hamilton is the kind of writer that I most love—one that can make you see the movie in your head. The writing is smooth and the story carries you along. I already have another book by him and I am eager to read it.

WHY are there only three books in this series? I want more!

[Sandra Kennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extremely well written. The descriptions were not too over the top and the story flowed nicely. I listened to the complete trilogy on Audible and it was beautifully narrated by Derek Perkins. I would rate his reading as a five star. The reason I only gave these books a four star is that I couldn’t see where the story was going at the beginning. I did like the character Soren, but felt that he would have benefitted from a “mentor” or someone who could have helped him understand his “gift” at the beginning. The first book started off well but dragged towards the end. The second book started off slow and then got mor interesting but then third book was by way and far the best. I don’t think I will be reading this book again any time soon tho I would not hesitate to recommend it as an interesting fantasy.

[Katherine Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really engaging story with a great central character and many plot twists to keep it interesting. However, the pace is too fast for my liking - it would really have benefitted from taking some time to develop characters and the world in which it is set (really only the central character has any kind of development, and that's still quite lacking). The female characters are weak but at least the author is not patronising towards them (unlike George R R Martin or Raymond E Feist). It is a shame that Duncan Hamilton did not, like many other fantasy authors, take the opportunity to make the world more equal (anyone of any consequence is male). if it wasn't such good value on audible, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's adequate I think the the best way to put it.
First book I nearly dropped 3/4 through, but I'm glad I stuck around for the ending. Book two I quite liked, most adventures out of the lot, bit of swashbuckling, can't go too wrong if you finished the first one. Last one I liked the least, maybe everything was just warped up a little bit too neatly, not that I'm against happy endings, I have no issue with the epilogue. It's just getting there was a little lacking.

I suppose my biggest issue is I never ended up feeling much for Soren, not everything goes smoothly for him, but I never felt any sense of danger for/with him. He seems a bit flat as a character, pretty strait forward.

Overall pretty relaxing audiobook listen, narrator I certanly liked.

[Dan Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved Soren’s honest development as a person. He was provided with a special ability but that did not necessarily make him good or bad. Through the series he grew and changed which I liked very much. I rated it 5 stars because throughout the three book series Soren did grow, change, and developed into someone to root for. It took me a while to finish all three books because I read other books between the three. I really appreciated coming back to the next one and finding the protagonist in a constant state of growth. The ending was also very satisfying as well which is really important to me and I appreciate it when an author does not let me down in that category! This series is a keeper and I will keep reading more from the author!

[ShooF · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are expecting something new, then this isn't it, if like me you have read one or two Fantasy books then you can see where some of the ideas came from. This is no bad thing & generally it was a decent read, the first book is by far the best. Mr Hamilton though has a habit of building up a situation then leaving the reader a bit deflated on how quickly it is resolved, almost like he gets fed up- not the only author that does this.
For some strange reason, I suspect he needed a bit of padding, a third of the way through the 3rd book , we are suddenly introduced to some new characters, one of which plays a fairly major part in the remainder of the book.
All in all a decent read.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started book 1 of this trilogy, I really liked Soren and couldn't wait to hear about his journey, by book 2, I was getting a little skeptical about his intelligence and by book 3 I was rolling my eyes and calling him stupid way too many times. It's not that I didn't enjoy the trilogy as a whole, I just thought Soren was mentally challenged at the worse times...you know, like when he's fighting for his life. The secondary characters were very interesting and I wish there was a little more story for them, but it was Soren's journey, so it is what it is. But yeah...Soren was kinda stupid.

[Jared Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland, lifeless prose that lack any emotional content. Characters that are barely more than sketched outlines. A plot that lacks imagination. A world that is left virtually unexplored and feels like a half painted backdrop behind meaningless events. A protagonist who lacks any truly defining characteristic other than he is good at stabbing people. Oh...and a love story as vibrant as day old oatmeal.

Truly, please dont spend your time on this book. There are so many other stories that contain new ideas, beautiful worlds, epic events, and, perhaps most importantly, skilled writing. If you want those things when you read a book, look elsewhere, because you won't find them here.

[Dyllan Carignan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears that the author took to fencing and thought it would be neat to write a book series about it without realizing that the sport has very little bearing on the art of swordplay. As someone who has fenced at the college level, and someone who's wife teaches Italian longsword lessons I found the basis for much of the main characters original training to be absurd.
I greatly enjoyed the fantasy and political intrigue of the books and felt that the main character experienced quite a lot of growth. There were several plot lines that were left hanging and never resolved in the end and the ending itself was exceedingly abrupt.

The books were enjoyable.

[Karl Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series

It was a fun read. Good characters and an interesting world. In this boxed set you can see the effort put into the world building as each novel added a layer if complexity. Worth the price of admission!

The only downside was the stereotypical role of the bank at the end. Too much of a kingmaker similar to Joe Abercrombie "First Argument of Kings" and Game of Thrones

[Sarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long winded

I mostly enjoyed this. The main character has a touch of the Mary Sue about him, but I think that's pretty standard in fantasy. It also could have done with a bit of editing in places, and relies a bit too much on Oriental tropes of the middle east considering it's set in a constructed world (deserts and harems for eg). Overall though, a pretty good example of the sword and sorcery genre, with more emphasis on the sword.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY! An epic tale I literally couldn't put down for hours on end. I've been wanting to read this trilogy, but I kept putting it off. I'm glad I finally did. I wish I could find more books like this that grab you from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Following Soren's tale from a street orphan to...the end (don't want to spoil it for anyone) was an adventure I wish still continued on!

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me pretty interested throughout. Got it as a package deal on audible and it's worth it for the length to cost ratio alone.

I didn't feel like much happened that was super unique and most individual parts have been done better elsewhere. That being said despite being mildly formulaic, the plot twists were fun and the story entertaining.

It's like a good pop song, everyone can enjoy it, it doesn't commit too hard or make any errors but also doesn't risk breaking the mold at all.

[Alex Schulenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make a good movie.....

An enjoyable read with pirates, assassins, royals and swashbuckling sword play. Only comment to the negative is an abrupt ending. As we are reading we realize that the ending is near and with this style of writing the finale is on the last page with no real in depth explanation of the consequences of his actions. Otherwise a good read............

[MR GARY CAMPBELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy at its best

Classic fantasy coming of age tale. The main character soran is very strong and you get a real connection which draws you in to the tale. For a fantasy fan who has read many books over the years there is something very enjoyable about this trilogy and the world created.

[David Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange ol' trilogy. Easy to read and I found.myself reading late into the night. I just can't work out why. Story is easy, but characterisation is lacking. The hero has a distinct lack of morals or doubt. Definitely a writer too look out for so I've purchased a few of his later books. Just hope they're about more rounded. Still, over a 1000 pages and they flew by. Just don't know why!

[John Amburgey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trilogy is definitely worth the read. The characters don’t evolve as much as some of the other authors I read but still great stories. I did feel there were a lot of things left unresolved but maybe I’m just being picky.

[jason novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not stop reading

I'm not really one for reading so I had to find something to do while I wait for G.O.T. to come back on and I found Duncan Hamilton I've read a few of his books and they are all pretty good