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Malcolm Archibald
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The Swordswoman Kindle Edition

by Malcolm Archibald (Author), Lorna Read (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 924
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The Norse thought they could conquer Scotland. They were wrong.

Melcorka is an ordinary young woman from the Isles. But when her homeland of Alba is attacked by the Viking horde, Melcorka abandons her life of luxury and chooses the path of a warrior.

With a ragtag band of companions, she heads south to unite the clans and free the land from the Norsemen's scourge - and claim her destiny.

Praise:

★★★★★ - "A glorious, rousing epic."

★★★★★ - "I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical novels with sword fighting and war. A great read."

★★★★★ - "This book held my attention from start to finish. The characters are believable and the storyline well-paced."

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    The Swordswoman
  2. Print length
    521 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    July 29, 2016
  6. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  7. Grade level
    8 - 12
  8. File size
    3429 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01JD72MWY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Next Chapter; 6th edition (July 29, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3429 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 521 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1794219498
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 924

About the author

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Malcolm Archibald

Malcolm Archibald

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Born in Edinburgh, Scotland and educated at the University of Dundee, I write in a variety of genres, from academic history to folklore, historical fiction to fantasy. I won the Dundee International Book Prize with my novel 'Whales for the Wizard' in 2005 and was a winner in the People's Book Prize with 'The Darkest Walk' in 2011. In 2021 my 18th century military novel, 'Blood Oath' won the military fiction prize awarded by the Society for Army Historical Research.

Happily married for 41 years, I have three grown children and live just outside Dundee in eastern Scotland.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
924 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tdawg
5.0 out of 5 stars Swords Woman...
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
What a refreshing change from the usual damsel in distress books. This was an empowering tome that should be read by each and every girl, and woman out there. Great battle scenes, dialogue, and scenery descriptions. I found myself lost in time and was just having a bird's eye view of what was going on the entire story. Loved it!
One person found this helpful
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"David_gr
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
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Pretty good, got better as I read. Plenty of action but not too much. Good characters. Plot straightforward but had a few twists. Wrapped up nicely.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, fantastic tale!
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
A superb tale. Yes, it is fantasy as Melcorka, a simple island girl suddenly has a task. She climbs a dangerous trail and her choice is a life of opulent ease or a rusty sword that is her destiny. She reaches the rusty sword that transforms into a sword of power. Her mother warns her though, the sword must never be worn for evil or revenge. It must be used to protect the innocent and fight off the evil that will afflict the land. The evil however is not that of the magical kind, but the evil of the Norsemen breaking the treaty and attacking. The islanders try to reach their king and help defend the land. The Norse overrun the peaceful kingdom and all are slain except Melcorka. She see her friends and her mother slain while she is able to fight off all who attack her. She follows her special bird as she has been directed and she will reach safety. There she meets Bradan, the Walking Man. He cannot even tell her where he is from, but he and his “stick” have always walked. He will guide her through mountains, moors, heather, and try to keep her from the People of Peace, in other words, the Fairy Folk. There she finds that the twin to the slain King still lives and she is to approach the Picts to help defend and defeat the Norse. This is a smashing good tale. The author gives you more than fantasy. The description of the Norse, their weapons, and tactics is flawless. The same can be said of his description of the Picts and the various clans of Scotland. They all have their differences but will unite to defeat the Norse in battle if they can. Twice Melcorka is separated from her sword named the Defender, and the last time if may be the death of her. I humbly suggest you read this magnificent tale of another era. Yes, the gore of an epic battle is there.
8 people found this helpful
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WyoGal
3.0 out of 5 stars Stopped at 39%
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2022
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The book seems out of balance for me. The scenes with the attacking Norseman are full of (possibly historic) graphic details about maneuvers, wounds, and weaponry, but the scenes with the fictional protagonist lack believability. Is she twenty or a young teenager? Despite her sheltered upbringing, she seems ready to take on the enemy and rally the survivors. But she has just witnessed a terrible slaughter, and yet she thinks she can do something to save the day? There needs to be some (more) introspection regarding her innocent self versus the experience granted by the sword.

Also, the secondary characters lack physical details beyond initial appearances, especially faces and facial expressions. Often it feels like reading a radio script instead of a three-dimensional experience. The characters have personalities, but they are difficult to visualize. However, the setting details are lovely and immersive.

Plot concerns—how many people lived on the island with the protagonist? Did they all go adventuring? How did Granny get her name? Are there grandkids around? How is it that the protagonist is the only one her age? Why wouldn’t the Norsemen in the boat fill her full of arrows (like her other clan members that floated by) or snag her as a slave?

There are too many (unfamiliar) “B” names at the start of this story.

I wanted to like this story, but I am frustrated because the protagonist has too quickly morphed from a curious young woman into a bloodthirsty hothead.
4 people found this helpful
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Berk Rourke
5.0 out of 5 stars A great story.
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016
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This wonderful book is like a classic of olden times. It raises reminiscence of boyhood and books of adventure and great courageous acts. In this wonderful story Melcorka the Swordswoman begins to find her destiny. She is gifted in this journey, begun with her Mother, Bearnas of the Cenel Bearnas and continued in preparation for and war with the Norsemen. Allying herself with the Picts and drawing together the clans of the south against the Norsemen she finds she has a brother in the King of the Isles. And war it is. The outcome is as it should be, with death and destruction part of the results of war as it always is, and with mercy given to some. And as the story leaves the battleground it changes the thrust of Melcorka's journey once again. I will not tell you how. You must read this wonderful book yourself in order to gain that knowledge. It is so very much worth the time and the concentration. I recommend it to any reader of mid teen years and above. A really good read.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Peter Ffrench
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring adventure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Melcorka finds a naked man on the island shore and throws her life into turmoil, there must be a moral there something like let sleeping dogs lie. She is taken to the mainland after a quest to decide if she is worthy which resulted in her finding the sword which seems to be the one all heroes throughout history have used in their quests against their enemies (Excalibur springs to mind) and she unites the clans and their leaders against the Norse foe and avoids marrying the Pict Aharn to go off with her spirit guide Bradan. Inspiring fantasy writing with fairies and tests to try the heroine along with her conquests and amorous disappointment Douglas. She doesn't get to avenge her mother's death but she did kill Baetan, Alba gu brath !
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John Broughton
5.0 out of 5 stars When history meets fantasy and romance
Reviewed in Italy on March 17, 2021
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Malcolm Archibald is a consummate writer. His speciality is the historical novel but here he has skilfully blended history, romance, adventure and fantasy. His intimate knowledge of Scottish history and geography serve as a splendid backdrop for his strong female main character. A simple island girl, Melcorka, with a mysterious mother and no father is called to follow her destiny. She is vulnerable but benefits from possessing an Excalibur-like sword to make her invincible against the pitiless Vikings threatening to overrun her homeland. She suffers heartbreak and desperation but through her indomitable spirit and the help of various clans and the formidable Picts she wins everything she had hoped for or does she? Perhaps we need to read the second and third books, which if they match this one should also be 5-star reads.
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Paul Mcgaffey
4.0 out of 5 stars An Honest woman Warrior
Reviewed in Canada on February 2, 2024
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Melkorka of Alba is unblemished Bravery. Strength and beauty without ego. Her soul is Hero with humility, an easy leader to follow, inspiring armies with her singing sword.
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Craftycat
4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting in parts (I love history) but what I loved most was the strong females in it. It always used to annoy me that females were portrayed as weak & screaming a lot. Thank goodness for characters like Melcorka!
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Robert
3.0 out of 5 stars I did not realise there was fantasy in this read
Reviewed in Australia on December 17, 2022
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I did not enjoy this book
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