Wow. Never have I ever enjoyed a book so thoroughly or had one that was able to hold my attention as tightly as this one did. An excellent quick read (it is a little shorter) that doesn't belabor the boring parts of the story by filling in extra details that don't matter. Straight to the point without being too rushed, beautiful character development (by the end you feel like you've actually spent a fair amount of time with Tiger and Del), it keeps you on the edge of your seat and reading. I've never been able to finish a 250+ page book in less than a day before until I picked up Jennifer's first novel in this series. I can't wait until I pick up the next one!

More than a decade before "Xena, the Warrior Princess" made female swordfighting fashionable, Roberson created a magnificent fantasy series featuring a brave, determined swashbuckling heroine. Set in the desolate, windswept lands of the South, the series is narrated by Sandtiger, a swaggering, sword-dancer who won his freedom from slavery by defeating the most feared animal of the desert. Now, Tiger is the finest sword-fighter in the South, hiring himself out, ready to take on any challenge, if the price is right. Tiger's life is irrevocably changed by Delilah, a stunningly beautiful woman on a mission of revenge. Five years before, Del's family was wiped out by raiders who murdered everyone except Del and her 10-year old brother, Jamail. After escaping from the raiders, Del dedicated herself to training as a swordfighter. She apprenticed herself to the finest sword master in the North and spent five years training. Her sword is a very special blade, a runesword made powerful by magic and incantations. When Del hires Tiger to help her find the slave trader who sold her brother into slavery, he has no idea that she will lead him into the adventure of a lifetime. In Del, Roberson has created a magnificent character whose determination to avenge her family and find her brother has compelled sacrifices that would have killed a weaker person. But Roberson also shows Del's uncertainty and her vulnerability; she is no superwoman. Although she has tried to strip herself of her humanity and her femininity, Del still possesses a heart. Tiger is a worthy partner to Delilah. Scarred by his childhood slavery, Tiger has used his wits and his physical prowess to attain the freedom and the fame he yearned for as a little boy scorned by the tribe who owned him. Although his pride and stubbornness make him unwilling to accept the depth of Del's skill, gradually Tiger must admit that she is his equal as a sword-dancer.

This is an epic fantasy story, this is an action-adventure story, this is a tale of revenge, this is a story of a quest. This is a love story, of sorts.

A woman walks into a bar and says, "I'm here to talk to a man about a horse." Well, not really. A beautiful woman walks into a bar, looking for a man called the Sandtiger, because she was told that the Sandtiger could lead her to Osmoon the Trader, who might know someone who knows something about the woman's younger brother, who was kidnapped, five years earlier, in a raid by marauders, who killed everyone in the family except the woman (then a teen-aged girl), who escaped, and the boy, who was taken as a slave to be sold.

The woman is named Delilah, or "Del," and she is on a quest to find her brother and punish the raiders who destroyed her family. She is also a highly trained sword-dancer or warrior trained in the skills and lore of swordcraft. She is from the North, where the land is cold and mountainous.

The Sandtiger, or "Tiger," is a Southron man who is a sword-dancer, acting as a mercenary. He is renown as the best sword-dancer in the South (just ask him, he'll tell you, without a trace of humility to taint the tale). The South is a hot, desert land. The South is also the home of the raiders who kidnapped Del's brother, and the South, where slavery is legal, is where Del's brother would've ended up.

Del and Tiger set off together, with Tiger as guide, in search of Jamail, Del's brother. Along the way, they bicker, they rub each other the wrong way, they doubt each other's skills. Of course, they end up being a great team, they come to respect each other, and maybe more. The quest is hard, and there are many setbacks, as there wouldn't be much of a story if they walked into the nearest village and found Jamail, safe and sound.

As the story progresses, Del gradually reveals her stormy past, and the tale of how she became a high-ranking sword-dancer, which is very rare for a woman, Northerner or Southron. We also gradually learn the dark story that lies beneath the mystique and the cheerful swagger of the Sandtiger.

This is a well-told tale of adventure, action, and a noble quest. What makes it good, first and foremost, is the character development. The reader's first impression of Del and Tiger is that we have to stereotypical fantasy saga characters, but then we find out more and more, as they work through their differences and become a team. The writing is very good, and not only is the character development great, but there is also lots of action, including many sword-fights, and a good description of the setting, both geographical and cultural. As Del is unfamiliar with the South, Tiger has to teach her about the land and the customs and culture, and we get to learn, right along with her. The lore and rituals that surround sword-dancing, in this fictive world, is complex and highly reminiscent of many martial arts, but with aspects of magic, especially for Del.

Overall, this is a fast-paced adventure-quest novel, with interesting characters and great contextual descriptions.

my fantasy chick friend, Lulu recommended these series of books and they are a lot of fun! Robeson does a credible job of telling the story from the male (sandtiger) point of view,
my only complaint is that there isn't enough books in the series!
haha I guess she just wants toleave us wanting more!

Tiger and Del in this Sword Dancer series is a tale about two exceptional warriors having no respect for each other except for each other's prowess with the sword. This first book in the series begins with Del hiring Tiger, a living legend among swordsmen, to aid her as a guide in the deserts of the south as she searches for her brother. She is from the wintery north where swords are magically bound to its user. She has sworn to find and free her brother from slavery, and also to kill the slavers. In the course of their adventures animosity and mutual condescension becomes grudging respect, and, possibly, friendship. Of course there are lots of sword dancing, conventional battles, and confrontations with magic that will have you spinning through the pages and enjoying the thrilling ride.

Jennifer Roberson crafts exciting adventures that just happens to have fully developed main characters who you will grow to know like old friends. This book is different from novels where the emphasis is on either character relationships OR adventure. The stories of Tiger and Del balance both to the satisfaction for all readers. The story is told in the voice of Tiger. Some will love him, other readers will find him too full of himself. Yet, he is engaging, and too charming to resist the tale.

I have read the entire series and enjoy returning to the stories. If this is your first introduction to the author, Jennifer Roberson, you could not start at a better place.