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The Sword Saint
The Sword Saint
Jan 14, 2026 11:43 AM

Author:C. F. Iggulden

The Sword Saint

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE BESTSELLING EMPIRE OF SALT SERIES FROM MASTER STORYTELLER CONN IGGULDEN

'A master storyteller' Sunday Express

________

The news from the north is grim.

An army is massing under the new king of Feal. They head towards Darien - city of the Twelve families -

demanding allegiance, or war.

Tellius, Speaker to the Council, knows this divided city will never stand against such a terrible foe.

But Tellius has a plan.

He will assemble a band of heroes. Men and women who once before aided Darien in her time of need.

They will come if he calls.

The army approaches.

The trumpets of war sound.

A great city holds its breath.

And a desperate plan unfolds . . .

Discover the first two instalments in the thrilling Empire of Salt series Darien and Shiang, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Game of Thrones.

________

'Iggulden is in a class of his own' Daily Mirror

'One of our finest historical novelists' Daily Express

Reviews

A must read. Iggulden is clearly having fun pitching his various heroes and villains into bloody combat

—— SciFiNow

An old-school Fantasy novel, strong on character, in which readers can immerse themselves

—— SFF World

Enough machinations, conspiracies and controversies to rival Game of Thrones

—— ***** Reader Review

Strong characters and plotting, combined with world-building skills on a par with Brandon Sanderson's - what's not to like? VERY highly recommended!

—— ***** Reader Review

High fantasy tinged with dark magic, an East-meets-West clash of cultures, and an epic adventure

—— ***** Reader Review

Here is a paean to all things Irish. Fans of [Doyle] will be glad to follow old mates Davy and Joe through a pub crawl that is both elegiac and hilarious.

—— Washington Post

Sharp, funny... Easy to read, hard to forget.

—— Teddy Jamieson , Herald Scotland

A praise-song to the Irish pub... The reader is dropped into the familiar, perfect rhythm of Roddy Doyle's effortless dialogue...good humour and camaraderie.

—— Erica Wagner , Financial Times

He's a comic genius.

—— Diana Hendry , Spectator

No one does boozy male regret better than Doyle, and he's on typically fluent form in this slow-burn tale of two old friends... A narrative engine that Doyle has perfected over decades.

—— Anthony Cummins , Mail on Sunday

Roddy Doyle might be our greatest poet of the pub... Love, his 11th novel, makes the pub not just the instrument but the object of affection. In structure, it is a bar crawl; in substance, it is a love letter.

—— Susannah Goldsbrough , Daily Telegraph

Doyle puts feeling first in this novel by putting it last, in the final pages... In the end, you see that the sacred world of the two friends was lurking in all that preceded this final scene.

—— The New York Times Book Review

[A] witty, satisfying novel about male friendship, aging, and guilt... This one is a winner.

—— Publisher's Weekly

Love by Roddy Doyle weaves memory and fiction as two childhood friends reunite over pints and revisit the vagaries of their youth. Read it if you cry-laughed through The House of Sleep by Jonathan Coe and tittered at Steve Coogan's The Trip.

—— Irish Tatler

Roddy Doyle has never lacked ambition, writing complex novels that appear straightforward: heavy on the dialogue, simple in the language, deep in the lives of ordinary working people... [Love's] effect is devastating.

—— John Self , The Times

Deeply moving... [Doyle is] an exceptionally gifted writer... Wonderful.

—— Barney Norris , Guardian

Doyle is so adept a writer... [Love is] exhilarating.

—— Alan Massie , Scotsman

Doyle's fast-paced, dialogue-driven style is so real it feels like you're eavesdropping on the conversation. He captures the heartbreak and humour of long-term friendship exceptionally and ends the book with a tenderness that will take your breath away. It's wonderful.

—— Luxe

There are frequent flashes of humour, always part of the fabric of Doyle's work, music references galore...and moments of poignant nostalgia, especially about the joy of falling in love for the first time... [Love is] tender, moving.

—— Martin Chilton , Independent

Roddy Doyle is one of the most recognisable faces - and voices - in Irish literature.

—— Journal.ie

Fizzing dialogue...bawdy humour, nostalgia for times gone by, and a deeply moving ending.

—— Noreen Barr , Edinburgh Evening News

A tangled and mesmeric novel that consists entirely of conversation which is about all the things that don't need to be spoken and the things that can't be said.

—— Claire Allfree , Daily Mail *Christmas Fiction*

[A] tender, funny novel about love, loss and male friendship.

—— Jane Shilling , Daily Mail

With each new novel, Roddy Doyle’s work grows deeper and more contemplative. Love is a profound examination of friendship, romantic confusion and mortality

—— John Boyne

A novel her fans are sure to love

—— Woman's Weekly

A story of love, identity and belonging

—— i

Heartbreaking and humorous in equal measures

—— Boundless

A bouncy, comedy drama. Funny, poignant and bursting with joie de vivre

—— Daily Mail

A thought-provoking read . . . shows the true extent of motherly love

—— Publishers Association

Dawn French moves between the aftermath of that fateful night and 18 years later, when the explosive impact of Hope's actions is finally felt

—— Daily Express

A heartfelt story, handled so carefully and empathetically

—— Aisling Bea

Because Of You is a tale told with warmth by a storyteller who never takes herself too seriously

—— Sunday Express

Heartbreaking but redemptive, and lightened by French's trademark humour, this is a compelling read that will keep you poised between laughter and tears

—— Daily Mail

A tantalising story of motherhood told with Dawn French's signature warmth

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

As ever, even in the darkest of times, Dawn has found humour to inject into her novel

—— Best

A brilliant book

—— Good Housekeeping

The life-affirming and unmissable new novel

—— Eastern Daily Press

A tale told with warmth

—— Daily Record

While Dawn French's latest novel contains a dash of humour, it's also heart-wrenching

—— The Hunsbury Handbook

A fabulous emotional tearjerker of a novel

—— Silversurfers

Praise for Dawn French

—— -

Hilarious and brilliant

—— Woman & Home

I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all

—— Marian Keyes

Witty and wise, it'll have you burning the midnight oil. A cracker

—— Woman's Weekly

Very funny and packs an emotional clout. Brilliant!

—— Heat

An enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end

—— We Love This Book

There is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better

—— Express

Another hilarious novel!

—— Bella

French can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed

—— Independent

Wise and poignant

—— Beyond the Joke

Heart-warming

—— Choice Magazine
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