For my first post on this blog about my fantasy series, The Binding of the Blade, I wanted to take a moment to explain the title. For those who haven’t read any of the books, I’ll try not to give too much away. For those who have, this is probably stating the obvious, but I have gathered from various comments posted on my series website, www.bindingoftheblade.com, that there are a number of readers who still are unclear on the purpose of the title.
The prologue to Beyond the Summerland, the first book, tells a story from Kirthanin’s past, about the first forging of weaponry. This event is a crucial element in a larger act of rebellion which sends the world spiraling into warfare and division. The making of weapons, then, is an inciting moment for the tragic decline of a world that loses the peace & harmony it once had and for which it was intended. The continued use of weapons, for whatever purpose, is a symbol of a world broken, that awaits the day when they will no longer be necessary, even for noble purposes.
This then, is the binding of the blade. From the moment they were first made until the time when they will be unmade, the fate of the world and the people who live therein has been bound to the weapons they wield. The world is bound, enslaved even, to the blades they cannot escape, until the binding itself can be broken. This deliverance from the binding is something the world was meant to long for, but it is possible that even among the faithful, there are some who have learned to love their blades too much…
To go further, though, would be to risk giving too much away about the climax of the story. If you’ve been reading the series, the answers to all riddles will soon appear when the last book, All My Holy Mountain is released this spring. If you haven’t been reading, I invite you to Kirthanin to enjoy the adventure.
The story I’ve tried to tell, in short, is a reflection based on the longing we are all supposed to have, for a time when the world will be made new and the implements of war that are necessary in the meantime for the maintenance of peace and administration of justice will be necessary no more. So, in the end, the story is a bit of a paradox. It is a story of war and conflict, but a story which carries with it a deeply held longing for the end of war and the resolving of all conflict. Read it, and when you’ve finished the last book, tell me if you think it works.
I think it’ll work wonderfully.
I really hope and pray we’ll see you-know-who in AMHM!!!! I’m like 99.9% sure we will
The storyline worked beautifully and all of my questions were answered along with all of the prophecies in the last book. Well done, L.B. Graham
Thanks!
I absolutly love the Binding of the Blade books and wish that there were more of them to read. They are my favorit books out of all the books that I have ever read. And I read a lot so that is saying something. Thank you Mr. Graham for writing them!
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Mr. Graham, I may be one of your ‘senior’ readers but I truly enjoy a book that holds my interest and makes me think about it during the day to the point where I’m really looking forward to getting back into it that evening. My son in the US Air Force took my advice on these and that probably makes at least two from our family who will be getting the whole series.
Thanks for a great work and blessings to you and yours.
In HIS name,
Thanks for the encouragement, Terry. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the series.
I love your books!!!!!!! They are the best. If you made a movie about them they would be a big hit I know.
I read all five of the binding of the blade books and i really enjoined them from front to back.
I’m glad you liked them.
Mr. Graham, I have read all of the Binding of the Blade series many times over (in fact I am reading All My Holy Mountain for about the 12th time). This series was my first venture into fantasy and since reading them, it has become my favorite genre. AMHM is the book (other than the Bible:) that I go to when I have had a rough day/week to help lift me up and remind me that some day there will be cleansing and renewing. Thank you for this wonderful series! I am looking forward to your new books and the new world I will get to explore through them!!
Praying for you in your writing, Hannah
Thanks, Hannah – both for the kind words & the prayers. AMHM is my favorite BOTB book too!
Me and my sister love The Binding of the Blade books, and we just have one question: after all Allfather’s faithful servants come back to life, do they then live forever? Or do they eventually die of old age?
Ashleigh, I’m glad that you and your sister enjoyed BOTB. I’ve been pretty intentionally vague, for a variety of reasons, when asked questions about ‘what happens’ when Allfather restores all things (not least of which is the belief that readers should have the chance to fill that part in for themselves), so I’m not going to answer your question – Sorry! – but I do think there are clues here and there in the story that might tell you what I think about this question…
We are new to your books, website and blog. My husband and I love your writing and look forward to sharing your books, etc., with our grandchildren. Thank you especially for sharing our Risen Lord Jesus with your readers. May He bless you most wonderfully!
Thanks, enjoy the books.