Comments on PUNKADIDDLE: Richard Morgan, The Steel Remains (2008)

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2009-04-22T01:10:00.000-07:00

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Severian, of Gene Wolfe fame, carries an execution...

2008-08-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Severian, of Gene Wolfe fame, carries an executioner's sword (called Terminus est), a completely different kind of beast compared to normal swords and a type of weapon which no normal person would ever carry to combat.

Broadsword is not a type of giant combat shovel but it's not a rapier either. I risk degenerating into terminology but it is a bit confusing that "broadsword" may refer either to a single-handed medieval sword (the classic knight sidearm) or the scottish super-heavy (less than 3kg still) claymore of 1700s - or, actually to many other sword types too!

Weapons make men (that would be me) such geeks! Otherwise, a brilliant review I much enjoyed reading.

(I should note that 1300g also gets plenty heavy, ...

2008-05-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

(I should note that 1300g also gets plenty heavy, especially when you're used to 450-900g practice weapons, but I expect Ringil's in better shape than I've ever been.)

With Markus: if we're talking about something like...

2008-05-16T01:06:00.000-07:00

With Markus: if we're talking about something like the medieval German langes schwert it doesn't sound unreasonable. I haven't used one myself but from what I've seen of the techniques (search "arma longsword" on YouTube to see reconstructions from the 15th-century manuals) they look substantially similar to the Japanese techniques I do know, intended for swords with a 70-80cm blade and weighting say 1300-1500g. Not Renaissance-rapier-fast, but quick enough.

If Ringil's got a five- or six-footer like Stormbringer or Terminus Est then I agree it's a bit silly. :)

Markus, you could very well be right. Certainly m...

2008-05-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Markus, you could very well be right. Certainly my comment on Morgan's sword is nitpicky.

Have I held a broadsword? I've held a Claymore, which weighed considerably more than 1.6kg; nearer 3kg if I remember, and with a big, rigid blade. It felt very ... heavy. I accept modern rifles weigh more, but you lift and aim a rifle, you don't wing it to and fro, block and parry and all that Douglas Fairbanks palaver.

I'm certainly happy to take correction from somebody who knows more about this subject than I do.

Argh, I shouldn't write that early in the morning,...

2008-05-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Argh, I shouldn't write that early in the morning, sorry for the errors (it's of course "weighed 0.9kg" for example).

Some links for a good overview over swords and some historical examples:
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_swordintro1.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_properties.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_higgins_vik.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_stone.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_higgins.html
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_alexandria.html

"Which has, perhaps, slightly less charm. Plus I w...

2008-05-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

"Which has, perhaps, slightly less charm. Plus I was puzzled by the way Ringil flourishes his broadsword like a fencer’s foil. Broadswords are very heavy objects indeed. They were used in battle as, in effect, big clubs, for battering more than chopping; and just being able to lift one up takes considerable strength."

I'm sorry, but have you ever actually held a the real deal? Because that's pretty much incorrect. "Broadswords" weight 0,9kg (one-handed) to up to 1.6kg (two-handed/Bastard swords). The blade is rather thin (4-7mm tappering out for the last third to 2-3mm) and flexible - you can bend it sideways and it will return true instantly if it is well-made. Something you can swing all day long (modern rifles weigh 5-8kg for comparison). They were designed as cutter swords and thus not "clubs" but sharp as your average knife, quick and nimble although with a point of balance farther out than later thrusting swords (the point of balance would be about 15-20 cm in front of the hilt instead at 2-10cm with thrusting swords) which does not make them as nimble as a thrusting sword, but a far better cutter. Still, you can swing and parry with such swords with an surprising speed.
Battering with a sword? That doesn't work except with Hollywood-swords like Conan's club.