Why read Tiger and Del?
Tiger and Del are one of my favorite fantasy couples. It is also to the title of the series by Jennifer Roberson.
Their story is just appealing to me. This story also a fairly traditional fantasy story of sword and sorcery (yes, there are both swords - and each title refers to swords! - and magic!). I want to say that the story holds well but I plan to re-read it entirely this year, so I will confirm this statement in time.
We experience the whole series (I cannot speak to book 8 just yet but I would not expect changes to the format) through Tiger’s point of view. He’s a sell sword who is quite good at his job, has some morals and is a womanizer. He is also a man from the desert and enjoys the warmth. He has also a traumatizing childhood (and further) being a slave who was able to free himself becoming a legendary sword-dancer.
Del is a woman with a very dark past which leads her to have an objective. And she is relentless in her pursuit. That pursuit started with her becoming another great sword-dancer and continues with her getting revenge for the horrors she suffered. First time she meets with Tiger is when she is in pursuit to find her kidnapped brother.
And she is the perfect balance for Tiger; that is what makes this couple so great. We are never talking about a woman in need of rescue. She is his equal and they both have strengths and weaknesses. And they complement each other incredibly well, with his charm and her drive.
It is also a story of violence. It is a gory story - although the writing focuses less on the gore and more of the mental scars the characters have - and it is a story that shows human depravity, greed and abuse. It is not for the faint of heart.
In fairness, the world building does not seem to be front and center of the story; yet, the stories take place in different places in this world, going from the desert to the cold weathers of the north, experiencing different tribes and ways of living. Again, the main appeal for me is the relationship between Tiger and Del so this is why I keep coming back for more.
The story is told with sensibility. The voice of the protagonist is almost gentle, there is a level of care for humanity that is uncommon in these stories (and despite his upbringing). It is a story that will leave you a bit better than you started. It made me feel uplifted, even if the characters have to manage and deal with complex (physically and emotionally) situations. The circumstances that the characters experience and the life they had to endure are nothing short of traumatizing; and this is the difficult part of the story. Yet their relationship puts me in a great mood all the time and that’s why I feel uplifted when I finish reading these books.
I loved the series so much that I have decided to reread it. It is one of my goals for 2023 and it belongs to the 80s fantasy stories too (my post here). Plus it has recently added a new book to the series so I have something different to look forward to!
There are currently eight books in the series; it starts with Sword-dancer, and the continues with Sword-Singer, Sword-Maker, Sword-Breaker, Sword-Born, Sword-Sworn, Sword-Bound and is currently ending with Sword-Bearer.
Have you read Tiger and Del? What did you like about it? What did you enjoy the most about the story? Let me know in the comments down below - and comment with a big cat (lion, tiger, jaguar) emoji!
