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Vows and Honor · Book 3

By the Sword

by Mercedes Lackey
Published
1 January 1991
Pages
816
ISBN-13
9780743498753
Type
novel
Buy on Amazon All Vows and Honor books in order
Cover of By the Sword

About this book

By the Sword came next in 1991, by far the longest book in the series at 816 pages -- more than double any other entry. It's a companion novel following Kerowyn, Kethry's granddaughter, who inherits her grandmother's magic sword and is forced to abandon her sheltered life to become a mercenary captain herself, eventually crossing paths with Valdemar and its Heralds.

Key facts about By the Sword

Mercedes Lackey wrote By the Sword, a novel on our list. It has been out since 1991. The book has 816 pages.

We list 1 edition of this novel. Since each edition has its own ISBN, search for 9780743498753 to find the main one.

By the Sword is book 3 of 4 in the Vows and Honor series. The series has 4 published books. However, the series starts with The Oathbound (1988).

Additionally, Mercedes Lackey writes The Brainship Series, Heralds of Valdemar and Diana Tregarde, plus 23 more series. Those series sit on our science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy shelves. Meanwhile, The Cyprian is the latest published Mercedes Lackey book on file, from 30 December 2025.

About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey is one of the most prolific authors in modern fantasy, best known for her Valdemar novels, an interlocking mega-series that has run since 1987 across dozens of trilogies and standalones set in a single shared kingdom. See every Mercedes Lackey book in order.

Its place in Vows and Honor

By the Sword is book 3 in the Vows and Honor series. It follows Oathbreakers. It is followed by Oathblood. See the full Vows and Honor reading order.

Vows and Honor tells the story of Tarma shena Tale'sedrin and Kethry, an unlikely pair of mercenary sword-and-sorcery partners — a Sword Sworn warrior avenging her destroyed clan and a runaway noblewoman-turned-mage — who together become two of the most formidable heroes in the wider Valdemar universe, decades before Talia or Vanyel are ever born. The Oathbound and Oathbreakers collect and continue Tarma and Kethry's adventures as sellswords-for-hire; Oathblood , published nearly a decade later, closes out their…

Editions

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