title: Forging the Blade (Driven to the Hilt) (Volume 2)
author:  D G Lamb 
description: <span></span><span>"</span><span>I love the way this story feels like something that's never quite been done before.</span><span>" - <i>Lara Storm Hitchcock</i>, blogger, </span><span>storystorming.wordpress.com </span><span></span><br /><span><b><i>FIVE </i><span>5-star Readers Favorite reviews!</span></b></span><br /><span>"<span>After that explosive first novel, the second novel in the series brought something new and even better to readers.</span>" - RT </span><span></span><br /><span></span><span>"</span><span>Driven to the Hilt mixes this well-written, truly technological style with a gritty, physical realism of both the grimy streets and the sterile chambers of futuristic wonders, and I found that as the novel progressed it became much more of a psychological thriller than a science fiction plot.</span><span>" - KCF</span><span> </span><span></span><span></span><br /><span></span><span>"</span><span>This is the kind of book that hooks you immediately and refuses to let go. It has so much to offer, from intellectual discussions to an injection of comedy.</span><span>" - KJS</span><span></span><span></span><span></span><br /><span></span><span>"</span><span>Lamb has also employed the use of what he has named Dynamic Formatting, with font shifts and spacing that bring a reader closer to his vision of Joshua's world. It's a risky move and not everyone will be open to such change, but if you are able to hang in there for the first few pages, it becomes almost second nature to the overall story. Frankly, I loved it.</span><span>" - JM</span><span> </span><span></span><span></span><br /><span></span><span>"</span><span>The conflict is developed at multiple levels, from dealing with corrupt police to taking control of one's destiny. The sense of unpredictability permeates the narrative and creates the suspense that urges the reader to keep on turning pages.</span><span>" - CS</span><span> </span><span></span><span></span><br /><span></span><span>"</span><span>I'd recommend this series to lovers of the science fiction genre who are on the hunt for something a little deeper, a little more intra-personal, and a lot more fun.</span><span>" - JM</span><span> </span><span></span>
zlib_text: By the Sword
  
  by Mercedes Lackey
  
  copyright 1991
  
    
  
  version t2.0 checked against original, spell checked, formatted. completed
  October 17, 2003
  
   **BOOK ONE**
  
   **Kerowyn’s Ride**
  
  One
  
  “Blessed-look out!”
  
  Everyone turned and stared; at Kero, and at the boy about to lose the towering
  platter of bread. The racket of pots and voices stopped, and Kerowyn’s voice
  rang out in the silence like a trumpet call, but no one answered this call to
  arms. They all seemed confused or frozen with indecision. The scullion
  staggered two more steps forward; the edible sculpture, two clumsy, obese
  bread-deer (a stag and a reclining doe), began sliding from the oversized
  serving dish he was attempting to carry alone.
  
  Idiots! Kerowyn swore again, this time with an oath her mother would have
  blanched to hear, but it seemed as if she was the only one with the will or
  brains to act. She sprinted across the slickly damp floor of the kitchen, and
  caught the edge of the platter just as the enormous subtlety o