** spoiler alert ** 
 The only stand-alone book in the entire Valdemar series, where the previous books serve as myths, etc. for the later books. This book is the tale of Kerowyn - she starts out as your usual whiny forced-into-doing-something-heroic lead character and matures nicely throughout the book. Unlike some of the other books set in this world, By The Sword takes you on a nice journey through a number of different provinces/countries as Kerowyn travels around the land as a mercenary. A straight, simple fantasy tale and a reasonable introduction to a fascinating world - animal companions [horses, usually], telepathy, gay people, 'thinking' swords ... what more could you ask for?