My Swordhand Is Singing

My Swordhand is Singing is a novel by Marcus Sedgwick. It is set in the early seventeenth-century, in a small village called Chust. Tomas and his son Peter settle in the small village as woodcutters. Peter is finally happy that they have settled down and stopped their nomadic lifestyle, since they are unable to fit in anywhere. However, strange and unexplainable things start to happen in the village, and Tomas seems to know something about them. The man also holds a deep, dark secret.

My Swordhand is Singing was also awarded the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize.

Tropes used in My Swordhand Is Singing include:

• Cool Sword: Tomas' sword.
• Dream Melody: The Miorita
• First Girl Wins: Subverted. Agnes turns into a hostage and Peter kills her.
• Hot Gypsy Woman: Sofia.
• Our Vampires Are Different: The novel uses the original Eastern European folklore. Vampires are called "hostages", they suck blood by using their long tongues to get through skin and into the arteries, and many other superstitions adhere to them.
• Title Drop: "No, Milosh. I am not hurt," he said. "I am dying. But my swordhand is singing. I will take the sword into the village, and put an end to it." and "Yes, Father. My swordhand is singing.