(Fantasy Adventure) Sixteen original tales of “Swords and Sorcery” by authors spanning several generations of writers. (181,092 words; Time: 10h:03m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Lots of Fun
Showing posts with label The Book of Swords. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Book of Swords. Show all posts
Saturday, October 21, 2017
The Sons of the Dragon, by George R.R. Martin
(Epic Fantasy) In which we learn what transpired during the reigns of the sons of Aegon the Conqueror, Aenys I and Maegor I (the Cruel). (17,292 words; Time: 57m)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
The author has talked about how different this story is from what he usually writes and how it came to be here.
The Sword Tyraste, by Cecelia Holland
(Historical Fantasy Horror) Vagn escapes when his friends and brothers are slain by pirates, so he joins the pirates and bides his time ‘til he can get his revenge. (8,565 words; Time: 28m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Waterfalling, by Lavie Tidhar
★★★☆☆ Average
(Fantasy Adventure; Gorel of Goliris) Searching for his lost homeland, addicted to a drug excreted by gods, and suffering withdrawal, Gorel gets an invitation to an adventure—to kill a god. (10,803 words; Time: 36m)
Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 (Q&A)
Although this story does stand alone, readers interested in the series should probably start with the novel “Gorel and the Pot Bellied God.”
The King's Evil, by Elizabeth Bear
(Fantasy Adventure) In service to her king, Lzi and her two companions come to an island that holds a treasure and a curse, but it seems some other people have got there before them. (11,852 words; Time: 39m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
The Colgrid Conundrum, by Rich Larson
(Fantasy Adventure) Crane and Gilchrist arrive in filthy industrial Colgrid with a box that needs an expert to open. An expert who may demand payment in some other form than cash. (11,905 words; Time: 39m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Dark, Gritty, Intense
The Smoke of Gold is Glory, by Scott Lynch
(Fantasy Adventure) Tarkaster Crale, a young thief down on his luck, meets up with friends who want to assault the Anvil, the mountain where the last dragon hid its hoard—and from which it dares people to try to take it. (16,850 words; Time: 56m)
Rating: ★★★★★ A Great Tale, Well-Told
When I Was a Highwayman, by Ellen Kushner
(Fantasy Adventure; Riverside) In which we hear of the early days of young Richard St. Vier in Riverside and how he learned he wasn’t cut out to be a highwayman. (8,362 words; Time: 27m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
This is a prequel to Swordspoint and will mostly be of interest to those who have already read that novel.
A Long, Cold Trail, by Garth Nix
(Fantasy Adventure) A godling possessed the witch who tried to destroy it, and now Sir Hereward pursues it, aided only by a puppet, a charlatan, and another witch who’s taking way too long to show up. (11,167 words; Time: 37m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Hrunting, by C.J. Cherryh
(Fantasy Adventure) Two generations after “Beowulf,” a young man returns to Grendel’s mother’s lair seeking his grandfather’s famous lost sword. (10,250 words; Time: 34m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ New Twist on an Old Tale
The Mocking Tower, by Daniel Abraham
(Fantasy Adventure) Somewhere near the every-changing Mocking Tower the Imagi Vert has hidden a sword that holds the soul of the late emperor, and a thief has come to try to steal it. (9,944 words; Time: 33m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ A Fun Read with Unexpected Twists and Turns
Recommended By: RHorton:5The Triumph of Virtue, by Walter Jon Williams
(Fantasy Mystery; Quillifer) Quillifer intends to discover who tried to assassinate the wife of the queen’s lover, even though suspects are plentiful and clues are few. (11,604 words; Time: 38m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Recommended By: RHorton:4"I Am a Handsome Man," said Apollo Crow , by Kate Elliott
★★★☆☆ Average
(Alternate History Fantasy; Spiritwalker Trilogy) Apollo Crow takes an assignment from the Emperor to steal the sketchbook of a woman whose speeches are fomenting rebellion. (10,931 words; Time: 36m)
Recommended By: 👍RHorton.r+1 (Q&A)
The Sword of Destiny, by Matthew Hughes
(Fantasy Adventure; Baldemar) Baldemar’s attempt to retrieve the Sword of Destiny for Thelerion goes awry, and rather than face his master empty-handed he flees—into even bigger trouble. (10,427 words; Time: 34m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Gripping, Surprising, and Amusing
Although this is part of a series, it can stand alone with no problems.
The Hidden Girl, by Ken Liu
(Chinese Fantasy Adventure) She was only ten when they kidnapped her to train as an assassin, but now she’s sixteen and she needs to prove herself. (9,551 words; Time: 31m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Exciting, Absorbing, and Touching
Her Father's Sword, by Robin Hobb
(Fantasy Horror) The second-worst thing about raiders is that they kidnap villagers and take them away. The worst thing is when those kidnapped villagers come back. (10,501 words; Time: 35m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
The Best Man Wins, by K.J. Parker
(Fantasy Adventure) A young man comes to the best swordsmith to make a weapon suitable to kill the man who murdered his father. (11,088 words; Time: 36m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
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