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3.5 

The Book of Swords

By Gardner Dozois & George R. R. Martin &
The Book of Swords by Gardner Dozois & George R. R. Martin &  digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

New epic fantasy in the grand tradition—including a never-before-published Song of Ice and Fire story by George R. R. Martin!

Fantasy fiction has produced some of the most unforgettable heroes ever conjured onto the page: Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Classic characters like these made sword and sorcery a storytelling sensation, a cornerstone of fantasy fiction—and an inspiration for a new generation of writers, spinning their own outsize tales of magic and swashbuckling adventure.

Now, in The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and bestselling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters—many of them set in their authors’ best-loved worlds. Join today’s finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do, featuring a stunning assortment of fearless swordsmen and warrior women who face down danger and death at every turn with courage, cunning, and cold steel.

FEATURING SIXTEEN ALL-NEW STORIES:

“The Best Man Wins” by K. J. Parker
“Her Father’s Sword” by Robin Hobb
“The Hidden Girl” by Ken Liu
“The Sword of Destiny” by Matthew Hughes
“‘I Am a Handsome Man,’ Said Apollo Crow” by Kate Elliott
“The Triumph of Virtue” by Walter Jon Williams
“The Mocking Tower” by Daniel Abraham
“Hrunting” by C. J. Cherryh
“A Long, Cold Trail” by Garth Nix
“When I Was a Highwayman” by Ellen Kushner
“The Smoke of Gold Is Glory” by Scott Lynch
“The Colgrid Conundrum” by Rich Larson
“The King’s Evil” by Elizabeth Bear
“Waterfalling” by Lavie Tidhar        
“The Sword Tyraste” by Cecelia Holland
“The Sons of the Dragon” by George R. R. Martin
 
And an introduction by Gardner Dozois

“When fine writer and expert editor [Gardner] Dozois beckons, authors deliver—and this surely will be one of the year’s essential anthologies.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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55 Reviews

3.5
Slightly Smiling Face“This book is an assortment of fantasy short stories from different authors.”
“3.25 - a VERY mixed bag. this is the average of all my ratings for each story, but individual ratings are below! to the surprise of literally no one, my favorite was Robin Hobb's lol 1. Her Father's Sword by Robin Hobb - 5 2. When I Was a Highwayman by Ellen Kushner - 4.5 3. The Triumph of Virtue by Walter Jon Williams - 4.5 4. The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu - 4.5 5. The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson - 4.25 6. The Sword of Destiny by Matthew Hughes - 4 7. The Best Man Wins by KJ Parker - 4 8. The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch - 3.5 9. The King's Evil by Elizabeth Bear - 3.5 10. The Sword Tyraste by Cecelia Holland - 3.25 11. A Long, Cold Trail by Garth Nix - 3 12. The Sons of the Dragon by George RR Martin - 3 13. Hrunting by CJ Cherryh - 2.5 14. The Mocking Tower by Daniel Abraham - 2.5 15. Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar - 2 16. "I Am A Handsome Man," Said Apollo Crow by Kate Elliott - DNF”

About Gardner Dozois

Gardner Dozois was the author or editor of more than a hundred books. He won fifteen Hugo Awards, a World Fantasy Award, and thirty-four Locus Awards for his editing work, as well as two Nebula Awards and a Sidewise Award for his own writing. He was the editor of the leading science fiction magazine, Asimov’s Science Fiction, for twenty years, and the editor of the anthology series The Year’s Best Science Fiction for thirty-five years. A member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Gardner Dozois died in 2018.

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