
The Book of Swords
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About this listen
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 best-selling 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 16 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
Readers: Arthur Morey, Julia Whelan, Mark Deakins, Ralph Lister, Kirby Heyborne, Nicholas Guy Smith, Richard Brewer, Steve West, Elliott Hill, Kim Mai Guest, Katherine Mc Ewan, and John Lee
©2017 George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, and Garth Nix (P)2017 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
FitzChivalry - royal bastard and former king’s assassin - has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire. Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past...and his future.
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Switching to Kindle version.
- By ZionLion on 08-13-14
By: Robin Hobb
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Rogues
- By: Neil Gaiman - contributor, George R. R. Martin - editor, Gillian Flynn - contributor, and others
- Narrated by: Janis Ian, Gwendoline Christie, Roy Dotrice, and others
- Length: 31 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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If you’re a fan of fiction that is more than just black and white, this latest story collection from number-one New York Times best-selling author George R. R. Martin and award-winning editor Gardner Dozois is filled with subtle shades of gray. Twenty-one all-original stories, by an all-star list of contributors, will delight and astonish you in equal measure with their cunning twists and dazzling reversals. And George R. R. Martin himself offers a brand-new A Game of Thrones tale chronicling one of the biggest rogues in the entire history of Ice and Fire.
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A fun way to sample Authors- More Rothfuss Please!
- By gc on 08-31-14
By: Neil Gaiman - contributor, and others
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Fractured Fables
- Containing A Spindle Splintered and A Mirror Mended
- By: Alix E. Harrow
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Follow professional fairy-tale fixer Zinnia Gray as she helps women get the endings they deserve! First, Sleeping Beauty in A Spindle Splintered, fractured and reimagined. And then, Snow White's Evil Queen in A Mirror Mended!
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wonderful
- By T. Stewart on 09-16-24
By: Alix E. Harrow
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The Ice Dragon
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Maggi Meg Reed
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember. Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the cold.
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Throne Starter Kit
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-19-17
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And Only to Deceive
- Lady Emily, Book 1
- By: Tasha Alexander
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly.
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Tiresome
- By nkevinsc on 03-05-15
By: Tasha Alexander
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Secret Identity
- A Novel
- By: Alex Segura
- Narrated by: Aida Reluzco
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s 1975, and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn’t care. She’s an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn’t have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn’t matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book. That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call “The Lethal Lynx”, Triumph's first female hero.
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This was written for me! ❤
- By Joanna on 06-12-22
By: Alex Segura
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The Rise of the Dragon
- An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One
- By: George R. R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr, Linda Antonsson
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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This lavish visual history—featuring over 180 all-new illustrations—is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
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This is a cash grab, and nothing more
- By Lisa Carrasquillo on 10-25-22
By: George R. R. Martin, and others
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The City That Would Eat the World
- More Gods Than Stars, Book 1
- By: John Bierce
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Thea is a washed-up mimic exterminator who expected more out of life, not some hero from stories. Aven is an impulsive wandering adventurer whose personal goddess is constantly getting her into trouble. Neither of them has the slightest interest in getting involved in world-shaking historical events. History doesn't care what they want, unfortunately. It's fallen right into their laps in the shape of a god-slaying weapon from a fallen civilization. Thrown together out of chance, Thea and Aven will have to learn to work together if they want to survive their pursuers.
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Such a Thing as Too Much World Building
- By Executar on 02-22-25
By: John Bierce
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Pilgrim
- A Medieval Horror
- By: Mitchell Lüthi
- Narrated by: Alan Turton
- Length: 21 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in 12th-century Jerusalem, Pilgrim follows the treacherous journey of a German knight and his companions as they return home after seven arduous years battling for God in the Holy Land. Within this sprawling tale lies a tapestry of medieval horror, intertwining history and folklore, encompassing both a metaphysical and literal odyssey.
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An even greater story than I had hoped for
- By RandyMarsh on 09-13-24
By: Mitchell Lüthi
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Ship of Magic
- The Liveship Traders, Book 1
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 35 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships---rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her---a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim.
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Horrible Narrator
- By CP on 10-07-10
By: Robin Hobb
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Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (20th Anniversary Edition)
- By: Susanna Clarke
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 36 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England—until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight. Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic.
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36 hours may not have been enough
- By Bon Ami on 12-03-24
By: Susanna Clarke
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The Black Company
- Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1
- By: Glen Cook
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....
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Hard Boiled Morally Ambiguous Epic Fantasy
- By Jefferson on 03-18-11
By: Glen Cook
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Fall of Radiance
- The Complete Series (An Epic Fantasy Boxed Set: Books 1-5)
- By: Blake Arthur Peel
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading
- Length: 50 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Get the Fall of Radiance boxed set, featuring all five action-packed books in the best-selling epic fantasy series - including adventure, magic, war, and a bond between warriors that can't be broken.
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Disappointed by the narrators
- By Shantul Nigam on 03-20-21
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The Wolf's Call
- A Raven's Blade Novel
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Vaelin Al Sorna is a living legend, his name known across the Realm. It was his leadership that overthrew empires, his blade that won hard-fought battles - and his sacrifice that defeated an evil more terrifying than anything the world had ever seen. He won titles aplenty, only to cast aside his earned glory for a quiet life in the Realm's northern reaches. Yet whispers have come from across the sea - rumours of an army called the Steel Horde, led by a man who believes himself a god.
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A Return To Form: Vaelin Is Back
- By Chris on 07-30-19
By: Anthony Ryan
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Mutiny on the Bounty
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before. Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies, the Bounty's crew found themselves in a tropical paradise. Five months later, they did not want to leave.
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You don't know the whole story.
- By Justin Sluyter on 05-01-19
By: Peter FitzSimons
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Limitless Lands
- The Complete Series, Books 1-5
- By: Dean Henegar
- Narrated by: Jack Voraces
- Length: 62 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Colonel James Raytak is about to die. The 93-year-old combat veteran is living his last days in a nursing home, and his only hope for survival is found inside the virtual world of Limitless Lands. With every swing of his sword and every command given to his army, Raytak is one step closer to returning to the people he loves. Many foes will stand in his path, and despite a lifetime of military experience and powerful allies, victory is not assured.
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Outstanding!!!!
- By Jeremiah D. Laxson on 09-17-24
By: Dean Henegar
a mixed bag
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Great compilation! Great stories.
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There are a number of very solid stories in this book. Robin Hobb, the aforementioned Scott Lynch. George RR Martin throws a chapter from the Blood of the Dragon series he's been working on forever. it's a fine elaboration on the chapters from the History of Westeros. the Riverside story in this book is an odd one, but apt.
I would say if anything this book suffers from a number of notable absences. There's no Brandon Sanderson or Joe Abercrombie. There's no Patrick Rothfuss or Jim Butcher. I would have liked to have heard the words "Would you like to destroy some evil today?" or have taken a journey with a certain dozen and a certain father of swords with a certain crack nut narrating the tail.
One of the best reasons to pick up an anthology like this is to discover or get into somebody who has a great series that you might not have heard of or have been hesitant to try. So I'm writing this in direct response to anyone who would buy big giant book filled with stories by dozens of authors to only read one and review it based on that one story.. don't publish reviews.
Solid, but not amazing anthology
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Dozen or so short stories made good breaks and range, my favorite was the ancient story teller about hunting a dragons gold.
S&S At it's best.
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awesome.
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The Smoke of Gold is Glory is truly the best of the bunch. It played out like a movie in my head.
while all the stories are good...
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Too Much Fantasy
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the variety of stories kept my interest.
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It was said there’s no Table of Contents and the narrators aren’t identified:
It appears the editors took this comment to heart because there is now a nice Table of Contents clearly identifying the 16 novellas and further separating the author intros so that you can skip them if you’re that impatient to move forward. At the very end, you are provided the title, author, and narrator of each entry.
It was said there is inappropriate content:
There are two entries using the F bomb (and only 1 over-using it). There are zero described sex acts; everything is fade to black or obliquely mentioned. There are two entries with themes of abusing women (again, discussed but not detailed). As for violence, it’s about what you’d expect from something titled Book of Swords.
It was said this cared most about diversity:
By my count, there were 4 of 16 (25%) with a FMC and 2 of 16 (12.5%) with LGBTQ representation.
If you are that fragile flower that needs 100% of your fantasy to feature straight, white, males,
then by all means pass on this.
As for me, my biggest issue is that so many of these were forgettable. Sure, there were swords and stabby stabby parts, but were there characters I’ll be able to name or worlds/magic systems I’ll be able to describe a week from now? Not really. There were a few solid entries and I now have a few authors to look up (a primary benefit of anthologies, in my opinion). This was an acceptable 2-for-1 credit purchase.
Still on the fence? Here’s a quick blow by blow:
1. ⭐️ Best Man Wins by KJ Parker - contrarian and pithy, like Bronn lecturing on swords and war … without the fooox.
2. Her Father’s Sword by Robin Hobb - skip this if you don’t like the GrimDark genre or couldn’t handle Theon’s arc- FMC with lots of plundering and a brutal Darwin aesthetic. Guessing this was the “inappropriate content” entry that turned another off. Seems to be from the author’s Farseer universe.
3. ⭐️ Hidden Girl by Ken Liu - his stories tend to be more cerebral, but the shorter length makes it go down easier as the question posed is: should killers have a conscience? FMC. Ode to Arya?
*** random thought and probably way off base: it feels a little like the authors were assigned to pick a GoT character and write a tribute story, but not using the GoT universe
4. ⭐️ The Sword of Destiny by Matt Hughes - feels like classic 80s fare with Faustian bargains and Sphinx-style riddles. Tyrion would be tickled.
5.⭐️ I am a Handsome Man, Said Apollo Crow by Kate Elliot - Brienne would approve of this slick story. Steve West’s narration elevates things.
6. The Triumph of Virtue by Walter Jon Williams - Bland. Feeling Gendry’s ultimately pointless arc.
7. ⭐️The Mocking Tower by Daniel Abraham - Feeling Qarth and strange magics and indirect lessons
8. Hrunting by CJ Cherryh- A Beowulf tribute giving 13th Warrior vibes that never quite hooked me. Channeling “what is dead may never die!”
9. ⭐️ A Long Cold Trail by Garth Nix - lighter tale of sorcerer’s puppets and godlettes, felt Sam Tarly YA
10. When I was a Highwayman by Ellen Kushner - not sure if it was the robo-narration of Kirby Heyburn or the dwelling on domestic squabbles but this went over like Renly and Margaery’s honeymoon.
MM references.
11. ⭐️ The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch - did he just say “well placed buttocks”? This was cheeky and felt like a pirate treasure hunting adventure. It was fun enough that I may finally bite on the author’s much longer Lies of Lock Lamora.
12. The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson - went off script and from swords to steampunk, with furnaces, masks, and potions. The number of F bombs and abuse themes also dimmed my enjoyment.
13. The King’s Evil by Elizabeth Bear. FMC. … zzz… what? Where was I? Must have dozed off.
Too much feelings, not enough action.
14. Water falling by Lavie Tidhar - “The job was simple: find a man, then kill him.” Another one that goes off script. Was there a sword at all? This was instead a Weird Western tale of gunslinging, addiction, and chained-gods. Very gritty.
15. The Sword Tyraste by Cecelia Holland - Steve West at his shouty, chew the scenery best,
but I still won’t remember much except it was a revenge tale.
16. The Sons of the Dragon by George RR Martin, narrated by Ralph Lister - a nice supplement between seasons of House of the Dragon, but it’s mostly a recitation of who beget who, and who beheaded who.
Few memorable novellas
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stupendous
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