Book Review: THE BOOK OF SWORDS edited by Garnder Dozois

THE BOOK OF SWORDS (Bantam Books, 2017) 

Edited by Gardner Dozois.  Hardcover, 528 pages.  

ISBN #9780399593765

 

 

from the Goodreads website summary . . . . .

 

     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, 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.

 

Contents:

- 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

 

my review on the Goodread website . . . . . .

 

     If you are interested in exploring the various worlds within sword-and-sorcery tales, I can't think of a better starting point than THE BOOK OF SWORDS. It serves as a guidebook for further reading and a great reference for the best of the field. In addition, anything edited by the late great Gardner Dozois is worth your attention. He was a highly skilled curator and knew how to pick the premium cuts. 

 

    I haven't read enough in this genre, in part because to view everything that's available is somewhat intimidating. Every author has multiple books, triologies, series, etc. running thousands of pages. Where to start?

 

     Right here is where. Read the short stories and pick your favorites. It won't be easy. It will need to be a process of elimination -- the best versus the best -- as every story in this book is worthwhile. And no two are exactly alike, so you won't be bored. I'm familiar with the names of all 16 of these authors, but I'd only read three of them previously. (George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, C. J. Cherryh). Now I want to pick up some books by every single one of them.

 

     These are the stories and authors that made the biggest impression on me, or entertained me the most. This is where my 'further reading' list will start (not in order of preference, but in order of appearance):

 

"The Best Man Wins" by K. J. Parker.

 "The Hidden Girl" by Ken Liu. 

"I Am A Handsome Man, Said Apollo Crow" by Kate Elliott. 

"The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham.

 "A Long Cold Trail" by Garth Nix. 

"The Smoke Of Gold Is Glory" by Scott Lynch.

 "The Colgrid Conundrum" by Rich Larson (my favorite story).

 "Waterfalling" by Lavie Tidhar.

 

     For maximum appreciation, read this anthology over the course of several week, one or two stories at a time.

 

      Ironically, the one story that bored me and I did not finish reading was "Sons Of The Dragon" by George R. R. Martin, a writer who I have great appreciation for. It's a prequel of sorts to A Game Of Thrones that reads more like a long 40+ page encyclopedia entry more than a story. More detail, especially geography and names of characters, than I care to read about in a short piece. This could have been expanded into a decent novel, but Martin doesn't seem to have the time anymore.