The Book of Swords, Gardner Dozois
The Book of Swords, Gardner Dozois
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The Book of Swords

Author: Gardner Dozois, George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Garth Nix

Narrator: John Lee, Katharine Lee McEwan, Kim Mai Guest, Elliot Hill, Richard Brewer, Nicholas Guy Smith, Kirby Heyborne, Julia Whelan, Mark Deakins, Steve West, Ralph Lister

Unabridged: 22 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/10/2017

Synopsis

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, read by John Lee
“Her Father’s Sword” by Robin Hobb, read by Katharine McEwan
“The Hidden Girl” by Ken Liu, read by Kim Mai Guest
“The Sword of Destiny” by Matthew Hughes, read by Elliott Hill
“‘I Am a Handsome Man’ Said Apollo Crow,” by Kate Elliott, read by Steve West
“The Triumph of Virtue” by Walter Jon Williams, read by Elliott Hill
“The Mocking Tower” by Daniel Abraham, read by Richard Brewer
“Hrunting” by C. J. Cherryh, read by John Lee
“A Long, Cold Trail” by Garth Nix, read by Nicholas Guy Smith
“When I Was a Highwayman” by Ellen Kushner, read by Kirby Heyborne
“The Smoke of Gold Is Glory” by Scott Lynch, read by Ralph Lister
“The Colgrid Connundrum” by Rich Larson, read by Mark Deakins
“The King’s Evil” by Elizabeth Bear, read by Julia Whelan
“Waterfalling” by Lavie Tidhar, read by Mark Deakins
“The Sword Tyraste” by Cecelia Holland, read by Steve West
“The Sons of the Dragon” by George R. R. Martin, read by Ralph Lister
 
And an introduction by Gardner Dozois, read by Arthur Morey

About The Author

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shaitarn on April 23, 2022

It was okay. Most of the stories weren't of interest to me. They weren't bad, just didn't appeal to me, particularly the essay by George RR Martin which was not a story but a history lesson about one of the Targaryen family. The best stories for me were the ones by Ellen Kushner and Scott Lynch, but......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on December 28, 2018

A really solid anthology of well-written epic fantasy stories for adults. I knew before getting it that I wanted to read the Ellen Kushner and Elizabeth Bear stories, and just as I'd expected, they were both great - but I was surprised by how much I loved the Scott Lynch story, too, and I thought th......more

Goodreads review by Charley on July 27, 2019

Excellent stories by excellent authors; I might have come for certain authors, but I don't think there was any story I really didn't enjoy, even if there were some that scratched my itches more than others. I'd even say it's hard to choose a favourite. Brilliant collection, brilliant authors, and so......more

Goodreads review by Johnny on July 16, 2019

Very enjoyable, although the GRRM story was a slog. The standout was the Scott Lynch story.......more

Goodreads review by Barry on April 22, 2020

Good shorts by and large Some good stories, a lot are missing swords but that's a quibble. The Martin story is more a historical recounting.......more

Quotes

“As you would expect from this editor, each story is different, each a gem. . . . [A] fabulous sampler of writers who know the long and short of epic fantasy.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“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)
 
“A great collection for any fantasy fan.”—Library Journal
 
“Entertaining throughout . . . This is one of the anthologies of the year.”—Locus

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