A review by joebuuz
The Book of Swords by C.J. Cherryh, Garth Nix, K.J. Parker, Cecelia Holland, Lavie Tidhar, Elizabeth Bear, Robin Hobb, Kate Elliott, Scott Lynch, Ellen Kushner, Gardner Dozois, Ken Liu, George R.R. Martin, Matthew Hughes, Daniel Abraham, Rich Larson, Walter Jon Williams
5.0
Keeping a running track of the stories:
KJ Parker, “The Best Man Wins”
4* - Solid immersion into a task and mindset.
Robin Hobb, “Her Father’s Sword”
4* - Spooky and sad.
Ken Liu, “The Hidden Girl”
4* - Fast paced action with dynamic imagery.
Matthew Hughes, “The Sword of Destiny”
5* - A comedy of hijinks and cascading bad situations. Really had fun listening to this one.
Katie Elliot, “I am a Handsome Man, said Apollo Crow.”
3* - Good story with fantastic imagery.
Walter Jon Williams, “The Triumph of Virtue”
3* - Court intrigue had a lot of names I wasn’t catching. Story may have been better in print so I could see the spellings and keep track.
Daniel Abraham, “The Mocking Tower”
5* - Really got into this story. Long history punctuates the ending.
C.J. Cherryh, "Hrunting"
4* - A desperate journey to relcaim a family's honor set in the years after the events of Beowulf.
Garth Nix, "A Long Cold Trail"
4* - Dug the mix of style and characters in this investigation and chase of a demon possessed artifact sword.
Ellen Kushner, "When I was a Highwayman"
4* - A sad tale that captured a wide range of emotion for a short story.
Scott Lynch, "The Smoke of Gold is Glory"
5* - I LOVED this story. Can't say enough good about it but it was what I usually want when I pick up a fantasy short story. Perfectly framed oration dense with glib phrasing that gave us a band of glory seekers going after a dragon's hoard. Highly recommend. Has been the star of this book so far.
Rich Larson, "The Colgrid Conundrum"
4* - Adventure hook story with a pair of rogues. Standout setting and flavor.
Elizabeth Bear, "The King's Evil"
4* - Imaginative characters made this story.
Lavie Tidhar, "Waterfalling"
5* - Enjoyed meeting Gorel of Gloris. I'd read more adventures about him. He;s like a mix of Conan the Barbarian and Roland of Gilead.
Cecelia Holland, "The Sword Tyraste"
5* - This was outstanding quick read. Straight forward revenge pursuit.
George R.R. Martin, "The Sons of the Dragon"
5* - More Westeros history, this of Aegon the Conquerer and sons.
KJ Parker, “The Best Man Wins”
4* - Solid immersion into a task and mindset.
Robin Hobb, “Her Father’s Sword”
4* - Spooky and sad.
Ken Liu, “The Hidden Girl”
4* - Fast paced action with dynamic imagery.
Matthew Hughes, “The Sword of Destiny”
5* - A comedy of hijinks and cascading bad situations. Really had fun listening to this one.
Katie Elliot, “I am a Handsome Man, said Apollo Crow.”
3* - Good story with fantastic imagery.
Walter Jon Williams, “The Triumph of Virtue”
3* - Court intrigue had a lot of names I wasn’t catching. Story may have been better in print so I could see the spellings and keep track.
Daniel Abraham, “The Mocking Tower”
5* - Really got into this story. Long history punctuates the ending.
C.J. Cherryh, "Hrunting"
4* - A desperate journey to relcaim a family's honor set in the years after the events of Beowulf.
Garth Nix, "A Long Cold Trail"
4* - Dug the mix of style and characters in this investigation and chase of a demon possessed artifact sword.
Ellen Kushner, "When I was a Highwayman"
4* - A sad tale that captured a wide range of emotion for a short story.
Scott Lynch, "The Smoke of Gold is Glory"
5* - I LOVED this story. Can't say enough good about it but it was what I usually want when I pick up a fantasy short story. Perfectly framed oration dense with glib phrasing that gave us a band of glory seekers going after a dragon's hoard. Highly recommend. Has been the star of this book so far.
Rich Larson, "The Colgrid Conundrum"
4* - Adventure hook story with a pair of rogues. Standout setting and flavor.
Elizabeth Bear, "The King's Evil"
4* - Imaginative characters made this story.
Lavie Tidhar, "Waterfalling"
5* - Enjoyed meeting Gorel of Gloris. I'd read more adventures about him. He;s like a mix of Conan the Barbarian and Roland of Gilead.
Cecelia Holland, "The Sword Tyraste"
5* - This was outstanding quick read. Straight forward revenge pursuit.
George R.R. Martin, "The Sons of the Dragon"
5* - More Westeros history, this of Aegon the Conquerer and sons.