A review by joebuuz
The Book of Swords, by Gardner Dozois
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
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.