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ababoglo's review against another edition
4.0
Okay... I started leaving comments after every story I read, but quickly abandoned this idea. As with any anthology you get some good and some bad apples in the same basket.
To keep it brief, I think it is worth buying this book just for these incredible five stories:
The Best Man Wins by K.J. Parker: 5/5+
Quintessential KJ Parker. If you are not familiar with his writing (quick interjection: why not?!) - this is a perfect place to start. Intricate story, attention to detail, immersive despite its length - all rounded delight. KJ Parker in my eyes is an absolute 'master & commander' of the short form. His short stories and novellas (and anthologies with his stories/novellas) became a non-decision for me. It is a matter of how quickly I can get hold of them!
The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu: 4/5
Enjoyable wuxia story. A little predictable but masterfully crafted.
The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch: 5/5
Glorious story of the party going on a dragon hunt in his own lair. Just perfect.
The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson: 4/5
Slick steampunk tale about a couple or thieves. Very enjoyable.
The Sons of the Dragon by GRR Martin: 4/5
Martin’s new legendarium tale, this time about the times of Maegor the Cruel. A bit dry but if you liked stories from Rogues and Dangerous Women - you will like this one too.
Everything else, frankly, was quite underwhelming. I was really looking forward to stories from Hobb, Cherryh, Bear and Abraham but ended up disappointed 😞
To keep it brief, I think it is worth buying this book just for these incredible five stories:
The Best Man Wins by K.J. Parker: 5/5+
Quintessential KJ Parker. If you are not familiar with his writing (quick interjection: why not?!) - this is a perfect place to start. Intricate story, attention to detail, immersive despite its length - all rounded delight. KJ Parker in my eyes is an absolute 'master & commander' of the short form. His short stories and novellas (and anthologies with his stories/novellas) became a non-decision for me. It is a matter of how quickly I can get hold of them!
The Hidden Girl by Ken Liu: 4/5
Enjoyable wuxia story. A little predictable but masterfully crafted.
The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch: 5/5
Glorious story of the party going on a dragon hunt in his own lair. Just perfect.
The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson: 4/5
Slick steampunk tale about a couple or thieves. Very enjoyable.
The Sons of the Dragon by GRR Martin: 4/5
Martin’s new legendarium tale, this time about the times of Maegor the Cruel. A bit dry but if you liked stories from Rogues and Dangerous Women - you will like this one too.
Everything else, frankly, was quite underwhelming. I was really looking forward to stories from Hobb, Cherryh, Bear and Abraham but ended up disappointed 😞
ababoglo's review against another edition
5.0
Quintessential KJ Parker. If you are not familiar with his writing (quick interjection: why not?!) - this is a perfect place to start. Intricate story, attention to detail, immersive despite its length - all rounded delight.
KJ Parker in my eyes is absolute 'master & commander' of the short form. His short stories and novellas (and anthologies with his stories/novellas) became a non-decision for me. It is a matter of how quickly I can get hold of them!
I really can't have enough of his short form writing (his trilogy series, on the other hand, I am less hot on; they are still good, mind you!)
KJ Parker in my eyes is absolute 'master & commander' of the short form. His short stories and novellas (and anthologies with his stories/novellas) became a non-decision for me. It is a matter of how quickly I can get hold of them!
I really can't have enough of his short form writing (his trilogy series, on the other hand, I am less hot on; they are still good, mind you!)
jbelsham's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lifstrand's review against another edition
Mixed feelings about the stories in this anthology, as I usually have. Some engaged me, some let me down. While I'm not always that enthusiastic about anthologies, I read them because I get introduced to authors I haven't read before. In this volume I was reintroduced to an author I hadn't read in a while: Kate Elliott, who contributed "I Am a Handsome Man,’ Said Apollo Crow”. I loved it! At the other extreme, the final story in the volume was George RR Martin's “The Sons of the Dragon”, which I finally gave up on. Maybe Game of Thrones fans would like it but me? Bleh.
wishanem's review against another edition
4.0
In the introduction to this collection of short stories, the editor writes that he has always been a fan of "Sword and Sorcery" Fantasy, and he recognizes the essential stamp of that style on the realistic "Grimdark" Fantasy that has been gaining popularity since the mid-1990's. To me, the general difference between those sorts of stories is that the former tends to have more success (or at least survival) for its protagonists, and those protagonists tend to be more heroic (even if they're brooding troubled Byronic anti-heroes). The stories in this collection vary between those two subgenres, and I think that makes the total package stronger. There's no guarantee that things will turn out well for any of the characters, but neither is there a promise that it will all always go wrong.
bookaneer's review
2.0
Anthologies are tricky, they say. For me, it's a gamble that over the years I found myself more on the losing side. This particular anthology, despite having many well-known authors, just cemented that conviction. I really should stop buying this time-wasting stuff, and focus more on story collection by a single (familiar) author instead.
In terms of enjoyment, I absolutely loved GRMM's story (which I read last year and briefly reviewed below) as well as Scott Lynch's The Smoke of Gold is Glory (my favorite of the whole bunch) and Daniel Abraham's The Mocking Tower (which world building I'd like to see more of). Is it coincidence that all of them are my favorite authors? Of course not.
Another story I enjoyed was CJ Cherryh's Hrunting, which was my first Cheryyh's work as well. The others were ranging between 1 to 3. The 1s were just boring and/or the style do not suit me. Lavie Tidhar's story Waterfalling was a bit disappointing since it was so convoluted and tried to pack too much. Rich Larson's The Colgrid Conundrum was alright (thank goodness) but I still wonder why it was included in this collection (no sword). But then, some stories also have no swords. I just don't buy the editor's note on one particular story still having 'the spirit of sword and sorcery'. But, what do I know, right?
So....yeah. This is probably going to be my last anthology with mixed authors. I'll play it safe next time after so many disappointment. I wish the publishers also sell individual stories instead.
----------------------------------------------------------
The Sons of the Dragon - George R.R. Martin
I finally caved in to the very strong urge of reading this not-so-new material of fake history. It is indeed a rough draft. There are some typos still. We will definitely see a more polished version of it in the Fire and Blood book whenever it comes out (it might be before The Winds of Winter if you believe George's blog). There are many, many new names, but I just need to applaud George for creating small but memorable characters. Dick Bean and Poxy Jeyne Poore are among them, no less than the more active and exposed characters like Tyanna of the Tower, Queen Alyssa Velaryon, and the badass Rhaena Targaryen.
In terms of plot, there's nothing new or unexpected. Maegor lived up to his nickname, The Cruel, ruling the land with fire and blood and his brother Aenys...was still a bad king nonetheless. Martin, however, paints his monsters with more than just one color. Even with most hated characters like Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon (or Waters?), Ramsay Bolton, and Gregor Clegane, Martin's villains had depth and weren't always clear-cut once you know their history.
Anyway, there's anything disappointing in this novella, maybe the lack of dragon duels considering the contenders for the crown still had lots of dragons. Balerion still rocked, though.
In terms of enjoyment, I absolutely loved GRMM's story (which I read last year and briefly reviewed below) as well as Scott Lynch's The Smoke of Gold is Glory (my favorite of the whole bunch) and Daniel Abraham's The Mocking Tower (which world building I'd like to see more of). Is it coincidence that all of them are my favorite authors? Of course not.
Another story I enjoyed was CJ Cherryh's Hrunting, which was my first Cheryyh's work as well. The others were ranging between 1 to 3. The 1s were just boring and/or the style do not suit me. Lavie Tidhar's story Waterfalling was a bit disappointing since it was so convoluted and tried to pack too much. Rich Larson's The Colgrid Conundrum was alright (thank goodness) but I still wonder why it was included in this collection (no sword). But then, some stories also have no swords. I just don't buy the editor's note on one particular story still having 'the spirit of sword and sorcery'. But, what do I know, right?
So....yeah. This is probably going to be my last anthology with mixed authors. I'll play it safe next time after so many disappointment. I wish the publishers also sell individual stories instead.
----------------------------------------------------------
The Sons of the Dragon - George R.R. Martin
I finally caved in to the very strong urge of reading this not-so-new material of fake history. It is indeed a rough draft. There are some typos still. We will definitely see a more polished version of it in the Fire and Blood book whenever it comes out (it might be before The Winds of Winter if you believe George's blog). There are many, many new names, but I just need to applaud George for creating small but memorable characters. Dick Bean and Poxy Jeyne Poore are among them, no less than the more active and exposed characters like Tyanna of the Tower, Queen Alyssa Velaryon, and the badass Rhaena Targaryen.
In terms of plot, there's nothing new or unexpected. Maegor lived up to his nickname, The Cruel, ruling the land with fire and blood and his brother Aenys...was still a bad king nonetheless. Martin, however, paints his monsters with more than just one color. Even with most hated characters like Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon (or Waters?), Ramsay Bolton, and Gregor Clegane, Martin's villains had depth and weren't always clear-cut once you know their history.
Anyway, there's anything disappointing in this novella, maybe the lack of dragon duels considering the contenders for the crown still had lots of dragons. Balerion still rocked, though.
nithuir's review against another edition
3.0
Just read the story for A Song of Ice and Fire
It was a little more dull than some of the other short stories. Narrator was terrible.
It was a little more dull than some of the other short stories. Narrator was terrible.
roseofphantom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
So how I decided my rating for this was to rate each story and find the mean and that would be the overall rating for the book. Below, find my individual ratings for each story. Also, I am coming into this fresh. I have had the great honor of meeting two of these authors in person, but I haven't actually read a single thing by any of these authors. Yes. Including GRRM.
"The Best Man Wins" by K.J. Parker - 5/5
This was my favorite story of the whole book! Shame it was the first as it would have been nice to find my favorite further in but oh well. It was face paced and full of quick action and the ending shocked me!
"Her Father's Sword" by Robin Hobb- 3/5
This was delightful creepy but the ending was a bummer
"The Hidden Girl" by Ken Liu - 4/5
The writing of this was so beautiful! Full of imagery and cool story!
"The Sword of Destiny" by Matthew Hughes - 1/5
Honestly I just found this really dull
"'I Am a Handsome Man,' said Apollo Crow" by Kate Elliott - 4.5/5
Apollo Crow is such a unique character and I truly loved him, and seeing an alternate universe of history was neat!
"The Triumph of Virtue" by Walter Jon Williams - 2/5
This plot felt a bit cliched
"The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham - 1/5
Feels like another overdone plot
"Hrunting" by C.J. Cherryh - 3/5
My low score is based on the fact that I did not like Beowulf when I read it for college. However, I have great respect for how Beowulf influenced literature. This story would have been a 1, but I had to give it a higher school based on how much it felt like a Beowulf story and my great respect to the author for understanding the source material.
"A Long, Cold Trail" by Garth Nix - 2/5
Odd. I sometimes like whimsical fantasy but it's more the "Princess Bride" type and less... this. This was kind of strange. It at least kept my attention?
"When I Was a Highwayman" by Ellen Kushner - 4/5
Another one of my favorites! This was a fun story to watch unfold as it went on!
"The Smoke of Gold Is Glory" by Scott Lynch - 4/5
I really enjoyed this fresh take on a classic story of adventurers seeking out a dragon. Familiarity we know and love, but fresh!
"The Colgrid Conundrum" by Rich Larson - 4/5
This was exciting, felt quite gritty and I loved it!
"The King's Evil" by Elizabeth Bear - 2/5
I found myself really distracted and wandering off, I just couldn't get into it
"Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar" - 3/5
This was trippppyyy and a little jarring? It was interesting plot but it was a bit difficult to read
The Sword Tyraste by Cecelia Holland - 3/5
This was so eerie!! It has vague reflections of the first story, "The Best Man Wins" but with an unsettling bent to it
"The Sons of the Dragon" by George R.R. Martin - 0/5 - DNF at 3 pages.
I feel like I am one of the only people who didn't get this book for the GRRM story. Confession: I do not like GoT. I have no desire to read the books, I got three episodes in on the show and I just couldn't. I attempted to read this and with it being a short story one would think I could. I couldn't and now know I cannot get into GRRM's work. My main complaint is that this was WAY too detailed. It felt like reading the first few books of the Bible where there's so much about lineage and who died when and who was named what. This is not the type of literature I enjoyed. Before I decided to DNF, I flipped through the rest of the story. All giant blocks, no dialogue. Nope. Couldn't.
"The Best Man Wins" by K.J. Parker - 5/5
This was my favorite story of the whole book! Shame it was the first as it would have been nice to find my favorite further in but oh well. It was face paced and full of quick action and the ending shocked me!
"Her Father's Sword" by Robin Hobb- 3/5
This was delightful creepy but the ending was a bummer
"The Hidden Girl" by Ken Liu - 4/5
The writing of this was so beautiful! Full of imagery and cool story!
"The Sword of Destiny" by Matthew Hughes - 1/5
Honestly I just found this really dull
"'I Am a Handsome Man,' said Apollo Crow" by Kate Elliott - 4.5/5
Apollo Crow is such a unique character and I truly loved him, and seeing an alternate universe of history was neat!
"The Triumph of Virtue" by Walter Jon Williams - 2/5
This plot felt a bit cliched
"The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham - 1/5
Feels like another overdone plot
"Hrunting" by C.J. Cherryh - 3/5
My low score is based on the fact that I did not like Beowulf when I read it for college. However, I have great respect for how Beowulf influenced literature. This story would have been a 1, but I had to give it a higher school based on how much it felt like a Beowulf story and my great respect to the author for understanding the source material.
"A Long, Cold Trail" by Garth Nix - 2/5
Odd. I sometimes like whimsical fantasy but it's more the "Princess Bride" type and less... this. This was kind of strange. It at least kept my attention?
"When I Was a Highwayman" by Ellen Kushner - 4/5
Another one of my favorites! This was a fun story to watch unfold as it went on!
"The Smoke of Gold Is Glory" by Scott Lynch - 4/5
I really enjoyed this fresh take on a classic story of adventurers seeking out a dragon. Familiarity we know and love, but fresh!
"The Colgrid Conundrum" by Rich Larson - 4/5
This was exciting, felt quite gritty and I loved it!
"The King's Evil" by Elizabeth Bear - 2/5
I found myself really distracted and wandering off, I just couldn't get into it
"Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar" - 3/5
This was trippppyyy and a little jarring? It was interesting plot but it was a bit difficult to read
The Sword Tyraste by Cecelia Holland - 3/5
This was so eerie!! It has vague reflections of the first story, "The Best Man Wins" but with an unsettling bent to it
"The Sons of the Dragon" by George R.R. Martin - 0/5 - DNF at 3 pages.
I feel like I am one of the only people who didn't get this book for the GRRM story. Confession: I do not like GoT. I have no desire to read the books, I got three episodes in on the show and I just couldn't. I attempted to read this and with it being a short story one would think I could. I couldn't and now know I cannot get into GRRM's work. My main complaint is that this was WAY too detailed. It felt like reading the first few books of the Bible where there's so much about lineage and who died when and who was named what. This is not the type of literature I enjoyed. Before I decided to DNF, I flipped through the rest of the story. All giant blocks, no dialogue. Nope. Couldn't.
vaderbird's review against another edition
3.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish