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and_abelard_reads's review against another edition
5.0
A mixed bag of swashbuckling, sorcerous and just plain stabby yarns
Does what it says on the tin
Does what it says on the tin
thefool's review against another edition
3.0
It was exactly how I thought it would be.
Entertaining, but not necessarily my particular cup of tea.
I'm not terribly fond of short story collections. I like to be completely immersed in the stories I read and there's just not enough room to do that in a short story.
To be completely frank, the only reason I purchased this was....
Fitz.
Fiiiiiitz.
It's still worth a good run through, though. I did find a few authors I'm interested in seeking out.
Entertaining, but not necessarily my particular cup of tea.
I'm not terribly fond of short story collections. I like to be completely immersed in the stories I read and there's just not enough room to do that in a short story.
To be completely frank, the only reason I purchased this was....
Fitz.
Fiiiiiitz.
It's still worth a good run through, though. I did find a few authors I'm interested in seeking out.
hollyway's review against another edition
3.0
I would recommend this book as there are some outstanding stories in the bunch and I have definitely found some new fantasy authors to read, however the majority of the stories in this book were just way too generic for my taste and absolutely nothing new if you're at all familiar with the genre.
chronographia's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
A mostly even mix of classically-styled sword n’ sorcery stories (you have probably singled this collection out for one or more specific authors, and it won’t hurt you to read the rest, mostly). I do feel it is cheating a bit to have so many of the shorts not even feature a sword though, not when the title is verbatim “The Book of Swords.”
vylotte's review against another edition
3.0
A big thick book full of sword and sorcery goodness. There are some familiar faces, some I knew by reputation only, and a host of new friends to make.
timbrrwolfe's review against another edition
2.0
There were a couple of good stories, but the vast majority of them didn't catch or hold my interest.
Which is probably more a matter of taste than anything (as much as I like fantasy I don't much enjoy deep fantasy, or even just stuff set in medieval times too often).
Which is probably more a matter of taste than anything (as much as I like fantasy I don't much enjoy deep fantasy, or even just stuff set in medieval times too often).
argentrabe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
timrileywriting's review against another edition
3.0
Some of these stories are really, very good. Others are less memorable.
As a note, if you're buying this exclusively for GRRM's Ice and Fire story, just wait for Fire and Blood to come out: it'll be in that.
The concept of this anthology is to bring that good ol' Sword and Sorcery fantasy from the 70s/80s into the present, with some fantastic contemporary writers. Does it hit the mark? I'm not sure. But you can be sure that you'll find some fantastic writers, and some great stories.
The main standouts (for me) are:
- Robin Hobb's 'Her Father's Sword' - 4 Stars.
- Ken Liu's 'The Hidden Girl' - 4 Stars.
- Kate Elliot's 'I am a Handsome Man' said Appollo Crow' - 5 Stars
- Daniel Abraham's 'The Mocking Tower' - 5 Stars.
- Scott Lynch's 'The Smoke of Gold is Glory' - 5 Stars.
- Rich Larson's 'The Colgrid Conundrum' - 4 Stars
The rest of the stories were okay, or didn't really grab me.
As a note, if you're buying this exclusively for GRRM's Ice and Fire story, just wait for Fire and Blood to come out: it'll be in that.
The concept of this anthology is to bring that good ol' Sword and Sorcery fantasy from the 70s/80s into the present, with some fantastic contemporary writers. Does it hit the mark? I'm not sure. But you can be sure that you'll find some fantastic writers, and some great stories.
The main standouts (for me) are:
- Robin Hobb's 'Her Father's Sword' - 4 Stars.
- Ken Liu's 'The Hidden Girl' - 4 Stars.
- Kate Elliot's 'I am a Handsome Man' said Appollo Crow' - 5 Stars
- Daniel Abraham's 'The Mocking Tower' - 5 Stars.
- Scott Lynch's 'The Smoke of Gold is Glory' - 5 Stars.
- Rich Larson's 'The Colgrid Conundrum' - 4 Stars
The rest of the stories were okay, or didn't really grab me.