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A review by ababoglo
The Book of Swords by Gardner Dozois
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 😞