Details Containing Books The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3)
| Title | : | The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3) |
| Author | : | Fred Saberhagen |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 626 pages |
| Published | : | 1985 by Doubleday |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction Fantasy |
Fred Saberhagen
Hardcover | Pages: 626 pages Rating: 4.05 | 3359 Users | 76 Reviews
Interpretation During Books The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3)
A good friend had recommended this collection to me a year or so ago, but had also added at the time that he had mislaid his copy of it and wished he could read it again. Recently while searching for an ugly shirt to wear to a Hawaiian themed party I was fortunate enough to find a copy of this volume on sale for a dollar at a local thrift store. When I informed my friend of my good fortune I had to promise to lend it to him to re-read as soon as I was done with it. And now having completed the task of reading these stories I am glad to say that I can now understand his eagerness to return to this world.To truly begin this review I should point out that while the volume I read is title "The Complete book of Swords" it only actually compromises 3 books out of the dozen or so volumes which Saverhagen's website Berzerker.com lists as belonging to the Swords cycle: http://www.berserker.com/FredsSwords....
So I take this to mean that I do have more to look forward to in this series down the road and that I should keep my eye out whenever I happen to be in a book browsing mood.
This collection is split into three separate tales revolving, primarily, around a boy named Mark and his friend's Ben and Barbara and how their lives intertwine with the destines of 12 Magic Swords. The eponymous swords of the title are shown in the first chapter being forged by a god named Vulcan at the behest of a pantheon of other gods and goddesses who are drawn from the mythologies of varied cultures and nations. It shouldn't be too much of a spoiler to point out that although this story is in a fantasy setting it can be also categorized as science fiction as it is set approximately fifty thousand years in the future of our own world and there are hints that the magical property of the Swords is actually at least partially technological in origin and that the gods themselves may be a manifestation of the collective unconscious of humanity and therefore not truly immortals at all.
Part of the fun of the stories comes from the Song of Swords given in the forward to the book. A series of 12 poems that describes the properties of the swords and acts as an introduction and a warning for those who would wish to wield the power granted by the blades. Each time a new Sword was mentioned, I found myself flipping back to the front of the book to re-read the poem and try to figure out exactly how each weapon would be used and what effects it would have on the progression of the story.
The first book is a bit of a chase, wherein Mark is on the run with the sword named Townsaver after accidentally killing the cousin of a local ruler.
The second book opens up the scope of the book further and a now twenty year old mark and his friend Ben become embroiled in a heist attempt against the Blue Temple, a religious order that worships wealth. This story will be a lot of fun for any Dungeons and Dragons aficionados who enjoy a good dungeon crawl.
The third book picks up 4 or 5 years down the line as the great game of the gods who set these swords loose into the world begins to really heat up, and the armies of at least 4 different forces are marching to war to control the swords and the fate of the world.
If you can find a copy of this or any of the other books in the series I recommend giving them a read.
Be Specific About Books Concering The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3)
| Original Title: | Book of Swords (Books 1 to 3) |
| ISBN: | 1568650094 (ISBN13: 9781568650098) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Books of Swords #1-3 |
Rating Containing Books The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3)
Ratings: 4.05 From 3359 Users | 76 ReviewsJudge Containing Books The Complete Book of Swords (Books of Swords #1-3)
This is a good Sword and Sorcery adventure book. And I say that as someone who is not a fan of the genre. However, I read many of his "Berserker" series books so I thought I would give this a chance. The story is set in a far future earth where technology is gone, replaced by magic. Into this world the god Vulcan forges a set of swords imbued with great powers for a game the gods are going to play. The stories themselves really focus on one individual, Mark, whose father was used to help makeI got the complete version of this book, but only read it for the third book, because I have the first two as singles, so this review is really for the third book only. I loved the third book. I really like how Mr. Saberhagen ties everything up so neatly, and then leaves a gaping hole at the end so he could continue on the story itself. I won't leave any spoilers, but it's there if you look at it, and I'd be impressed if you missed it!I also loved that the swords really come into play in the
I remember seeing copies of the Books of the Swords in ads for the Science Fiction Book Club in Discover magaine as a kid. I always wanted to read them, mainly because I thought the swords on the covers were cool. At some point I had completely forgotten about it, but as I've been rediscovering my love of fantasy lately, I remember Fred Saberhagen. Definitely an enjoyable read, not anything that'll completely blow your mind or revolutionize anything, but much better than average schlock-fantasy
The First Book of Swords: It took me a while to get into the story. Saberhagen's use of mythology is unusual and there is a lot of action. The end of the book left me excited to find out what happends in book 2. I give this book 2 stars.The Second Book of Swords: This book had action from beginning to end and was a much better read than the first book. Their quest and the magic/characters they meet along the way was interesting and suspenseful with some interesting twists. I give this book 4
The first few chapters where a little hard for me to get into but I persisted and by the end really enjoyed these books. I do think it could have been one book not three.
Meh. DNF at p200
What's fun about post-apocalyptic stories is you can make any leap from "modern" man to the future: hyper-advanced, straggling remainders, reversion to less technology. They all have a measure of fun to them as long as they don't get too "preachy" about man's self-destructive nature.Fred Saberhagen's venture into fantasy/sword & sorcery is a grouping of tales with a large measure of fun. You won't find earth-shattering revelations or deep philosophical ponderings here; you just get a lot of
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