The Book of Swords Author:Gardner Dozois (Editor) New epic fantasy in the grand tradition -- including a never-before-published Song of Ice and Fire story by George R. R. Martin! — Fantasy fiction has produced some of the most unforgettable heroes ever conjured onto the page: Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, Fritz ... more »Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Classic characters like these made sword and sorcery a storytelling sensation, a cornerstone of fantasy fiction -- and an inspiration for a new generation of writers, spinning their own outsize tales of magic and swashbuckling adventure.
Now, in TheBook of Swords, acclaimed editor and bestselling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters -- many of them set in their authors’ best-loved worlds. Join today’s finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do, featuring a stunning assortment of fearless swordsmen and warrior women who face down danger and death at every turn with courage, cunning, and cold steel. FEATURING ALL-NEW STORIES:
Contents:
Introduction (The Book of Swords) • essay by Gardner Dozois
The Best Man Wins / novelette by Tom Holt [as by K. J. Parker]
Her Father's Sword [Realms of the Elderlings] / novelette by Robin Hobb
The Hidden Girl / novelette by Ken Liu
The Sword of Destiny / novelette by Matthew Hughes
"I Am a Handsome Man", said Apollo Crow / novelette by Kate Elliott
The Triumph of Virtue [Quillifer] / novelette by Walter Jon Williams
The Mocking Tower / novelette by Daniel Abraham
Hrunting / novelette by C. J. Cherryh
A Long, Cold Trail [Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz] / novelette by Garth Nix
When I Was a Highwayman [The World of Riverside] / novelette by Ellen Kushner
The Smoke of Gold Is Glory / novelette by Scott Lynch
The Colgrid Conundrum / novelette by Rich Larson
The King's Evil / novelette by Elizabeth Bear
Waterfalling [Gorel of Goliris] / novelette by Lavie Tidhar
The Sword Tyraste / novelette by Cecelia Holland
The Sons of the Dragon [A Song of Ice and Fire] / novelette by George R. R. Martin