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 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 The Book 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 SIXTEEN ALL-NEW STORIES:
“The Best Man Wins” by K. J. Parker, read by John Lee
“Her Father’s Sword” by Robin Hobb, read by Katharine McEwan
“The Hidden Girl” by Ken Liu, read by Kim Mai Guest
“The Sword of Destiny” by Matthew Hughes, read by Elliott Hill
“‘I Am a Handsome Man’ Said Apollo Crow,” by Kate Elliott, read by Steve West
“The Triumph of Virtue” by Walter Jon Williams, read by Elliott Hill
“The Mocking Tower” by Daniel Abraham, read by Richard Brewer
“Hrunting” by C. J. Cherryh, read by John Lee
“A Long, Cold Trail” by Garth Nix, read by Nicholas Guy Smith
“When I Was a Highwayman” by Ellen Kushner, read by Kirby Heyborne
“The Smoke of Gold Is Glory” by Scott Lynch, read by Ralph Lister
“The Colgrid Connundrum” by Rich Larson, read by Mark Deakins
“The King’s Evil” by Elizabeth Bear, read by Julia Whelan
“Waterfalling” by Lavie Tidhar, read by Mark Deakins
“The Sword Tyraste” by Cecelia Holland, read by Steve West
“The Sons of the Dragon” by George R. R. Martin, read by Ralph Lister
And an introduction by Gardner Dozois, read by Arthur Morey
Author
George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons—as well as Tuf Voyaging, Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Dying of the Light, Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle), and Dreamsongs Volumes I and II. He is also the creator of The Lands of Ice and Fire, a collection of maps featuring original artwork from illustrator and cartographer Jonathan Roberts, The World of Ice & Fire (with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson), and Fire & Blood, the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros, with illustrations by Doug Wheatley. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb is the author of the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, the Soldier Son Trilogy, and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. She has also written as Megan Lindholm. She is a native of Washington State.
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Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1978. He is the author of The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas Under Red Skies, and The Republic of Thieves. In addition to his writing, he also has a background in game design and firefighting. Scott lives in Massachusetts with his wife, award-winning SF/F novelist Elizabeth Bear, along with four cats (Duncan, Gurney, Molly, and Fafhrd) and a pair of moderately ridiculous Icelandic horses (Ormr and Spola).
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Garth Nix
Garth Nix is the bestselling author of the Old Kingdom series, the Seventh Tower series, the Keys to the Kingdom series, and more. His books have been translated into more than forty languages. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his family.
Learn More about Garth Nix