Customer Reviews

Swords Of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk & Fisher

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the refuse pile known as the city of Haven, Hawk and Fisher are one feared couple. In fact, very few couples are feared more. Captains in Haven's overworked, underpaid guard force, the two of them fight crime in one of the city's worst beats - and crime generally loses when the two of them are involved. A rather painful loss.

Unfortunately for the law-abiding citizens of Haven, were there any to be found, Hawk and Fisher are only one couple and can only be in one place at one time. Crime manages to thrive despite their best efforts and that's enough to turn anyone cynical - which is exactly what they are. Overworked, underpaid, cynical, armed with sharp pointy things, and the best at what they do.

GUARDS OF HAVEN is actually a set of three mid-length stories, told in chronologial order and occurring one right after the other. With a 'mystery' flavor, the stories have a definitive fantasy setting. The guards have no qualms about morality; they try to do what's right but their methods have become a little more violent along the way. The same undertone runs throughout the book, which deals with the nitty-gritty city life. Morality's an option, not a way of life.

For all that though, the book is funny and invigorating. Hawk and Fisher have enough quirks to make them realistic. The description is enough to give the necessary information but never so much as to slow the plot down. The flashes of the deeper relationship between Hawk and Fisher are enough to make the hopeless romantic in me celebrate but never too much to be called 'mush.' This is definitely a book worth a read.

Just don't go to Haven to buy it.

The Swords of Haven is a collection of first three books of the Hawk & Fisher series: Hawk & Fisher, Winner Take All, and The God Killer. The first story, Hawk & Fisher, is an intriguing murder mystery. Hawk and Fisher, set to guard an important person during a party, have to find out who is killing off the guests one by one. In the second book, Hawk and Fisher are guarding the life of a political candidate, which isn't as easy as you'd first think. In the third story, Hawk and Fisher are assigned to the God Squad, the small group that keeps order on Haven's Street of the Gods. Someone is killing the gods and the other gods, understandably, are frightened. If someone doesn't do something, the gods might take matters into their own hands, and Haven might not survive a war amongst the gods.

Hawk and Fisher are a husband and wife fighting team. They are notorious in Haven, and people on the wrong side of the law wisely steer clear of them. They have a penchant for violence, and the fight scenes are many in this book. But don't let the tough guy exterior fool you. Hawk and Fisher are also intelligent, witty in a dark, tongue in cheek way, and are handy at solving mysteries. I read Simon R. Green's book Blue Moon Rising before I read Sword of Haven, and while it is not necessary to do so, I'm glad I did. Swords of Haven is based in the same world, and there is some talk in book of when the Blue Moon rose. I would also recommend reading Swords of Haven and Guards of Haven before reading Beyond the Blue Moon.

I learned of the original prints of these books years ago, and despaired of ever finding them. Then I ran across *this* volume and rejoiced. (I hope they're reprinting 4-6. I have #4 and #6 from the original printing, used, and they're also great, BTW.) Hawk and Fisher *are* Rupert and Julia as far as I'm concerned, and it's hardly any secret: physical descriptions (including eyepatch), the way Hawk calls Fisher "lass" (though other Green characters do that), and a telling sewer scene when Fisher doesn't want to leave Hawk alone "in the dark" (remember Rupert's fear of the dark?). Not to mention when they admit to being from "around Hillsdown" and being up north when the Blue Moon rose.

Still, it's a great series--light-hearted, not too serious, and a good deal of social satire (you see this especially in the Haven elections in _Winner Takes All_).

Oh, and for those who wonder, SWAT in Haven stands for "Special Wizardry and Tactics."

I first read the Deathstalker series and loved it- wanting more of his work, I turned to Blue Moon- still wanting more I picked up the Hawk and Fisher books and found myself in practically the same universe- and VERY happy. The characters are wonderful. I only wish there were more books! Green's writing style just pulls you in! You can't help but love Hawk and Fisher's "We've been through worse." when everything seems just about as bad as it could be.

This series is a definite read- and if you want to try his sci-fi with the same type of grim world where good is set against overwhelming odds, I highly recommend the Deathstalker series.

I'm just starting his Nightside series, and that's fun so far too!

I found myself bored reading this book. I read his book "Shadows Fall" and really enjoyed it, but I stopped this one after the first of the three books included were complete. It wasn't a bad story - but it was too simple and lacked depth. I think I might have enjoyed this when I was younger - but to me it lacks depth now.

Like Steven Brust, another favorite author, Simon Green uses magic as a single facet of a rich and complex world. Characters, not magical descriptions, drive Green's story. His protagonists are tongue in cheek tough, with a dark sense of humor and a penchant for violence. Maybe they aren't the most developed charters ever written, but neither is Richard Stark's well-received "Parker" character (another fine anti-hero). Green's world is refreshingly unique, particularly the Street of the Gods, and yet the stories revolve around very real problems and issues. The book is a page-turner that I recommend.

I checked out Green's earlier works after getting hooked on his later stuff. Hawk is a less complex version of Green's male hero, who usually plays the detective. Fisher is a simpler version of Green's typical strong female lead; she has no issues and is married to Hawk. Mr. Green introduces legendary characters at a slower pace than later series, and they aren't as interesting. Generally Hawk and Fisher (jaded non-practicing Christians) work together, as opposed to John Taylor's and Edwin Drood's constant stream of new interesting partners. Haven also has more political hand-waving than Green's other stuff; he eventually learned purifying his plot and action made better books.

The City of Haven itself shares several features with the Nightside: the Street of the Gods (complete with street preachers), a harsh district (the Shades vs northside), and a governing body which employs the main character-hero yet is largely corrupt.

As I read through the volumes, the contrasts became more apparent, rendering 'Hawk and Fisher' a pale shadow of the later works Mr. Green would produce. Rather than get too specific, here's my impressions of the books:

Hawk and Fisher -- average hack & slash, character descriptions repeated later ***
Winner Takes All -- closed room murder mystery; magic solves everything **
The God Killer -- fantastic descriptions; good sword & sorcery ****

Overall I recommend Simon R. Green's Nightside series if you want a better, more modern version of Haven. Begin with "Something from the Nightside" (Nightside, Book 1). Or you can skip right to "The Man with The Golden Torc," another series set in the same world as the Nightside series, but with little overlap.

This was my first time reading anything but I can assure you it won't be my last. This book is a compellation of three smaller novels- Hawk & Fisher, Winner Take All and The God Killer. The first novel reads much like Agatha Christies "And Then Their Were None." if it was written by Robert E. Howard. Simon Green takes the standard locked room mystery and combines it with a dash of hard-boiled dective fiction and then gives it a fantasy/supernatural backdrop and the final product is original and very satisfying. The second story, Winner Takes All exposes the corruption that runs rampant in Haven and leads to much of Hawk & Fishers cynicism as they try to protect an honest political canidate. The third story, The God Killer, deals with an unknown entity who is assasinating various Gods in Haven. The combination of swords, sorcery and supernatural is handled very well by Simon Green, the chracters are still very believable, and the plots move very quickly and are not predictable-recommended.

I'm so happy they put these three books into one book! I loved them the first time around and I love em now! Great job! I'm partway through Guards of Honor and can't wait to get to Blue Moon....

Simon R. Green gives a series of small hints to those familiar with his amazing book "Blue Moon Rising". In his one-eyed, scar-faced hero, there are several clues that this could be Rupert, with Fisher bearing a distinct likeness to Julia. It is very intriguing, and he would never dream of slipping enough to tell you for sure. The Hawk & Fisher books stand on their own, with dashing tales of love, honor, betrayal, evil, vengence and a distinctly darker tone than Blue Moon Rising. There is not as much humor in the characters, but if you liked Rupert and Julia in the other book, you will love Hawk and Fisher in these.