The First Swords: The Book of Swords Volumes 1, 2, & 3 (Paperback)

~ Fred Saberhagen (Author) "One day in the middle of his thirteenth summer, Mark came home from a morning's rabbit-hunting with his older brother Kenn to discover that visitors..." (more)
Key Phrases: main hoard, black hilt, riding beast, Sir Andrew, Dark King, Blue Temple (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The First Swords were forged by the gods as pieces in a great game, to be scattered across the world for mortals to fight over. Each of the 12 Swords was infused with a unique, powerful ability: the Sword of Siege could reduce a castle to rubble; Coinspinner would bring its wielder phenomenal luck; Shieldbreaker could best any weapon, even another Sword; Sightblinder would make its wielder appear to others as someone either greatly loved or greatly feared. These three books--the First, Second, and Third Book of Swords, first published in 1983 and 1984 and combined here in one volume--follow the slippery Swords as they pass from hand to hand, from queen to commoner and back again.

This trilogy probably qualifies as a fantasy classic just because it's such a great story. And it's probably so well loved because Saberhagen is such a genius. But what really cements the Swords books in the fantasy canon is simply that they tell a smart, involving story without ever getting bogged down in details. Many current authors, with their endless sequels and flabby plot lines, could learn from Saberhagen's tight pacing. Just as his equally engaging Berserker stories are a must for SF fans, no fantasy reader should miss out on these well-executed (and addictive!) books. --Paul Hughes

Review

"Is Saberhagen a wizard? You decide. He is one of the most gifted writers of our time." --Quasar Reviews

"One of the best writers in the business." --Stephen R. Donaldson

"Each of the Book of Swords is a model of action writing, clear-sighted, graphic, and agile...entertainment of high order." --Publishers Weekly
-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312869169
• ISBN-13: 978-0312869168
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,717 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now for something completely different..., August 18, 2003

By	Steven Sammons (Auburn University, AL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am surprised at the some of the comments in the reviews below, because contrary to what they said, I found this series NOT to be standard fantasy fare. First of all, these books are linked to his earlier works such as Empire of the East, which are more Sci-Fi in nature. These books take place many millenia after the events of Empire of the East, many of the big main characters in that book have now become worshipped as gods. The series starts out with a bunch of new gods who have decided to play a game with men as chesspieces. To facilitate this game they have the god Vulcan forge 12 Swords of varying powers and then scatter them around the earth. They then sit back and watch how events unfold, presumably betting on various outcomes. But the real drama in the books is played out on earth, as various Swords come into possession of different people and are used for greatly varying purposes. I found the powers of the Swords themselves to be well-thought out and in many cases unprecedented in fantasy literature. One Sword makes it possessor appear as a loved/feared one, one gives the possessor invulnerability in battle against spells or weapons, one cuts through stone as easily as butter, one heals any wound, one controls minds, etc etc etc. The characters are less well-thought out than the Swords, but the tightly written plots are enough to keep the Reader interested. In the background of all this lurks one of the most interesting characters, the Emperor, who is some kind of magician of unsurpassed skill, but who rarely involves himself in human events. But this is no gray-bearded oldster in a conical hat, the Emporer wanders around the world, showing up briefly in the oddest places, hanging out mostly with the common people. Thus he has become something like a folk hero, who many believe does not exist. Who is he, exactly? And what kind of power does he really have? Where did he come from? And what does he want? For those answers you have to read all the books, not only the original trilogy, but the 8 books that follow. I highly suggest you do so.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Depends?, May 24, 2000

By	Bryan Qualls (Arkansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just got finished reading this book. To tell the truth some of the reading was slow, however there were times when I couldnt put the book down. The characters are likeable and the story line is good. It kind of depends on your reading preference. If you like good vs evil in a fantasy surounding you should love this book!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating..., February 7, 2000

By	Xaphar Desmodaeus (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I first heard of these books by chance from an old friend, when I began reading the series I had just recently finished "The Sword of Truth" series(Terry Goodkind) and "The Wheel of Time" series(Robert Jordan) although Saberhagen's conversational aspects were a little under par compared with the rest, his sheer creativity and plot concept took a gigantic leap ahead of any other series I have read thus far. Definetely a pillar a fun in the great halls of Fantasy. A must read, indeed.