Russell, Sean
THE FIRST BOOK OF SWORDS
Fred Saberhagen
TOR 1983
Pb 309 pages
ISBN#
0-812-52356-3
This is for people who love games, and sword and sorcery
stories.
The gods are playing with mortals again and have come up with a
game of twelve swords. Problem is, it appears only the gods
know the rules to this game and very few humans even know it is
being played. Thirteen-year-old Mark comes home one day from
hunting to witness the great sword named Townsaver get his
brother mutilated and killed just for trying to use the thing
for defense. Mark accidentally kills a nobleman in an attempt
at saving his brother and thus is on the run throughout the
story. In reality, Duke Fraktin cares more about acquiring that
sword Mark is carrying than finding revenge for his cousin's
death. So the chase is on, a chase that becomes a war between
kingdoms for the possession of these swords. During the course
of the book, Mark handles four of these fated blades: Townsaver
(the Sword of Fury), Dragonslicer, Sightblinder (the Sword of
Stealth), and Coinspinner (the Sword of Chance). I anticipate
that he will encounter the other eight swords in books two and
three.
THE FIRST BOOK OF SWORDS has good action and even mythical
beasts to treat the imagination. This reader did find the
characterization a bit flat, however, and because of this point
does not feel inclined to continue reading in the series.
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