Swordspoint

A Melodrama of Manners

By: Ellen Kushner

Narrated by: Ellen Kushner, Dion Graham, Katherine Kellgren, Robert Fass, Nick Sullivan, Simon Jones

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Audio Drama, 2013

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrator and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on Swordspoint: "It's as if Jane Austen wrote fantasy... an imaginary world where the characters are real people: a Vanity Fair of aristocrats, rogues, orphans, and heroes; a book where the best swordsman in the land can make far more money dueling at private parties than he can as a knight-errant. Ellen Kushner casts her sharp eye over them all, but with great affection and lavish detaiI.... couldn't think of a better performer for Swordspoint than Ellen, and her reading is polished, intimate, and – since Riverside is of her creation – wholly authentic.

"What really makes this production of Swordspoint unique, though, is the supporting cast in this special "illuminated production". Several key scenes are fully dramatized, and throughout the entire book's soundscapes you will hear the cadences of the marketplace, the music of the drawing rooms, and of course the ring of steel drawn from the scabbard. Ellen actually wrote new dialogue for the crowd scenes, so the actors aren't just mumbling "rhubarb rhubarb" to simulate speech.... You'll be able to hear performances from acclaimed and award-winning actors, including Dion Graham, Katherine Kellgren, Robert Fass, Nick Sullivan, and the remarkable Simon Jones."

In this exciting new "illuminated production", the author herself reads her own work, supported by a full cast. Author Ellen Kushner is also a popular performer and National Public Radio host (Sound & Spirit). For years, fans have been asking her to record her own audiobook of Swordspoint. To mark the 25th anniversary of the book's publication, Ellen teamed up with Sue Zizza of SueMedia Productions, known for her signature touches of soundscapes and sound effects, multi-voiced dramatizations, and all the techniques of "illuminated production". Together they have made Swordspoint a brand-new audio experience, in which the full supporting cast dramatizes and illuminates key scenes from Ellen's compelling narration.

On the streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. And in this city, the swordsman Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless – until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye. Because every man lives at sword's point, if you can only find his weakness. And even the greatest swordsman in Riverside has one thing he cares for deeply.

Hailed by critics as "a bravura performance, a delight from start to finish" (Locus), "intelligent, humorous and dramatic" (Publishers Weekly) and "witty, beguiling and ingenious" (Interzone) , Kushner's "Melodrama of Manners" has become a classic, a favorite not only of Neil Gaiman but a host of distinguished colleagues, including George R. R. Martin ("unforgettable!"), Orson Scott Card ("powerful") and Gene Wolfe ("as if Noel Coward had written a vehicle for Errol Flynn!").

The artwork used for the audiobook edition of Swordspoint is based on the artwork and design by Thomas Canty for the original first US edition of the book.

To hear more from Neil Gaiman on Swordspoint, click here, or listen to the introduction at the beginning of the book itself.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

©1987 Ellen Kushner (P)2011 SueMedia Productions

Critic reviews

"A glorious thing, the book we might have had if Noel Coward had written a vehicle for Errol Flynn. It’s wicked and visual and witty, and it pulls you in like the doorman of a Bourbon Street bar." (Gene Wolfe)

"Swordspoint begins with a single drop of blood on a field of new-fallen snow, an image that burned itself forever into my mind the first time I encountered it. I can close my eyes and see it still. It’s a terrific opening, an unforgettable opening... and the book just gets better from there." (George R. R. Martin)

“Ellen Kushner delivers her utterly unique blend of modern fantasy and nineteenth-century novel of manners with absolute conviction, affectionate humor, and perfect phrasing. “Neil Gaiman Presents” has provided original music, lively soundscapes, and the voices of some of the audio world’s most distinguished performers. Hearing Katherine Kellgren, Dion Graham, and others sharpen the cutting, insightful dialogue is pure pleasure.” ( Audiofile)

Kept waiting for it to get better.

What did you like best about Swordspoint? What did you like least?

It was an interesting premiss but the characters were annoying, broken, or nasty. Why would I want to be around them any longer than necessary. I kept waiting for the characters or the story to improve, but they didn't.

Was Swordspoint worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

The sound effects were distracting. For example: having a bell ring, and then the narrator says "a bell rang", just seems dumb.

Great Performance of a Great Story

People who pick up this book without knowing anything about it might be a little surprised at the turns it takes. Swordspoint is only about swords in the social sense of the word - there is little sword fighting and action of that sort is thin on the ground. But Ellen Kushner never pretends that the book will be some kind of action-packed thriller. As Neil Gaiman says in his introduction, the key to this book is in its subtitle: A Melodrama of Manners.

The story revolves around the social station of a number of aristocrats in a fantasy city, who live on 'The Hill' while the lower denizens inhabit the city by the river, handily named 'Riverside.' The two sides interact mainly when the higher classes have to get their hands dirty, by arranging affairs of dubious legality or honor, or engaging a swordsman to fight to the death on their behalf. The main character is the celebrated duelist Richard St. Veer, whose position is more often outlined in social terms than in violent ones.

Of course, it is far from that simple. A Melodrama of Manners hardly ever is. But the story is very entertaining and unusual for the sort of high-fantasy setting that this is similar to. The prose is quick and clever, and the way that the audiobook was performed was great. I hope other audiobooks follow its example. I have already listened to another of Kushner's books, and I intend to read or listen to more when I can obtain them.

This book deserves all the praise

I found a list online of little known fantasy books that are worth your time. I dug through and found the ones that most interested me. This one in particular had the praise of GRRM & Neil Gaiman, how could it go wrong? It didn't.

The book reminded me of "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell" in that the real heart of the book lies in the characters, a complete and brilliantly portrayed product of their time and place. They are boldly drawn and reveal themselves slowly (and pleasantly) throughout the book. As the great Mr. Gaiman says in his forward, this book really hinges on its secondary title "A Melodrama of Manners," and he couldn't be more right. The humor, plotting, and brilliantly drawn characters soak up the balance of the commoners, the principled swordsmen, and the holier then thou elites as a cover for the real power struggle between men and women.

To be completely honest it took me 40 minutes for the book, narration, and characters to sink their claws in me. I'm not one who's typically fond of the full cast narration, this recording was balanced in what scenes were shared among the cast and which were paired with the authors excellent delivery. The cast were also strong, giving detail to the characters that left me wanting nothing more.

It's rare a book like this comes along. If you enjoy character driven narratives, the plotting of a GRRM novel, a little mystery and excellent writing look no further. You will soon see there's more to this story than just the swordspoint.

Supurb

I love full cast audio books when they are done well. While this is not strictly a full cast - Ellen Kushner reads the majority with background and secondary characters filled in by the supporting cast - it has the same all encompassing quality of full cast productions. I was so drawn in by the narration that I was unable to do much of anything until I had finished the book.
The written prose of the book is also exquisite. The imagery is lush and sumptuous as a bubble bath, rich as dark chocolate. I think I am in danger of becoming addicted to Ellen Kushner's writing.

Lovely and thrilling story

I loved the story, BUT the sound effects and acting make it hard to understand.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS BOOK!

I have read the original book several times and never dreamed I would get lucky enough to have the author herself read her work, with selected dramatization in parts. It's wonderful, it's fantastic, it's...well...it's Richard and Alec, the quintessential couple. And once again they are coming alive in my life, but this time via my ears instead of my eyes. I couldn't be much happier.

Wonderful production of a terrific book

Swordspoint is one of my all-time favorite books--one I re-read every few years. I find it exceptionally compelling as a story, and I love the complexity of the plot and the intricate maneuvering of the characters. Ellen Kushner is a superb writer, and I have read all her work, including the other tales of Riverside. Swordsman Richard St. Vier and his lover Alec are two amazing fictional characters and I love being a part of their world. The audio version of the book is terrific: Kushner and her supporting cast make the ten plus hours fly by. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production, and thanks to Neil Gaiman for selecting it.

AHHHHHH What? Wheres the rest of it?

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

There was only character who evolved and so there was only one character I cared about. He didn't get an ending. Why was so much time and promise put in to a character who was just going to be shoved off and forgotten about. The story, and the ending, otherwise was great.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The fight between the sword instructor (Applewhite I think) and Richard was fantastic. It was the right thing to really push Michael's store forward; to bad it didn't.

Narration and sound effects were distracting

The overreaching narration was terrible, I felt like she was reading a children's book to a toddler. It was distracting to have the dialogue in the narrator's voice at some times and another person's voice in other places. It gave two different images of some characters.
The story was enjoyable, but underdeveloped. Never knew what Michael's point was.

Slow yet enticing

I started listening this book more than a year ago and grew bored of it after some hours, the book sounding like a list of uninteresting nobles and their relationships.

I picked it up again last week and couldn't stop listening. Suddenly the world in the book was very alive and interesting.

I would recommend this one for people with the patience to dive into the world and let Ellen Kushner take care of the rest.