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)

Discovered I don't like "radio play" format

I am probably not doing this book justice as others have loved it. I was sure I would like it as I have read Ellen Kushner in print and enjoy this type of fantasy. I found the plot intriguing, but was put off by the radio play format. There are multiple actors as well as sound effects. I'm sure many people will enjoy this, but I found it artificial and distracting, as if it was getting between me and the story. Strange as it sounds, I found it harder to tell the characters apart with different voices than with one narrator, that is with different voices coming in and out, I couldn't remember which was who. Maybe just my quirks.

A Detailed Swashbuckler

What did you love best about Swordspoint?

The well-described locations and complex relationships among the many characters gave this story a solidity that I appreciated.

A Meta & Actual Review

Swordspoint is a particularly good example of the challenges of book selling in a world of genre focus and the challenges of making your work known. Swordspoint has been called a "melodrama of manners", a fantasy, a high romance and a fairy tale for grown ups. To me, it seems like an alternate world history novel about the political and sexual intrigues of court. Obviously that's not a genre. One distinguishing feature of the novel, and possibly the fantasy element, is that nearly all of the men are bisexual; none of the women are depicted this way

Her descriptions, characters, pacing (for a book on court intrigues) and world creation are spot on. It is a testament to her writing that I became invested in what happened to Richard. Her descriptions present the world of Riverside in such a way that I feel as though I've furtively traveled through the streets or wandered up the Hill. It's also described in such a way, that I wouldn't like to visit, let alone live there. The characters who peopled her story were often complex and clever. Ironically, the two people who seemed to have the best character were killers: Richard St Vier and Vincent Applethorpe (a former swordsman who ran a fencing school).

It is a well built world I don't care for peopled with complex characters that I mostly don't like and has as its main focus clever politicking and sexual intrigue amongst the lords of the city which I don't prefer as a focus. If you like this stuff (and the bisexual element doesn't bother you), then you'll like Ms. Kushner's book.

I had an opportunity to listen to much of the audiobook (I went between the Kindle and Audible versions using Whispersync for Voice). Overall, it nicely done. It was not quite a full audio play but it was a multi-cast reading with sound effects. While Ms. Kushner has solid narration skills developed doing radio with WGBH (Boston), the tone in her voice is not my favorite. She does a nice job of narration; this is simply personal preference.

A showy duel of swords and politics

Excellent story. Definitely a melodrama, but that's what's so charming about it. The narrration and voice acting brought the story to life.

outstanding performance, intriguing characters

An upstairs/downstairs blend of haughty aristocracy and thieving lowlife makes this a fun and fascinating performance. The manipulations and moods of the characters fill out a subtle plot well. A full radio play with background noises was a delightful extra.

Smart, fun and elegant

A smart, fun, elegant gem of a story beautifully narrated by the author, enhanced by a tastefully deployed supporting cast. A delight to hear.

Delightful!

I just listened to this book a second time and loved it just as much as my first go-around. Wryly funny with an interesting story and delightful characters, I find this incredibly easy to listen to. I kept reaching the end of a chapter or looking at the time remaining and thinking "...I've listened to that much already?!"

A note on performance: In some ways it kills me to give 4 stars, because Ellen Kushner is an absolutely amazing reader. She deserves 5 stars. Heck, she deserves 10 stars. And the cast does a great job as well. However, I think it was a mistake to have a cast for select scenes. I like Kushner's performance just as much as theirs (I even prefer her Alec to the actor's) and it's confusing to have different voices for the same characters. I became used to hers and then would be thrown by the new one in the enhanced scenes. The sound effects are also not great; too loud and definitely unnecessary. Kusher's reading is totally immersive without them.

With that said, I got used to all this as the book went on and it all stopped catching my attention so much. And this excellent book is absolutely worth those minor irritants. (I would say to just get the book if the recording issues bother you - and that's certainly an option for anyone who can't get past them - but it would truly be a shame to miss out on Kusher's wonderful voice.)

A disappointment in every respect.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing! Neither story nor characters ever really captured my interest; I didn't care for the author's own narration; the actors who suddenly chimed in at seemingly random times sounded like they'd been recorded separately and dropped into the main narration (and hadn't consulted with the author/narrator on characterization! De Vere sounded like a surfer dude from LA, circa 1990); the sound effects were distracting and often just bad (I couldn't figure out why someone was typing with one finger in the background of one scene... and then realized it must be the "fire" crackling!). It sounded like nobody had done any final mastering on the recording-- strange for something that's touted as a wondrous "production" with all the glories of multiple narrators and sound effects.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I've already given up on SWORDSPOINT, and won't bother downloading the 2nd part. I'm on to an excellent Ngaio Marsh novel.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I hate to say this, as I'm a huge NPR fan and have many friends who are NPR on-air talent, but the author's public radio on-air style of reading does not serve her story well. I feel it needs a more actorly reading. The dialogue is stylized-- but her reading of her own dialogue is not. She has a beautiful voice-- just not the right delivery for her own fantasy, olden-days world. As for the actors, I think it must have been hard to get the hang of their characters when they had so little to read-- and some of them sounded strangely amateurish. An odd mix of deliveries, many of which sounded like sight-reading..

Any additional comments?

I hope this concept of partly-dramatized readings will be dropped ASAP by the Neil Gaiman series. I *adore* Gaiman, but if this is his idea of a success, HELP!!!!

I really tried

I spent a lot of time trying to bond with this book - but it was just horrible. The narrator puts the emphasis in all the wrong places and it just drove me crazy.

Not a big fan

What disappointed you about Swordspoint?

Pretty much the entire experience of this book was disappointing. I snagged it due to the awesome reviews. The story line was interesting, but tit never really sat well with me. I must admit I was not a huge fan of the whole gay main characters. I was more interested in the fancy sword play intrigue of why they needed swordsman to fight duels and the description of the duels themselves. I understand how the characters played into it, but for me it just caused me to lose interest. There was no avert sexual descriptions or truly erotic nature.

On top of this it was a cross between a narration and a drama. Sometimes characters would have their own voices, and others the author would be narrating. I was never sure when it would appear or why it would appear. I actually think I would have enjoyed it more if the whole book was voice actors with sound effects. Much more. This whole back and forth and it randomly starting up just drew me away from the book. It took me a month to finish such a short book. I would put off listening to it for the radio more times than not and decided to muscle my way through it.

It was definitely interesting to have the author read the book because the dialogue became how she intended it. The enunciation was what she had in her head when she was writing it. I definitely


The intrigue was good. It was quite interesting to see the plays moved by characters for power. This was almost as huge a point as the duels if not even more so. I almost feel like it would be a good arc in its own right.

This is just one man's opinion and as such it is an opinion. I am sure if you talk to others they will appreciate it.