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)

Wiggling with glee

Swordspoint is one of my favorite novels--a perfect swashbuckling confection of a book, with elegant writing and marvelous dialogue. This audiobook captures the tone of the characters and the world perfectly. Having Ellen Kushner reading her own work plays beautifully, and the portions read by actors (all splendidly cast) provide additional richness and texture. I have not been a fan of audiobooks in the past, but this one may be enough to convert me, if there are more like it to be had.

Excellent experience

This is the best audiobook I've listened to in awhile. The supporting music and voice actors added to the atmosphere and experience. The story was great and the author narrated it admirably. Highly recommended.

Great book if you love sword play & period dramas

Would you consider the audio edition of Swordspoint to be better than the print version?

The tagline on the book promises melodrama, and there is plenty of that. But there was also a sweetness to the characters and some pointed critique of the rigid class structure within the land of Riverside. I enjoyed the allusions to Chaucer, medieval fairy tales and even the Rape of the Lock. Rich, full and engaging. I want Richard St. Vier as a friend.

Background noises

I bought this book because I wanted to hear the background sounds everyone else was 'talking' about. They are interesting but not essentile. I didn't realize I added them myself! Also 6 narrators sounded fun and it was, so is the book but if you chose not to purchase it your world will not end!

Worth Revisiting!

I got this audiobook 5 years ago and just couldn't get into it. tried it again and wow! it's a slow burn with a fabulously casual queer romance and lots of interpersonal drama. the world felt very much like the setting of a modern fairytale for grown-ups and I savored every moment in it! the audiobook presentation was quite good as well though the sound effects were hit or miss. I quite liked the voice acting and Kushner's reading. will definitely be listening to this one again.

Outstanding

Swordspoint is was an amazing story with an amazing cast of characters. The author's reading was absolutely perfect and the rest of the cast did a great job as well. The music and staging of key scenes was done really nicely and didn't feel tacky. If you're debating whether or not to pick up this title, take this as a sign and get it now! You won't regret it!

Boring!

What was most disappointing about Ellen Kushner’s story?

I listened to the second book in the series first and am so glad I did. It was wonderful! If I had listened to this one first however, I would have never listened to the second. This one lacked the character development and adventure of the second. It really dragged and the political structure was confusing.

Any additional comments?

Skip this one and move on to the next!

So much fun! Great story and wonderful prose:)

This story is so engaging and fun. the prose is lovely and the characters are so fully realized. the narration and background sounds make the story come alive in a very human way:)

The noises in background I found distracting

Would you try another book from Ellen Kushner and/or the narrators?

I might if all the background noise and sound effects were eliminated. I found it very distracting. It is not a movie, but an audio book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Swordspoint?

The court room scene at the end.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators were very good and did make the characters enjoyable

Any additional comments?

Eliminate all the noise, in background. It took away from the story, at least for me.

Amazing performance!

If you could sum up Swordspoint in three words, what would they be?

Sexy swashbuckling politicoes

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard and Alec are kind of terrible but I love them in spite of themselves. Although hmm, the Duchess might beat them.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Well, I've heard Ellen read in person before, so sort of? She's a fantastic reader, and loves her characters and her settings so much. This was a great performance, and the sound effects and other actors for the dramatized scenes really added such richness to the recording.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Oh, those mad, bad boys.

Any additional comments?

I read this book a few years ago, and just loved it then. Having such a fantastic audio version made me wriggly with joy. The last line of dialog is so simple and, out of context, utterly mundane, and the fact that it made me weep into my steering wheel is a testament to Kushner's ability to make a reader care so much about the characters that all of the context can fit into such a short line.