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)

Excellent Story - sound effects distracting

I remember loving this book when I first read it and it was just as good the second time around. Brilliantly complex take on the swashbuckling story. The only negative is probably personal, I didn't care for the sound effects, some were just off, and others pulled me out of the story.
Overall it was an excellent listen and if you like sound effects it will be splendid.

Great experience

I have read this book in Japanese more than 20years ago and this was the first time "reading" it in English and let me tell you...Wow

The audiobook version of this book was given as a gift to me and it was such a jewel. It is actually read by the author with the casts including music and sound effects. I was not only able to experience the original English version, but also could enjoy the nuances and the richness of the dialogues as well, through the wonderful narration by the author.

The experience of listening to this production was like watching (listening) to a classical Shakespeare-like periodic play. If you are a fan of this book, don't miss the experience!

Pointless

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

The book had excellent production value. Nothing distracted me from listening to the story. The problem was that it was about characters that I never managed to develop an interest in.

What could Ellen Kushner have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Make me at some point feel that the story was heading somewhere.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

I had no favorite.

Did Swordspoint inspire you to do anything?

Delete the book from my computer.

Any additional comments?

I found it highly ironic to have a book about swordplay that to me seemed completely pointless.

Unique and Well-Written

When I started listening to this book, I was excited to realize that this was an Audible Neil Gaiman Presents selection -- the first that I've listened to. In his opening introduction, he states that "It's as if Jane Austen wrote fantasy... an imaginary world where the characters are real people..." He had me at Jane Austen, of course, and if Jane Austen were a tad spicier, a fair amount darker, and had dealt with same-sex romance, that would be about right. I had a little trouble following all of the intrigue in audio form, even with the theatrical multi-voice narration. I do tend to have trouble with those sort of entwining storylines in general, though. I thought this was a very well-written book, and interesting in it's uniqueness. It felt like a mix of Fantasy and Regency Romance, but with a darker Historical Fiction sort of underbelly that made it seem a lot more real-world than those genres usually do.

So-so

Any additional comments?

I know a lot of people who really enjoyed this story. I don't think it was for me. I was bored for most of it and didn't like most of the characters. While I thought Ellen did a fantastic job of narrating it, I wasn't a fan of the background noises and other actors speaking some, but not all the parts. It would have been better to only have one narrator reading the story and no extra sound effects. But, that's just me.

The Title’s Accurate

An unusual and imaginative setting, parallel love stories, and manners are central. A fin read but I’ll stop here to avoid spoilers. As it happens I do fence albeit in the Japanese kendo and iaido. Fencing is central throughout while remaining sufficiently vague as to the details to remain credible.

wonderful

Ellen Kusher has written a series of books full of some of the most human characters I've ever run into in fantasy literature. I am not certain I've ever run across the mannerpunk subgenre before running across the Neil Gaiman Presents collection of audiobooks. By his endorsement alone I would have tried the series, but then I realized I'd run across one of her short stories in an anthology. After giving it a listen I was completely hooked. The world of Swordspoint is charming, addicting, and most especially, so very very viscerally human. 10/10 highly recommend every last one of them.

Still Talking in that Hill Drawl...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have already recommended it to several friends; it's an excellent performance by all the actors, and it is truly a pleasure to hear Ellen Kushner read her work. The characters speak like I hear them in my head, which is impressive in itself, but the exact delivery of their lines and the lovely accents made this even more fun than reading the book.

What other book might you compare Swordspoint to and why?

The Fall of Kings, The Privilege of the Sword, but they are by Ellen Kushner (and Delia Sherman). It's a pretty distinct style, this book. I suppose Georgette Heyer is similar, but not nearly as so gratifyingly sharp.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Clearly, the narrator knows exactly how her characters sound.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It actually was what got me into my car in the morning, however, since I listen to books when I go to and from work.

A intricately woven out-of-the-box story

Ellen Kushner's ability to weave a net of intrigue is to be admired. In 'Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners' the listener is introduced to a mysterious university student that hits it off with a swordsman in the city slums called Riverside. You are quickly reminded in the story that it is not the Middle Ages, but a place where the chivalry of the Middle Ages are blended with modern issues and snobbish aristocracy creating an eerie world within which it plays off.

Kushner is a master of misdirection, suspense and surprise. What I found difficult however was to identify with one of the characters, they felt so otherworldly that I completely felt left out. Maybe I am too conservative in my views, but I found that there was a huge gap between my values and those portrayed by the prominent figures in the book.

The book seems to be a mix between an audio drama and a book. The scenes where voice artists played out the little intrigues were exquisite. It is candy for the ear. Yet I had to tune my ear in to Kushner's reading and identifying of a character that suddenly had her voice and not the male voice of once of the scenes. It made it difficult for me to follow - especially at the beginning - but I while I got more used to it towards the end, I cannot say that it didn't hinder. That said Kushner's own reading was superb.

If you like intrigue, civil nastiness where tea parties are more important than city council meetings and the flare of sword fighting this book might be for you. It is woven together very intricately like a tapestry, so be careful not to get lost by missing a thread. (Listen to it... with manners.)

Decent book, but a warning

Altogether, this was an acceptable book; I didn't get really interested in the plot until the first half was almost over. Other reviews have addressed the shortcomings and good parts of the book, so I won't repeat them. I do want to point out, because it isn't clear in the other reviews or the summary of the book, that there is a LOT of homosexuality. Nothing particularly explicit, but very intimate. If that is something you don't want to hear about repeatedly, then you should avoid this book.