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The Second Book of Swords  By  cover art

The Second Book of Swords

By: Fred Saberhagen
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Publisher's summary

Mark and Ben travel deep into the Blue Temple's hidden horde of treasures in an attempt to recover gold and Swords for Sir Andrew. Gods, demons and human traitors have other plans for the Swords and for the adventurers. When playing the game of the gods no one's survival is secure, even a god's.

©1983 Fred Saberhagen (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Second Book of Swords

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A little disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book with caution. It is the continuation of book one and it must be read in order to go on to book three, however, it was slow and I had to make an extra effort to stay interested.

If you’ve listened to books by Fred Saberhagen before, how does this one compare?

I have not listened to other books by him except for book one in this series and this one pales by comparison

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

Great voice overs for each character. Rise and fall of tone to make for interest. Some of the characters could have used a little more powerful voice based on their descriptions but overall I still think he was excellent

Do you think The Second Book of Swords needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Sure it needs a follow-up because the story is not over. There hasn't been a resolve to the whole scheme of things yet. I just hope the last book holds more interest.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Again a very fun world, more scattered

Would you consider the audio edition of The Second Book of Swords to be better than the print version?

I only read as an audio book, Although i think the simple style lends itself well to that format.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The villains were my favorite part of this story.

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favorite?

Again all the voice acting was quite well done. Subtle but unique differences between characters.

Any additional comments?

I thought this book much like the first was a great story. Modern fantasy has a tendancy to get very complex with hundreds of strange names and places. I found the story to be more like the myths of Greek mythology. I was a bit disappointed in the ending of this one. It fleshed along this great story for the characters then felt like Saberhagen ran out of room and had to quickly tie everything up in 3 chapters. The ending felt very rushed and left me wanting.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

So. Dull.

I seem to have fond memories of the first one from my youth, but I have no idea why. The story was dull. The characters were dull. And the gods and their swords put me to sleep. Avoid.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is an excellent book!! I loved. listening to it and will absolutely listen to it again in the future!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Saberhagen weaves this tale expertly.

Great story that constantly keep you on your toes, and amazing narration make this a must add to your collection.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Story fails to carry Sword premise

SERIES DISAPPOINTED / NOT RECOMMENDED.

The first book / story is fairly engaging. However, the subsequent books left me very disappointed. Each subsequent book starts an extended time after the end of the previous book, with no actual resolution of the story. Even at the end of the final book, the story just peters-out, by "the gods" walking away with the "dark king," eventually throwing him off a mountain, and fading into non-existence, without disclosing how the swords were actually used by the humans and the ?magician? known as the emperor to "win the game."

The narrator is skilled.

Several technical issues w/recording (sections of text missing at end of some chapters) on each of the three books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Great Heist

Another great book about the swords of power. Familiar characters return and continue their development. Looking forward to the next book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

classic d&d dungeon crawl

Fred Saberhagen is one of the top authors of his time. I love all of his books and this one is a classic of its type. The story is well crafted, good characters that you believe in and care about, great world building. Fred Saberhagen is one of my favorite authors.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great fantasy read the first one

very well written great voice performance if you love fantasy books this series is definitely worth a read

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the first book in the series but...

The Second Book of Swords was not as interesting as the First Book. The book felt rushed for some reason. I will listen to the Third Book to see how Mr. Saberhagen wraps up the trilogy.

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