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The Third Book of Swords  By  cover art

The Third Book of Swords

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

Magistrate Wen Chang, famed for his investigative powers, and his young physician assistant, Kasimir, set out to recover Stonecutter and return the stolen Sword to its rightful owner, Prince Mark.

The Red Temple, Blue Temple and a gang of rebels, each for their own purposes, are intent on possessing the Sword.

A mysterious young girl, Natasha, enlisted by Kasimir as a spy, fascinates Kasimir, but can she be trusted? Listeners will need all their powers of ratiocination to unravel this adventure of the Sword of Siege.

Fantasy and mystery combine in a compelling story of the powerful sword that splits diamonds and hews mountains with equal ease.

©1984 Fred Saberhagen (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Third Book of Swords

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    7
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating Redemption

Would you listen to The Third Book of Swords again? Why?

Yes, I probably would. This one was captivating form the first chapter, full of action and a lot of resolve from the first 2 books.

What other book might you compare The Third Book of Swords to and why?

Comparable to book 1 in the series for the action and interest it holds. Also I would compare it to Warbreaker for an amazing ride of a story and a very satisfying resolve

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

As with the first 2 books he was great. I still think some of the characters should have had a more powerful voice based on their personalities but overall his voice was very engulfing.

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

Swords of Fate

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3 people found this helpful

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

Nice Conclusion to the Trilogy

Nice character progression and more swords in play. A lot of loose ends tied up. A very good series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • CN
  • 11-18-16

Mediocre ending to a poorly written series.

This book almost felt like a relief. Not because it was written better or because it was more consistent in naming the gods. No. It was a relief because now I can move on to books that are pleasant to read.

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1 person found this helpful

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

world building

loved the way Saberhagen created the world and the swords that are both a power and a curse.

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

The recording is messed up and 'muffled'

The book itself is classic Fred Saberhagen, well written with plenty of 'fancy words'....problem is that the person that recorded this one screwed it up and it's significantly more.....muffled, or underwater sounding than the previous books. I can't give his performance a good review, because the difference between book 2 and 3 is pretty obvious.

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

Story neither resolves nor continues

SERIES DISAPPOINTED / NOT RECOMMENDED.

The first book / story is fairly engaging. However, the subsequent books left me very disappointed. The third book left me very unhappy by the end.

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 emporrer 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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great read. Highly recommended.

This series offers readers a terrific sense of discovery and character development and the third, final book provides a great conclusion.

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

Plot holes like Swiss cheese

the longer I listened the more this story went off the rails. Great characters and good story telling but some of the random unexplained plot twists border on ridiculous.

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

All is at it was

The story had an unpredictable ending but I would of love to have more information on how the swords were made. I read the First triad and it gave me a glimpse to this series. However I expected more depth from the book of swords and did not get it.

Now on to read the next series of the Lost swords and finish the Triads other books.

All in all, I enjoyed the adventure and how I seem to be looking down into the story as if I was there.

Really love it.

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

very good listen

excellent story and it seems to put you in the storyline the more you listen. well worth the price

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