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The Book of Swords

By: Gardner Dozois - editor, Robin Hobb, Garth Nix, George R.R. Martin
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Katharine Lee McEwan, Kim Mai Guest, Elliot Hill, Richard Brewer, Nicholas Guy Smith, Kirby Heyborne, Mark Deakins, Steve West, Ralph Lister
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Publisher's summary

New epic fantasy in the grand tradition - including a never-before-published Song of Ice and Fire story by George R. R. Martin!

Fantasy fiction has produced some of the most unforgettable heroes ever conjured onto the page: Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian, Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné, Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Classic characters like these made sword and sorcery a storytelling sensation, a cornerstone of fantasy fiction - and an inspiration for a new generation of writers spinning their own outsize tales of magic and swashbuckling adventure.

Now, in The Book of Swords, acclaimed editor and best-selling author Gardner Dozois presents an all-new anthology of original epic tales by a stellar cast of award-winning modern masters - many of them set in their authors' best-loved worlds. Join today's finest tellers of fantastic tales, including George R. R. Martin, K. J. Parker, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, Daniel Abraham, Lavie Tidhar, Ellen Kushner, and more on action-packed journeys into the outer realms of dark enchantment and intrepid derring-do, featuring a stunning assortment of fearless swordsmen and warrior women who face down danger and death at every turn with courage, cunning, and cold steel.

Featuring 16 all-new stories:

  • "The Best Man Wins" by K. J. Parker
  • "Her Father's Sword" by Robin Hobb
  • "The Hidden Girl" by Ken Liu
  • "The Sword of Destiny" by Matthew Hughes
  • "'I Am a Handsome Man,' Said Apollo Crow" by Kate Elliott
  • "The Triumph of Virtue" by Walter Jon Williams
  • "The Mocking Tower" by Daniel Abraham
  • "Hrunting" by C. J. Cherryh
  • "A Long, Cold Trail" by Garth Nix
  • "When I Was a Highwayman" by Ellen Kushner
  • "The Smoke of Gold Is Glory" by Scott Lynch
  • "The Colgrid Conundrum" by Rich Larson
  • "The King's Evil" by Elizabeth Bear
  • "Waterfalling" by Lavie Tidhar
  • "The Sword Tyraste" by Cecelia Holland
  • "The Sons of the Dragon" by George R. R. Martin

And an introduction by Gardner Dozois

Readers: Arthur Morey, Julia Whelan, Mark Deakins, Ralph Lister, Kirby Heyborne, Nicholas Guy Smith, Richard Brewer, Steve West, Elliott Hill, Kim Mai Guest, Katherine Mc Ewan, and John Lee

©2017 George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, and Garth Nix (P)2017 Random House Audio

Featured Article: Everything You Need to Know Before You Watch House of the Dragon


Game of Thrones fans everywhere are eagerly awaited the release of House of the Dragon, the prequel series bringing viewers back to the epic fantasy world introduced in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. HBO's new show is based on Martin's Fire & Blood, a sweeping novel set 300 years before the first book in the saga. You can jump into Fire & Blood and enjoy this fantasy series without any prior knowledge of the books or television series.