The Complete Book Of Swords (1985) - Plot & Excerpts
Класиката си е класика. Какво ти и трябва - умел разказвач, интересни идеи, добре представена смесица между постапокалиптичен, отдавна забравен реалистичен сай-фай и чиста фентъзийна среда с могъщи мечове, копнеещи за власт благородници и излезли от простолюдието момци с огън в сърцето и щипка геройски късмет. Преди години Бард издаваха оригиналната трилогия в приятно томче, но освен спомена за доста недоклатен на моменти превод, друго не ми е останало. От автетичния текст обаче подозирам , че ще оцелеят малко повечко спомени - най-вече заради поетичната постройка, на моменти почти звучаща като съвсем епична си илиадоподобна стихотворна форма в прозаичен вид. Но за мен Мечовете от онзи специфичен тип книги, които бих прочела и колекционирала почти фанатично отдадено само в много добър превод и приятно книжно оформление. Дори и такъв неотличаващ се с особено оригинални от съвременна гледна точка похвати текст, би бил достойно допълнение за личната ми библиотека - въпреки че тук да речем добрите герои са си чисто и просто добри герои, който е зъл умира, а ако някой добър ви се види отнесен от оная с косата - не сте видели добре. Всичко е деус екс макина, като се почне реално от боговете - сбирчук от всякакви гръцки, римски и азиатски пантеони, отегчени и поизтъпели от вековете съществувание, лежащо върху човешки сънища и стиснати пожертвования , и се стигне до мечовете - богоубийци, всеки с невероятно специална способност, които въпреки почти наличието на лична душа и характер, се въртят като джойнт на студентско парти между всички злиняци и добряци по азбучен ред, крадени, давани, загубвани или просто озоваващи се тук и там според нуждите на историята. Въобще героите са смели и сърцати, и с необходимото хардуерно оборудане се възправят срещу поредните алчни обречени тъпаци с обсесия за власт и разрушения. Има определена възраст, или по-скоро имаше такава в отдавна отминали времена , когато такива книги бяха единствените подразбиращи се като подходящо фентъзи за подрастващи умове, без съвременните лимитации за политическа и сексуална коректност на текста, тъй като нямаше таквиз проблеми едно време, от които да се пазят младите , покосени от читателска страст умове. И това не беше лошо. В някои случаи подобно завръщане към корените на жанра е изключително свеж полъх за изнуреното читателско съзнание, отегчено от напрегнатите опити на тълпи гладни автори за нещо винаги различно и неочаквано във фентъзито. Може би някой ден ще порелаксирам с продълженията на историята, разкриващи митарствата на главните ни герои ( живи са, разбира се , до един ) и техните деца, този път на по-екзотични сетове и под угрозата на по-демонични заплахи. И все пак класиката си е класика.
What's fun about post-apocalyptic stories is you can make any leap from "modern" man to the future: hyper-advanced, straggling remainders, reversion to less technology. They all have a measure of fun to them as long as they don't get too "preachy" about man's self-destructive nature.Fred Saberhagen's venture into fantasy/sword & sorcery is a grouping of tales with a large measure of fun. You won't find earth-shattering revelations or deep philosophical ponderings here; you just get a lot of entertaining reading.This is a collected works volume, gathering the first three tales of the 12 magical swords created by Vulcan (the god, though of a nature and origin that might be different than the one of our ancestors). Each of the swords bear magical characteristics that offer (pun intended) double-edged gifts to their wielders. As with most uses of great power, there is eventually a cost.The story follows Mark, the son of a smith who was the only remaining human to help Vulcan forging the swords. Over the course of time, Mark crosses paths with many of the different swords and witnesses their spectacular effects (either in his own hands or in contention to him). During his travels, he meets and makes human friends, witnesses ancient powers both godlike and of other unique nature and ultimately comes into his own across battlefields and adventures.It's a nice, fast-paced tale that doesn't linger too long on any one point of action or plot. There are times the reader might wish for more exploration of some relationship or interaction, but in whole, the work flows well and reaches a satisfying, if abrupt ending. This is somewhat mollified by the fact that there are several more stories regarding the characters and the swords continuing past this volume.The depiction of the many powers in the world is probably Saberhagen's best concept in this series. From the ordinary human queens and kings to the extraordinary Gods, so similar to our own mythology, to the mysterious Emperor and Beast Lord, Saberhagen crafts a wide range of characters that allow him grand scope for building his own (as yet undetailed) mythology and (as yet undetailed) post-apocalyptic return to magic and middle-ages technology.You should have fun reading these books for simple enjoyment. Don't look for anything deep or brooding, for it's a lively adventure and stands well on its own merits.
What do You think about The Complete Book Of Swords (1985)?
On many occasions I find myself enjoying a good stroll through a the nearby "Brick & Mortar" bookstore. I came across Saberhagen's book and recalled reading one of his books when I was a kid. I did not remember which book, but remember enjoying the tales of magical swords. This book was a collection of Saberhagen's first trilogy, and so I picked it up for the sake of remembrance. I found myself flashing back to that moment as a kid where I was fascinated by the magical swords ...forged by Vulcan given onto man to entertain the games of the gods. The powers of each sword, the abilities granted to the wielder, and their respective curses and weaknesses were well crafted by the author. The story revolves around the swords, and the effect that they have on the world.So you have amazing swords, and a fantastic premise...What went wrong? I found myself unable to get drawn into the characters. The storyline seemed to drag at times. Some areas were over descriptive, while others seemed slapped together. Since I could not connect with the characters, I only grew interested when a sword was employed. Even then I seemed at a loss. Perhaps because I felt that a book about swords would possess more descriptive sword play and combat sequences? The First Swords was taken home only to be found to have a dull edge...Perhaps Saberhagen took a sharpener to his follow on books?
—Christopher Hernandez
This book could be classified as both a sci-fi and a fantasy book. The premise as you quickly learn is that a pantheon of gods exist with some very familiar names from our own mythology. They demand that the god Vulcan create a set of swords that they can scatter around the world and take sides as the humans duke it out for the ultimate power one would have by collecting all of the swords, all for their amusement.Vulcan does so, using several mortals to help him forage the swords and spilling their blood to seal the magic - all except one man whom he lets live an take one of the swords with him. Fast forward a few years later and in an unexpected turn of events the youngest son of this man finds himself inheriting the sword and becoming an outlaw at the same time. From there on he has interactions with many of the swords and the people who wield them, all the time trying to keep ahead of those trying to find him. We learn about the unique mythology of the gods and find that something is not quite right...As the game continues, soon the gods start to worry, as some of these swords could have the power to bring even their rule to ruin. Filled with adventure, these books do get at times a tad overly descriptive, and yes there are lulls that the casual fantasy/sci-fi reader may not appreciate, but it's a fantastic series and certainly worth reading through. I never felt it was a struggle to read through these parts, but then I appreciate detail about the world I'm immersing myself into and it feels much more realistic to me as a whole to give your characters the occasional rest from constant action. The way some fantasy books are written, all the characters would surely die from exhaustion before you read a third of the book, Saberhagen's character's are pressed to their limit and beyond, but I don't have the same feeling that they never get a break.
—Kathryn
Finished the first of three books in this collection. So far another quick moving fantasy epic...there is a pantheon of gods, who out of boredom i guess, have Vulcan the Smith craft 12 powerful swords, each with their own special power, to give to mortals...chaos ensues and the gods are entertained. Four of the swords make an appearance in the first book: Townsaver, Dragonslicer, Coinspinner, and Sightblinder. Typing that sentence just made me feel like a big dork.Anywho, I'm taking a break from the series to read some other books but I'll definitely come back to it so that I can catch up to the later books in this series which I read as a 14-year-old. Update: just finished up with books 2 and 3. All in all, a fun read. Book 2 reminded me a lot of a Conan story with the bulk of the plot centering on some of the characters raiding a treasure horde. Book 3 had a huge battle with gods and mortals and most of the swords.
—Gregory
