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First Book of Swords
by Fred Saberhagen
Product Group: Book
Publisher: St Martins Press (1984-04)
ISBN: 0812552989
EAN: 9780812552980
Mass Market Paperback
SKU: 0711250349
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: Good used condition. Has been read and may have corner bumping or cover or spine creases, but overall good reading condition.
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Customer Reviews
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best fantasy series i have ever read
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-09-22
AS BEST DAMN SERIES I HAVE EVER READ BUT DONT BUY THE INDIVIDUAL BOOKS OF THE FIRST SET BUY THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SWORDS. I BELIEVE IF YOU BUY THE 1ST 2ND AND 3 RD YOU WILL FEEL SHORTCHANGED. IT SHOULD BE READ AS ONE BOOK AND SHOULD BE SOLD THAT WAY TOO. YOU WILL WANT TO GET THE WHOLE SERIES ALSO IM SURE. THE FIRST THREE BOOKS CALLED THE BOOKS OF SWORDS AND THEN THE FOLLOW UPS THE BOOKS OF LOST SWORDS 1 THRU 8 .
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Can't say it doesn't leave you wanting more.
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-10-18
To begin with, the most prominent nit that needs to be picked regarding "The First Book of Swords" is its ending, which resolves virtually nothing; a war, and the accompanying political upheaval, appears to be just getting underway, Draffut is locked in combat with the Olympian Gods, and it's unclear where our heroes are headed from here. In that precise technical sense, the novel, as novel, falls short. I mention this in large part so as to get it out of the way, as a great many factors combine to render the abrupt ending of the novel forgivable, not the least of which is title, which is certainly honest with the reader regarding the inevitability of sequels.
The novel centers around the Olympians' introduction of a dozen swords into the world, each with its own distinct abilities. This is done in the service of a game, the nature of which is not made clear in this initial volume; it appears to have the effect of turning the entire continent into a gigantic gladitorial arena, with the swords as prizes to be won and treasures to be defended. None of the motivations behind the game are made clear yet; we only get a look at a few of the swords, and we're told nothing about their powers and limitations upfront, forced instead to learn through trial and error along with the principal characters. A further mystery is the existence of the gods in the first place; clues are given that the world of this series is actually our own far future (or that of a world parallel to ours), and certainly there's no evidence that the Olympians ever actually inhabited our world. Some hints are dropped that the gods are newcomers to the world, and not who they seem, but we still have no explanation of nature of the other, apparently legitimate, divine powers (such as Ardneh and Orcus).
Some of this is unraveled in an essay written by Sandra Miesel that follows the main text (at least in my edition). In it, we learn that the Books of Swords actually constitute a far-removed sequel to Saberhagen's earlier "Empire of the East" trilogy, in which the mysteries of Ardneh were made a little more clear. Her essay also provdes a fascinating insight into the role of games or game imagery in speculative fiction, at least in 1983 or so (imagine a time when not a single Dragonlance novel had yet been published, and the only major Dungeons-and-Dragons-type novel in existence was "Quag Keep" by Andre Norton, of all people). Saberhagen's earlier works are also discussed, in particular the Berserker series, as they relate to the ideas of heroes, quests, and games put forth in the "Swords" milieu.
Perhaps it is a side effect of Saberhagen's being more interested in working out the technical aspects of introducing a chaotic element into a relatively stable system than in writing a bildungsroman tracing the devopment of the protagonist, but this is a very tight, well-paced novel, especially considering the number of characters and other variables involved. Were this series penned twenty years later, by any of the best-selling fantasy scribes of today, each volume would inevitably swell to two or three times the length of Saberhagen's volumes, and likely to no positive effect. A complex system, simply rendered, is one mark of a good writer.
I can't swear to the accuracy of any of my comments regarding the philosophical foundations of this series, as I've only read the first volume; but that volume has given me confidence that Saberhagen can eventually juggle all twelve swords (figuratively, of course) and the powers that will be contending over them.
I should also point out that this novel, as an individual volume, is long out of print, but it can be found, along with the next two--The Second and Third Books of Swords, naturally--in a single volume entitled "The First Swords," available as of this writing.
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a mixture of magic and mythology [no spoilers]
Rating  (4)
Date: 2004-12-17
"The First Book of Swords" is the opening novel in "The Book of Swords" trilogy. It has an interesting storyline involving an assortment of deities supplemented with a variety of creative magical weaponry.
The book mostly follows Mark, a likeable young man whose father was one of the assistants in forging twelve supernatural swords. He meets up and adventures with a couple other individuals, Barbara, Ben, and Nestor. The solid background in the developing story establishes a thorough world for future fantasy adventures.
I do not care for the mixture of Greek and Roman names for the gods and goddesses, I would prefer to stick with one mythological theme. However introducing other godlike beings such as Ardneh, Orcus, and Draffut within the same world bears credit by showing a world in transition. The creation of weapons by a god that can supposedly destroy a god makes the story fascinating. A detailed map of the significant terrains would have been useful.
I would recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.
Thank you.
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Blades
Rating (4)
Date: 2003-11-03
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Review by TimMark had a pretty average life for the time. Hunting game for the family and doing household chores for his mom. He probably didn't expect that one day he would have to leave his house to start life anew. But what is the secret behind his father's sword called Townsaver. And what game are the gods talking about. Now the life around Mark is changing, perhaps faster than he would ever would want or expect. This book is a prime example of a fantasy novel. This book was a joy to read and easy to follow. When the story follows Mark excitement is sure to trail. But Fred Saberhagen kept changing point of view every chapter. The many mysteries are unraveled throughout the story, but once one is, a new one springs from it. This feature makes you never want to put the book down. Fred Saberhagen is great at portraying a medieval setting. But it is odd that when the book refers to the old world it seems like it's referring to modern time. I would recommend this book to anybody but anyone into fantasy will love this book. This is a great read I can't wait to finish.
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Quite a good first book in the series
Rating (4)
Date: 2000-06-19
3 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
The book unfolds well with just the right amount of suspense, and several plot twists, though a couple of them are fairly predictable. The story is interesting, and near the end of the book hints at very interesting things to come. The characters all have their charm, though some of them aren't as well-developed as others. (For example, I found that Sir Andrew was fairly well done but in the end there could have been more of a focus on who he is.) The only gripe I have is that the book seems to be fairly short for the content that's in it. But all in all I loved it. It's a good book for any fantasy fan.
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