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Books of Swords #1-3
The First Swords
Fred Saberhagen's Book of Swords novels have captivated fantasy readers for more than a decade. Here, now available in one volume, are the three books that started it all. For a game the gods have given the world twelve Swords of Power so that they might be amused as the nations battle for their possession. But Vulcan the Smith has had his own little the Swords can kill the gods themselves. What started out as Divine Jest has become all too serious as the gods fight to recover the Swords, and mortals discover that the mantle of power is more delicious and more terrible than anything they could have imagined.
608 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
40 people are currently reading
1537 people want to read
About the author
Fred Saberhagen
335 books494 followersFred Saberhagen was an American science fiction and fantasy author most famous for his ''Beserker'' and Dracula stories.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
Saberhagen also wrote a series of a series of post-apocalyptic mytho-magical novels beginning with his popular ''Empire of the East'' and continuing through a long series of ''Swords'' and ''Lost Swords'' novels. Saberhagen died of cancer, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Saberhagen was born in and grew up in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Saberhagen served in the [[U.S. Air Force]] during the Korean War while he was in his early twenties. Back in civilian life, Saberhagen worked as an It was while he was working for Motorola (after his military service) that Saberhagen started writing fiction seriously at the age of about 30. "Fortress Ship", his first "Berserker" short shory, was published in 1963. Then, in 1964, Saberhagen saw the publication of his first novel, ''The Golden People''.
From 1967 to 1973, he worked as an editor for the Chemistry articles in the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' as well as writing its article on science fiction. He then quit and took up writing full-time. In 1975, he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He married fellow writer Joan Spicci in 1968. They had two sons and a daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
June 10, 2012
A good friend had recommended this collection to me a year or so ago, but had also added at the time that he had mislaid his copy of it and wished he could read it again. Recently while searching for an ugly shirt to wear to a Hawaiian themed party I was fortunate enough to find a copy of this volume on sale for a dollar at a local thrift store. When I informed my friend of my good fortune I had to promise to lend it to him to re-read as soon as I was done with it. And now having completed the task of reading these stories I am glad to say that I can now understand his eagerness to return to this world.
To truly begin this review I should point out that while the volume I read is title "The Complete book of Swords" it only actually compromises 3 books out of the dozen or so volumes which Saverhagen's website Berzerker.com lists as belonging to the Swords cycle: http://www.berserker.com/FredsSwords....
So I take this to mean that I do have more to look forward to in this series down the road and that I should keep my eye out whenever I happen to be in a book browsing mood.
This collection is split into three separate tales revolving, primarily, around a boy named Mark and his friend's Ben and Barbara and how their lives intertwine with the destines of 12 Magic Swords. The eponymous swords of the title are shown in the first chapter being forged by a god named Vulcan at the behest of a pantheon of other gods and goddesses who are drawn from the mythologies of varied cultures and nations. It shouldn't be too much of a spoiler to point out that although this story is in a fantasy setting it can be also categorized as science fiction as it is set approximately fifty thousand years in the future of our own world and there are hints that the magical property of the Swords is actually at least partially technological in origin and that the gods themselves may be a manifestation of the collective unconscious of humanity and therefore not truly immortals at all.
Part of the fun of the stories comes from the Song of Swords given in the forward to the book. A series of 12 poems that describes the properties of the swords and acts as an introduction and a warning for those who would wish to wield the power granted by the blades. Each time a new Sword was mentioned, I found myself flipping back to the front of the book to re-read the poem and try to figure out exactly how each weapon would be used and what effects it would have on the progression of the story.
The first book is a bit of a chase, wherein Mark is on the run with the sword named Townsaver after accidentally killing the cousin of a local ruler.
The second book opens up the scope of the book further and a now twenty year old mark and his friend Ben become embroiled in a heist attempt against the Blue Temple, a religious order that worships wealth. This story will be a lot of fun for any Dungeons and Dragons aficionados who enjoy a good dungeon crawl.
The third book picks up 4 or 5 years down the line as the great game of the gods who set these swords loose into the world begins to really heat up, and the armies of at least 4 different forces are marching to war to control the swords and the fate of the world.
If you can find a copy of this or any of the other books in the series I recommend giving them a read.
To truly begin this review I should point out that while the volume I read is title "The Complete book of Swords" it only actually compromises 3 books out of the dozen or so volumes which Saverhagen's website Berzerker.com lists as belonging to the Swords cycle: http://www.berserker.com/FredsSwords....
So I take this to mean that I do have more to look forward to in this series down the road and that I should keep my eye out whenever I happen to be in a book browsing mood.
This collection is split into three separate tales revolving, primarily, around a boy named Mark and his friend's Ben and Barbara and how their lives intertwine with the destines of 12 Magic Swords. The eponymous swords of the title are shown in the first chapter being forged by a god named Vulcan at the behest of a pantheon of other gods and goddesses who are drawn from the mythologies of varied cultures and nations. It shouldn't be too much of a spoiler to point out that although this story is in a fantasy setting it can be also categorized as science fiction as it is set approximately fifty thousand years in the future of our own world and there are hints that the magical property of the Swords is actually at least partially technological in origin and that the gods themselves may be a manifestation of the collective unconscious of humanity and therefore not truly immortals at all.
Part of the fun of the stories comes from the Song of Swords given in the forward to the book. A series of 12 poems that describes the properties of the swords and acts as an introduction and a warning for those who would wish to wield the power granted by the blades. Each time a new Sword was mentioned, I found myself flipping back to the front of the book to re-read the poem and try to figure out exactly how each weapon would be used and what effects it would have on the progression of the story.
The first book is a bit of a chase, wherein Mark is on the run with the sword named Townsaver after accidentally killing the cousin of a local ruler.
The second book opens up the scope of the book further and a now twenty year old mark and his friend Ben become embroiled in a heist attempt against the Blue Temple, a religious order that worships wealth. This story will be a lot of fun for any Dungeons and Dragons aficionados who enjoy a good dungeon crawl.
The third book picks up 4 or 5 years down the line as the great game of the gods who set these swords loose into the world begins to really heat up, and the armies of at least 4 different forces are marching to war to control the swords and the fate of the world.
If you can find a copy of this or any of the other books in the series I recommend giving them a read.
December 18, 2010
This one is from so far back, I read it years ago. Saberhagen is pretty versatile. I'd just read the Berserker stories and moved into these fantasies. Pretty good.
These take place in the fictional universe set up in Empire of the East taking place thousands of years after that book. If you enjoy the universe this one carries on it's tale. While I like Empire better, these are still pretty good.
These take place in the fictional universe set up in Empire of the East taking place thousands of years after that book. If you enjoy the universe this one carries on it's tale. While I like Empire better, these are still pretty good.
June 12, 2020
I first read all of books of Lost Swords in my early teens, then found out I’d skipped the original book of swords and went back and read those in my late teens.
Back in the early 90’s when fantasy was more or less a wasteland of YA dragon fuckery and Tolkien skins, this was a welcome read. Also, I’ll say The mythos of the series also still stands strong. A post apocalyptic world where humans have dreamed the Greek Gods into existence, those Gods then create 12 swords for a game, and those swords turn out not only to be able to kill the Gods, but also supplant the faith necessary for the Gods survival?
That’s good stuff.
That said, the human characters that we live through for these 3 books are... Well, let’s just be honest. They’re weak af.
Mark is a dude who is fathered by a mysterious legendary figure known as the Emperor. However, he is raised as the son of Jord, the smith that helped Vulcan make the 12 swords from meteor metal and whose arm was taken in the process. We never find out why. Even the other Gods are like “Why’d you do that?” And Vulcan’s like *shrug*. Anyway, he gets one of the 12 swords of the Gods in return. And is like... sad, mad, resigned about it and hangs it on the wall
and won’t talk about it.
Fast forward like, 13 years and some people come to take it, and Mark’s brother, the red shirt, grabs the sword and uses it’s sword power by accident and gets killed. During this Mark accidentally kills some cousin of the duke with a bad arrow shot. When the dust settles people are like “YOU A MURDERER”. So, Mark’s like “Oh shit” and takes the sword (Town Saver) and jams out of there.
He heads towards a nearby kingdom of the Kind Knight, Sir Andrew, and on his way he meets Ben, Barbara and ... I think it’s Nestis? Narciscicus? It doesen’t matter. Nestle’s gonna be dead soon after introducing some new characters, but, overall accomplishing very little and having no character depth established. Which makes him no better or worse than any other character, as none of them have more depth than a sheet of writing paper.
Nesticle has Draginslicer, another of the 12 swords that (I’m sure you can guess), kills dragons.
They travel together, and on the way get attacked by the men of Duke Fratkin (I’m not gonna bother checking spelling of his name, like all the Characters, he barely deserves a name) who want the swords.
They get split up. Nestboy ends up getting Town Saver and Mark, Ben and Barbara get Dragon Slicer in a mixup. It doesn’t matter much.
Mark ends up at the castle of the knight, the boys of Duke Flatthins try to get him again (they want his phat swords) and during this real dad, the emperor, appears to him and gives him another sword, Sight Blinder, and tells him to give it to Sir Andrew. Instead, he immediately loses it. This is kind of a theme of the book. Mark’s is terrible at holding on to swords.
Anyway, Sir Andrew kicks Duke FarmFranks men out
And they get mad, and still want those sweet swords. So, Duke Flatpants attacks while holding Coin Spinner, which is a lucky sword of luck. Nestle comes back having met Draffut, a God dog. Nestle dies in the attack while wielding Town Saver, Flathands dies while breaking in, killed by a demon. Mark gets Coinspinner, Ben and Barbara are there.
Book one ends.
If you find yourself caring more about the swords than the people at this point, that’s how you’ll feel alllll the way through. If you care about neither, you should not read the books. If you care about the people, you’re crazy.
Book 2 is a heist with Mark, Ben and some red shirts. One of the red shirts is Mark’s 1/2 sister by the Emperor. Ben falls in love with her because they talk once, she dies, he never gets over it. Mark steals some swords for Sir Andrew, Ben steals some gold and gets rich. There is no character development.
Book two ends.
Book 3, Mark rescues a girl from the Dark King’s camp. Dark King has the Mind Sword, which makes everyone worship him. Mark gets away with the girl, but, gets injured and is dying. She bangs him to save his life with her virginity. They’re deeply, overwhelmingly in love now (yep, that’s how characters are developed in these books. They don’t grow towards, they simply are). They bang their way back to the town she’s from where he finds out she’s a princess! But, he sister the queen just died so she’s queen now, and can’t marry Mark even though they’ve banged across the desert for weeks and love each other more than anything. You know this because the book tells you.
Mark gets sent out to find the Emperor. Meanwhile Ben and Barbara have a weird marriage where they seeeeem to hate each other. Ben’s still in love with Mark’s sister (he can’t forget how they talked one time), and Barbara is... an asshole? I have no idea what’s up with her character. She’s somehow flatter than all the rest. Anyway, they have a kid together and they have some swords, they give them to some loser to take to Sir Andrew. He loses one to Aphrodite but gets the other to Sir Andrew. Sir Andrew is then killed by the Dark King.
Uhhhh, Mark finds the Emperor and is like “Yo... You my daddy?” and the Emperor is like “Shiiiieeeeettt, you KNOW this.” And Mark’s like “Cool... Peace”
There’s another person, the Silver Queen, Yambu. She’s against the Dark King, and she has Soul Cutter, the Emo sword. Whenever she pulls it out, Dashboard Confessional plays in people’s head and they get so sad and tired they give up.
Well, okay, all of that but no music.
Dark King and Yambu get in a fight. Sadness wins. The Gods show up, the Gods get shown the door. Before they go, Townsaver and Doomgiver are destroyed. Which is too bad. The swords personalities are more fluid than the peoples written here. We’ll miss them.
Mark comes back. They’re like “Oh, you’re the Emperor’s son? Kk. You can marry the queen.”
Meanwhile, the Gods all trudge up a mountain and die, and humanities faith in them disappears, supplanted by their swords.
The end.
Three stars is probably over rating it. But, again, the myth is fun.
Back in the early 90’s when fantasy was more or less a wasteland of YA dragon fuckery and Tolkien skins, this was a welcome read. Also, I’ll say The mythos of the series also still stands strong. A post apocalyptic world where humans have dreamed the Greek Gods into existence, those Gods then create 12 swords for a game, and those swords turn out not only to be able to kill the Gods, but also supplant the faith necessary for the Gods survival?
That’s good stuff.
That said, the human characters that we live through for these 3 books are... Well, let’s just be honest. They’re weak af.
Mark is a dude who is fathered by a mysterious legendary figure known as the Emperor. However, he is raised as the son of Jord, the smith that helped Vulcan make the 12 swords from meteor metal and whose arm was taken in the process. We never find out why. Even the other Gods are like “Why’d you do that?” And Vulcan’s like *shrug*. Anyway, he gets one of the 12 swords of the Gods in return. And is like... sad, mad, resigned about it and hangs it on the wall
and won’t talk about it.
Fast forward like, 13 years and some people come to take it, and Mark’s brother, the red shirt, grabs the sword and uses it’s sword power by accident and gets killed. During this Mark accidentally kills some cousin of the duke with a bad arrow shot. When the dust settles people are like “YOU A MURDERER”. So, Mark’s like “Oh shit” and takes the sword (Town Saver) and jams out of there.
He heads towards a nearby kingdom of the Kind Knight, Sir Andrew, and on his way he meets Ben, Barbara and ... I think it’s Nestis? Narciscicus? It doesen’t matter. Nestle’s gonna be dead soon after introducing some new characters, but, overall accomplishing very little and having no character depth established. Which makes him no better or worse than any other character, as none of them have more depth than a sheet of writing paper.
Nesticle has Draginslicer, another of the 12 swords that (I’m sure you can guess), kills dragons.
They travel together, and on the way get attacked by the men of Duke Fratkin (I’m not gonna bother checking spelling of his name, like all the Characters, he barely deserves a name) who want the swords.
They get split up. Nestboy ends up getting Town Saver and Mark, Ben and Barbara get Dragon Slicer in a mixup. It doesn’t matter much.
Mark ends up at the castle of the knight, the boys of Duke Flatthins try to get him again (they want his phat swords) and during this real dad, the emperor, appears to him and gives him another sword, Sight Blinder, and tells him to give it to Sir Andrew. Instead, he immediately loses it. This is kind of a theme of the book. Mark’s is terrible at holding on to swords.
Anyway, Sir Andrew kicks Duke FarmFranks men out
And they get mad, and still want those sweet swords. So, Duke Flatpants attacks while holding Coin Spinner, which is a lucky sword of luck. Nestle comes back having met Draffut, a God dog. Nestle dies in the attack while wielding Town Saver, Flathands dies while breaking in, killed by a demon. Mark gets Coinspinner, Ben and Barbara are there.
Book one ends.
If you find yourself caring more about the swords than the people at this point, that’s how you’ll feel alllll the way through. If you care about neither, you should not read the books. If you care about the people, you’re crazy.
Book 2 is a heist with Mark, Ben and some red shirts. One of the red shirts is Mark’s 1/2 sister by the Emperor. Ben falls in love with her because they talk once, she dies, he never gets over it. Mark steals some swords for Sir Andrew, Ben steals some gold and gets rich. There is no character development.
Book two ends.
Book 3, Mark rescues a girl from the Dark King’s camp. Dark King has the Mind Sword, which makes everyone worship him. Mark gets away with the girl, but, gets injured and is dying. She bangs him to save his life with her virginity. They’re deeply, overwhelmingly in love now (yep, that’s how characters are developed in these books. They don’t grow towards, they simply are). They bang their way back to the town she’s from where he finds out she’s a princess! But, he sister the queen just died so she’s queen now, and can’t marry Mark even though they’ve banged across the desert for weeks and love each other more than anything. You know this because the book tells you.
Mark gets sent out to find the Emperor. Meanwhile Ben and Barbara have a weird marriage where they seeeeem to hate each other. Ben’s still in love with Mark’s sister (he can’t forget how they talked one time), and Barbara is... an asshole? I have no idea what’s up with her character. She’s somehow flatter than all the rest. Anyway, they have a kid together and they have some swords, they give them to some loser to take to Sir Andrew. He loses one to Aphrodite but gets the other to Sir Andrew. Sir Andrew is then killed by the Dark King.
Uhhhh, Mark finds the Emperor and is like “Yo... You my daddy?” and the Emperor is like “Shiiiieeeeettt, you KNOW this.” And Mark’s like “Cool... Peace”
There’s another person, the Silver Queen, Yambu. She’s against the Dark King, and she has Soul Cutter, the Emo sword. Whenever she pulls it out, Dashboard Confessional plays in people’s head and they get so sad and tired they give up.
Well, okay, all of that but no music.
Dark King and Yambu get in a fight. Sadness wins. The Gods show up, the Gods get shown the door. Before they go, Townsaver and Doomgiver are destroyed. Which is too bad. The swords personalities are more fluid than the peoples written here. We’ll miss them.
Mark comes back. They’re like “Oh, you’re the Emperor’s son? Kk. You can marry the queen.”
Meanwhile, the Gods all trudge up a mountain and die, and humanities faith in them disappears, supplanted by their swords.
The end.
Three stars is probably over rating it. But, again, the myth is fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2021
Well books 1 and 2 interesting. Book 1 well it's a starting point but without someone kicking me to reading again I wouldn't have finished it. I bought this one well it was free for joining the old book club place called SFBC. I got the entire series except the story collection Armory of Swords. 1 with the main other the rest by others. But got the 4 four omnibus's 3,3,3,2. free for joining Feb 24 1996. I've been randomly grabbing books of late. This one I read like it was really 3 books. The third book was the best and while it doesn't word everything like hey Karel what ever did you say to Rostov and Kristen? Did she faint again? And there is a bit of a disconnect anyway between this one and the next omnibus. I give it a 4 because book one really almost had me at .. why'd I start this. Oh but the person I know can kick me up now and then. Usually unintentionally :)
July 11, 2015
The overall concept of the Book of Swords is pretty amazing - twelve swords forged by the god Vulcan have legendary powers and their impact on humanity.
However, for the most part I found myself struggling through all three parts of this omnibus.
Saberhagen has a tendency to describe what is going on rather than have the character act out the scenes. This makes me less immersed in the story.
Mark, who I felt should be the primary protagonist, frequently felt like a secondary character. Nestor, who I liked very much from the first book, disappears and is never mentioned again. Ben's relationship with Barbara always felt a bit creepy and forced, something that gets one line of recognition in the final book but is never truly resolved.
In fact, several relationship issues never feel resolved. Maybe it's because the series is supposed to be about the swords and not people. But ultimately I found myself dissatisfied with the general flow of the novels.
In short, good idea, mediocore execution.
However, for the most part I found myself struggling through all three parts of this omnibus.
Saberhagen has a tendency to describe what is going on rather than have the character act out the scenes. This makes me less immersed in the story.
Mark, who I felt should be the primary protagonist, frequently felt like a secondary character. Nestor, who I liked very much from the first book, disappears and is never mentioned again. Ben's relationship with Barbara always felt a bit creepy and forced, something that gets one line of recognition in the final book but is never truly resolved.
In fact, several relationship issues never feel resolved. Maybe it's because the series is supposed to be about the swords and not people. But ultimately I found myself dissatisfied with the general flow of the novels.
In short, good idea, mediocore execution.
Read
June 15, 2014I read the series as an awkward teen and I loved them. I need to re-read them now and see how I feel!
February 23, 2021
I don’t give 5 stars to just anything. Saberhagen is the Ernest Hemingway of fantasy. His economy of words is superb.
September 5, 2025
Quite good. Reminiscent of Game of Thrones without the graphic sex and violence which is an improvement.
Read
November 23, 2018Meh. DNF at p200
September 15, 2020
Rich, epic fantasy. I really enjoyed it.
May 26, 2021
I first read this book when I was like in the 9th or 10th grade, so it was interesting to re-read it almost 25 years later. Note: I briefly stopped after the first book of the trilogy to go read the Empire of the East, the prequel to this series, which I did not read the first time around. My review of that book can be found on my page. It's not -required- to read that trilogy to follow along, but it gives a little bit of context.
The background of this book is the gods (mostly the Greek gods, although Ares is referred to as Mars for some unexplained reason as none of the other ones are. Also Shiva and a couple other gods are mentioned) start a divine game by having Hermes spread 12 Swords, each possessing a different magical power, as well as a weakness or counter, around the globe (although it appears to be a small radius). The gods occasionally meddle in the game, a literal deus ex machina, but more often it's the scheming of the humans, as well as the fickle nature of the Swords themselves, that drives the action.
The story centers around Mark, a young boy whose father helped forge the Swords. Mark and his companions he encounters along the way, get caught up in the global struggle over both the Swords and who will ultimately rule the region.
Saberhagen is not much of a character-building person. Individuals who seem important in the first book are killed "off-screen", while other characters develop increasing importance. There is plenty of action to move the story forward. All 12 of the Swords appear throughout the series, although a handful get more attention than others. I'd definitely recommend reading it just for the fun of it, and I can't wait to read the sequels.
MISC NOTES (SPOILERS BELOW)
****
- Nestor being a major player in Book 1 then being killed off in between Book 2 reminds me of Thomas from the Empire of the East series (who wasn't killed off but whose importance quickly dwindled.
- Dragonslicer, and dragons themselves, seem to be all but forgotten by Book 3.
- Are we ever going to learn the origin of the Emperor?
- Mark and Kristin fell in love over like 12 hours.
- Doomgiver had interesting story potential but was only used like once before it was destroyed.
The background of this book is the gods (mostly the Greek gods, although Ares is referred to as Mars for some unexplained reason as none of the other ones are. Also Shiva and a couple other gods are mentioned) start a divine game by having Hermes spread 12 Swords, each possessing a different magical power, as well as a weakness or counter, around the globe (although it appears to be a small radius). The gods occasionally meddle in the game, a literal deus ex machina, but more often it's the scheming of the humans, as well as the fickle nature of the Swords themselves, that drives the action.
The story centers around Mark, a young boy whose father helped forge the Swords. Mark and his companions he encounters along the way, get caught up in the global struggle over both the Swords and who will ultimately rule the region.
Saberhagen is not much of a character-building person. Individuals who seem important in the first book are killed "off-screen", while other characters develop increasing importance. There is plenty of action to move the story forward. All 12 of the Swords appear throughout the series, although a handful get more attention than others. I'd definitely recommend reading it just for the fun of it, and I can't wait to read the sequels.
MISC NOTES (SPOILERS BELOW)
****
- Nestor being a major player in Book 1 then being killed off in between Book 2 reminds me of Thomas from the Empire of the East series (who wasn't killed off but whose importance quickly dwindled.
- Dragonslicer, and dragons themselves, seem to be all but forgotten by Book 3.
- Are we ever going to learn the origin of the Emperor?
- Mark and Kristin fell in love over like 12 hours.
- Doomgiver had interesting story potential but was only used like once before it was destroyed.
June 16, 2020
I always found the idea of the 12 Swords very attractive. Take twelve magical swords, scatter them across the world, and see what adventures ensue! The stories practically write themselves.
Unfortunately, when rereading the series as an adult I quickly realized that the books are not good. Here are three reasons:
1. The characters are dull and either never develop or do so in-between books or do so in unbelievable ways. Also, who's the main character? Mark? Ben? That random guy in the third book?
2. There are too many dues ex machina moments. I mean this quite literally, as the Gods are characters in this world and randomly pop-up to give/take Swords. But it's still a bad way to drive plot.
3. So, so many dead-end plot elements. The golem/larvae soldiers in book 1. The princess in book 2. The fact that a God falls in love with a main character in book 3. You could be forgiven for thinking that any of those meant anything until you reach the end of the series and realize they never resolved.
Unfortunately, when rereading the series as an adult I quickly realized that the books are not good. Here are three reasons:
1. The characters are dull and either never develop or do so in-between books or do so in unbelievable ways. Also, who's the main character? Mark? Ben? That random guy in the third book?
2. There are too many dues ex machina moments. I mean this quite literally, as the Gods are characters in this world and randomly pop-up to give/take Swords. But it's still a bad way to drive plot.
3. So, so many dead-end plot elements. The golem/larvae soldiers in book 1. The princess in book 2. The fact that a God falls in love with a main character in book 3. You could be forgiven for thinking that any of those meant anything until you reach the end of the series and realize they never resolved.
September 8, 2018
Because of this book............
November 11, 2025
12 magic swords are created and granted to humankind by the gods as a game that overall becomes deadly in this very character and story rich series. The first book focuses on Mark and his story dealings with his family, leaving his town, joining a band of travelers and becoming embroiled in the saga of the swords but we are also introduced to other characters and gods important to the overall arc.
The second book takes place years later and focuses on Ben who Mark met in the first book who is part of a traveling group of dragon hunters. Ben is now a Blue Temple guard but things go sideways and we follow him through many ups and downs and circle back to other characters.
The third book more or less is a war story taking place more years later and brings everyone together and we get all sorts of drama, violence, and surprises with the people and the swords used.
A very tidy series overall with fascinating character work and great magic weapons.
The second book takes place years later and focuses on Ben who Mark met in the first book who is part of a traveling group of dragon hunters. Ben is now a Blue Temple guard but things go sideways and we follow him through many ups and downs and circle back to other characters.
The third book more or less is a war story taking place more years later and brings everyone together and we get all sorts of drama, violence, and surprises with the people and the swords used.
A very tidy series overall with fascinating character work and great magic weapons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2025
Du magst Schwerter? - Dieses Buch ist für dich! Wer hätte das gedacht. Klassisch, episch, altbacken. Von Göttern, die sich in ihren abgehobenen Sphären mit der Thematik des Todes auseinandersetzen müssen. Von Menschen, welche mit (tatsächlich relativ coolen) Schwertern ähnlich verantwortungsvoll umgehen, wie ein Kind mit einer Steinschleuder. Und von Schätzen, die in ihrer Fülle selbst von einem Spitzenpolitiker nicht veruntreut werden könnten. Es ist umfangreich wie meine Mutter und gehaltvoll wie Schwarzbrot mit Leberwurst (und diesen kleinen, neckischen Gewürzgürkchen). Ich hab's als Kind geliebt und heute sind die Seiten dermaßen abgegriffen, dass das Papier wieder fast wie Holz aussieht. The circle of life.
January 29, 2023
I really enjoyed the first volume in this book. Really well written, great world building, just a really solid effort. The second volume felt completely different. It felt like a half-baked fantasy heist story where the plot sort of couldn't figure out what kind of story it wanted to be. The third volume was sort of in-between. You could feel the pull of the plot to wrap things up, but it didn't feel rushed. All in all, really glad I read this one.
January 29, 2019
An omnibus of the first three Book of Swords novels. Read the First Book of Swords as part of my high fantasy month on my blog. Interesting world, cool idea about the swords. Wasn't just action packed, but I enjoyed the story.
Although I liked it, and started the second book of swords, I just couldn't get into it any further and stopped reading. I don't plan on continuing.
Although I liked it, and started the second book of swords, I just couldn't get into it any further and stopped reading. I don't plan on continuing.
August 13, 2019
This was an OK series, especially for young children. So it’s probably not fair that I rate this as an adult. The first book was very interesting, but the second book was a bit of a slugfest to get through. I am is put it down and didn’t come back. Luckily he finishes with a very strong third book, so that in the end I enjoyed it, and I’m glad that I read it.
January 31, 2023
When I think of books that are pure comfort, ones where the joy comes from just soaking in the author's words, I think of the writings of David Eddings and Fred Saberhagen. The journey is satisfying on its own. The unfolding of the narrative feels natural, effortless. I can't wait to read more of his books.
September 29, 2018
I remember reading this series as a youth and liking it a lot. Now 25 years later reading it I find that I didn't remember as much as I thought I did. Either way, the book was good, I found it quite compelling, hard to put down. Looking forward to reading the next several in the series.
September 10, 2025
The Complete Book of Swords was one of the reasons I wanted to become an author. It changed the way I read as a child and teenager, opening my imagination in ways I didn’t expect. Looking back, this series was one of the sparks that set me on the road of fantasy writing. It showed me that a single story could be both epic and deeply personal. For that, I’ll always be grateful.
December 17, 2017
it's fine.
December 24, 2019
An amazing story and a well developed world.
March 20, 2020
The first few chapters where a little hard for me to get into but I persisted and by the end really enjoyed these books. I do think it could have been one book not three.
May 22, 2020
A masterpiece!
November 14, 2020
Please, please read these. All of them.
February 21, 2021
These were some of my absolute favorite books when I was in middle/high school. They hold up well to me as an adult.
April 29, 2021
Sorry, it has been 35 years I remember that I read it... all of it and moved onto the next collection.
August 18, 2021
3.5 stars
January 14, 2022
It was a great plot. However it jumped from person to person too much. It was very difficult to follow.
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