Warriors 1

Warriors #1

by Gardner Dozois (Editor), George R.R. Martin (Editor)

From George R. R. Martin's Introduction to

"People have been telling stories about warriors for as long as they have been telling stories. Since Homer first sang the wrath of Achilles and the ancient Sumerians set down their tales of Gilgamesh, warriors, soldiers, and fighters have fascinated us; they are a part of every culture, every literary tradition, every genre. All Quiet on the Western Front, From Here to Eternity, and The Red Badge of Courage have become part of our literary canon, taught in classrooms all around the country and the world. Our contributors make up an all-star lineup of award-winning and bestselling writers, representing a dozen different publishers and as many genres. We asked each of them for the same thing—a story about a warrior. Some chose to write in the genre they're best known for. Some decided to try something different. You will find warriors of every shape, size, and color in these pages, warriors from every epoch of human history, from yesterday and today and tomorrow, and from worlds that never were. Some of the stories will make you sad, some will make you laugh, and many will keep you on the edge of your seat."

The stories in the first mass market volume of this book

Introduction: Stories of the Spinner Rack, by George R. R. Martin

Forever Bound, by Joe Haldeman

The Eagle and the Rabbit, by Steven Saylor

And Ministers of Grace, by Tad Williams

The King of Norway, by Cecelia Holland

Defenders of the Frontier, by Robert Silverberg

The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin

Many of these writers are bestsellers. All of them are storytellers of the highest quality. Together they make a volume of unforgettable reading.



At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Historical Fiction

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Gardner Raymond Dozois was an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004. He won multiple Hugo and Nebula awards, both as an editor and a writer of short fiction.
Wikipedia entry: Gardner Dozois

http://us.macmillan.com/author/gardne...

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

My rating is 2.5 stars.

Warriors 1 is an anthology put together by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois; these two masters of speculative fiction giving readers an amazing collection of stories to devour. This initial volume penned by authors such as Joe Haldeman, Tad Williams, Robert Silverberg, and Martin himself. But for all its recognizable names, the book was an up-and-down affair for me with exactly two stories rising to the level of 4 stars, and, sadly, these were more along the lines of entertaining time wasters rather than gripping page turners or serious thought-provoking affairs. As for the rest of the novellas, they ran the gamut from It-Is-Decent to I-Had-To-Make-Myself-Finish-It.

Beginning with the best of the bunch, Martin’s “The Mystery Knight” might not be Dunk and Egg’s best adventure, but it is still a Westeros story, which made me happy, as I keep up the vigil for the next ASOIF novel to finally arrive.

“Defenders of the Frontier” by Silverberg wasn’t a story I got instantly excited about reading. Its premise of a band of frontier soldiers forgotten after a war ends and unsure what to do next not exactly what I expected out of an anthology about warriors. Honestly, I viewed it as the most likely story to bore me to tears. I shouldn’t have doubted the author however, because somehow, someway, Silverberg drew me into this world, made me feel real empathy for this band of brothers and their dilemma, and I quickly found myself enjoying this unique look at a very different sort of “warrior” problem, specifically whether to go home after your war ends.

“The Eagle and The Rabbit” by Steven Saylor was quite the historical ride. As a lover of history (especially ancient history), I always love to be transported back to Roman times, and this tale of slaves being physically and emotionally tortured by their Roman captors both jarred my psyche and spiritually uplifted me.

The next best of the bunch was probably Tad Williams contribution “And Ministers of Grace.” This quick morsel focusing on an interstellar assassin/terrorist with obsessive religious convictions. I thought the scifi world was well thought out, the tech was interesting, and our protagonists’ deep emotions very realistic. Only problem was the ending, which just didn’t live up to my expectations after the great start.

Joe Haldeman is one of the masters of military science fiction, so it should come as no surprise that “Forever Bound” focused on a young man drafted into the military of the near future and assigned to control avatar-like killing machines. The concept sounded interesting and very relevant to today’s world (considering the huge use and advancement in drone technology), but for whatever reason, the actual story didn’t deliver much emotional impact for me.

Rounding out the list is Holland’s “The King of Norway.” It has Vikings, war, and everything else which I usually adore, but for some reason it did not capture my attention. Perhaps others will find it more to their liking.

I’m glad I picked up Warriors 1; it was an entertaining anthology, which did a great job of presenting different types of stories which complemented one another yet still felt uniquely different. Unfortunately, not enough of these tales captured my imagination. I’ll definitely be picking up part two, but I hope it is much better than this one.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warriors 1 brings together short stories from across all genres by authors whose only criteria were to write about a warrior. This is the one of three paperback volumes of the whole anthology edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois in which Martin is joined in contributing by Joe Haldeman, Steven Saylor, Tad Williams, Cecelia Holland, and Robert Silverberg.

Save for the opening story, this volume is packed with great writing and stories. Of the five stories that are truly outstanding two are historical fiction, one is science fiction, and two are fantasy. Not all the stories are full of action as seen in Robert Silverberg’s “Defenders of the Frontier” is more a psychological study but still a well written and compelling narrative. Only two of the stories featured in this volume are connected in some way to established universes by their authors, Joe Haldeman’s Forever War universe and Martin’s own world of A Song of Ice and Fire. But while Martin’s “The Mystery Knight” is compelling story with action and intrigue, Haldeman’s “Forever Bound” just doesn’t seem to really connect to a first time reader of his work. I would be remiss if I forgot to praise the excellent historical fiction stories by Steven Saylor and Cecelia Holland that featured Romans, Carthaginians, and Vikings.

While the opening story doesn’t seem to connect well, the rest of the stories in this volume more than make up for it. These tales of warriors whether based in our own history or worlds far off in space or in a fantastical realm are excellent reads. The same is true for action, political intrigue, and psychological struggles. I really loved this collection of short stories and highly recommend it to those interested in get or reading this volume.

Individual Story Ratings
Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman (3/5)
The Eagle and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor (5/5)
And Ministers of Grace by Tad Williams (4/5)
The King of Norway by Cecelia Holland (5/5)
Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg (4.5/5)
The Mystery Knight by George R.R. Martin (5/5)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warriors 1 is six tales of warriors from various genre's of fiction. These stories range from Science Fiction to Historical Fiction, to Fantasy. They include:

Forever Bound, by Joe Haldeman. A story set in his Forever War universe.

The Eagle and the Rabbit, by Steven Saylor. A tale of warriors from ancient Carthage and Rome.

And Ministers of Grace, by Tad Williams. A tale of an interplanetary assassin.

The King of Norway, by Cecelia Holland. All about an ill-fated Viking raid.

Defenders of the Frontier, by Robert Silverberg. A tale about a forgotten troop of solders on and endless frontier.

The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin. A novella of Dunk and Egg set in the world of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.

An eclectic collection of stories but each a good read.

[Christopher Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly passable set of tales ranging from scifi to low fantasy. Despite the title, most of the tales focus on aspects of a warrior's life other than battle, fleshing out a more complete picture of the protagonists. None of the stories are truly memorable or outstanding; however, the following are the highlights of the collection and quite worth the read: Forever Bound, by Joe Haldeman; Defenders of the Frontier, by Robert Silverberg; and The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin.

More at my blog: https://tinyurl.com/3mx8286r.

[Dalon Koubek · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a warrior? Well I believe that everyone has their own idea about what a warrior is, some may be similar, some may be polar opposites, some may be steeped in realism some may be romanticized. Personally I can be completely honest when I say that Warriors one provided great insight into what a warrior was, is ,and may potentially be. For having the name warriors you would expect more action but this anthology doesn't just talk about action, blood, sweat, the clinging or steel, the whizzing of bullets but also about warriors off the battlefield, captured warriors, warriors left behind by their own empire.
Now the first story takes place in Joe Haldeman’s forever war world. It is a look at what war could look like in the too distant future. The story is about the experiences of a college student that is drafted by the United States military. He is selected to run a RCI unit. A RCI is a large robot that you are connected to mentally, to fight in front line situations. The story is primarily based around his experiences in training and an affair with one of his female counterparts.
In the next tale you experience the first hand account of the second Punic war between Rome and Carthage. After the defeat of Carthage many of the city's citizens flee into the surrounding desert that's where the protagonist Hanso is introduced. When his group of survivors is captured by roman soldiers to be sold into slavery. The sadistic leader of the roman soldier Fabius has a cruel ritual called the eagle and the rabbit where he elevates one of the slaves and tortures his counterpart. When Hanso is selected to be eagal hes has to decide to whom he is loyalty.
The story off the assassin Lamentation Kane the holy warrior. This story takes place in a human space age where two planets are waging a war of extremes. One planet named new Jerusalem is a place where almost the entire population belongs to one of the three judeo-christian belief systems and the politics of the plant revolve around religion. The other planet, Archimedes, is home to the rationalist extreme. A planet where all religion is banned. Both planets seek the destruction of the other. Interplanetary assassin, Lamentation Kane, is sent on a mission to assassinate the prime minister of Archimedes. This story ends up being a story of faith versus doubt.
One of my personal favorites it the next story “the King of Norway”. This is the tale of two cousins Conn and Raef. After a long night of drinking in the presence of his liege lord Conn vows to the gods that he will one day be the king of Norway. At present his king was already planning on having the jarl of Norway killed so Conn, Raef, and a group of mercenaries called jomsvikings to kill the rebellious jarl are sent to fight the jarl of Norway. This ends up being a brutal, bloody, and fruitless conflict where Conn and Raef are put in a dire situation.
The next story I found to be the most surprisingly good story among them all. Its about a handful of soldiers left to die by the empire they serve.The main character surveyor tells the story of how the were shipped halfway across the world to defend a god forsaken desert against a rival country. They were once 10,000 strong now their is only 13. The remaining inhabitants of the fortress must decide if they are to return to their homeland or remain in the fortress. Loyalty to their country who has forsaken them or to themselves.
The Final story is the third installment of tale of Dunk and Egg by George R. R. Martin, a prequel to the a Song of Ice and Fire series. After about a year of travel Ser. Duncan and Agon are heading to the wall to see its splendor. But after running into a handful of other hedge knights Duncan decides to go to a tournament/feast to compete and make some gold for their travels. But things aren't at all what they seem, Duncan discovers a dark secret about his fellow competitors. I found this story to be a genuine tale of friendship and loyalty, easily my highlight of the book.
The main reason that I read this anthology was because of George R. R. Martins novella that concluded the anthology. Ser. Duncan the tall is one of my favorite characters in any book or story I've ever read. A lot of the values that his character represent are values that I myself value. He has a simple and honest charm about him. I found that this anthology as a whole was well worth my time to read. I believe that this book would be most appreciated by the casual reader because of its shorter length and the simplicity of its plots but honestly I think that anyone would enjoy this or at very least have some sort of respect for the values that is teaches like brotherhood, compassion, friendship, and loyalty. Not only is it a good read but it teaches us all a lesson in what makes a warrior not only in battle but in more instinctual struggles such as love and loyalty.

[Răzvan Ursuleanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

În prefață, la un moment dat, scrie “Fiecăruia i s-a cerut același lucru – o poveste despre un războinic”

Cui i s-a cerut? Scriitorilor prezenți în carte li s-a cerut.

Cine a cerut? George R.R Martin și Gardner Dozois au cerut, ei au alcătuit antologia astfel că practic puteau cere orice doreau ei. Acum să vedem ce a ieșit.

“Regele Norvegiei” de Cecelia Holland

O bătălie cu drakkare și vikingi de la început și până la sfârșit. Antrenantă, fascinantă, ravisantă, flamboaiantă, dar fără nicio legătură cu genurile Fantasy sau SF. E adevărat, nu era obligatoriu ca povestirea să se încadreze în F/SF, dar eu am cumpărat antologia ca să citesc F/SF, dacă voiam doar capă și spadă luam dintr-un anticariat “Cavalerii Pardaillan” a lui Michel Zevaco...
Nota: 8,8

“Legat pe vecie” de Joe Haldeman

Interesantă idee, acest “război de week-end”… Am căutat pe internet să văd cum arată Haldeman și am găsit o sumedenie de fotografii cu el. Pare a fi un om ca toți ceilalți. Dacă Haldeman este de fapt un militar de carieră venit din viitor, upgradat și mufat corespunzător și sosit în prezent pentru a ne dezvălui cum se poartă războaiele (eterne?) în secolele ce urmează, atunci acest lucru este ascuns privirii…
Nota: 8,8

“Triumful” de Robin Hobb

Dacă printre preferințele tale istorice se numărau și cartaginezii, autoarea te face să schimbi tabăra aproape imediat, ba chiar să ai impresia că de fapt ai ținut întotdeauna cu romanii. Și mai e ceva. Robin Hobb este unul dintre puținii scriitori care poate defini în cuvinte prietenia. În aparență oricine cunoaște valoarea unei prietenii adevărate, dar dacă am fi întrebați am găsi oare cuvintele potrivite pentru a o descrie? Pentru distinsa autoare a povestirii este atât de ușor…
Nota: 10

“Tabula rasa” de Lawrence Block

În “Doctor Sleep”, romanul lui Stephen King, am cunoscut o demoazelă la fel de aplecată către astfel de activități axate pe stârpirea bărbaților cu apucături exagerat de bărbătești. Doar că duduia lui King e mult mai competentă… Ce să fac, am citit de curând cartea, îmi este greu să nu le judec prin comparație.
Nota: 7,8

“…și voi, arhangheli ai iertării” de Tad Williams

Autorul, probabil din lipsă de informații, confundă creștinismul cu islamul. Cât despre “elementul SF”, dacă nu reușești să vii decât cu inovații de tip “supermodificațiigenetic”… poate că era mai bine dacă dădeai “superskip” la această antologie.
Nota: 6,5

“Am plecat militar” de Joe R. Lansdale

Stilul acesta jemanfișist merge bine câteva pagini, după care începe să fie plictisitor, apoi obositor de-a dreptul. Scriitorul are sentimentul că este generator de umor și că îl stăpânește perfect, dar respectivul umor este și de împrumut, și liniar. Evident că nu am râs, dar măcar nu am ajuns să bocesc (povestirea fiind relativ scurtă).
Nota: 6,8

“Dirae” de Peter S. Beagle

O super poveste cu super eroi.
Nota: 10

“Obiceiuri cazone” de Diana Gabaldon

…un mic feeling cum că la un moment dat autoarea se plictisește de atâta scris și rezolvă toate situațiile în două pagini. Dincolo de asta, textul mi-a plăcut, o istorie posibilă cu scoțieni, englezi, indieni și francezi, unde toată lumea se luptă și nimeni nu stă locului potolit. Evident, lordul Grey este și el prezent.
Nota: 8,5

“La șapte ani de casă” de Naomi Novik

Argumentație literară de clasă în sprijinul ideii că rasele extraterestre pot recurge la compromisuri și se pot înțelege între ele, atâta vreme cât rasa umană nu face parte din această înțelegere.
Nota: 9

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warriors 1 is part of an interesting genre bending project by Martin and Gardner Dozois to create an anthology of original fiction on war with contributions from science fiction, fantasy, and history (I didn't spot any contemporary thrillers on the list, but maybe in part 2.) These are major genre writers here, with tentpole contributions from Joe Haldeman and George R.R. Martin, as well as names you should recognize.

80% of people will probably buy this book because it has another Dunk & Egg story in it. I am sad to say that Martin's contribution is middling at best. Another tourney, another look at Westeros from the bottom, only slightly leavened by the evil and powerful Hand of the King, and stirrings of rebellion. Haldeman's contribution is similarly a thematic retread, with soldiers linked into a 10 person platoon remotely operating nine foot tall active camo robots used as a metaphor to explore the bonds of battle and the wounds of their absence.

The best story, and I think the one that'll stick with me, is by longtime SF master Robert Silverberg, with the remnants of a large army guarding a barren frontier, deciding whether or not to carry on with a purposeless mission. It's stark, thoughtful, and eerie, and I think the story the best manages to rise above the collection.

[Donald McArthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story in this is very, very good.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pe vremea când eram puşti, în Bayonne, New Jersey, nu existau librării.

Asta nu înseamnă că nu erau alte locuri de unde să poţi cumpăra cărţi. Erau sumedenie de magazine din care puteai să iei o carte dacă-ţi doreai doar o ediţie broşată. (În caz că preferai copertele cartonate, puteai lua autobuzul până la New York). Majoritatea acestor locuri erau ceea ce noi numeam pe atunci „bombonerii”, dar batoanele Hershey şi Milky Ways ori bomboanele de un ban erau exact cele care se vindeau cel mai puţin. Bomboneriile erau diferite între ele. Unele ofereau produse de băcănie, altele nu. Unele aveau sifon la dozator, altele nu. Într-unele găseai dimineaţa produse proaspete de brutărie şi sandvişuri delicioase cât era ziua de lungă, pe când în altele aveau pistoale cu apă, cercuri din lemn şi bile din cauciuc… Dar toate vindeau ziare, reviste, benzi desenate şi cărţi broşate.

Pe când copilăream în mahalalele din Bayonne, bomboneria din cartierul meu se afla la intersecţia dintre First Street şi Kelly Parkway, peste drum de strâmtoarea Kill Van Kull. „Raionul pentru cărţi” consta dintr-un suport rotativ mai înalt decât mine, făcut din sârmă, amplasat chiar lângă rafturile cu benzi desenate… o aşezare perfectă pentru mine din clipa în care lecturile mele au trecut dincolo de lumea cărţilor amuzante. Aveam o alocaţie de un dolar pe săptămână, iar încercările de a împărţi acel dolar între o bandă desenată de zece cenţi (s-a ales praful de bugetul meu, când preţul lor a crescut la doisprezece cenţi), o carte de treizeci şi cinci de cenţi, o acadea sau două, uneori un sfert de malţ sau îngheţată cu sifon şi, rar, un joc de Skee-Ball la Uncle Milty’s mă puneau mereu în faţa celor mai chinuitoare decizii. Dar mi-au şlefuit la maxim abilităţile matematice…

Rafturile cu benzi desenate şi suportul rotativ pentru cărţi aveau mai multe în comun decât simpla lor alăturare. Nici rafturile şi nici suportul nu recunoşteau existenţa genurilor. Pe-atunci, supereroii încă nu erau aşa răspândiţi ca în zilele noastre. Fireşte, îi aveam pe Superman, Batman şi JLA, cărora li s-au adăugat mai târziu Spider-Man şi Fantastic Four. Existau, în schimb, tot soiul de alte benzi desenate: de război, poliţiste, western, de dragoste, dar şi hibrizi ciudaţi de genul Turok, Fiul Pietrei, în care indienii întâlnesc dinozauri şi-i numesc honkers. Pentru amuzament îi aveai pe Archie, Betty, Veronica şi pe Cosmo, marţianul vesel. Copiii îi aveau pe Casper, fantoma prietenoasă şi pe Baby Huey (dar eu eram mult prea sofisticat pentru aşa ceva). Îl aveai pe Cari Barks, care desena Donald Duck şi Unchiul Scrooge. Aveai benzi desenate „tunate”, benzi desenate despre manechine complet dezbrăcate şi, desigur, seria Classic Illustrated ale cărei adaptări literare au reprezentat primele mele contacte cu toţi scriitorii, de la Robert Louis Stevenson la Herman Melville. Şi toate aceste benzi desenate se găseau într-o deplină devălmăşie.

La fel stăteau lucrurile şi în cazul cărţilor de pe suportul rotativ. Era un singur suport de acest fel şi avea atâtea „buzunare”, încât în niciunul dintre ele nu erau vreodată mai mult de unul-două exemplare dintr-un titlu. Am fost fan science-fiction de când un prieten de-al mamei mi-a dat, într-un an, de Crăciun, un exemplar din romanul lui Robert A. Heinlein, Have Space Suit ― Will Travel (şi care, pentru aproape un deceniu, a fost singura carte cu coperte cartonate pe care am avut-o), aşa că eram mereu în căutare de romane de Heinlein sau de alte SF-uri, dar, cum toate cărţile erau amestecate, nu puteam să găsesc ce-mi doream decât dacă mă apucam să cotrobăi prin toate buzunarele suportului rotativ. Uneori mă aşezam în genunchi ca să pot să verific şi titlurile aflate la nivelul podelei. Pe atunci cărţile broşate erau mai subţiri, aşa că fiecare buzunar putea cuprinde patru sau cinci volume diferite. Puteai găsi un titlu SF în format Ace Double, împreunat cu o ediţie de masă a Fraţilor Karamazov, făcute la rândul lor sendviş de un roman lacrimogen şi de ultimele isprăvi ale lui Mike Hammer. Dorothy Parker şi Dorothy Sayers împărţeau acelaşi raft cu Ralph Ellison şi Salinger. Westernurile lui Max Brand se frecau de romanele Barbarei Cartland (Barbara ar fi murit, dacă ar fi ştiut). A. E. Van Vogt, P. G. Wodehouse şi H. P. Lovecraft se înghesuiau împreună cu F. Scott Fitzgerald. Suspans, western, gotic, poveşti cu stafii, literatura engleză clasică, literatura contemporană şi, fireşte, SF, fantasy şi horror ― le puteai găsi pe toate în acel suport rotativ dintr-o mică bombonerie aflată la colţul străzilor First Street şi Kelly Parkway.

[Lucas Rage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way more misses than hits on this one. Definitely a tough read to finish...

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Martin and Silverberg stories are excellent. Saylor's and Haldeman's stories are underdeveloped. The Holland and Williams stories just kind of sucked.

[Jose Brox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como es habitual en estas recopilaciones, la calidad me ha resultado muy dispar, tirando a floja. Aun así he decidido ponerle 4 estrellas debido al relato de Martin (que ahora también se puede leer en A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms).

* Forever bound. Joe Haldeman. 2/5. Una historia de ciencia ficción sosa y desapasionada, con un tema interesante pero poco original ya (el mismo que en Pacific Rim), que parece salida directamente de un episodio de cualquier serie intercambiable del canal SyFy.

* The eagle and the rabbit. Steven Saylor. 3/5. Relato histórico ambientado en la guerra entre Roma y Cartago. Muy predecible, aunque bien escrito y con cierto ritmo de best-seller.

* And ministers of grace. Tad Williams. 3.5/5. Ciencia ficción. Tiene un comienzo realmente prometedor (recuerda a Todos sobre Zanzibar), a partir de la mitad se desdibuja en una secuencia de escenas de acción. Termina con un toque filosófico poco congruente con el carácter del protagonista.

* The king of Norway. Cecelia Holland. 1.5/5. Relato histórico ambientado en la antigua Escandinavia (¡vikingos!). El más aburrido con diferencia, lleno de sangre y violencia gratuitas. Me costó terminarlo (curiosamente a otros lectores les ha parecido el mejor de la recopilación). La prosa es mala, con alternancia entre exceso de palabras cultas y repeticiones descuidadas. La acción está mal llevada, parece estática a pesar de ser frenética. Lo único que se salva es el personaje secundario Raef, silencioso, inteligente y expeditivo.

* Defenders of the frontier. Robert Silverberg. 3/5. Relato de baja fantasía/ciencia ficción soft con el comienzo más intrigante de todos. Es una lástima que lo que más llama la atención (el hecho de que cada personaje tenga un nombre especial) acabe teniendo una explicación tan mundana y pronta: parece un truco barato para enganchar al lector al relato. La historia en sí es buena y está bien contada. El final es un tanto abrupto, me ha quedado la sensación de que Silverberg quería/quiere escribir un libro con la idea y ha presentado una versión preliminar aquí, que ha terminado cuando se le ha acabado la máxima extensión permitida.

* The mystery knight. George RR Martin. 4/5. El más sólido y entretenido del volumen. Tercera noveleta sobre las andanzas de Dunk y Egg (las anteriores son The Hedge Knight y The Sworn Sword), ambientadas en Westeros algunas décadas antes de los sucesos de Canción de Hielo y Fuego. Es baja fantasía, prácticamente un relato de caballería. La prosa y la narración son excelentes, los personajes están perfectamente delineados: Dunk no parece un personaje, parece una persona. Éste también tiene un final un poco abrupto.

[Saphirablue · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are stories I like more than others but all in all I like it.

Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman
This story is placed before the events of "Forever Peace" and is very spoilerish for it. I would recommend reading "Forever Peace" before reading this story.
In the story we learn how Julian Class was drafted and what happend in the first weeks/months after he's been jacked. I liked this story very much. We get more backstory on Julian and how the jacking works and so on.

The Eagel and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor
This story pushed so many buttons. It deals with trust, slavery, betrayal, identity and so many more things. I fell in love with Hanso and Lino (the main characters) and want to know what happens to them after they managed to escape.

And Ministers of Grace by Tad Williams
Well, I didn't like this story very much. It's written from the POV of an religious assassin. That's not something I want to read about in my free time. I found the world building, the sci-fi aspect interesting and the enhancements Kane has very interesting but the plot...

The King of Norway by Cecelia Holland
This story was okay. I'm not quite fond of Vikings and the characters too didn't catch me but the plot was okay and so on.

Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg
Oh, this story is food for thought! What if you defend a remote outpost for 20 or so years and it's been ages since you last heard from your superiors and the capital city? Do you stay and wait for orders that might never come? Or do you leave the post and try to get back home? Very interesting.

The Mystery Knight by George R. R. Martin
It's an interesting story but I think I would need to know one or more books by Martin in order to truly understand this story. There are so many reference to battles and knights and bloodlines. The characters are also named with their names in the third or more generation and all are referenced during the story and so on - I couldn't keep up. But, I really liked Dunk and Egg. Especially Egg.

[Paula Savioli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman - I don't know the world where this comes from, but I actually found it slightly interesting and well written. It's predictable sometimes though. 3/5

The Eagle and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor - The plot isn't that complex. The way it's written reminded me of a fable. But the characters caught me completely, I could feel all that happened to Hanso and I was totally excited about what option he was gonna choose. 5/5

And Ministers of Grace by Tad Williams - I didn't get interested in the world at all, but it's well written in a way that I rooted for the character and felt sorry for him. 4/5

The King of Norway by Cecilia Holland - This one was a bad surprise for me. I usually love historical fiction, including the viking period, but I couldn't care less for this story and its characters. 1/5

Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg - I don't know if this one comes from a larger series. If not, it should. It wasn't too complex or detailed but I enjoyed it well enough. 4/5

The Mistery Knight by George R. R. Martin - This story was the reason I bought this book anyway, so no need to say it was fantastic. I have two more favorite characters in the ASOIAF series: Egg and Bloodraven. Daemon II was also very interesting. But I agree that if you read this story without reading ASOIAF before it's almost impossible to understand it. 5/5

[SemneBune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numele lui George R.R. Martin este pe buzele tuturor și mai nimeni nu îndrăznește să spună ceva rău despre el. Masiva lui saga (A Song of Ice and Fire) are de toate și e scrisă impecabil. Tind să cred că are mari șanse să spargă barierele și să dea startul unei noi ere în literatura fantasy, atât prin excelența scriiturii cât și prin subiect, personaje și toată legenda care s-a țesut în jurul ei.

Așadar, când am văzut în librării volumul colectiv Războinicii publicat sub patronajul lui George R.R.Martin si Gardner Dozois (un alt nume care nu mai are nevoie de prezentare) am fost extaziat și curios. Iar când am mai văzut și nume precum Joe Haldeman, Tad Williams, Diana Gabaldon, Naomi Novik, David Weber, S.M. Stirling, David Morrell ( cunoscătorii știu de ce ) am simțit că pur și simplu e imposibil să cred că dau banii degeaba. Și așa a fost. Am devorat povestirile cu foamea ( și setea) unui om pierdut prin deșert și aflat în sfârșit în mijlocul unei oaze magice. Unele texte mi-au plăcut mult, altele foarte mult. Nu e nici unul despre care să zic: aici scârțâie.(...)

de la sursă: George R.R. Martin si Gardner Dozois – Războinicii (vol. 1) – SemneBune http://semnebune.ro/2012/george-r-r-m...

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note:
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.

Apparently, the paperback edition cuts a larger anthology in half. The theme as stated in the title is "warriors" with a mix of genres (SF, fantasy, historical fiction), in imitation of the old fashioned spinner rack, all the different kinds of paperbacks mixed together.

And so the stories are a pretty mixed bag as well. The Joe Haldeman story was perhaps the weakest for me, set in a slightly different part of his famous "Forever War" novel. It's less about warriors and more about the application of military innovations to hot sex...and the consequences thereof. The Silverberg story is very evocative, but gets wearisome towards the end.

I liked "The King of Norway" best, a hot-blooded actioner about Norse warriors and their deadly oaths. The Dunk and Egg story was also quite good, though I hope Mr. Martin didn't write his own biography.

I'd certainly consider reading "Warriors II" and would recommend this book to action fans.

For more adventure-related reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/adventure/

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid collection of short stories where you don't need any prior reading to enjoy. While most people will pick this up for the George R.R. Martin Novella, I feel that others shouldn't ignore the other entries. My favorite story of the bunch was "The Eagle and the Rabbit" by Steven Saylor. Set during the ancient war between Rome and Carthage, it follows a Carthage prisoner and the trails he endures while having his humanity testing. This story alone gives the book a 3 rating. I was also happy with "Defenders of the Frontier" by Robert Silverberg. I have never liked Silverberg's other writing so I was pleasantly surprised with his simple Sci-fi tale.

[H. R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent anthology with Martin attempting to leverage his best-seller visibility to lead readers across genres. His introduction captures the literary influences of his youth, discovering a wide scope of writers because of the limited rack space for paperbacks at the nearby store, and the random way books were placed in it. So, this volume has SF, fantasy, historical, horror.

If nothing else, read his forward, but all the stories in vol 1 are good. It is particularly pleasing to see a vibrant work from Silverberg, still writing stories well worth reading. Will queue up Vols 2 and 3.

[Dionisia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this anthology and thought it was a nice introduction to authors I am wholey unfamiliar with. I dig the "spinner rack" vibe the editors were striving for. There are elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy and even western all nestled comfortably within these pages. Not a stunner but still an enjoyable romp with an eclectic group of warriors.

Note: This book was a goodreads giveaway.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were 2 stories that I liked in this book: The one about the interplanetary assassin and the one about the long-forgotten soldiers who are defending a desert wasteland.

Being a reader of the Song of Ice and Fire series, I was interested in the story that takes place before Game of Thrones. It is called "The Mystery Knight". The story was just OK. The writing was superb, as one would expect from George Martin.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

On reading the introduction I thought I knew which stories I would like best. I was wrong! The stories I liked best were stories in genres that I don't read much and made me wonder what else these authors have written what I might like.
Some of the stories are pure entertainment but some of them made me think.
I like this book very much and can't wait what lies within part 2 and 3.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forever Bound, by Joe Haldeman - 5/5

The Eagle and the Rabbit, by Steven Saylor - 5/5

And Ministers of Grace, by Tad Williams - 5/5

The King of Norway, by Cecelia Holland - Dying of boredom. Skimming that stupid seabattle. 5/2

Defenders of the Frontier, by Robert Silverberg - 5/5

The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin - 5/5

[Erik Koster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in an airport gift shop to read on the plane...it's apparently part of a much larger hardcover which I've added to my wishlist. Pretty good stories though I liked the straight fantasy ones the best...still find it very hard to get into historical fiction.

[Janice Crespo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense - I had to take a little breather between stories - they got me that involved - which is awesome for short stories. If you don't have a lot of time to read, or love a quick story, this one is for you!

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads"

Some of the stories contained were very good and some of them no so much! A very good read all in all I would highly recommend this book

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would have been 3 stars if not for the inclusion of the third story in the Dunk and Egg series. I really hope GRRM writes more of this series. Dunk and Egg might be my favorite characters out of the whole Ice and Fire universe.

[Geoff Schaeffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up to read "The Mystery Knight". I also liked most of the other stories in this collection as well. I'm thinking of buying the other two volumes.

[Luci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Its a mixed bag of stories. The first one is really good. The Martin one is entertaining. Beyond that, I probably will not buy the next books in this series.

[Frank Deming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the stories were average except for George RR Martin's Hedge Knight story set in his "Fire and Ice" world. That met expectations.

[Nicole]

Forever Bound by Joe Haldeman (3/5)
The Eagle and The Rabbit by Steven Saylor (4/5)