book(s) review: The Swords Trilogy
As I mentioned previously, I finally received the missing shitload of books I’ve had stashed at my dad’s house for far too long.
So hey, no need to buy new books for a while right? While I re-experience the joys of my late & early teens? Sort of. I read lots of stuff from the library I guess, because I’m missing several books in the middle of series, which is not like me at all. So I’m starting with what I do have. One of the complete series in that pile was Fred Saberhagen’s Swords trilogy. Yes, this series is a follow-up to the Empire of the East trilogy (written about 10 years previous) I think, which I reviewed here. There is also an 8 book follow-up series to this one that I look forward to re-reading as soon as I get the missing 4 books.
On to the review!
This IS classic fantasy at its best.
What struck me over and over again as I was re-reading this, was how different they are from the modern Tolkien-wannabe/Jordan-style uber-epics. Where it takes hundreds of pages for characters to move from one town to the next in a story like that, in these, shit happens. People get from one place to another, there are years between books (not just minutes!), characters die, gods die. Off panel even. Each book is full of shit actually happening. I’m not knocking modern fantasy – that kind of crazy character building definitely has it’s place – and I enjoy several of its practitioners – but boy is it nice for a break like this sometimes.
The first book is a relatively classic coming of age story. Except that the erstwhile hero doesn’t really become a hero. He’s more caught up in the hands of fate and all that, but it works well.
The second is a classic treasure hunt/dungeon plumbing – which is kind of a surprising interlude mid-series if you think about it. Usually a treasure-hunt is just a sidebar in modern stuff, or not a member of a series. But it works. Also, I suppose a side-bar would be about 300 pages in a modern epic, so I guess the length is about right ;).
The third is a classic realms-at-war story, with several interesting twists – gods, and the Swords themselves, make everything more interesting. Of course, every time I read this book, I’m saddened again by the destruction of a certain Sword, which is my favorite of the twelve. Alas, alas.
The one semi-complaint I have now that I have read the bridging prequel (Sword of Ardneh) is that the origin of the gods, as explained there, doesn’t quite match up to what’s described here in the third book. Oh, it fits together just fine, but it seems like it could have a little better. Other than that, I really have no issues with these. After dining for so long on modern 18 course meals some might be thrown off by the simplicity, but I say savor that tasty backwoods bbq burger. I know I do.
Yes, I will take cheese with that. Swiss or Monterey Jack please.
Semi-related (since I’m not talking solely about fantasy): I would say that I have been most enraged by writers who seem to take four hundred pages solely to prove themselves. To themselves. Sometimes, you just don’t need it. I understand someone who just wants you to get lost in this world they’ve created. But then you’d better weave it so tightly that I get to the five-hundred-ninety-eighth page without even realizing it.
If you want a quick, fast and fun fantasy try Roger Zelazny’s Amber series. He doesn’t muck around, things happen fast and furious. Great read.
Yep, I enjoyed the Amber series as well. Man, were those hard to track down at the library when I was a kid.
Still on my list of things to add to my physical library of course.
I never got around to reading any of the later Amber stuff though, it just didn’t look interesting to me.
Not missing much. Zelazny lost it later in life. I think he really hit his peak with Lord of Light and everything else was a slow decline.