Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tor Fantasy (New York, 1989). 1st Tor edition, 1st printing. 288 pages. $3.95.
Description
On the treacherous streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. Within this elite, dangerous world, Richard St Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless- until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead a of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye ...
User reviews
LibraryThing member atia
Swordspoint is a fantasy novel set in an unnamed city that is roughly divided into two parts: the Hill, where the nobility live, and Riverside, home to the less fortunate inhabitants of the town. The city is governed by a council of nobles, and those nobles have a tendency to fight among
The main character of the book is such a swordsmen: Richard St Vier. He is extraordinarily talented: the best of the best, and never loses a fight. Like the majority of this world, he is bisexual, and he is currently living with his lover, Alec. (More to that part in a second.) Richard is in a situation where he can choose which jobs to take and which not; in the course of the book he becomes entangled in various intrigues of the nobility. The volume I have contains the novel as well as three short stories set in the same world as the novel; it also contains an extract from the follow-up novel The Fall of the Kings.
At the beginning of the book there is a number of quotes, one of them by Neil Gaiman, saying: "Swordspoint was the best fantasy novel of 1989." Well, I have to say that if Swordspoint really was the best fantasy novel of that year, I don't want to read any of the others. [Which reminds me of something: is it just me or do the 80s seem more recent than they actually are? I mean, 1989 used to be just a couple of years ago, and now it's almost 20.]
It's not a bad book: the world Kushner created is actually rather interesting. The problem is that it reads to me like mediocre fanfiction - you know the kind: somewhat OOC characterization, no great plot, weakish sex scenes, but nothing jarringly bad enough to make you stop reading. In fact, it really did feel like fanfiction to some other book or movie, and it's that other book that I'd love to read.
The plot is very confusing and not exactly exciting: mostly politics, which can be interesting, but not the way it's portrayed here. The resolution in the end felt very construed, but it did make a certain degree of sense. One storyline felt somewhat unfinished; since it was the most interesting one that was particularly disappointing. The novel itself was boring except for two or three scenes, but I read it through to the end. As I said, it's like mediocre fanfiction - it's not so bad you have to stop so you read on and on until you reach a certain point where you might as well finish it.
Richard as a character could be quite fascinating, for example, but throughout the book he remains flat. I wanted to like him, maybe even love him, but I never felt like I got to know him. And then there is Alec, who I never understood, at least not in the main book. (One of the three stories at the end was quite touching, and the one where I felt actual sympathy for him.) Most of the time, you only get glimpses of his personality, which don't make sense. Which can be interesting, but in this case it felt like clumsy writing rather than a complex personality.
As for the slash factor: Well. A big minus for me was that Alec and Richard's relationship is an established one. I like the anticipation of the falling-in-love and getting-together kind of romance. And in this case this was especially bad because I never got why they were together. Alec is such a basket case I never understood what Richard sees in him, and althought I got that he was supposed to be in love with him I never felt it. Richard has to fight all the time to keep Alec save (mostly from Alec himself.), and it's clear from the beginning that Alec has some sort of Secret (and I can tell you right now that he wasn't a prostitute and can tell left from right), and of course it's that secret that tears the lovers apart for a while.
The sex scenes were very confusingly and clumsily written. I'd say they're PG-13 at the utmost, and not very erotic. (Especially one where Alec is showing his basket-case-ness.) I really was missing an emotional connection for most of the time. I think the book on the whole suffers from a lack of showing and an excess of telling.
What was very well written were the swordfights, and that is part of the reason why I'm giving it two and a half stars. There is also Michael, my favourite character and a much more apt choice for Richard, in my opinion. I also did like the world, and the characters do have potential, even though it wasn't used.
Of the three short stories, the third one was written last, and since it was the best one I have hopes that her later books are better as well. There I could make a connection, so maybe I'll give her other books set in that world a chance at a later point.
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themselves; however, they don't pick up swords themselves but hire swordsmen to fight their fights for them.The main character of the book is such a swordsmen: Richard St Vier. He is extraordinarily talented: the best of the best, and never loses a fight. Like the majority of this world, he is bisexual, and he is currently living with his lover, Alec. (More to that part in a second.) Richard is in a situation where he can choose which jobs to take and which not; in the course of the book he becomes entangled in various intrigues of the nobility. The volume I have contains the novel as well as three short stories set in the same world as the novel; it also contains an extract from the follow-up novel The Fall of the Kings.
At the beginning of the book there is a number of quotes, one of them by Neil Gaiman, saying: "Swordspoint was the best fantasy novel of 1989." Well, I have to say that if Swordspoint really was the best fantasy novel of that year, I don't want to read any of the others. [Which reminds me of something: is it just me or do the 80s seem more recent than they actually are? I mean, 1989 used to be just a couple of years ago, and now it's almost 20.]
It's not a bad book: the world Kushner created is actually rather interesting. The problem is that it reads to me like mediocre fanfiction - you know the kind: somewhat OOC characterization, no great plot, weakish sex scenes, but nothing jarringly bad enough to make you stop reading. In fact, it really did feel like fanfiction to some other book or movie, and it's that other book that I'd love to read.
The plot is very confusing and not exactly exciting: mostly politics, which can be interesting, but not the way it's portrayed here. The resolution in the end felt very construed, but it did make a certain degree of sense. One storyline felt somewhat unfinished; since it was the most interesting one that was particularly disappointing. The novel itself was boring except for two or three scenes, but I read it through to the end. As I said, it's like mediocre fanfiction - it's not so bad you have to stop so you read on and on until you reach a certain point where you might as well finish it.
Richard as a character could be quite fascinating, for example, but throughout the book he remains flat. I wanted to like him, maybe even love him, but I never felt like I got to know him. And then there is Alec, who I never understood, at least not in the main book. (One of the three stories at the end was quite touching, and the one where I felt actual sympathy for him.) Most of the time, you only get glimpses of his personality, which don't make sense. Which can be interesting, but in this case it felt like clumsy writing rather than a complex personality.
As for the slash factor: Well. A big minus for me was that Alec and Richard's relationship is an established one. I like the anticipation of the falling-in-love and getting-together kind of romance. And in this case this was especially bad because I never got why they were together. Alec is such a basket case I never understood what Richard sees in him, and althought I got that he was supposed to be in love with him I never felt it. Richard has to fight all the time to keep Alec save (mostly from Alec himself.), and it's clear from the beginning that Alec has some sort of Secret (and I can tell you right now that he wasn't a prostitute and can tell left from right), and of course it's that secret that tears the lovers apart for a while.
The sex scenes were very confusingly and clumsily written. I'd say they're PG-13 at the utmost, and not very erotic. (Especially one where Alec is showing his basket-case-ness.) I really was missing an emotional connection for most of the time. I think the book on the whole suffers from a lack of showing and an excess of telling.
What was very well written were the swordfights, and that is part of the reason why I'm giving it two and a half stars. There is also Michael, my favourite character and a much more apt choice for Richard, in my opinion. I also did like the world, and the characters do have potential, even though it wasn't used.
Of the three short stories, the third one was written last, and since it was the best one I have hopes that her later books are better as well. There I could make a connection, so maybe I'll give her other books set in that world a chance at a later point.
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LibraryThing member elmyra
I'm sad to say that I was disappointed by this book. Given that the edition I have has ringing endorsements from everybody who is anybody in the Fantasy world, I'm beginning to doubt the judgement of some people I normally worship (Neil Gaiman, George RR Martin and Guy Gavriel Kay, to name a
My first problem with Swordspoint (and I suspect all the others actually stem from this one) is the writing. Changing narrative perspective mid-paragraph is really not on. Maybe if you're very good and know exactly what you're doing. Maybe if you're doing some sort of freaky experiment. Ellen Kushner is/does neither, and I find the practice extremely offputting.
Then there's the fact that she can't write a sex scene (straight or gay) for the life of her. I was complaining about this to my boyfriend and he replied with "There were sex scenes?" Sums it up really.
The dubious quality of the writing is compounded by my utter failure to grasp what the novel was actually *about*. "A Melodrama of Manners" is a good description for maybe three quarters of the content; or would be if there wasn't the minor issue with the characters (see below). And right at the end Ms. Kushner seems to have decided that that's not deep enough and she's going to throw in some random comments about the state of higher education and class, as driving motivation for one of the main characters. Well, doing that in the last ten pages really is rather too late. In the meantime, plot threads meander around, we meet characters who seem significant at first and then we abandon them (Michael Godwin being a prime example), and for a lot of the novel nothing much actually happens.
My biggest issue with the book is that I don't actually care about any of the characters for about 85% of the novel. To some extent I think this is down to the writing: Ellen Kushner's prose is quite direct and sometimes just doesn't give the reader enough to work with. She mainly tells us what characters see and hear, with very very little of what they think, and really hardly anything of what they feel. This made it really difficult for me to identify with any of them. I think to some extent she deliberately wrote all of her characters in a way that made them not necessarily likable; but I've seen that kind of thing pulled off much much better. George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire, for example, has maybe three characters out of thirty or so whom I actually like - but I care deeply about all of them. No such thing in Swordspoint, I'm afraid. Only in the last thirry pages did I start getting a glimpse of who Alec was, what his motivation might be, and how things really affected him - and then I started caring a little bit; but 30 pages out of 300 really doesn't quite cut it.
Having finished the book, I'm not convinced I knew any of the characters well enough to make a judgement, but ultimately I don't think any of them were actually in any way changed by their experiences. The most promising one on that front was Michael Godwin, and he pretty much got dropped two thirds of the way through.
And then there's the problem with the world-building. I can't quite decide whether there's too little or too much of it, and I think it's probably a bit of both. Not naming the city or country our characters live in is not a problem as such - as long as you deal with the rest of the world consistently in a similar manner. The melodrama of manners could have worked perfectly well (if we'd had the characters for it) without any references to the social structures beyond the immediate experience of the main characters, without not-so-subtle comments on class, without half-explored thoughts on academia. Having included some of these things once, however, that changes the game, and suddenly you need more worldbuilding than that to pull it off - and that just isn't there.
There is one thing that Ellen Kushner did well: the way she made no fuss at all (in the story itself anyway) about her two main characters being a gay couple is well ahead of her time, and for that she deserves credit.
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few).My first problem with Swordspoint (and I suspect all the others actually stem from this one) is the writing. Changing narrative perspective mid-paragraph is really not on. Maybe if you're very good and know exactly what you're doing. Maybe if you're doing some sort of freaky experiment. Ellen Kushner is/does neither, and I find the practice extremely offputting.
Then there's the fact that she can't write a sex scene (straight or gay) for the life of her. I was complaining about this to my boyfriend and he replied with "There were sex scenes?" Sums it up really.
The dubious quality of the writing is compounded by my utter failure to grasp what the novel was actually *about*. "A Melodrama of Manners" is a good description for maybe three quarters of the content; or would be if there wasn't the minor issue with the characters (see below). And right at the end Ms. Kushner seems to have decided that that's not deep enough and she's going to throw in some random comments about the state of higher education and class, as driving motivation for one of the main characters. Well, doing that in the last ten pages really is rather too late. In the meantime, plot threads meander around, we meet characters who seem significant at first and then we abandon them (Michael Godwin being a prime example), and for a lot of the novel nothing much actually happens.
My biggest issue with the book is that I don't actually care about any of the characters for about 85% of the novel. To some extent I think this is down to the writing: Ellen Kushner's prose is quite direct and sometimes just doesn't give the reader enough to work with. She mainly tells us what characters see and hear, with very very little of what they think, and really hardly anything of what they feel. This made it really difficult for me to identify with any of them. I think to some extent she deliberately wrote all of her characters in a way that made them not necessarily likable; but I've seen that kind of thing pulled off much much better. George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire, for example, has maybe three characters out of thirty or so whom I actually like - but I care deeply about all of them. No such thing in Swordspoint, I'm afraid. Only in the last thirry pages did I start getting a glimpse of who Alec was, what his motivation might be, and how things really affected him - and then I started caring a little bit; but 30 pages out of 300 really doesn't quite cut it.
Having finished the book, I'm not convinced I knew any of the characters well enough to make a judgement, but ultimately I don't think any of them were actually in any way changed by their experiences. The most promising one on that front was Michael Godwin, and he pretty much got dropped two thirds of the way through.
And then there's the problem with the world-building. I can't quite decide whether there's too little or too much of it, and I think it's probably a bit of both. Not naming the city or country our characters live in is not a problem as such - as long as you deal with the rest of the world consistently in a similar manner. The melodrama of manners could have worked perfectly well (if we'd had the characters for it) without any references to the social structures beyond the immediate experience of the main characters, without not-so-subtle comments on class, without half-explored thoughts on academia. Having included some of these things once, however, that changes the game, and suddenly you need more worldbuilding than that to pull it off - and that just isn't there.
There is one thing that Ellen Kushner did well: the way she made no fuss at all (in the story itself anyway) about her two main characters being a gay couple is well ahead of her time, and for that she deserves credit.
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LibraryThing member Stewartry
It all started with pulling Ellen Kushner‘s Swordspoint off the shelf. It’s something I’ve thought about rereading now and then, but never did – till now. I found its sequel, The Privilege of the Sword, at Books & Co., happily, and ordered the third book, written with Delia Sherman: The
Swordspoint tells the tale of Richard St. Vier, who is a swordsman in a society where the nobles hire swordsmen to fight their duels for them, sometimes to the death. In fact, St. Vier is the pre-eminent swordsman, respected and not a little feared. He can be found living in the gilded slums of Riverside (where the nobles used to live before they crossed the river and raised the property values on The Hill) with his lover Alec, a somewhat mysterious scholar who is not quite dealing with a full deck. I don’t know exactly what a modern diagnosis would be; manic depression (or whatever it ought to be called), I suppose: he migrates with great speed and no warning from sharp and sardonic and relatively stable, to barely contained and horrifyingly reckless (in which state he taunts the most dangerous elements of a dangerous neighborhood until Richard has to defend him with steel), to a still and angry bleakness (in which state he cuts himself and destroys precious objects and fights, bitterly, with Richard). Those around him simply consider him mad.
The writing is frighteningly intelligent, as rich and dense and decadent as pure shortbread, with, perhaps, as deceptively few ingredients but with just the same complexity of flavor. And it seems just as bad for you. The story and the characters teem with vice, but God in heaven are they fun. The fantasy element of Swordspoint lies not in magic or even in its lack (as in the later book), but in its location in a fairy tale unnamed city, beginning with an image out of fairy tale and carrying the aura through.
The plot spirals inward and inward, with politics and sex and intrigue; everyone knows part of what’s going on, and no one knows everything. Including, sometimes, the reader. It’s complex and intricate, like lace made of steel mesh. And so good. The book is fantasy purely in the sense of an undefined setting, swords and swordsmen and horses and nobles. There is no magic, but it’s not that that makes this a fantasy either (unlike The Fall of Kings).
Well, and the writing. The writing is magic.
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Fall of the Kings. While I was waiting for the latter I reread something I knew was in a similar vein, except more steampunk: the two volumes of Carolus Rex, The Shadow of Albion and Leopard in Exile, by Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill. Also in there was Shana Abe’s Smoke Thief, another Books & Co find which I had tried to start before unsuccessfully, and had better luck with this time. I am going to hate being done with these worlds, this sub-genre of alternate 1800′s England. (I could continue with the Regencies Sorcery and Cecilia/The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, but I need the sequel, The Grand Tour … There are also Wrede’s Mairelon the Magician and Magician’s Ward, which I read not so very long ago … Maybe after Saylor’s Roma, my Early Reviewer book…)Swordspoint tells the tale of Richard St. Vier, who is a swordsman in a society where the nobles hire swordsmen to fight their duels for them, sometimes to the death. In fact, St. Vier is the pre-eminent swordsman, respected and not a little feared. He can be found living in the gilded slums of Riverside (where the nobles used to live before they crossed the river and raised the property values on The Hill) with his lover Alec, a somewhat mysterious scholar who is not quite dealing with a full deck. I don’t know exactly what a modern diagnosis would be; manic depression (or whatever it ought to be called), I suppose: he migrates with great speed and no warning from sharp and sardonic and relatively stable, to barely contained and horrifyingly reckless (in which state he taunts the most dangerous elements of a dangerous neighborhood until Richard has to defend him with steel), to a still and angry bleakness (in which state he cuts himself and destroys precious objects and fights, bitterly, with Richard). Those around him simply consider him mad.
The writing is frighteningly intelligent, as rich and dense and decadent as pure shortbread, with, perhaps, as deceptively few ingredients but with just the same complexity of flavor. And it seems just as bad for you. The story and the characters teem with vice, but God in heaven are they fun. The fantasy element of Swordspoint lies not in magic or even in its lack (as in the later book), but in its location in a fairy tale unnamed city, beginning with an image out of fairy tale and carrying the aura through.
The plot spirals inward and inward, with politics and sex and intrigue; everyone knows part of what’s going on, and no one knows everything. Including, sometimes, the reader. It’s complex and intricate, like lace made of steel mesh. And so good. The book is fantasy purely in the sense of an undefined setting, swords and swordsmen and horses and nobles. There is no magic, but it’s not that that makes this a fantasy either (unlike The Fall of Kings).
Well, and the writing. The writing is magic.
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LibraryThing member orangejulia
I don't normally read sword fighting adventures, so when I first picked this up I said "If it's not gay by the end of the first chapter, I'm not going to continue." Lo and behold, by the end of chapter one our (male) hero returns to his room at an inn he shares with his boyfriend.
This book both
This book both
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bucks genre conventions and plays with them in interesting ways. The society beauties are male, and that gender flip plays out in different ways than it does with women. This book is engaging, interesting and I defied my expectations in all the best ways. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol_W
I sought out Swordspoint as an example of well-written fiction without magic, and it is that. Kushner creates an exquisitely drawn world that could be Europe, but clearly isn't. The names are familiar, English or French primarily, but the setting is just "the city" and when other lands are named,
Kushner describes this work as a "melodrama of manners," and from other reviews here I see that this is a sub-genre. To me, the label undersells this book. The culture depicted here is highly mannered, to be sure, but the story is far more interesting than what that suggests. If it is melodramatic, it is only so in the most thoroughly entertaining sense of the word.
Some readers might find it a bit slow to unfold, but they should stick with it, because it gathers momentum. There is a luxuriousness to the description that sometimes requires some time to savor, but ultimately this story moves. I admit that I was initially taken more with the gorgeous writing than with the characters, but that soon changed because the characters are so very real and their conflicts so compelling. Before long, I couldn't put the book down.
If I have a complaint it is that I sometimes found the character's interactions and dialog subtle to the point of obscurity. Others may be quicker than I, however, and I forgave Kushner page by page because the writing was so beautiful and I was so enthralled. In the end, everything was as clear as it needed to be.
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those names are clearly fictional. And there is no magic, but there are swords.Kushner describes this work as a "melodrama of manners," and from other reviews here I see that this is a sub-genre. To me, the label undersells this book. The culture depicted here is highly mannered, to be sure, but the story is far more interesting than what that suggests. If it is melodramatic, it is only so in the most thoroughly entertaining sense of the word.
Some readers might find it a bit slow to unfold, but they should stick with it, because it gathers momentum. There is a luxuriousness to the description that sometimes requires some time to savor, but ultimately this story moves. I admit that I was initially taken more with the gorgeous writing than with the characters, but that soon changed because the characters are so very real and their conflicts so compelling. Before long, I couldn't put the book down.
If I have a complaint it is that I sometimes found the character's interactions and dialog subtle to the point of obscurity. Others may be quicker than I, however, and I forgave Kushner page by page because the writing was so beautiful and I was so enthralled. In the end, everything was as clear as it needed to be.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
A professional duelist living in an unnamed Regency-style city gets caught up in some dicey political machinations.
I was a little leery going into this novel, given how mixed its reviews are. Despite its high star rating on LibraryThing and elsewhere, relatively few people who liked it seemed
So, let me step in to fill the gap: I absolutely loved it.
It all boils down to one thing: style. I found Kushner’s style just gorgeous. This was an easy book to get lost in; I’d wait until I had a nice, long stretch of unallocated time in front of me before picking it up, as I knew I’d want to just wallow in it. I found the world convincing and attractive, despite its very different morality. I was always eager to spend time there.
This is a book that relies heavily on atmosphere, and it’s got it in abundance. I felt that I came to know the place through the rich tapestry of words Kushner spun, and because of how the characters reacted to their surroundings. Similarly, I came to know these people through their interactions. For example, we’re told very little about Richard and Alec’s relationship, but I found that I could tell how they felt about each other based on how they behaved. I could see how the city’s government worked because of how the nobles interacted. Nothing was clearly spelled out, but all the pieces were there just waiting for the reader to pick them up.
It has faults, sure; most notably, the plot wasn’t much in evidence until right near the end, and the book was nearly over before I decided whether the characters were brilliantly delineated or too flat. One particular character is set up very nicely, then basically abandoned. There were some things that seemed all surface and no depth.
But despite this, it was amazing. The style and atmosphere more than made up for the problems. I really think that whether or not you enjoy it will depend on how you react to Kushner’s style. If you like it, you’ll probably like this book. If not, you’d be better off reading something else.
I, however, adored it, and really recommend that you at least give it a go. It’s technically fantasy, but the lack of anything magical or mystical perhaps makes it a more accessible book for general fiction readers.
I was a little leery going into this novel, given how mixed its reviews are. Despite its high star rating on LibraryThing and elsewhere, relatively few people who liked it seemed
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willing to speak out.So, let me step in to fill the gap: I absolutely loved it.
It all boils down to one thing: style. I found Kushner’s style just gorgeous. This was an easy book to get lost in; I’d wait until I had a nice, long stretch of unallocated time in front of me before picking it up, as I knew I’d want to just wallow in it. I found the world convincing and attractive, despite its very different morality. I was always eager to spend time there.
This is a book that relies heavily on atmosphere, and it’s got it in abundance. I felt that I came to know the place through the rich tapestry of words Kushner spun, and because of how the characters reacted to their surroundings. Similarly, I came to know these people through their interactions. For example, we’re told very little about Richard and Alec’s relationship, but I found that I could tell how they felt about each other based on how they behaved. I could see how the city’s government worked because of how the nobles interacted. Nothing was clearly spelled out, but all the pieces were there just waiting for the reader to pick them up.
It has faults, sure; most notably, the plot wasn’t much in evidence until right near the end, and the book was nearly over before I decided whether the characters were brilliantly delineated or too flat. One particular character is set up very nicely, then basically abandoned. There were some things that seemed all surface and no depth.
But despite this, it was amazing. The style and atmosphere more than made up for the problems. I really think that whether or not you enjoy it will depend on how you react to Kushner’s style. If you like it, you’ll probably like this book. If not, you’d be better off reading something else.
I, however, adored it, and really recommend that you at least give it a go. It’s technically fantasy, but the lack of anything magical or mystical perhaps makes it a more accessible book for general fiction readers.
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LibraryThing member MarquesadeFlambe
My first stab (no pun intended) at fantasy. There's no magic or other races to speak of here, it's just fantasy in that it's a fictitious place and time, so it feels alot like a historical swashbuckler. A very good historical swashbuckler.
LibraryThing member threadnsong
A re-read from back in the 90's, and it still holds up today. In fact, this time around I caught onto a lot more of the inner court intrigues that Ellen Kushner creates. The honor code of the swordsmen, how they accept (or not) their next commission, how Richard is drawn into court life through no
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fault of his own, and even how his whiny, troubled partner is more realistic than likeable, all of these are real elements in this world. To call it a fantasy novel is a mis-nomer; it could almost be historical fiction in the tradition of Guy Gavriel Kay if there was a real, truly live place like Riverside. Show Less
LibraryThing member teckelvik
I have been reading this in bits and snatches, and it was clear from the first page that this book is too complex and detailed to be read that way. I finally had some uninterrupted time yesterday, and I read most of it in one sitting, and it was wonderful.
This is the kind of book where things
The writing was wonderful. The world was vivid and different, and not over-described. The characters made sense and were not all alike, or all stand-ins for the author. And the ending was right, but not really happy.
All of the characters had issues. None were perfect, but they all made sense. They did what they wanted to do, and the ramifications banged into other characters, and what they were trying to do.
I suppose I should say - Richard St. Vier is a swordsman, who wants to do what he does as well as possible, and live without obligations, and adores his crazy, self-destructive lover and expects to die in a duel by the time he's thirty. Michael Godwin wants to have an affair with an unattainable woman, and otherwise live a life of luxury and entertainment. Diane Tremontaine wants to be taken seriously, and to control everyone around her. Lord horn wants to have an affair with Michael Godwin. Alec wants to kill himself, or, failing that, to have lots of other people die bloody deaths. Kathy wants to live safe as a servant in a wealthy household, and never go back to the ghetto she came from. Lord Ferris wants to take over political power, without anyone realizing that he's lied, murdered and backstabbed his way to the top. There are more characters, but this paragraph is getting long.
This all happens in a society divided between Hill and Riverside, noble and impoverished, with clear ideas of honor and place, and who should do what. There is a fair amount of same-gender sexuality, as well as cross-gender, but nothing that could be described as explicit.
The real strength of the book is the way the writing takes you somewhere else from the first sentence. I really enjoyed it.
This is the kind of book where things
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aren't spelled out. They happen off the stage, and readers are expected to figure them out, and remember comments here and there, and put it all together.The writing was wonderful. The world was vivid and different, and not over-described. The characters made sense and were not all alike, or all stand-ins for the author. And the ending was right, but not really happy.
All of the characters had issues. None were perfect, but they all made sense. They did what they wanted to do, and the ramifications banged into other characters, and what they were trying to do.
I suppose I should say - Richard St. Vier is a swordsman, who wants to do what he does as well as possible, and live without obligations, and adores his crazy, self-destructive lover and expects to die in a duel by the time he's thirty. Michael Godwin wants to have an affair with an unattainable woman, and otherwise live a life of luxury and entertainment. Diane Tremontaine wants to be taken seriously, and to control everyone around her. Lord horn wants to have an affair with Michael Godwin. Alec wants to kill himself, or, failing that, to have lots of other people die bloody deaths. Kathy wants to live safe as a servant in a wealthy household, and never go back to the ghetto she came from. Lord Ferris wants to take over political power, without anyone realizing that he's lied, murdered and backstabbed his way to the top. There are more characters, but this paragraph is getting long.
This all happens in a society divided between Hill and Riverside, noble and impoverished, with clear ideas of honor and place, and who should do what. There is a fair amount of same-gender sexuality, as well as cross-gender, but nothing that could be described as explicit.
The real strength of the book is the way the writing takes you somewhere else from the first sentence. I really enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member lilithcat
I'd never read any of Ellen Kushner's work before, but stumbled on this at a used book sale and was intrigued by the jacket blurb. It's really excellent. Kushner has created a time and place that recalls Regency London, but isn't. Her hero is a swordsman, who makes his living by fighting to the
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death. He is drawn into the machinations of the nobility for control of the city, and must manipulate his way to safety, for himself and the young man he loves. Show Less
LibraryThing member quigui
Swordspoint is a story of intrigue, that pretty much follows Richard St. Vier, a swordsman for hire, and the best there is. It starts with him coming back home, after his latest duel, with the gossipers of Riverside trying to figure out who hired him. This is a mystery also discussed by the nobles
The world of Swordspoint is very well built, with the rich families that live on the Hill, and the poor and the dangerous people on Riverside. The society of Swordspoint is even better built, because there is so much detail that it feels real. The nobles have their protocols and rules, traditions and manners. They resort to swordsmen to fight their duels, some times to the death, as that is the socially accepted way to kill an enemy.
But even if the story follows Richard, there are other characters as well. Alec, Richard's lover, is a mystery to everyone, a drop-out from the University, who gambles away all his money and picks fights he cannot fight. There is Michael Godwin, a young noble with aspirations to power, who decides that he will learn how to fight with a sword, not just look pretty with it, like most of his counterparts. Duchess Tremontaine, to all appearances with no political ties, but who works behind the scenes to get what she wants. And a multitude of other characters, all with their struggles and passions.
I liked Swordspoint. during the time I read it, I didn't want to put it down. But I wanted to solve the mysteries that kept appearing, trying to see through all the intrigue. But I never really connected with Richard St. Vier, and disliked Alec immensely, although I think Alec was supposed to be dislikable, it was part of his persona. Of all the characters, the one I liked most was Michael, and I got little of him.
I had expected to love Swordspoint – the reviews I had read and the three pages of blurbs certainly made me believe I would, but that was not the case. It was a well written, and well thought off story, but once I was done with it, I didn't really care to know more about it.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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of the Hill.The world of Swordspoint is very well built, with the rich families that live on the Hill, and the poor and the dangerous people on Riverside. The society of Swordspoint is even better built, because there is so much detail that it feels real. The nobles have their protocols and rules, traditions and manners. They resort to swordsmen to fight their duels, some times to the death, as that is the socially accepted way to kill an enemy.
But even if the story follows Richard, there are other characters as well. Alec, Richard's lover, is a mystery to everyone, a drop-out from the University, who gambles away all his money and picks fights he cannot fight. There is Michael Godwin, a young noble with aspirations to power, who decides that he will learn how to fight with a sword, not just look pretty with it, like most of his counterparts. Duchess Tremontaine, to all appearances with no political ties, but who works behind the scenes to get what she wants. And a multitude of other characters, all with their struggles and passions.
I liked Swordspoint. during the time I read it, I didn't want to put it down. But I wanted to solve the mysteries that kept appearing, trying to see through all the intrigue. But I never really connected with Richard St. Vier, and disliked Alec immensely, although I think Alec was supposed to be dislikable, it was part of his persona. Of all the characters, the one I liked most was Michael, and I got little of him.
I had expected to love Swordspoint – the reviews I had read and the three pages of blurbs certainly made me believe I would, but that was not the case. It was a well written, and well thought off story, but once I was done with it, I didn't really care to know more about it.
Also at Spoilers and Nuts
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LibraryThing member JudithProctor
Fascinating book. I wouldn't want any of the characters as friends, but they are fascinating to read about. Initially it all seems to be about the men, but it does not do to overlook the women in this novel.
Manners are everything in this culture and they can be used as a trap.
Manners are everything in this culture and they can be used as a trap.
LibraryThing member bokai
This is a "fantasy" story in which nothing fantastic occurs. There is no magic, nothing supernatural, and nothing that would be out of place in an alternate Europe, except that the city in which the story is told exists nowhere, and the specific details of its workings are invented whole cloth by
The premise of the plot is this: The city is run by a group of aristocrats, who employ swordsmen to assassinate, challenge, or impress. There are some rules of honor but generally murder is an accepted risk in this society for the upper class. Good swordsmen therefore are in extremely high demand, and our main character, St. Vier, is one of the best. He's a simple man, who is picky about jobs and doesn't really care about the politics behind his employment, and that eventually threatens to put him into a lot of trouble, as he ends up in the middle of a mess in which about 5 different actors are all maneuvering around each other to come out on top. The supporting cast is lively and at times unpredictable, and their attempts to manipulate each other are a lot of fun to follow. Even though the story is centered around swordsmanship, action is not its focus, and although the fights that are there are good ones, most of book is told in scenes of conversations. I wouldn't exactly call this an adventure.
Of all the many relationships in the book, the relationship between St. Vier and his lover, Alec is definitely the best. It breaks a few fantasy conventions, particularly gay fantasy conventions, by being established from the very beginning, and being a central element but not the focus of the plot. I can't tell you how many gay fantasy books I've read where in the first book the two love interests barely even register attraction for each other, so I appreciate a story that cuts through the will-they-won't-they crap and gets on with the story after the hookup. And what makes me even happier is that this book is self contained and doesn't leave loose ends for a series of increasingly duller sequels.
So Swordspoint gets a thumbs up from me for being a well written and paced, character driven, self-contained story of the sort that I haven't read a million times before.
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the author. Since the story is placed in a world that is essentially boring old Europe kind of but maybe not, the crutches on which so much fantasy leans are not available here. There's no grand trip, or loving explanation of just how it all works, or spells to mcguffin the main characters out of a particularly knotty plot point. Swordspoint has to rely entirely on the strength of its characters and the interplay of their various ambitions to hold the reader's attention, and how much you like reading about those characters will likely determine how fond you are of the book. I loved them, so for me Swordspoint was a complete success. Fantastical or no, it turns out to be a fantastic read.The premise of the plot is this: The city is run by a group of aristocrats, who employ swordsmen to assassinate, challenge, or impress. There are some rules of honor but generally murder is an accepted risk in this society for the upper class. Good swordsmen therefore are in extremely high demand, and our main character, St. Vier, is one of the best. He's a simple man, who is picky about jobs and doesn't really care about the politics behind his employment, and that eventually threatens to put him into a lot of trouble, as he ends up in the middle of a mess in which about 5 different actors are all maneuvering around each other to come out on top. The supporting cast is lively and at times unpredictable, and their attempts to manipulate each other are a lot of fun to follow. Even though the story is centered around swordsmanship, action is not its focus, and although the fights that are there are good ones, most of book is told in scenes of conversations. I wouldn't exactly call this an adventure.
Of all the many relationships in the book, the relationship between St. Vier and his lover, Alec is definitely the best. It breaks a few fantasy conventions, particularly gay fantasy conventions, by being established from the very beginning, and being a central element but not the focus of the plot. I can't tell you how many gay fantasy books I've read where in the first book the two love interests barely even register attraction for each other, so I appreciate a story that cuts through the will-they-won't-they crap and gets on with the story after the hookup. And what makes me even happier is that this book is self contained and doesn't leave loose ends for a series of increasingly duller sequels.
So Swordspoint gets a thumbs up from me for being a well written and paced, character driven, self-contained story of the sort that I haven't read a million times before.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I really try to make an effort to read related titles in order, but I accidentally read The Fall of The Kings, which was billed as a sequel to Swordspoint, first. It was good enough that I went out of my way to get ahold of Swordspoint - and now I've read it!
However, I wouldn't really call one a
The setting is a city which strikes me as a mix of 15th or 16th century Italy and London, a complex, vibrant, decadent place which has recently moved from monarchy to bureaucracy, but still filled with wealthy nobles - who avoid the dangerous underworld of the Riverside neighborhood like the plague.
However, the nobles are certainly not above hiring the swordsmen of Riverside to fight their duels for them - and our protagonist, Richard St. Vier, is the best of these swordsmen. In this position, he is poised to be swept into a dizzying melange of intrigue, fueled by both sex and politics. The swordsman prides himself on maintaining a professional distance and only accepting those deadly commissions that he chooses - but when St. Vier's handsome, mysterious, but self-destructive lover, Alec, is kidnapped by a lord as blackmail in order to force St. Vier to commit an assassination, events cascade to a head, slipping past the accepted boundaries....
Kushner creates a rich tapestry in this work, sometimes complicating to the point of confusion, as the reader keeps track of who's plotting against who... The love she has for her characters is obvious (even if none of them are terribly likable individuals...), and each is vividly detailed.
Overall, I would say this book is better than The Fall of the Kings. Quite excellent, as a matter of fact!
However, I wouldn't really call one a
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"sequel" to the other. The books take place in the same city, 60 years apart, and don't include any of the same main characters. Both are fully stand-alone works.The setting is a city which strikes me as a mix of 15th or 16th century Italy and London, a complex, vibrant, decadent place which has recently moved from monarchy to bureaucracy, but still filled with wealthy nobles - who avoid the dangerous underworld of the Riverside neighborhood like the plague.
However, the nobles are certainly not above hiring the swordsmen of Riverside to fight their duels for them - and our protagonist, Richard St. Vier, is the best of these swordsmen. In this position, he is poised to be swept into a dizzying melange of intrigue, fueled by both sex and politics. The swordsman prides himself on maintaining a professional distance and only accepting those deadly commissions that he chooses - but when St. Vier's handsome, mysterious, but self-destructive lover, Alec, is kidnapped by a lord as blackmail in order to force St. Vier to commit an assassination, events cascade to a head, slipping past the accepted boundaries....
Kushner creates a rich tapestry in this work, sometimes complicating to the point of confusion, as the reader keeps track of who's plotting against who... The love she has for her characters is obvious (even if none of them are terribly likable individuals...), and each is vividly detailed.
Overall, I would say this book is better than The Fall of the Kings. Quite excellent, as a matter of fact!
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LibraryThing member acl
Sometimes intriguing, but often lazy and bland; Swordspoint takes a fun, interesting premise (swashbuckling "manners" fantasy) and executes it poorly.
Many of the characters seem to rely on other character's descriptions of them to give them personality, rather than displaying it themselves. For
The writing isn't bad. Isn't great, either. Kushner gets points for description, but often switches to different points of view without warning. You may go a paragraph or two before you realize a switch has been made, so you'll likely have to go back and re-read to figure out who or what is going on.
My biggest issue with Swordspoint is that it's plot never builds up enough steam to grab the reader and make them wonder what's coming next. There are a series of events, some more vaguely connected than others, and eventually one of the plot's theads fumbles to a climax. I got the feeling that the author was more interested in showcasing her setting than telling a story.
The setting, however, is probably the novel's saving grace. It's both well-realized and mysterious, historically reminiscent and fantastical at the same time. I would read more in Kushner's Riverside series just to see what else she might do in this particular sandbox. It's got a lot of potential.
Many of the characters seem to rely on other character's descriptions of them to give them personality, rather than displaying it themselves. For
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example: we're frequently told that Richard St Vier, the city's premiere swordsman, is "a madman" (as all swordsman are). Yet he never really does or says anything to demonstrate that this is true. In fact, since 70% of St Vier's scenes involve the bitchy and self-destructive Alec, St Vier comes off as rational and level-headed in comparison. Almost all of St Vier's definable personality comes from hearsay or history, which seemed like lazy characterization to me. However, that's more than can be said of most of the female characters, who are completely devoid of any personalty whatsoever. The Duchess of Tremontaine, the only female character that doesn't come off as a bland device, owes her own characterization to the fact that she uses a lot of diminutive pronouns when speaking to people (darling, dear, dearest), and that all the other characters assure us she's beautiful and brilliant. We're often told that characters have strong or interesting personalities, but rarely do we see it.The writing isn't bad. Isn't great, either. Kushner gets points for description, but often switches to different points of view without warning. You may go a paragraph or two before you realize a switch has been made, so you'll likely have to go back and re-read to figure out who or what is going on.
My biggest issue with Swordspoint is that it's plot never builds up enough steam to grab the reader and make them wonder what's coming next. There are a series of events, some more vaguely connected than others, and eventually one of the plot's theads fumbles to a climax. I got the feeling that the author was more interested in showcasing her setting than telling a story.
The setting, however, is probably the novel's saving grace. It's both well-realized and mysterious, historically reminiscent and fantastical at the same time. I would read more in Kushner's Riverside series just to see what else she might do in this particular sandbox. It's got a lot of potential.
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LibraryThing member ncgraham
Ellen Kushner and I seem to like a lot of the same things: swashbuckling, intrigue, sharp drawing room conversation, m/m romance.
The basic ingredients of Swordspoint are pleasing but the final product is not. It should have been a rich, fluffy cake; instead it turns out to be an oozing
Reviewers have singled the book out as unique because it is set in a fantasy world, an alternate reality, without magic, but I have read other books that fit in that category (such as Lloyd Alexander's Westmark trilogy, or Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books) and have far superior world-building. In the afterword to my edition, Kushner writes that the city where the novel is set is "made up of my favorite bits and pieces of every other city I'd walked in or read about: Shakespeare's London, Georgette Heyer's Paris, Damon Runyon's New York, for starters." Obviously there is nothing wrong with pulling aspects of various eras to create one's imaginary world—that's the very appeal of steampunk—but here the parts do not make a convincing whole. The parts are still too visible. I always knew when I was in a Heyer scene, and when I was in a Shakespeare scene.
To make matters worse, Richard St Vier, the presumed hero of the piece, has no driving motivation until halfway through the novel. He's merely a swordsman, a duelist, carrying out orders, and all he wants to do is to keep things as they are, which would be fine if something was threatening his equilibrium, but it isn't, not until 140 pages into the novel. I was far more intrigued by the character who seems (at first) our secondary protagonist, Lord Michael Godwin. Like him or not, he is always wanting and working towards something, whether it be the favors of Diane, the Duchess Tremontaine, or the knowledge of swordfighting. If the novel had been primarily about him and detailed his romantic exploits in lurid detail, I probably would have enjoyed it a great deal more.
It seems that for most, one's opinion of the novel seems to rest on one's opinion of Alec, Richard's destructive and self-destructive lover, so it's not surprising that I couldn't stand him. If he was merely suicidal, I could understand that, but he is bloodthirsty in a way that neither the swordsmen nor the nobles who employ him are, and one never really understands why. He does show some mettle near the end of the book, as does the Duchess, but I wouldn't trust either of them further than I could throw them, and I think Richard and Michael respectively would be much better without them.
This is one of those books where at first glance everyone appears to be bisexual, but upon further examination one finds that only the young, attractive men are. The women all seem straight, presumably because lady-on-lady isn't Kushner's thing, and of course the old, villainous lecher Lord Horn is gay, an unfortunate stereotype reproduced without any shades of gray.
Most shockingly, given all the romantic intrigue, it seems that the denizens of Riverside and the aristocrats on The Hill alike are all lacking genitalia, for all of the sex scenes—even one extended night of passion between Richard and Alec—are described only from the waist up. They're frightfully boring and not in the least sensual. Even a polite fade to black would be preferable to this approach; at least then one's imagination can run wild. If you can't write hot sex don't write it at all, dammit.
The front of my edition features words of praise from such luminaries as Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Peter S. Beagle, and Guy Gavriel Kay, and whenever a discussion of queer fantasy novels comes up Swordspoint always seems to be among the first mentioned, but I think it's pretty much a wash, and will not be reading any of the companion novels.
The basic ingredients of Swordspoint are pleasing but the final product is not. It should have been a rich, fluffy cake; instead it turns out to be an oozing
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mess.Reviewers have singled the book out as unique because it is set in a fantasy world, an alternate reality, without magic, but I have read other books that fit in that category (such as Lloyd Alexander's Westmark trilogy, or Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia books) and have far superior world-building. In the afterword to my edition, Kushner writes that the city where the novel is set is "made up of my favorite bits and pieces of every other city I'd walked in or read about: Shakespeare's London, Georgette Heyer's Paris, Damon Runyon's New York, for starters." Obviously there is nothing wrong with pulling aspects of various eras to create one's imaginary world—that's the very appeal of steampunk—but here the parts do not make a convincing whole. The parts are still too visible. I always knew when I was in a Heyer scene, and when I was in a Shakespeare scene.
To make matters worse, Richard St Vier, the presumed hero of the piece, has no driving motivation until halfway through the novel. He's merely a swordsman, a duelist, carrying out orders, and all he wants to do is to keep things as they are, which would be fine if something was threatening his equilibrium, but it isn't, not until 140 pages into the novel. I was far more intrigued by the character who seems (at first) our secondary protagonist, Lord Michael Godwin. Like him or not, he is always wanting and working towards something, whether it be the favors of Diane, the Duchess Tremontaine, or the knowledge of swordfighting. If the novel had been primarily about him and detailed his romantic exploits in lurid detail, I probably would have enjoyed it a great deal more.
It seems that for most, one's opinion of the novel seems to rest on one's opinion of Alec, Richard's destructive and self-destructive lover, so it's not surprising that I couldn't stand him. If he was merely suicidal, I could understand that, but he is bloodthirsty in a way that neither the swordsmen nor the nobles who employ him are, and one never really understands why. He does show some mettle near the end of the book, as does the Duchess, but I wouldn't trust either of them further than I could throw them, and I think Richard and Michael respectively would be much better without them.
This is one of those books where at first glance everyone appears to be bisexual, but upon further examination one finds that only the young, attractive men are. The women all seem straight, presumably because lady-on-lady isn't Kushner's thing, and of course the old, villainous lecher Lord Horn is gay, an unfortunate stereotype reproduced without any shades of gray.
Most shockingly, given all the romantic intrigue, it seems that the denizens of Riverside and the aristocrats on The Hill alike are all lacking genitalia, for all of the sex scenes—even one extended night of passion between Richard and Alec—are described only from the waist up. They're frightfully boring and not in the least sensual. Even a polite fade to black would be preferable to this approach; at least then one's imagination can run wild. If you can't write hot sex don't write it at all, dammit.
The front of my edition features words of praise from such luminaries as Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Peter S. Beagle, and Guy Gavriel Kay, and whenever a discussion of queer fantasy novels comes up Swordspoint always seems to be among the first mentioned, but I think it's pretty much a wash, and will not be reading any of the companion novels.
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LibraryThing member raselyem7
This is a pretty fabulous book all around, swords, characterization, detailed world building, the works. I particularly like the completely natural way in which the main characters' same sex relationship is presented. There is just never any suggestion that it is anything out of the ordinary. I
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love it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
Although this story is set in a fantasy world, it has no outrageous creatures or wizards. This story centers more on the politics of murder and deceit among the well-to-do, and more particularly centers on one swordsman's involvement in it all. St. Vier is an expert swordsman, the most sought after
I'm not hugely into political plots in fantasy and usually can only tolerate them if I have an investment in the characters of the story. Unfortunately in this case I didn't have that. I did give it a fair shake though, reading almost to halfway in and then skipping towards the end to see if anything caught my interest. One scene did, so I did go back a bit after that. Basically I skipped much of the middle section of the book but it really didn't make a difference as I was able to pick right back up with the convoluted sub-plots. I think my main problem was with St. Vier. I have a hard time enjoying characters that have no regard for life. St. Vier is put across as a character that not only deals death for a living, but enjoys what he does. Ironically the only person whose life he has any regard for at all is suicidal (not to mention nasty and a bit off his rocker). The assorted lords and ladies who make up the balance of the machinations and plot of the story made little impression on me. Overall the story dragged for me up until the end where it did pick up nicely and I enjoyed the character twists, if not the characters themselves. There was also one line by Alec that cracked me up and made me happy that I decided to continue on reading..."You're a hero. Small children will press bunches of flowers into your hands as you pass by. Old women will fling themselves weeping into your arms. Don't stand too still; pigeons will think you're a commemorative statute and crap on you."
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by lords who wish to challenge each other. Those who wish to pay his price and abide by his standards can arrange for anyone's death with little fanfare and every expectation of satisfaction. I'm not hugely into political plots in fantasy and usually can only tolerate them if I have an investment in the characters of the story. Unfortunately in this case I didn't have that. I did give it a fair shake though, reading almost to halfway in and then skipping towards the end to see if anything caught my interest. One scene did, so I did go back a bit after that. Basically I skipped much of the middle section of the book but it really didn't make a difference as I was able to pick right back up with the convoluted sub-plots. I think my main problem was with St. Vier. I have a hard time enjoying characters that have no regard for life. St. Vier is put across as a character that not only deals death for a living, but enjoys what he does. Ironically the only person whose life he has any regard for at all is suicidal (not to mention nasty and a bit off his rocker). The assorted lords and ladies who make up the balance of the machinations and plot of the story made little impression on me. Overall the story dragged for me up until the end where it did pick up nicely and I enjoyed the character twists, if not the characters themselves. There was also one line by Alec that cracked me up and made me happy that I decided to continue on reading..."You're a hero. Small children will press bunches of flowers into your hands as you pass by. Old women will fling themselves weeping into your arms. Don't stand too still; pigeons will think you're a commemorative statute and crap on you."
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LibraryThing member storming
Good but I liked Privilege of the Sword better.
LibraryThing member lg4154
I had a really hard time getting into this book. I am no fan of the fantasy novel and found myself getting bored really quickly. I am amazed that I actually was able to finish it. There were some parts that have me laugh out loud, but for the most part, it was kinda flat. I guess if you are into
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the fantasy novels, you might like this book better than I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member Larkken
I hated reading this book, and yet, somehow, now that I've finished it I find myself captivated. This is a first for me.
This hate did not result from the writing, which was fantastic, or from the plot, which was skillfully woven. The book is filled, however, with intrigue and fantasy-kingdom
I'd like to read more about the two main characters, so I was surprised yet again to find myself disappointed in the three short stories included in my copy of the book. I think I'd read this author again if I could be sure the plot was not political, and the format not that of a short story.
This hate did not result from the writing, which was fantastic, or from the plot, which was skillfully woven. The book is filled, however, with intrigue and fantasy-kingdom
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politics, which does nothing for me. In fact, I found myself rolling my eyes at the first half, which reminded me overly of Julius Caesar. The majority of the main characters are the scheming, manipulating elite of some unnamed fantasy city, who appear to mainly conduct their politics through their lovers and sword duels. The only character I found myself caring about was the swordsman, who gets hired by these elites to enact their political machinations, and goes through a series of double-crosses. Somehow, I was unable to abandon the book anyway, and the final chapter was rather touching.I'd like to read more about the two main characters, so I was surprised yet again to find myself disappointed in the three short stories included in my copy of the book. I think I'd read this author again if I could be sure the plot was not political, and the format not that of a short story.
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LibraryThing member Wosret
What a great book!
The author has created a completely believable fantasy world - it could well be our own. There are no wizards or magic, but it's undeniably fantasy. Complex, exquisite, sensual and daring. I really cared about the characters and want to know more. I can't wait to read the sequels.
The author has created a completely believable fantasy world - it could well be our own. There are no wizards or magic, but it's undeniably fantasy. Complex, exquisite, sensual and daring. I really cared about the characters and want to know more. I can't wait to read the sequels.
LibraryThing member konrad.katie
I will admit that I 'absorbed' this title as an audiobook from the up-to-this-point irrefutably amazing audiobook list put together by Neil Gaiman. But, but, esch-gag, most of it was acted out with cling-clangy sword clashing and crunchy footstep noises. My imagination feels coddled.
Besides that,
Besides that,
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I really enjoyed Kushner's creation of scenery and ambiance. She really is a master of the craft. (I deducted a star for her poor taste in audiobook production - since the version I listened to was put together by her) Show Less
LibraryThing member Black_samvara
In a city where Swordsmen fight Lord's honour battles for them, a rising star and his nihilistic lover are drawn into political machinations.
Rich, complex world building and characterisation. I loved how many different plot lines were interwoven and really appreciated the queer characters.
I wish
Rich, complex world building and characterisation. I loved how many different plot lines were interwoven and really appreciated the queer characters.
I wish
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the characters were more likeable, this has enough going on that it has strong re-readability but I'm not invested enough in anyone to want to follow their story. Show Less
LibraryThing member revslick
At the time this was written Ellen wrote a ground breaking medieval styled novel. It is a smartly designed, character driven piece that doesn't take itself too seriously. You won't find any we've got to save the world type plots with quests in which the balance of humanity rests. What you'll find
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is gossip interspersed with swordplay and a dash of role reversal. Show Less
Awards
Gaylactic Spectrum Award (Nominee — Hall of Fame — 1999)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1987
Physical description
269 p.; 4.2 inches
ISBN
0812543483 / 9780812543483