The Book of Swords: part 2 edited by Gardner Dozois

(2017)

i) When I Was a Highwayman by Ellen Kushner

A story about Richard St. Vier as a very young man when he first came to Riverside.

A nice enough story but the ending was a bit abrupt and somewhat vague.
5.5/10

ii) The Smoke of Gold is Glory by Scott Lynch

Once a year an old story teller tells one true story about his part in the death of the last dragon and what happened to its treasure but he takes no payment for the telling.

A quest adventure, well told.
8.5/10

iii) The Colgrid Conundrum by Rich Larson

Crane and Gilchrist travel to Colgrid, with a locked puzzle box they have ... acquired, in search of a specific lockbreaker; she requests a service of them in payment. The conundrum is, if you do something good with short term benefits, is it as beneficial in the long term/ if the villain does something that looks evil at first, might it be a good thing (or at least a better thing than the status quo) in the long run?

Well written, makes you think.
8/10

iv) The King’s Evil by Elizabeth Bear

Despite the title, this adventure seems to me to be a story about family; the one you lose, the one that chooses you or the one you choose.
8/10

v) Waterfalling by Lavie Tidhar

To Waterfalling, after many adventures seeking his lost homeland, come Gorel of Goliris (showing C.L. Moore's influence here) to face the god who resides there. This is a chapter of Gorel's life and I would like to read more about him.
7/10

vi) The Sword Tyraste by Cecilia Holland

The pirate Galdor, king of the rock fortress Vedrborg, captured two dwarves and compelled them to make him a sword. Resenting their treatment at his hands, they curse the sword.
Vagn survives one of the boats ambushed by Galdor's men and climbs to the fortress seeking vengeance. And so they meet.
7/10

vii) The Sons of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin

The 'Dragon' was, presumably, the first Targaeryan king to rule Westeros; this tells the story of how his sons ruled after him. Long lists of battles and longer lists of who fought and died in them which had me lost since I stopped reading The Song of Ice and Fire after a couple of books.
5/10

Averaging 49/70 7/10

3.5 stars ( )