Ellen Kushner

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Swordspoint
Ellen Kushner
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Privilege of the Sword
The Fall of The Kings
Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner, Vol. 1)
Thomas the Rhymer
Melusine

ASIN: 0553585495
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

The classic forerunner to The Fall of the Kings now with three bonus stories.

Hailed by critics as “a bravura performance” (Locus) and “witty, sharp-eyed, [and] full of interesting people” (Newsday), this classic melodrama of manners, filled with remarkable plot twists and unexpected humor, takes fantasy to an unprecedented level of elegant writing and scintillating wit. Award-winning author Ellen Kushner has created a world of unforgettable characters whose political ambitions, passionate love affairs, and age-old rivalries collide with deadly results.

Swordspoint

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 of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye.

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The Privilege of the Sword
Ellen Kushner
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Swordspoint
The Fall of The Kings
Melusine
The Virtu
The Sharing Knife (Beguilement, Vol. 1)

ASIN: 0553382683
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Book Description

Welcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power in the city's ballroom, brothels and boudoirs. Into this alluring world walks Katherine, a well-bred country girl versed in the rules of conventional society. Her mistake is thinking that they apply. For Katherine's host and uncle, Alec Campion, aka the Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here--and to him, rules are made to be broken. When Alec decides it would be more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to marriage, her world changes forever. Blade in hand, it's up to Katherine to navigate a maze of secrets and scoundrels and to gain the self-discovery that comes to those who master: the privilege of the sword.

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The Fall of The Kings
Ellen Kushner , and Delia Sherman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Swordspoint
The Privilege of the Sword
Thomas the Rhymer
Melusine
Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner, Vol. 2)

ASIN: 0553585940
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Book Description

This stunning follow-up to Ellen Kushner’s cult-classic novel, Swordspoint, is set in the same world of labyrinthine intrigue, where sharp swords and even sharper wits rule. Against a rich tapestry of artists and aristocrats, students, strumpets, and spies, a gentleman and a scholar will find themselves playing out an ancient drama destined to explode their society’s smug view of itself–and reveal that sometimes the best price of uncovering history is being forced to repeat it….

The Fall of the Kings

Generations ago the last king fell, taking with him the final truths about a race of wizards who ruled at his side. But the blood of the kings runs deep in the land and its people, waiting for the coming together of two unusual men, Theron Campion, a young nobleman of royal lineage, is heir to an ancient house and a modern scandal. Tormented by his twin duties to his family and his own bright spirit, he seeks solace in the University. There he meets Basil St. Cloud, a brilliant and charismatic teacher ruled by a passion for knowledge–and a passion for the ancient kings. Of course, everyone now knows that the wizards were charlatans and the kings their dupes and puppets. Only Basil ins not convinced–nor is he convinced that the city has seen its last king…

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Thomas the Rhymer
Ellen Kushner
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Swordspoint
The Fall of The Kings
The Privilege of the Sword
The Virtu
Melusine

ASIN: 0553586971
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Book Description

Award-winning author and radio personality Ellen Kushner’s inspired retelling of an ancient legend weaves myth and magic into a vivid
contemporary novel about the mysteries of the human heart. Brimming with ballads, riddles, and magical transformations, here is the timeless tale of a charismatic bard whose talents earn him a two-edged otherworldly gift.

A minstrel lives by his words, his tunes, and sometimes by his lies. But when the bold and gifted young Thomas the Rhymer awakens the desire of the powerful Queen of Elfland, he finds that words are not enough to keep him from his fate. As the Queen sweeps him far from the people he has known and loved into her realm of magic, opulence—and captivity—he learns at last what it is to be truly human. When he returns to his home with the Queen’s parting gift, his great task will be to seek out the girl he loved and wronged, and offer her at last the tongue that cannot lie.

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The Greek Plays
Ellen McLaughlin
Manufacturer: Theatre Communications Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks
The Clean House and Other Plays
365 Days/365 Plays
The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition
A Dream Play

ASIN: 1559362405

Book Description

From The Persians "Defeat is impossible Defeat is unthinkable We have always been the favorites of fate. Fortune has cupped us In her golden palms. It has only been a matter Of choosing our desire. Which fruit To pick from the nodding tree."

This chilling passage is from Ellen McLaughlin's new adaptation of The Persians by Aeschylus, the earliest surviving play in Western literature, an elegy for a fallen civi-lization and a warning to its new conqueror. As Margo Jefferson wrote in the New York Times, "The play is a true classic: we see the present and the future right there, inside the past. And when writers give us a 'new version' (a translation or adaptation) of a classic, they both serve and use it. They serve the playwright's gifts by refusing to simplify. But they can't just imitate. Every age has its own rhythms and drives. The classic must make us feel the new acutely. Ellen McLaughlin serves and uses The Persians with true power and grace."

Also included in this volume: Iphigenia and Other Daughters (from Euripides and Sophocles); The Trojan Women (Euripides); Helen (Euripides); and Lysistrata (Aristophanes), all powerfully realized and as relevant today as when they were first performed.

Ellen McLaughlin's plays include Days and Nights Within, A Narrow Bed, Infinity's House and Tongue of a Bird, which have been widely produced. She is a past finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was the co-winner of the Great American Play Contest. Also an accomplished actor, Ms. McLaughlin is most known for having originated the part of the Angel in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, appearing in every U.S. production through its Broadway run.

Swords of Riverside including Swordspoint & The Privilege of the Sword

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Swords of Riverside including Swordspoint & The Privilege of the Sword
Ellen Kushner
Manufacturer: Science Fiction Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Fall of The Kings

ASIN: 0739473360

Product Description

An excellent gift! Now for your pleasure we present Swords of Riverside, an exclusive 2 in 1 hardcover omnibus. Remarkable stories that manage to create a swashbuckling fantasy world with nary a wizard nor dragon in sight.

Bordertown: A Chronicle of the Borderlands

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Bordertown: A Chronicle of the Borderlands
Mark Alan Arnold
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Short Stories | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Borderland 1 (Signet)
The Essential Bordertown (Borderlands)
Finder: A Novel of the Borderlands
Nevernever
Elsewhere

ASIN: 0451145275

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One of the 'beginnings' anthologies: 16 fantasy(ish) stories
Less than Magical
fun fantasy anthology

Magical Beginnings

Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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One Good Knight: A Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms (Book 2)
Familiars
Hags, Sirens, and Other Bad Girls of Fantasy (Daw Fantasy Anthology)
Three Hands for Scorpio
Women Writing Science Fiction As Men (Daw Science Fiction)

ASIN: 0756401216
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

Every great writer has to start somewhere. Here in one volume are the magical debuts of today's greatest fantasy legends-with new introductions and insight from the esteemed editors.

Customer Reviews:

One of the 'beginnings' anthologies: 16 fantasy(ish) stories.......2004-11-01

Each of these stories is a 'first' story (in 3rd person limited unless otherwise specified), and is accompanied by a short essay by the author describing how the story came to be written and published.

The essays are often worth reading - "Third Time Lucky", for example, was indeed accepted for publication by the third outfit to which it was submitted, and wouldn't have existed if Tanya Huff had favoured snow-skiing, for example, over ogling the men at Caribbean resorts.

Apart from the entertainment value, the essays also provide some interesting information on the writers' development, as writers in general and of these stories in particular.

Beagle, Peter S.: "My Daughter's Name Is Sarah" is narrated by her father, a professor who can only watch the 11-year-old's first crush, hoping she doesn't get hurt. Rather than F/SF, this is Beagle's first 'attempt at dealing believably with believable human beings'.

Bull, Emma: "The Rending Dark" (from SWORD AND SORCERY 1) Written partially to supply things missing from Conan stories: friendship and chatty dialogue (one of the two ladies is a Songsmith, the other can hold her own) - as well as being a lost colony world rather than magical.

de Lint, Charles: "The Fane of the Grey Rose" (from SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS VI, later expanded to the novel THE HARP OF THE GREY ROSE) Cerin (the narrator), a 20-year-old farm labourer and self-taught harper, meets a maid in market one day he nicknames for the flower in her hair. Rather than his lover, she becomes his dearest friend. But somebody else is pursuing her down the years...

Friesner, Esther: "The Stuff of Heroes" Margaret came up with the ultimate gimmick for a romance writer (even though she's really a tech designer with delusions of literary grandeur). Unfortunately, she's hitting the brandy this evening because now that other authors can use the gimmick, her own work won't sell.

Hobb, Robin (as Lindholm, Megan): "Bones for Dulath" (from AMAZONS!) The first Ki and Vandien story, which led to the novel HARPY'S FLIGHT. (Both are swordfighters, just in different styles, rapier and broadsword.) After her partner is poisoned in a pit trap, Ki must find an antidote. The only trouble is, the antidote requires seeking the monster that *created* the trap...

Huff, Tanya: "Third Time Lucky" What if the most powerful wizard in the world were also the laziest, and only wanted to loaf at home on a tropical island? Unfortunately, although Magdalene feels no need to show off - she's had centuries to learn self-confidence - other wizards can be slow learners.

I enjoy Magdalene's casual style. A bad rider (and *atrocious* singer of bawdy songs), she's apt to grumble over the conditions of travel, as well as haggling over passage (and collecting her share of the resulting savings). Any sensible monster recognizes her, shuts up, and leaves IMMEDIATELY. The supporting cast - her demon housekeeper who rarely loses arguments in the marketplace, the villagers who find her a useful neighbour, and the rather nervous guards sent to deliver another wizard's challenge to her - are also entertaining.

Kushner, Ellen: "The Unicorn Masque" (from Windling's ELSEWHERE 1) was composed by Lazarus to please the queen - who does not know that Lazarus' patrons have created *him* to please her, for plans of their own that even he knows little of.

Lackey, Mercedes: "A Different Kind of Courage" - see FREE AMAZONS OF DARKOVER.

LeGuin, Ursula K.: "April in Paris" (from THE WIND'S TWELVE QUARTERS) A frustrated alchemist in the Spider King's reign attempts to invoke a demon, but nets a 20th century mediaeval scholar instead, each depressed over a life's work spent producing a book nobody else will ever care about - and *still* not KNOWING the truth of their subjects of study.

Norman, Lisanne: "The Jewel and the Demon" (from BATTLE MAGIC) is actually a Sholan Alliance story set on the low-tech world of Jalna. The magic system involves psychic abilities with a minimum of wand-waving, so any 'magic' tends to have a more 'scientific' explanation. As for the demon, he sees a way to cut a deal with a reasonable thief rather than the unreasonable mage he's enslaved to...

Norton, Andre: "People of the Crater" - see Norton's GARAN THE ETERNAL.

Patton, Fiona: "The Raven's Quest" - see CAMELOT FANTASTIC. Merlin's raven companion runs afoul of Nimue - but his habit of speaking only in questions saves his life only to condemn him to ask one particular question of everyone he meets.

Reichert, Mickey Zucker: The chieftain's young son has been sent to find "The Ulfjarl's Stone" to save his father's life - and prove himself.

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn: "Sing" The narrator remembers the Earth-human who came among her people years ago to study something he couldn't find words for in their language: music.

Shwartz, Susan: "The Fires of Her Vengeance" (from THE KEEPER'S PRICE) Marelie Hastur, Keeper of Arilinn, returns to her Tower after being raped by bandits (which occurs before the story opens), who left her alive in the mistaken belief that a Keeper no longer a virgin is no longer a threat. Strong points: victim's reaction to rape. Weak points: unexplained situation leading up to the ambush. Also, the story would be hard to follow outside the context of the Way of Arilinn and the strictures placed upon its practitioners (see Bradley's THE FORBIDDEN TOWER).

West, Michelle: "Birthnight" (from Greenberg's CHRISTMAS BESTIARY) How each of the firstborn and endless creatures of magic - including the dragon, the phoenix, the unicorn, and the Queen of Faerie - follow a star across a desert to seek a child that will be born of magic, and yet the end of magic's reign.

Less than Magical.......2003-09-19

Wondrous Beginnings, the science fiction companion volume was much better.

The best thing about this book would be the introductions by each author telling a bit about themselves and the story and how it came to be.

The stories, as one would expect from first published stories, are not of the world-changing variety. Perhaps the best is Peter Beagle's story, and that one isn't fantasy at all, nor science fiction.

The stories aren't bad mind you, some of them are reasonably good. The majority though are middle of the road pieces that are somewhat predictable showing the authors before they developed their voices.

This review may be coloured by the fact I had just finished both Wondrous Beginnings, and Assassin Fantastic. Both DAW anthologies also. This caused me to notice the line-up of the authors was virtually the same in this collection as in Assassin Fantastic. Thus, not really a great overview of the field, but a showcase for the current DAW workhorses(excepting a few). It would have been nice if they could have licensed short stories from authors currently under contract to other publishers for their novels. The collection would have been stronger had they gone farther afield rather than just showing off their own authors.

This was a good idea, but the roster of authors wasn't representative of the stars of the field in my opinion. Of course that does mean you may be exposed to new authors, which is always a good thing. Unfortunately, too many collections of the same authors has caused me a familiarity that has bred not yet contempt, but a bit of apathy.

fun fantasy anthology.......2003-02-04

This fantasy anthology provides fans with the introductory story that sixteen fan favorites started their illustrious respective career. The contributions are fun to read though the quality varies with none being atrocious, but not all sixteen being incredibly fantastic. With each tale, the author of that story furnishes an interesting introduction that includes insight and understanding into their career. Clearly not for the casual genre reader, the fascination is not just with each tale, albeit as engaging they are, but also to compare the MAGICAL BEGINNINGS with recent releases from a virtual who's who.

Book Description

A brand new collection of award-winning short stories specifically targeted to teens orld Fantasy Award for Best Anthology winner Patrick Nielsen Hayden brings his experience as the industry's leading anthologist to a new collection of outstanding short works of fantasy for young adults. From an immense catalog of brilliant, ground-breaking short stories from the last twenty years, Nielsen Hayden has collected the most outstanding short stories that speak most directly to teens. New Magics includes masters like Ursula K. LeGuin, Neil Gaiman, Emma Bull, Jane Yolen, Charles de Lint, Harry Turtle-dove, Orson Scott Card, Robin McKinley and many more. There are many collections of best short stories, but this is the only one that addresses the tastes and interests of today's young readers.

Customer Reviews:

Here's the Table of Contents.......2004-04-01

CONTENTS

Customer Reviews:

For every young generation, there's always a place to run to . . ........2007-05-17

Some years ago, Windling thought up a highly original setting for "urban fantasy" stories -- a city after the return of Faerie to our world, a border region where magic sometimes works, technology is undependable, and runaway kids, both human and elf, are seeking their dreams. It's a little Haight-Ashbury, a little Oz, and a lot of fun for the reader. In this volume (one of several that have been published, plus a couple of novels), seven authors set their stories in Bordertown with varying degrees of success. "Nevernever," by Will Shetterly, an old Borderlands hand, is about Wolfboy, how he came to be what he is, and what he does when the opportunity arises to get even. A very good story. Kara Dalkey's "Night Wail," about banshees and dealing with death, is a bit of a downer but well written. "Alison Gross," by Midori Snyder, is about true love and dark magic. Charles de Lint's "Berlin," one of the two really good ones here, is about dragons and drugs and getting even. "Reynardine," by Michael Korolenko, about shape-changers and other horror tropes, just didn't do much for me. Craig Shaw Gardner's "Light and Shadow," a take-off (sort of) on THE MALTESE FALCON, is just dumb. Bellamy Bach's "Rain and Thunder," also a love story, is kind of the other side of "Berlin," and it's very, very well done. There's also a frame story by Ellen Kushner consisting of unmailed letters home written by a young human runaway, describing her arrival, her time in Oberon's House (not a nice place, and for not very obvious reasons), and how she survives. All in all, it's an above-average volume.

It Ain't Your Father's Fantasy Rags.......2003-03-28

I have just finished this book for the third time and I still find it to be as fascinating and engaging as I did when I first read it in Junior High School, and again in High School. I am now 26 and though it may be a bit simple to read at this age, it still makes me feel the same as before. Fantasy readers are romantics at heart and so is this book. Underneath its somewhat common subject matter like magical elves and hollywood runaways are universal themes of angst, lonliness, rebelion, and needless to say, love. Does this sound familiar to those of us who were once teenagers? "Alison Gross" still gets me everytime. Honestly, my tag for the longest time has been "Skydeki", which is a half-bite off of one of the Rainbow Godesses in the short story of Alison Gross. Whenever people ask what it means I start on a diatribe about my love for this book, and all of its other great shorts. Please read this book if you're a teenager who enjoys fantasy writings. Even if you're 50, so long as you can remember a time when shirking your responsibilities and running away seemed like a great idea.

A highly enjoyable fantasy trip........1998-08-01

Described as "where Elfland meets rock and roll", this is part of a collection of stories based on the idea of what if the world of magic, fantasy and elves returned to our world. The border is a place where the Elflands and the world meet; where neither magic nor technology reigns supreme. These 9 short stories introduce new characters and expand on some of the old favorites from the bordertown series. They are all very light reads, the kind of book you tote around for reading while you wait. You must have this book if you are a fan of Terri Windling's creation, the Borderlands.

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