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

“Fans of Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora novels will adore Kushner's artful, witty and richly told tales of swords and rogues and gallants (both male and female).”

Swordspoint begins with a single drop of blood on a field of new-fallen snow, an image that burned itself forever into my mind the first time I encountered it. I can close my eyes and see it still. It's a terrific opening, an unforgettable opening . . . and the book just gets better from there.

Swordspoint was the best fantasy novel of 1989

[Kushner] draws you through the story with such lucid, powerful writing that you come to trust her completely - and she doesn't let you down . . . Watch this woman - she's going to be one of the great ones

A many-faceted pleasure. It manages to evoke both the witty Regency romances of Georgette Heyer and the fog-shrouded dangerous streets of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar

A glorious thing, the book we might have had if Noel Coward had written a vehicle for Errol Flynn

Fans of Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora novels will adore Kushner's artful, witty and richly told tales of swords and rogues and gallants (both male and female) . . . read Swordspoint and you will find yourself in a world of derring do, sharply described sword play and dark secrets - Lovereading.co.uk

A bravura performance - Locus

Witty, sharp-eyed, full of interesting people - Newsday

Ellen Kushner (1955- )

Ellen Kushner is the author of World Fantasy Award-winner Thomas the Rhymer, and 'Swords of Riverside' comprising the interconnected novels Swordspoint, The Privilege of the Sword, and The Fall of the Kings (with Delia Sherman). She narrated these as audiobooks for Neil Gaiman Presents, winning an Audie Award for Swordspoint. She has taught creative writing at Clarion, the Odyssey Workshop, and is an instructor at Hollins University's Children's Literature M.F.A. program. She lives in New York City with Delia Sherman and far too many books.

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 . . .

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