Brad's Reviews > The First Book Of Swords

Three things stand out to me about Fred Saberhagen and his First Book of Swords:

1. -- His Style: I didn't expect Saberhagen to be such a fine writer, but he is. The man can write a sentence. His prose is clean, his prose is crisp, his prose does what it needs to do without any bullshit. I was expecting something lesser, something hack-like, but my expectations did Saberhagen a disservice. The man was a good writer, and I will seek out more of his work beyond this trilogy.

2. -- Showing Not Telling: I often struggle with Fantasy because of the clear cut, black and white, diametric opposition of good & evil - good vs. evil. Too often this manifests from the opening pages with a clear delineation between the good guys and the bad guys. We're told who to cheer for rather than deciding who to cheer for based on their actions. Saberhagen explodes this expectation by presenting people. His people may seem one way then reveal themselves to be another way; they may engage in a simple act of kindness, or sadness, or loyalty that reveals their nature, or they may engage in a casual act of cruelty, or sadism, or selfishness that reveals their nature, but we're never told what to think of his men and women ... we're given the opportunity to decide for ourselves based on their actions. I love that.

3. -- Surprise: I'm an old and jaded reader. I didn't think I could be surprised anymore (it happens so very rarely), yet Saberhagen surprised me. Not once. Not twice. Thrice. Maybe I was gullible to what was happening because of personal, real life distractions + the ten books I was reading simultaneously, or maybe I am just a knob, but I was genuinely surprised by directions the novels took three separate times, and I can't help appreciating an author and a work that creep up on me and makes my heart race the way my sneaky teen -- Brontë -- does every times she moves silently down the stairs and makes me jump. Nice job, Fred. I hope your revenant is scaring the shit out of folks walking by your resting place every day and night for the rest of time.