I just ordered Pierre Pevel's The Cardinal's Blades from Powell's Books. I've been wanting that book since I started seeing reviews of it late last year, but it's not been released in the U.S. I dug around and couldn't find any kind of release date, so I thought hell with it and went ahead and ordered the UK edition. It's breathtakingly expensive what with overseas shipping and all that, but I don't care. I want to read swashbuckling books right now. I did manage to restrain myself when it came to Triumff by Dan Abnett, at least, but only because it's being released in the U.S. next month.
Does anyone have any suggestions for swashbuckling books, fantasy or otherwise? I love Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda and pretty much anything Robert Louis Stevenson ever wrote, that sort of thing. I also ordered The Mall of Cthulhu by Seamus Cooper today (because it amused me, not because it's necessarily swashbuckling, although it may be), and next time I hit the actual physical bookstore I plan to pick up The Buccaneer's Apprentice by V. Briceland. What else should I look for?
(I just noticed that Powell's thinks my name is Rain Daisy Farm. At the top of the page it says, "Hello, Rain." That would be a lot stranger if my Paypal account wasn't listed under Rain Daisy Farm.)
10 comments:
Happy reading, Rain. Wait...your name's not Rain?
I've had students named Mountain, Journey, and Lichen, all from the same family, so anything's possible.
There's a family in this area whose last name is Mattress. They have about 15 kids. I don't even need to make that joke.
Mmm... pure swashbuckling can be hard to find. I've got swashbuckling-plus-science-fiction, swashbuckling-plus-epic-fantasy, and some good old Conan books. Got a preference? :)
Maybe not the Conan books, but SF and epic fantasy are fine when combined with swashbuckling. You just reminded me that I scored copies of all the rest of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser books. They're not precisely swashbuckling, but they do scratch the same itch.
(I never did thank you for the books you sent me, btw. Thanks! Ariel's near the top of the to be read pile for sure.)
Huh. I have a paucity of swashbuckling in my literary life. Who knew?
It's a tragedy, but it's easily remedied.
I wonder if anyone's ever written a swashbuckling horror book. I wonder if it would work.
Alex and the Ironic Gentlemen by Adrienne Kress is a good book. Plenty of pirates and swordplay. there is also an octopus and some very mean old ladies in it.
Oh, I read that about a year ago and liked it! I think there's a sequel; I'll pick it up. Thanks!
I'm very low on swashbuckling.
What is a swash?
It's a thing that buckles, I know that.
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