Legends I: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
by Robert Silverberg (Editor)
Legends (Book I), The Dark Tower (Collections and Selections — The Little Sisters of Eluria Short Story 0.5)
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Acclaimed writer and editor Robert Silverberg gathered eleven of the finest writers in Fantasy to contribute to this collection of short novels. Each of the writers was asked to write a new story based on one of his or her most famous series: from Stephen King's opening piece set in his popular Gunslinger universe to Robert Jordan's early look at his famed Wheel of Time saga, these stories are exceptionally well written and universally well told. Features short stories set in the worlds show more ...Stephen King's The Dark Tower ...Terry Pratchett's Discworld ...Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth ...Orson Scott Card's Tales of Alvin Maker ...Robert Silverberg's Majipoor ...Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea ...Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn ...George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire ...Anne McCaffrey's Pern ...Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga ...Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Based on the quality of the writing this is mostly 4 stars at least, these are experienced writers who all know their business. However there are a couple of other things to consider.
Firstly there are only 11 tales in this very thick book, so these are quite long short stories, longer than i prefer.
But the more substantial issue is that, while all anthologies are to some degree, advertising for an authors work, this collection goes a step further.
Each tale is set in a particular world, so LeGuin does an Earthsea story, King, a Dark Tower one, Martin a game of thrones one etc. So the whole things feels like a set of trailers for, or random episodes of some long running shows.
This doesn't seem like a book you buy so much as something you show more borrow when your looking for your next big fantasy epic to get into.
So at the end of the day i have to ask myself, do any of these stories make me want to commit to reading the 5, 10, 20 volumes etc. of the franchise they’re promoting? And the answer for me was... nah! show less
Firstly there are only 11 tales in this very thick book, so these are quite long short stories, longer than i prefer.
But the more substantial issue is that, while all anthologies are to some degree, advertising for an authors work, this collection goes a step further.
Each tale is set in a particular world, so LeGuin does an Earthsea story, King, a Dark Tower one, Martin a game of thrones one etc. So the whole things feels like a set of trailers for, or random episodes of some long running shows.
This doesn't seem like a book you buy so much as something you show more borrow when your looking for your next big fantasy epic to get into.
So at the end of the day i have to ask myself, do any of these stories make me want to commit to reading the 5, 10, 20 volumes etc. of the franchise they’re promoting? And the answer for me was... nah! show less
The book was an excellent showcase for some of the most famous fantasy series out there. Perfect for me to get a glimpse and decide a ”to read next” list, since many have not been translated into my language and I knew only their names. The average would be 3/5, but it gets an extra star for that great idea and for the enthusiasm with which I read through them like opening mysterious Christmas presents.
Stephen King tells a tale of Roland, the Gunslinger, in the world of The Dark Tower, in "The Little Sisters of Eluria." - I already knew I hate the series, but this story I loved, so that says a lot about SK's writing super-powers. 5/5
Terry Pratchett relates an amusing incident in Discworld, of a magical contest and the witch Granny show more Weatherwax, in "The Sea and Little Fishes" - I like some of Pratchetts series, and some I do not. I found Granny Weatherwax to be not funny but an annoying old, well, witch, so this one is not for me 2/5
Terry Goodkind tells of the origin of the Border between realms in the world of The Sword of Truth, in "Debt of Bones." - boring, overlong, incoherent, uninteresting. 1/5
Orson Scott Card spins a yarn of Alvin and his apprentice from the Tales of Alvin Maker, in "Grinning Man." Man, I loved this kind of humor! I thought the ending was cruel and too much, but I will definitely look for the books. 5/5
Robert Silverberg returns to Majipoor and to Lord Valentine's adventure in an ancient tomb, in "the Seventh Shrine." Loved the world settings and the writing, but the policier part of the story is very weak. - so not a good story, but probably a good series 3/5
Ursual K. Le Guin adds a sequel to her famous books of Earthsea, portraying a woman who wants to learn magic, in "Dragonfly." I disliked the Earthsea cycle for being too childish, but, to my surprise, this story was not. It was not that great either, unfortunately, for the end (and twist) felt unbelievable and poetic, not in a good way. Great writing as usual, though 3/5
Tad Williams tells a dark and enthralling story of a great and haunted castle in the age before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, in "The Burning Man." Read this one in another anthology 2 yeas ago. Cannot remember anything good or bad about it (I have a great memory with the books I do like), so it is a 3/5 and not a series to interest me.
George R.R. Martin sets his piece a generation before his epic, A Song of Ice and Fire, in the adventure of "The Hedge Knight." 5/5 Nothing needed said here, it is just as good and realistic as the incredible series which I have already read and loved.
Ann McCaffrey, the poet of Pern, returns once again to her world of romance and adventure in "Runner of Pern." Wow, this was bad. I could force myself to read only 2 pages, and still was more bored than I imagined I could be by an entire book. How could people read an entire series of this borefest torture?? 0/5
Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga is the setting of the tale of "The Wood Boy." Loved the Tsurani, definetely want more of them; also greatly enjoyed the writer s skill in starting with the end and leading the story to unsuspected paths. Also loved the realism of the officer s decision. 5/5
Robert Jordan, in "New Spring," tells of crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time. 5/5 I already read the series and loved it, so no surprise here, either. show less
Stephen King tells a tale of Roland, the Gunslinger, in the world of The Dark Tower, in "The Little Sisters of Eluria." - I already knew I hate the series, but this story I loved, so that says a lot about SK's writing super-powers. 5/5
Terry Pratchett relates an amusing incident in Discworld, of a magical contest and the witch Granny show more Weatherwax, in "The Sea and Little Fishes" - I like some of Pratchetts series, and some I do not. I found Granny Weatherwax to be not funny but an annoying old, well, witch, so this one is not for me 2/5
Terry Goodkind tells of the origin of the Border between realms in the world of The Sword of Truth, in "Debt of Bones." - boring, overlong, incoherent, uninteresting. 1/5
Orson Scott Card spins a yarn of Alvin and his apprentice from the Tales of Alvin Maker, in "Grinning Man." Man, I loved this kind of humor! I thought the ending was cruel and too much, but I will definitely look for the books. 5/5
Robert Silverberg returns to Majipoor and to Lord Valentine's adventure in an ancient tomb, in "the Seventh Shrine." Loved the world settings and the writing, but the policier part of the story is very weak. - so not a good story, but probably a good series 3/5
Ursual K. Le Guin adds a sequel to her famous books of Earthsea, portraying a woman who wants to learn magic, in "Dragonfly." I disliked the Earthsea cycle for being too childish, but, to my surprise, this story was not. It was not that great either, unfortunately, for the end (and twist) felt unbelievable and poetic, not in a good way. Great writing as usual, though 3/5
Tad Williams tells a dark and enthralling story of a great and haunted castle in the age before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, in "The Burning Man." Read this one in another anthology 2 yeas ago. Cannot remember anything good or bad about it (I have a great memory with the books I do like), so it is a 3/5 and not a series to interest me.
George R.R. Martin sets his piece a generation before his epic, A Song of Ice and Fire, in the adventure of "The Hedge Knight." 5/5 Nothing needed said here, it is just as good and realistic as the incredible series which I have already read and loved.
Ann McCaffrey, the poet of Pern, returns once again to her world of romance and adventure in "Runner of Pern." Wow, this was bad. I could force myself to read only 2 pages, and still was more bored than I imagined I could be by an entire book. How could people read an entire series of this borefest torture?? 0/5
Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga is the setting of the tale of "The Wood Boy." Loved the Tsurani, definetely want more of them; also greatly enjoyed the writer s skill in starting with the end and leading the story to unsuspected paths. Also loved the realism of the officer s decision. 5/5
Robert Jordan, in "New Spring," tells of crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time. 5/5 I already read the series and loved it, so no surprise here, either. show less
Why is is fantasy authors never seem to succeed on the level of sci-fi authors when they write short stories? That beautiful dream-state encapsuling a whole universe is never quite achieved here. Perhaps the problem is the innate desire to word build in order to world build. These *are* series authors, after all.
This is really a brilliant idea for a collection, and the execution is fantastic. If you follow long-form fantasy at all, you'll probably at least recognize all of these authors, and each story is a pretty good capsule of the author's style and world. I've found that my reaction to the story maps pretty closely to my reaction to the series as a whole, and so this was a great way to encounter authors I hadn't yet read (Terry Pratchett, most notably - the Granny Weatherwax story is perfect and a perfect introduction to the milieu.)
(Note - I read this when it came out, lo these many years ago (and quite a few times since,) so this is a review based on a reread.)
(Note - I read this when it came out, lo these many years ago (and quite a few times since,) so this is a review based on a reread.)
For the most part I really enjoyed these stories. It was a nice way to visit these famous authors all at once. Some of the stories were great and some I skipped over. My favorite (and this can't be a real surprise to anyone) is the story by the late great Terry Pratchett called Discworld: The Sea and Little Fishes. It features the delightful character, Granny Weatherwax. Always considered to be very touchy and grumpy, she is challenged to be nice for a change. Unfortunately, everyone thinks she is up to something since she can't possibly be nice.
The eleven stories with in this first "Legends" anthology are by some of the best writers of fantasy and science fiction, both in prose and sales. Edited by Robert Silverberg, who also contributed as well, the stories range within their established fictional worlds from stand alone either connect with the main series or in-between main series books or prequels with mixed results.
The best stories whether, stand alone or prequel, had the same things in common. First the reader did not need to know anything about the fictional setting from any previous location as the authors used the stories to introduce the audience to their written creations. Second, the story usually followed just one character, at most two if change of perspective was show more easily denoted, allowing the narrative to be tight given average 65 pages each story took. Those that were on the bottom end of the scale were the exact opposite as they relied too much on the reader already knowing the story's universe and too many characters or point-of-view changes to keep track of (or both!).
Unfortunately two of the weakest stories are at the very beginning and the end of the anthology, however of the nine stories in the middle of the anthology seven were at the least very good and make this fantastic purchase for anyone who gets it.
Individual Story Ratings
The Dark Tower: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Stephen King (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-little-sisters-of-eluria...
Discworld: The Sea and Little Fishes by Terry Pratchett (4.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-sea-and-little-fishes-by...
The Sword of Truth: Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-debt-of-bones-by-terry-g...
Tales of Alvin Maker: Grinning Man by Orson Scott Card (4/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-grinning-man-by-orson-sc...
Majipoor: The Seventh Shrine by Robert Silverberg (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-seventh-shrine-by-robert...
Earthsea: Dragonfly by Ursula K. Le Guin (4/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-dragonfly-by-ursula-k-le...
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: The Burning Man by Tad Williams (5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-burning-man-by-tad-willi...
A Song of Ice and Fire: The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin (5/5) http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-hedge-knight-by-george-r...
Pern: Runner of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (4.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-runner-of-pern-by-anne-m...
The Riftwar Saga: Wood Boy by Raymond E. Feist (5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-wood-boy-by-raymond-e-fe...
The Wheel of Time: New Spring by Robert Jordan (2.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-new-spring-by-robert-jor... show less
The best stories whether, stand alone or prequel, had the same things in common. First the reader did not need to know anything about the fictional setting from any previous location as the authors used the stories to introduce the audience to their written creations. Second, the story usually followed just one character, at most two if change of perspective was show more easily denoted, allowing the narrative to be tight given average 65 pages each story took. Those that were on the bottom end of the scale were the exact opposite as they relied too much on the reader already knowing the story's universe and too many characters or point-of-view changes to keep track of (or both!).
Unfortunately two of the weakest stories are at the very beginning and the end of the anthology, however of the nine stories in the middle of the anthology seven were at the least very good and make this fantastic purchase for anyone who gets it.
Individual Story Ratings
The Dark Tower: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Stephen King (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-little-sisters-of-eluria...
Discworld: The Sea and Little Fishes by Terry Pratchett (4.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-sea-and-little-fishes-by...
The Sword of Truth: Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-debt-of-bones-by-terry-g...
Tales of Alvin Maker: Grinning Man by Orson Scott Card (4/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-grinning-man-by-orson-sc...
Majipoor: The Seventh Shrine by Robert Silverberg (3.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-seventh-shrine-by-robert...
Earthsea: Dragonfly by Ursula K. Le Guin (4/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-dragonfly-by-ursula-k-le...
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: The Burning Man by Tad Williams (5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-burning-man-by-tad-willi...
A Song of Ice and Fire: The Hedge Knight by George R.R. Martin (5/5) http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-hedge-knight-by-george-r...
Pern: Runner of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (4.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-runner-of-pern-by-anne-m...
The Riftwar Saga: Wood Boy by Raymond E. Feist (5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-wood-boy-by-raymond-e-fe...
The Wheel of Time: New Spring by Robert Jordan (2.5/5)
http://thechannelofmattries.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-new-spring-by-robert-jor... show less
This is really an excellent short story collection. Any collection featuring Stephen King, Orson Scott Card, Tad Williams, George R. R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, Raymond E. Feist and several other leading contemporary fantasy writers is a big deal, and most of the writers deliver in this anthology with quality work. The Hedge Knight, in particular, has gone on to spawn its own path in Martin's works. 'Debt of Bones' by Terry Goodkind is fantastic. All are great stories.
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- Canonical title
- Legends I: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
- Original title
- Legends: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy
- Alternate titles
- Legends: Stories by the Masters of Modern Fantasy; Legends: Eleven New Works by the Masters of Modern Fantasy; Legends: Short Novels By The Masters of Modern Fantasy; Legends: New Short Novels
- Original publication date
- 1998-08-15
- Important places
- Ankh-Morpork, Discworld; Fort Hold, Pern
- Dedication
- For Marty and Ralph, who certainly know why.
- Original language
- English
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the original and fully complete 11 story Legends anthology. It is not part 1 of the UK 2way split of the anthology. Nor is it part 1 of the US 3way split of the anthology. Do not combine this work with either of the o... (show all)thers.
This book contains:
Legends : The Little Sisters of Eluria Roland Gunslinger - Stephen King
Legends : The Sea and Little Fishes Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Legends : Debt of Bones Sword of Truth - Terry Goodkind
Legends : Grinning Man Alvin Maker - Orson Scott Card
Legends : The Seventh Shrine Majipoor - Robert Silverberg
Legends : Dragonfly Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
Legends : The Burning Man Memory Sorrow and Thorn - Tad Williams
Legends : The Hedge Knight Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Legends : Runner of Pern Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Legends : The Wood Boy Riftwar - Raymond E. Feist
Legends : New Spring Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
If your book does not contain all 11 of these stories, do not combine it, if you find it combined please separate it.
While the short stories in the anthology are parts of various series, the anthology itself is not part of those series, and as long as the short stories are correctly listed in the Work-to-Work relationships, the series should not be included in this page. For example, this anthology contains Runner of Pern which is part of the Pern series, but this anthology is not part of the Pern series.
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- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature, Horror
- DDC/MDS
- 813.0876608 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Fantasy Collections
- LCC
- PS648 .F3 .L44 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Collections of American literature Prose (General)
- BISAC
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- Reviews
- 19
- Rating
- (3.82)
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- Dutch, English, French, Hungarian
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- ISBNs
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