Ben Sword Popular Books

Ben Sword Biography & Facts

The Book of Swords Series is a series of science fiction/fantasy novels written by Fred Saberhagen from 1983 to 1995. The story revolves around the Twelve Swords of Power, which were forged by the gods and given to humanity, and how various characters acquire and use them. The series spans several decades and features dozens of characters. Works The Book of Swords The First Book of Swords (1983) The Second Book of Swords (1983) The Third Book of Swords (1984)Omnibus: The Complete Book of Swords (1985) Books of Lost Swords Woundhealer's Story (1986) Sightblinder's Story (1987) Stonecutter's Story (1988)Omnibus: The Lost Swords: The First Triad (1988) Farslayer's Story (1989) Coinspinner's Story (1989) Mindsword's Story (1990)Omnibus: The Lost Swords: The Second Triad (1990) Wayfinder's Story (1992) Shieldbreaker's Story (1994)Omnibus: The Lost Swords: Endgame (1994) Short stories An Armory of Swords (1995), an anthology of eight stories in the Swords universe by eight authors, including "Blind Man's Blade" by Saberhagen. Related books The Book of Swords series is also linked to the Empire of the East series, which is set in the same universe and presents the backstory to the series. The first three works in the Empire of the East series predate the Book of Swords series (The Broken Lands (1968), The Black Mountains (1971), and Changeling Earth (1973), also titled Ardneh's World), with the fourth Empire of the East book, Ardneh's Sword (2006), returning to the universe long after the Book of Swords series was complete. Composition Saberhagen wrote the first books in the series in the 1980s with the intention of developing them into a video game. Although some preliminary code and art was developed, the project was deemed technologically infeasible. Premise The Book of Swords series blends science fiction and fantasy, combining fantastical settings with logic-puzzle plots based on science fiction. Setting The books are set far into the future. Approximately 50,000 years before the story, sometime during the third millennium, mankind was almost driven to extinction by a global apocalypse brought on by a nuclear World War prior to the events in Empire of the East. The role of post-apocalyptic technology in creating a magical mythological society echoes Saberhagen's Berserker series. An intelligent supercomputer, ARDNEH (which was formerly part of an American nuclear response system), initiated a physical change to the structure of the world. Unintentionally combined with a similar system on the other side of the world, this change negated the effects of atomic weaponry and most other forms of high technology, and introduced other side effects, such as the creation of magic, gods, and demons. ARDNEH then continued to stabilize and sustain humanity through the ensuing Dark Ages. ARDNEH was destroyed millennia before the events of the series, as chronicled in Saberhagen's Empire of the East series. By the time the events recorded in The Books of the Swords occur, ARDNEH has passed into legend, worshiped as a benevolent god. The gods of the Swords universe are based on various mythological deities, with most coming from the Greco-Roman and Hindu pantheons. They are elements of human hope and imagination that were made real approximately one thousand years after the destruction of ARDNEH, when a group of humans donned Mark VII suits created by ARDNEH and a djinn as a possible defense against demons. The gods, having become bored with mankind, created Twelve Swords of Power, and scattered them throughout the world, as a grand game of survival of the fittest to be played out on earth. The demons of Saberhagen's Swords universe are the remnants of atomic or other high-power weapons detonations, rendered anthropomorphic by the Change. They can take on various forms and appearances, but their natural form is a free-floating, possibly radioactive cloud. Their presence can sicken and injure those who have not magically prepared themselves to resist them. All demons have a "source of life", which is usually hidden within a fairly innocuous object like a mirror, charm, bottle, or weapon (compare to djinn). This object does not bear any relation to the demon's physical presence. However, if it is found, control can be exerted over the demon it belongs to. Magic is a rare and fragile art in the Swords universe, requiring a lifetime of dedication. Magic is very fragile; unsheathed blades and other iron or steel objects degrade its power significantly. Thus it has limited martial uses, and is most often used to influence others. There are three major religious sects in the Swords universe. Although many privately worship their own gods or goddesses, three institutions that can be found no matter where one goes. The White Temple is ordered around the worship of ARDNEH and values love and respect for life. Many of the leading healing centers and hospitals are actually White Temples, and most of what one thinks of as traditional "holy men" are servants of the White Temple. The Red Temple is concerned with worship of the flesh. Its chief goddess is Aphrodite. The Red Temple provides and controls much of the traffic in prostitution and drugs, although they also encourage free love, gambling, gluttony, and excessive drinking. The Blue Temple worships money, hoarding wealth, but never does anything with it. At one point, the Blue Temple hoards four of the Twelve Swords of Power, including Shieldbreaker, which they never use for fear of losing them. The Blue Temple Hoard is the famous secret depository of their holdings. The Twelve Swords of Power The Swords of Power were created by the gods and given to humanity as part of a great game, so they could enjoy watching humans scheme and fight amongst themselves in an effort to obtain these magical treasures. Each sword has a different ability, which corresponds to a different god. The series revolves around different characters finding, acquiring, stealing, using, and eventually destroying the swords. This provides the gods with the amusement they desire, until they find out that the swords were made too well, and even the gods themselves can fall victim to them. The swords are introduced by name and general ability in The Song of Swords, the poem that precedes the story, but it is only over the course of the series that the specific effects, conditions, and loopholes of these weapons are discovered. Although thought to be indestructible, by the end of the series (Shieldbreaker's Story) all the swords except Woundhealer have been destroyed. The twelve swords are: Coinspinner, "The Sword of Chance" or "The Sword of Fortune," makes the wielder supernaturally lucky in any and every situation. Coinspinner does not need to be physically wielded to be used--simply possessing the blade is enough for it to work. However, like luck itself, the Sword of Chance is fickle and tries to escape from its wielder at every opportunity, usually when they need it.... Discover the Ben Sword popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ben Sword books.