http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0606341.txt
“Joan Angela came to India. That’s the prelude to anything whatever except common-place. I believe she is twenty-six. I will bet she has twenty-six hundred admirers, including me, who would like to act Herod and kill off eligibles in order to destroy beforehand the inevitable lucky, but as yet unknown, blade who will some day [...]
http://www.shortcovers.com/shortcovers/The-Paths-of-the-Dead/sc-LbzTw-HN3kiSE-uSuhb4fw/page1.html#8
“In that language, it would be Morrolan.”“That is not one I speak.”“Then, in the language of Faerie—”“But I am able to pronounce it.”“Let us hear you.”“Morrolan.”“Well, there you have it. Your quest is complete. What will you do now, Dark Star?”“What will I do now?”“Yes, my friend Stétcsilleg. Your quest is complete. Will you now [...]
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http://www.shortcovers.com/shortcovers/Five-Hundred-Years-After/sc-6YqbNasq6Ea0arCJMMRVRA/page1.html#8
““Yes, Sire. If Your Majesty had commanded them to bring the weather to heel, they would have been within their rights to refuse Your Majesty any contribution whatsoever, and, moreover, they would have done so. We then would have no funds for the Imperial Army, and would have to demand mercenaries to defend the eastern [...]
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http://www.shortcovers.com/shortcovers/The-Phoenix-Guards/sc-7foeC99UdkyhFLG7f9O1eQ/page1.html#3
““Well, this way: four times now, you have made very difficult throws. Twice, you managed three Thrones over my split high; once, you achieved three Orbs over my three Thrones; and now, just lately, you threw three Orbs followed by a split high after my three Orbs.”“That it true,” said the Hawk. “But how does [...]
http://www.shortcovers.com/shortcovers/The-Lord-of-Castle-Black/sc-CC8onuH-REaebciI8c7Egg/page1.html#2
““I am on a mission.”“A mission?”“Yes, exactly, and of the most serious kind.”“Ah! You say, ‘serious.’”“And if I do?”“That is to say, rewarding?”“Rewarding? Well, it is not impossible that, at its end, there will be a certain recompense.”“In that case, well, do you have any need of a confederate?”“How, a confederate?”“Well, you perceive I have [...]
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Five Hundred Years After 1-2 – Steven Brusthttp://web.archive.org/web/19970118093031/www.tor.com/sample500.html
“To those familiar with our earlier history, it should come as no surprise that the ensign to whom we have just referred is none other than Khaavren, who has now passed his six hundredth year–that is to say, he has achieved an age at which the energy of [...]
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Sethra Lavode 69 – Steven Brusthttp://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9780812534184#excerpt
““It is I,” said Khaavren.
“Yes, yes. But I mean, who wishes to see me?”
“The captain of your guard,” said Khaavren coolly.
“But you are the captain of my guard.”
“Then, it appears, it is I who wish to have a word with my Empress.”
Her Majesty’s eyes narrowed, and she said, “You must [...]
An Edge To A Sword – Harold Lambhttp://flashingswords.sfreader.com/issues/issue6/vol2-iss6-04.asp
Ayub and a weapon that isn’t as nifty as it seems.
3.5 out of 5
By the Sword – John C. Hockinghttp://flashingswords.sfreader.com/issues/issue5/vol2-iss5-01.htm
Some steaming berserk Viking action.
3 out of 5
The Blood Meridian – Nathan Meyerhttp://flashingswords.sfreader.com/issues/issue4/vol1-iss4-03.htm
To rescue a woman, an invitation is extended to several to take the rest of their lives off on account of Sabbath.
4 out of 5
A Matter Of Muskets – Berry Kerchevalhttp://www.helixsf.com/archives/Apr07/fiction/Q4_kercheval_mattermuskets.htm
All for one, but not anal probes for all.
4 out of 5
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A Drive In the Night – Barry Rosenberghttp://www.specusphere.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=31
Golfing grail.
2.5 out of 5
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Thorium – Michael Swanwickhttp://www.scifi.com/scifiction/elements/thorium.html
All-Fatherborg still gets Armageddon.
4 out of 5
Son of Porthos – Alexandre DumasApparently Porthos had a bastard. This son is the hero of the piece. Not really a shock, eh?
Bizarrely, it is Aramis that is the antagonist. The rest of the boys are dead and buried, and Aramis is now a scheming spider with designs for the girl that [...]
The Mark of Zorro – Johnston McCulleyhttp://worldebooklibrary.com/eBooks/WorldeBookLibrary.com/markzorro.htm
The Mark of Zorro is the first Zorro story, retitled for publication in many different book editions.
Repression and oppressive taxation grows in one corner of California. Don Diego Viega, whose picture might just be beside the word ‘fop’ if California had a dictionary, can do nothing about it.
As [...]
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The Curse of Capistrano – Johnston McCulleyhttp://worldebooklibrary.com/eBooks/WorldeBookLibrary.com/markzorro.htm
Repression and oppressive taxation grows in one corner of California. Don Diego Viega, whose picture might just be beside the word ‘fop’ if California had a dictionary, can do nothing about it.
As one of the local military says “he is about as dangerous as a lizard basking in [...]
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Zorro Swings Again – Lee DeanThe novelisation of the amusing movie, Zorro Swings again, where Zorro is injured, and his flamboyantly colored brother must fill in for him, causing sightings of Zorro in puce, etc.
3 out of 5
The Shadow of the Vulture – Robert E. Howardhttp://www.gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0608101.txt
Not much sorcery to be seen in this historical adventure, but it is the origin of the character that Roy Thomas and others adapted with such success for Marvel in comics form, so of interest to fans of Conan and Red Sonja as she currently stands, chainmail [...]
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Ten Years Later – Alexandre Dumashttp://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1258
Another of the Musketeers volumes, this one has a bit more to do with court and religious intrigue via king and cardinal, as opposed to the Musketeers running around, as most of them are off doing their own thing in positions of some authority.
One of their sons falls in love [...]
Twenty Years After – Alexandre Dumashttp://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1259
As the title says, it is twenty years after the events in the Three Musketeers. The four heroes are living their lives as they wanted, but are all slightly disaffected.
Cautiously, they agree to undertake a task for the Queen.
Complicating matters is the son of Milady de Winter, who is [...]
Black Vulmea’s Vengeance – Robert E. Howardhttp://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601661.txt
“Shut up!” growled the pirate. “I’m going to save you for the sake of the lady and the lass, but I don’t have to talk to you!” With rare consistency he then continued: “We’ll leave this trap the same way I came and went.
So, Black Vulmea is not always [...]
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The Green Shiver – Perley Poore Sheehanhttp://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0603701.txt
Shadak Khan opposes another war lord, a nasty one called the Green Shiver.
2.5 out of 5
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The Black Abbot – Perley Poore Sheehanhttp://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0603681.txt
Captain Trouble runs across a group of men working for the Black Abbot – Lord of Death. A Tibetan wizard, it appears.
Shattuck must gather a force of men to oppose and depose him, after he does the avoiding death bit.
3 out of 5
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Spider Tong – Perley Poore Sheehanhttp://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0603671.txt
The Spider Tong see Shadak Khan as an obstacle to their power, and try and remove him, permanently, on multiple occasions.
3 out of 5
Where Terror Lurked – Perley Poore Sheehanhttp://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0603711.txt
Captain Trouble has a run-in with the undead, the spirit of a Living Buddha, a bit of magic, and the lost underground tribe of the Agharti.
2.5 out of 5
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Scotland the Brave – Jennifer RobersonThe annoying and passionate Annie Devlin returns, terrorist or freedom fighter, or whatever you want to call her. Whenever she is around, there is trouble. There are a lot of past history pieces in this, with MacLeod’s various involvements in some of the major battles and political conflicts in Scotland’s [...]
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Zealot – Donna LetlowThis Highlander novel is perhaps a little more complicated, with multiple immortals. A museum caretaker, Methos, MacLeod, and an exhibition of Immortal gear. MacLeod had a sword for him, from one of the K-guys he dealt with in the past.
Both MacLeod and the museum guy, Constantine had encountered a Hebrew [...]
The Measure of a Man – Nancy HolderEveryone knows MacLeod is a decent, honest, honorable man, even if he does his share of head lopping and violence. Machiavelli, presumably, was a tad more on the pragmatic sword. What if he was an Immortal? He would likely be pretty sneaky.
That is the [...]
Scimitar – Ashley McConnellMacLeod gets to play around in the desert in this one, particularly in the past. When he and Joe come across an Arab sword, it brings back some memories or a time when he was not quite as with it, and did some silly things.
Politics, skullduggery and swords in the Middle East, [...]
Highlander – Garry KilworthThe novelisation of the most excellent Highlander movie. The plots are the same, but here we get more detail on Connor’s relationships with the various minor characters, so they are more understandable.
From his meeting with the Kurgan, and training with Ramirez, to his love, and the girl he takes in, [...]
Zorro – Isabel AllendeNot too bad, although Allende is clearly not that great an action/adventure writer. The first part of the book should be called ‘The Unhappy mother of the boy who it looks like will become Zorro’. Included in this are a few Tom Sawyer type adventures for him and his mate.
Points for this [...]
A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twainhttp://www.gutenberg.org/etext/86
This book is amusing in some of the same ways that Captain Stormfield is amusing. A modern man of the time is placed in a different, strange, setting, and gets to make humorous observations about the natives, locals, functionaries and authority figures.
Here, the device is [...]
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The Fighting Fool – Perley Poore SheehanDownload The Fighting Fool
If you are an adventurer in Asia, having the Sword of Kublai Khan as your personal weapon can go a long way. Captain Trouble is an apt title for this gentlemen. This story compares favorably with Howard’s El-Borak tales, or, in other words, it is pretty [...]
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The Red Road to Shamballah – Perley Poore SheehanDownload The Red Road to Shamballa
Bat Herders! I kid you not. Amazing what people come up with :
“They subsisted on bats. They herded them. They followed the bat swarms in their mysterious migrations from cave. to cave.”
Another fine adventure tale, as Pelham Rutledge Shattuck, Shadak [...]
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The Three Musketeers – Alexandre DumasDownload The Three Musketeers
One stupid rookie farmboy with a nice sword, 3 veterans, evil religious types, wenches, enough beer and good swords means an outstanding good time, especially with the dry wit of Dumas.
Crazy swashbuckling superskilled heroes, an evil controlling supervillain, crazy henchmen, a black widow, stupidity, sarcasm, and anything [...]
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The Man In The Iron Mask – Alexandre DumasDownload the Man In The Iron Mask
At times my favorite Dumas. World weary cynicism, mixed with heroism. A band of aging heroes must right a terrible wrong, and deal with upcoming youth at the same time. They have been betrayed and pensioned off by those they have [...]
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