Acclaimed writer and editor Robert Silverberg gathered 11 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, and the results are wonderful. 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. The authors include King, Jordan, and Silverberg himself, as well as Terry and Lyn Pratchett, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, and Raymond E. Feist. This is not only a great book in and of itself, but it's also a perfect way for fantasy fans to find new novels and authors to add to their "to read" lists. --Craig E. Engler

Review
"There's enough color, vitality and bravura displays of mythmaking in this rich sampler to sate faithful fans and nurture new readers on the stuff of legends still being created."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An enjoyable sampler of the best high fantasy available today."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Best Anthology of the Year."—Rocky Mountain News

"A dream team . . . Legends is the rarest of the rare—an entire collection of original short novels by top fantasy writers . . . Here is a dab of each writer at the top, a worthy sampler that could yield a reader someone new to enjoy."—USA Today

"Orson Scott Card, Ursula Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, et al. It reads like a who's who of modern sf/fantasy writers. This anthology is a stellar compilation of new stories by 11 masters of the genre, with each tale set in a well-established and well-loved universe. Stephen King leads off with a grisly but compelling episode in the Dark Tower saga. Terry Pratchett's offering is an amusing incident in his Discworld series; editor Silverberg revisits the Majipoor of Lord Valentine; Tad Williams tells a haunting story that stems from his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy; and Raymond Feist spins a poignant tale of revenge within his Riftwar setting. Fans of Jordan's massive Wheel of Time saga will be especially interested to learn just how Lan and Moiraine first met and how their search for the baby who would become the Dragon Reborn began. Silverberg sets the scene with a fine introduction to fantasy in general and the contributors in particular; each of the novellas is preceded not only by an introductory note on the saga involved but also by a listing of all the books in the series to date. What is so noteworthy about this collection is the fact that all the selections are first rate and are well integrated into their universes, making the book a bonanza not only for avid fans who are familiar with the various series and want more but also for less well read fantasy readers, who will find each story herein a great introduction to a writer's world."—Sally Estes, Booklist

"A superb Baedeker to the fantasy worlds of 11 of the field's finest writers."—Dallas Morning News

"Perhaps Legends, an anthology of brand-new novellas by nearly a dozen of the more-famous modern writers in the field, will help secure long-overdue respect. All the writing is of the highest caliber; and each of the tales is compelling. To top it off, artists such as Michael Whelan, Keith Parkinson and Erik Wilson have contributed illustrations that become icing on the cake. Legends makes for a fine road map to the worlds of 11 masters of the genre and serves as a perfect milestone for future fantasy anthologists. Silverberg has put together an anthology of which he and his fellow writers can be justly proud."—Des Moines Daily Register


Review
"There's enough color, vitality and bravura displays of mythmaking in this rich sampler to sate faithful fans and nurture new readers on the stuff of legends still being created."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An enjoyable sampler of the best high fantasy available today."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Best Anthology of the Year."—Rocky Mountain News

"A dream team . . . Legends is the rarest of the rare—an entire collection of original short novels by top fantasy writers . . . Here is a dab of each writer at the top, a worthy sampler that could yield a reader someone new to enjoy."—USA Today

"Orson Scott Card, Ursula Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, et al. It reads like a who's who of modern sf/fantasy writers. This anthology is a stellar compilation of new stories by 11 masters of the genre, with each tale set in a well-established and well-loved universe. Stephen King leads off with a grisly but compelling episode in the Dark Tower saga. Terry Pratchett's offering is an amusing incident in his Discworld series; editor Silverberg revisits the Majipoor of Lord Valentine; Tad Williams tells a haunting story that stems from his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy; and Raymond Feist spins a poignant tale of revenge within his Riftwar setting. Fans of Jordan's massive Wheel of Time saga will be especially interested to learn just how Lan and Moiraine first met and how their search for the baby who would become the Dragon Reborn began. Silverberg sets the scene with a fine introduction to fantasy in general and the contributors in particular; each of the novellas is preceded not only by an introductory note on the saga involved but also by a listing of all the books in the series to date. What is so noteworthy about this collection is the fact that all the selections are first rate and are well integrated into their universes, making the book a bonanza not only for avid fans who are familiar with the various series and want more but also for less well read fantasy readers, who will find each story herein a great introduction to a writer's world."—Sally Estes, Booklist

"A superb Baedeker to the fantasy worlds of 11 of the field's finest writers."—Dallas Morning News

"Perhaps Legends, an anthology of brand-new novellas by nearly a dozen of the more-famous modern writers in the field, will help secure long-overdue respect. All the writing is of the highest caliber; and each of the tales is compelling. To top it off, artists such as Michael Whelan, Keith Parkinson and Erik Wilson have contributed illustrations that become icing on the cake. Legends makes for a fine road map to the worlds of 11 masters of the genre and serves as a perfect milestone for future fantasy anthologists. Silverberg has put together an anthology of which he and his fellow writers can be justly proud."—Des Moines Daily Register


Book Description
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. The authors include King, Jordan, and Silverberg himself, as well as Terry and Lyn Pratchett, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams, George R.R. Martin, Anne McCaffrey, and Raymond E. Feist.


From the Publisher
"A stellar compilation." --Booklist (starred review) "A dream team...Legends is the rarest of the rare--an entire collection of original short novels by top fantasy writers....Here is a dab of each writer at the top, a worthy sampler that could yield a reader someone new to enjoy." --USA Today "There's enough color, vitality and bravura displays of mythmaking in this rich sampler...to sate faithful fans and nurture new readers on the stuff of legends still being created." --Publishers Weekly(starred review) "I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was the best selling anthology of the year." --Science Fiction Chronicle "This is a collection of grace, style, and substance." --Statesman Journal

About the Author
Robert Silverberg has written more than 160 science fiction novels and nonfiction books. In his spare time he has edited over 60 anthologies. He began his writing career unsuccessfully at the age of 13, when he submitted stories to science fiction magazines and was rejected. He published his first story, entitled "Gorgon Planet," in 1954 while just a sophomore at Columbia University; but in 1956, he won his first Hugo Award, for Most Promising New Author, and he hasn't stopped writing since. Among his standouts: the bestselling Lord Valentine trilogy, set on the planet of Majipoor, and the timeless classics Dying Inside and A Time of Changes. Silverberg has won the prestigious Nebula Award an astonishing five times, and Hugo Awards on four separate occasions. He holds the additional honor of winning these honors in five decades, and he has been nominated for both awards more times that any other writer.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
August 1998

An immense anthology collecting 11 short novels -- each of which takes place in the author's respective well-known series -- from bestselling authors, Legends is a diverse mix of warriors, sorcerers, dragons, castles, and enigmatic towers full of secrets, doom, and consummate love. For anyone with an appetite for high-fantasy fiction, Legends will take you forward into familiar worlds of powerful magic as well as introduce you to new lands that will enthrall and lead you on to further mystical adventures. No matter what your taste, there is enough flavor here to satisfy any discriminating literary palate.

Stephen King's "The Little Sisters of Eluria" is a tale of Roland of Gilead that takes place before the first of King's four Dark Tower novels, the most recent of which was 1997's Wizard and Glass. This novella finds the Gunslinger entering the strange ruined town of Eluria. Roland has been chasing the Dark Man across the wastelands of his world for many years, often battling supernatural creatures and high-tech sentient weapons gone mad. Here in Eluria, no sooner does he find the corpse of a young man than he must again battle mutants, the "green folk" who attack anything human without reason or provocation. After being viciously assaulted, he awakens to find himself in a convent, being tended to by a bizarre sisterhood, who use unnatural insects as "doctors" to heal him. However, the purpose for which he's being healed is definitely unhealthy, and Roland must once more fight for his life and freedom. No matter how eerie or creepy the sceneshe creates, King always manages to lend a particularly playful quality to his craftsmanship.

In "Debt of Bones" we return to Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series and follow our heroine, Abby, as she petitions the First Wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, to save the captured people of her small village. Zorander is powerful enough that he can listen to dozens of appeals at once, holding multiple conversations about the battles going on with the evil Darken Rahl. Although he listens to her plea, Zorander must forego Abby's request in order to fight a more important conflict elsewhere. After she is turned away, Abby rages while the Mother Confessor tells her a story of Zorander's own heartbreaks and horrors during the war. Though she can understand how he must weigh the lives of the few against the many, still Abby possesses a bone of debt, handed down from her sorceress mother, which is supposed to hold Zorander to promises made long ago. Goodkind breathes fresh life into the wars of wizards, his enticing prose always focused on human foibles and tragedy rather than on the dynamic sorcery at hand.

Wandering an alternate earth in "The Grinning Man" is Orson Scott Card's Alvin the Maker, who meets the Grinning Man while roaming through Kenituck. The Grinning Man turns out to be none other than Davy Crockett, who has a magical knack for charming bears. He does little, though, to charm Alvin and Alvin's ward, Arthur Stuart, when he spreads lies to his neighbors that the pair are burglars. While in town, Alvin and Arthur have a run-in with a cheating miller, who first hires them in an effort to take advantage of their good natures but soon learns that he is being taught a lesson in honesty. Alvin also manages to get even with the Grinning Man by trading a bit of Crockett's "heartfire" with that of a bear. Card continues his exemplary fusion of American magic, folklore, and history, and manages to creates a dialect and language reminiscent of Manly Wade Wellman's cherished Silver John character.

"Dragonfly," set in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea world, is a highly gratifying return to one of the most famous and adored series ever created. The young lady Dragonfly, whose true name is Iria, wishes only to leave her bitter, brutish father. When a youthful mage comes to town, she welcomes his tales of the Wizard Isle of Roke, and together they form a scheme that will allow Dragonfly to enter the school of wizards, even though women are strictly forbidden there. Upon arrival at the school, though, Dragonfly cannot lie to the masters, and the great wizards themselves find that they need her more than they ever believed. The author does well to introduce us to a new protagonist even while exploring her well-known setting of the Isle of Roke even further. In recent years, Le Guin has visited her Earthsea series too infrequently, and any return is one that should be met with great anticipation and delight.

Tad Williams's "The Burning Man," set in his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, entices the reader into a marvelously readable and engaging eerie story. The tale centers on Beva, the stepdaughter of Lord Sulis, a stony but not cruel exiled lord known as the Heron King, who comes to the Lake People of Erkynland in order to rebuild the ruins of Hayholt Keep. Hayholt is known for its haunted passageways and vast, ancient secrets. As Beva grows to adolescence and falls in love with the young soldier Tellarin, she sees her stepfather growing more and more infatuated with certain unspoken questions, until finally he imprisons a witch in order to have her help him contact the spirits of the keep. This wonderfully lyrical, intoxicating, but earthy piece is written in Williams's always haunting, beautiful narrative voice, and will draw the reader into mysteries that one cannot help but find as consuming as Lord Sulis does.

Revisiting his Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan brings us "New Spring," a novella set before the first book of the series, The Eye of the World. Here a young warrior king, Lan, returns to his lands after a distant war only to discover that his first love may be seeking his death. Also involved are the Aes Sedai, women capable of using the One Power, which spins the Wheel of Time and drives the universe. Moriane appears to be an Aes Sedai, but one with her own particular agenda, which may go against all of her sisterhood. Jordan is immensely capable of creating a plot full of secret affairs and adventure, with an underpinning of political intrigue and further assassination attempts. "New Spring" is a sword-wielding romp but with much deeper and complex issues at its core, especially where the war between the sexes is concerned.

Besides these fabulous, affecting works of high fantasy, Legends also offers top-notch novellas from other beloved series, including Robert Silverberg's Majipoor series, Terry Pratchett's deliciously humorous Discworld tales, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, Raymond E. Feist's The Riftwar Saga, and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Legends comes highly recommended.

--Tom Piccirilli

Tom Piccirilli is the author of the critically acclaimed supernatural novel Pentacle, as well as the dark suspense mysteries Shards and The Dead Past. His short fiction has appeared in many anthologies, including The Conspiracy Filesand Hot Blood: Fear the Fever.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Here they are, the writers and the worlds that have satisfied millions of avid readers. Each of them returns to their compelling special places to tell a new story that enriches and illuminates their most famous creations. Many of the stories take place at an earlier moment in the history of their worlds and cast new light on the famous epics.

SYNOPSIS

Robert Silverberg, one of the field's most distinguished editors and authors, has put together an incredible anthology that no fantasy fanatic will be able to live without. Legends includes new, never-before-published works by Stephen King, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist, Terry Pratchett, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams, and George R. R. Martin. Each story is set in its author's distinctive, unforgettable world.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Ann Welton

In this anthology, eleven deservedly well-known fantasy authors contribute novellas set in worlds created in previous books. Many stories are set earlier in a world's history, casting light on the epics they precede, while others fit into the patterns of previous books but are auxiliary to the main action. All of the stories can stand alone and be read by those unfamiliar with the main works.

The only truly weak offering in the book is Anne McCaffrey's Runner of Pern, no more than a pallid girl-meets-boy story that scarcely does justice to her fine Pern series. Especially noteworthy are Robert Silverberg's The Seventh Shrine, a riveting murder mystery with more than a hint of Conan Doyle; and George R. R. Martin's The Hedge Knight, a thoroughly satisfying tale of chivalry, education, and loss. Tad Williams offers insight into the human resettlement of Asu'a, the Hayholt, in The Burning Man, an affecting story told in the voice of an old woman. Ursula LeGuin continues her attempt to reframe Earthsea to include female power equal to the male hold of the wizards in Dragonfly. Distressing as this reworking of a world that was complete and true in itself can be, LeGuin's writing style remains as finely etched and compelling as ever.

The real gem of the collection is Terry Pratchett's The Sea and Little Fishes, in which a feud between a few really terrible old ladies is as engaging and recognizable as it is humorous. This is an altogether impressive volume, completely approachable despite its daunting length. The illustrations and maps included throughout are certainly a lovely bonus, but quite unnecessary in a volume that sells itself by the fifth page and holds to its early promise all the way through.

VOYA Codes: 5Q 3P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being better written, Will appeal with pushing, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).

KLIATT

These 11 stories, all new, by well-known authors, take place in well-established fantasy worlds. If the reader is not perfectly familiar with those worlds, it doesn't matter, really, because Silverberg introduces them so well. In addition to the six-page introduction that gives us a little background on fantasy in general, he makes us familiar with each story's world. In a page or two of masterful narration he starts us on the journeys knowing as much about our surroundings as the hero or heroine does. The stories themselves range from light fantasy to ultimate horror. Terry Pratchett is a master of the former. His story, "The Sea and Little Fishes," involves witches familiar to readers of his Discworld stories, and is laugh-out-loud funny. The rivalry between Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg takes a hilarious turn when Granny Weatherwax decides that she's tired of being mean. Why can't she read to children, or visit the sick? We must accept the fact that there are reasons why everyone is much better off if she doesn't. Stephen King is a master of horror, of course. His story, "The Little Sisters of Eluria," is truly nightmare inducing. It is, unfortunately, the first story in the book, and might be enough to keep a slightly squeamish reader from turning the page to begin the second story. Which would be too bad, because the other stories are without exception readable and enjoyable. Unfortunately, they're also long￯﾿ﾽnovellas, really, not short stories. It might have been easier on younger readers to have two, or even three, volumes. But fans of the individual authors won't care, and fans of the fantasy genre will be enchanted, just as they were meant to be. KLIATT Codes:SA￯﾿ﾽRecommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1998, Tor, 718p. illus., Silverman

Kirkus Reviews

Eleven new 'short novels' set in (mostly) famous multi-volume fantasy worlds that need little or no introduction. Stephen King offers a tale of the Dark Tower featuring Roland the Gunslinger. Terry Pratchett's Granny Weatherwax, as amusing as ever, materializes from Discworld. Terry Goodkind dusts off the Sword of Truth. Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker puts in an appearance, as does editor Silverberg's Lord Valentine of Majipoor. Ursula K. LeGuin, concise and elegant as always, revisits Earthsea; Tad Williams delves into Memory, Sorrow and Thorn; Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Fern fly again; Raymond E. Feist expands on his Riftwar Saga; and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time rolls on. The odd one out would is George R. R. Martin, whose Song of Ice and Fire thus far boasts but a single entry.

Will readers relish a volume of such utterly disparate yarns? Well, fantasy fans like what they like, and will read anything regardless of normal, rational considerations. Neither does Silverberg's introduction shed any light on the modern predilection for grossly distended, interminable, pseudo-medieval sagas. So the answer is: probably yes.