A great introduction to the masters of fantasy.

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	• Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy Del Rey, 2003 - 656 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Going back for more

Both Legends I and II are must haves for any SF/Fantasy fan. I orginally purchased Legends I for Robert Jordan's and Tad William's short stories. I then promptly put it up on my shelf for a few years. I picked up Legends II for the Robin Hobb short. I then also filed it on my shelf. Somehow I have made it through tons of fantasy while dodging some of the most "advertised" names. I recently ran out of books to read. In my search for new authors, I scowered the net, and asked several friends for recommendations. One of my friends suggested I pick up Terry Pratchett, my net search said try George R.R. Martin... I had a fleeting thought that "hey they are popular, wonder if they are in Legends". Sure enough they are and then some. I pulled both Legends I and II off of my shelf and devoured several of the stories that I had previously ignored. It made a perfect way of deciding which authors I would like to read more of and which ones I could probably pass on. Both Legends I and II are treasures which should not be overlooked. I sincerly hope there is a Legends III.

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A great introduction to the masters of fantasy.

I originally bought this collection simply for G.R.R. Martin's story. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed all of the stories included. Robin Hobb, whom I have not previously read was especially good. And the Raymond E. Feist story of the messenger was great. Basically, this collection does a great job of introducing the reader to a wide and varied number of fantasy authors. I found it at Barnes & Noble in the bargin section. It was a great deal! Get it if you can find it!

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Not Free SF Reader

The second Legends anthology isn't as good as the first, and doesn't have the one outstanding piece like Martin's Hedge Knight in the first book, but there is still a handful of good stories.

Another look at Orlando Gardiner from Otherworld was appreciated, and Gabaldon and Haydon were new - one ok, one bad, it seems.

Legends II : Homecoming [Elderlings] - Robin Hobb
Legends II : The Sworn Sword [Song of Ice and Fire] - George R. R. Martin
Legends II : The Yazoo Queen [Alvin Maker] - Orson Scott Card
Legends II : Lord John and the Succubus [Outworlder] - Diana Gabaldon
Legends II : The Book of Changes [Majipoor] - Robert Silverberg
Legends II : The Happiest Dead Boy in the World [Otherland] - Tad Williams
Legends II : Beyond Between [Pern] - Anne McCaffrey
Legends II : The Messenger [Riftwar] - Raymond E. Feist
Legends II : Threshold [Symphony] - Elizabeth Haydon
Legends II : The Monarch of the Glen [American Gods] - Neil Gaiman
Legends II : Indomitable [Shannara] - Terry Brooks

Rain Wild changes.

3 out of 5

Short people got no reason to slap me just for being a hick knight.

3.5 out of 5

Bowie knifeless.

2.5 out of 5

Opium seduction strategy.

3.5 out of 5

Historical poetry captive inspiration.

4 out of 5

Network reproduction strategy.

4 out of 5

Transporter accident haunting.

4 out of 5

Freezing cold, both ways, and people trying to kill you still gets little respect.

4 out of 5

Rescue ship.

2 out of 5

Huldersave.

3 out of 5

Missing page problem.

3 out of 5

3 out of 5

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It's better than they think.

This is a phenomenal collection.

There has been a tendency among reviewers to compare this volume with the first in the series. The first "Legends" collection (Buy it if you don't have it!) showcased such amazing items as an original Gunslinger story (by Stephen King) and the fundamental prequel to "The Wheel of Time" (Robert Jordan). Let's face it: that's a tough act to top.

And yet, this volume holds its own and more. From the missing fragment of Shannara (Terry Brooks) to an original "American Gods" novella (Neil Gaiman) and even an Otherland epilogue (Tad Williams - one of the best in our time), "Legends II" has both a broader scope and a far more intense vision than the original. Any one of these novellas could carry the book alone.

Is "Legends II" better than the first "Legends"? Tough question. It's close. The only thing I can say for certain is that there needs to be a "Legends III". It's too good to stop with just two. (Besides, how else will we ever find out how Ser Duncan the Tall survives long enough to... But I don't want to spoil it for you. Read it yourself!)

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

Fantasy fans, rejoice! Seven years after writer and editor Robert Silverberg made publishing history with Legends, his acclaimed anthology of original short novels by some of the greatest writers in fantasy fiction, the long-awaited second volume is here. Legends II picks up where its illustrious predecessor left off. All of the bestselling writers represented in Legends II return to the special universe of the imagination that its author has made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing stand-alones?perfect introductions to the work of their authors?and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based. Beyond any doubt, Legends II is the fantasy event of the season.

ROBIN HOBB returns to the Realm of the Elderlings with ?Homecoming,? a powerful tale in which exiles sent to colonize the Cursed Shores find themselves sinking into an intoxicating but deadly dream . . . or is it a memory?
GEORGE R. R. MARTIN continues the adventures of Dunk, a young hedge knight, and his unusual squire, Egg, in ?The Sworn Sword,? set a generation before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire.
ORSON SCOTT CARD tells a tale of Alvin Maker and the mighty Mississippi, featuring a couple of ne?er-do-wells named Jim Bowie and Abe Lincoln, in ?The Yazoo Queen.?
DIANE GABALDON turns to an important character from her Outlander saga?Lord John Grey?in ?Lord John and the Succubus,? a supernatural thriller set in the early days of the Seven Years War.
ROBERT SILVERBERG spins an enthralling tale of Majipoor?s early history?and remote future?as seen through the eyes of a dilettantish poet who discovers an unexpected destiny in ?The Book of Changes.?
TAD WILLIAMS explores the strange afterlife of Orlando Gardiner, from his Otherland saga, in ?The Happiest Dead Boy in the World.?
ANNE McCAFFREY shines a light into the most mysterious and wondrous of all places on Pern in the heartwarming ?Beyond Between.?
RAYMOND E. FEIST turns from the great battles of the Riftwar to the story of one soldier, a young man about to embark on the ride of his life, in ?The Messenger.?
ELIZABETH HAYDON tells of the destruction of Serendair and the fate of its last defenders in ?Threshold,? set at the end of the Third Age of her Symphony of Ages series.
NEIL GAIMAN gives us a glimpse into what befalls the man called Shadow after the events of his Hugo Award?winning novel American Gods in ?The Monarch of the Glen.?
TERRY BROOKS adds an exciting epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara in ?Indomitable,? the tale of Jair Ohmsford?s desperate quest to complete the destruction of the evil Ildatch . . . armed only with the magic of illusion.

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