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books:


	• Legends II: Shadows, Gods, and Demons Del Rey, 2004 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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Contents:

Realm Of The Elderlings: Homecoming- Robin Hobb
Majipoor: The Book Of Changes- Robert Silverberg
Otherland: The Happiest Dead Boy In The World- Tad Williams
Pern: Beyond Between- Anne McCaffrey
The Riftwar: The Messenger- Raymond E. Feist
American Gods: The Monarch Of The Glen- Neil Gaiman

Love these authors' worlds? Get another peek here.

This series, edited by Robert Silverberg, invited authors of best-beloved SF/F books to write a novella set somewhere in their fictional universe.

How well each novella works for you depends on how well you know-and-love that universe; if you never read Silverberg's series set in Majipoor or if (as for me) that story was enjoyable but not OhWowOhWow, the novella set in that world may be only "okay." If you adored an author's world, however, this is another visit to a favorite country, and just one of these stories could be worth the price of the book.

For me, that was the first tale in the book: Robin Hobb's novella about how the Rain Wilds were settled, set long before the events of the Liveship Traders. This is not an extra bit of dialog scraped off the cutting room floor... it's a whole other examination of Hobb's marvelous world, adding new dimension, characters, history. And it's absolutely wonderful.

I also enjoyed another story from Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" universe -- in which Shadow finds he's made an uncomfortable bargain -- and Anne McCaffrey's examination of what happens when someone (in this case Moreta) is lost "between"... but they were four-stars to me, not five. On the other hand, if I was totally into those worlds, I could easily imagine giving them five-stars. It's that kind of collection.

I haven't made it through the other tales here, yet: one each from Majipoor by Robert Silverberg, from Otherland by Tad Williams, and from Riftwar by Raymond E. Feist. I'm not in a hurry to do so, since I either haven't read those series or it's so long ago that I no longer have the passion for 'em (Majipoor was good, but there are other old Silverberg stories I loved better; I'm aware that such an opinion is in the minority).

However, I'm also not afraid to tackle the novellas, either, since Silverberg writes excellent "Cliff's Notes" before each contribution, summarizing the books in each series; if your memory of Pern is dusty, Silverberg's intro will remind you of the details to bring it all back. And if you read only part of the series (as I did with Majipoor) it's kind of fun to get a sense of what happened after you wandered away.

I really enjoyed this set of novellas. If you're enthusiastic about even one of these worlds, it's worth the price.

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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.

From the Hardcover edition.

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