Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Stephen King contributes a haunting tale of Roland the Gunslinger titled "THE LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA".

Terry Pratchett takes us back to Discworld, as he tells the story of a magical contest run amok in "THE SEA AND LITTLE FISHES".

Terry Goodkind gives us the first piece of short fiction set in the world of "The Sword of Truth". Here, in "DEBT OF BONES", he tells the story of the origin of the Boundary between the worlds.

Orson Scott Card's "Alvin Maker" series is one of the most literate around. His story tells of Alvin's encounter with the "GRINNING MAN".

Ursula LeGuin earned universal acclaim for her Earthsea saga. "DRAGONFLY" is the story of a woman whose dream is to learn the magical arts.

Anne McCaffrey's novels set in the world of Pern combine fantasy and science-fiction elements to produce a unique and vibrant world. Her story is titled "RUNNER OF PERN"

Robert Silverberg is best known for his Majipoor series of novels. Here we return to the life of Lord Valentine, in an epic tale called "THE SEVENTH SHRINE"

George R.R. Martin set the fantasy world on fire with "A Game of Thrones", the first book of his epic saga "A Song of Ice and Fire". His contrbution to LEGENDS is "THE HEDGE KNIGHT: A TALE OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS".

Raymond E. Feist's novels set in the world of Riftwar and Serpentwar are some of the most popular around. His story tells of the revenge of "THE WOOD BOY".

Tad Williams is best known for his epic trilogy "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn". Here he returns to the world of Osten Ard, as he tells the tale of "THE BURNING MAN".

Robert Jordan's massive saga "The Wheel of Time", has taken fantasy to new heights. His story, "NEW SPRING", is a prequel to the epic series.

As if this weren't enough, LEGENDS features nearly 30 color/b&w illustrations, some never before published, plus a special introduction by Robert Silverberg.

LEGENDS is a huge volume, the stories long and complex. Anyone who enjoys fantasy, or great storytelling , can't afford to miss LEGENDS.

The first story, "The Little Sisters of Eluria" by King, was, if not as fantastic in concept and scope as the full Tower novels, still a solid look into the pre-Eddie-Detta-Jake-Oy quest. The end showcased some of King's poignant, prose-heavy (by King terms at least) talents as a writer.

The story by Silverberg, "The Seventh Shrine" was my introduction to Silverberg and, I believe, quite an impressive yarn. His style of writing reminded me of Walter Miller somewhat and that, if nothing else, shines in his favor. The story reads very much like a detective story that lacks that enlightening "oomph" at the end where all is revealed. This really isn't a bad thing, though, and I am looking forward to reading more of Silverberg's work

Orson Scott Card's tale of Alvin Maker was entertaining, but I really found myself annoyed by the characters' southern dialect. By the end, however, I was charmed by the simple folklore-like quality of the story, although if you want to read Card at his best you read "Ender's Game" and "Speaker for the Dead".

Feist's story, "The Wood Boy" was good, if somewhat rushed. I've heard good things about the Riftwar Saga, and I think this story was strong enough to persuade me to check the books out.

My favorite story, simply for sentiment's sake, is the Roland story, due to the fact that I am a big fan of King (and the Dark Tower series, particularly). I think the best-written story would certainly have the be the Silverberg tale. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a good short fantasy story, or, in my case, wanting a "sampler" to see what other unknown authors you might want to check out.