The Last Book of Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story

Don't read the other reviews of this book and walk away thinking that this series is not worth checking out. I wept when this book ended, but mainly because it ended and I read it long after it was published and thus knew that no other books in the series would be forthcoming. I was a bit disappointed that Saberhagen felt the need to destroy all the swords at the end of the book. I guess he was getting tired of the setting and wanted to slam, not shut the door. I wish that he had left Coinspinner around at the least..... Ah, but life is filled with tragedy..... If you enjoy fantasy, you simply MUST read this book. The world is incredibly detailed and it really is a crime that there never was a role playing game developed based on the novels. I won't go as far as to say that these books are better than the LOTR, but they are comparable. That statement, in it self speaks volumes.

I have read all of the series and I thought this was definately one of the best ones. I hated to see it end. My favorites though are the first 3 in the series. But this one was good and it had a surprise ending with some sci-fi thrown in. Fred Saberhagen is one of the all-time best in this genre, do yourself a favor and read his books.

the only problem i had with the book is the bizarre location towards the end(others who have read it will know what im talking about, but i dont want to ruin it for people who havn't read it).but other than that it was my favorite of the books of lost swords.

The last book of lost Swords was a revealing conclusion to a story that left us hanging with many enigmas concerning a world more ancient than the one that the stories are set in. As interesting as it is to find the answers to all of these questions, it seems that Saberhagen does not do his usual excellent job of building suspense. Maybe the problem is that this book follows a pattern which is much to similar to the patterns followed by the other swords books. I still have to give Saberhagen credit, however, for remaining relatively original through eight stories. All in all I was sorry it was over when I put down this book, and I was wishing for more, that is why I will go to a four star rating for this book.