Rating: 
Summary: Great Value
Review: Thsi book was awesome. I originally bought it for Terry Gooskind and Robert Jordan but found a whole new plethora of great series. The only one I didn't enjoy was the hedge knight. This is a great book for any fantasy fan.
Rating: 
Summary: A pleasant surprise for this "Anti-Fantasy" reader
Review: First things first- I don't read this type of book. Ever. As a die-hard Stephen King fan, I bought the book for the new "Dark Tower" story. That said, I must admit- his story, "The Little Sisters of Eluria", was one of the lesser stories in this wonderful book. First off, this is a BEAUTIFUL book, with great illustrations, helpful maps, and story-so-far recaps for the uninitiated (Like ME! ). Storywise, the only dud in the bunch (11 stories in all) is the last one- "New Spring", a "Wheel of Time" story by Robert Jordan- this story was virtually incomprehensible and impenetrable to me, and represented all of the reasons why I don't like fantasy books. On the plus side are "The Hedge Knight", which had me on the edge of my seat, and "Runner of Pern", one of the most lyrically beautiful stories I've ever read. Will I follow these authors back to their respective fantasy worlds? Probably not...but it was nice to visit them for a while. OH YEAH! The Dark Tower story was nice, too.....
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Collection of Fantasy Fiction
Review: This is it! A collection of 11 short novels, written by the greatest fantasy writers alive, and all of the stories take place in their respective authors' most famous fictional worlds. 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful introduction to fanstasy authors; uneven quality
Review: Legends is a collection of short stories written by established authors of modern fantasy writing in their own "worlds." This book is an excellent introduction to the writing style and talent of each of these writers. "The Little Sisters of Eluria" by Stephen King fleshes out who and what the "Little Sisters" from King's Dark Tower series are; if you are not a Dark Tower fan, neither this story nor its characters will mean much to you. "Runner of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey is certainly the weakest link in this book--unless the reader is looking for a light (very light) romance in a fantasy setting. Characterization is weak and plot is nearly non-existent. Although die-hard fans of the Pern series may not care. Also uninspired is Robert Jordan's entry "New Spring," which is a prequal to his Wheel of Time series. Like the Wheel books, the writing is tired and the plot plodding. The strongest entry is The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin. It is a stand-alone story set in the world of Song of Ice and Fire. Following the death of his mentor, Dunk, 17 finds himself knighted (a "Hedge Knight"--a knight unattached to a lord who sleeps among the hedges) and alone. He travels to the city to join a contest for Hedge Knights and make a name for himself. He is joined by 9-year-old Egg, a boy who insists on squiring for him. Dunk soon finds himself involved over his head with royalty, and about to lose his life. The writing is sharp and witty and the characters are compelling. A close second is "The Burning Man" by Tad Williams, the story of certain pivotal events in a young woman's life--her first love and her stepfather's obsessive quest for the answer to a question that haunts him and nearly drives him to madness. Other entries are by Terry Pratchett, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, Ursula LeGuin, Tad Williams, and Raymond E. Feist. With few exceptions, the stories are will written and entertaining, representing the wide variety of voices, styles, and themes in modern fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Legends are not born, they are written.
Review: Robert Silverberg's idea to collect short stories and novellas from some of this era's most notable and talented Fantasy authors is pure cream-filled joy for fans of the Genre. Despite having read the pertinent series by Stephen King, Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, Terry Goodkind, and Orson Scott Card, this book opened up new worlds to explore and new chapters in some of my favorite series. My favorites were the ones by King, Williams, Silverberg, Feist, and McCaffrey. I have lost all interest in Terry Goodkind mostly because I find his characters to be wooden and uninteresting, and this story was no more compelling than the last book of his that I read. Goodkind also has a penchant for the "gotcha" ending, something that is frustrating to any reader who struggles to find logical connections between events and character motivation. The best of this book, however, is The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin. I had never heard of Martin when I picked up Legends, and the first thing I did after finishing The Hedge Knight was to go pick up his novel "A Game of Thrones." Thanks to this book, I am now a fan of what may be the best epic fantasy series ever written, and yes, that includes Tolkien, Goodkind, and Jordan. The Hedge Knight is a simple tale of a young man recently knighted trying to make a name for himself in a tournament. The plain and honest style of Martin's prose hooks you in, and suddenly you care very deeply about this hedge knight, Dunk, and what is to become of him as he runs afoul of a vain and dangerous prince. Set approximately 100 years prior to the events that begin in "A Game of Thrones," this tale is a wonderful introduction to Martin's Westeros and the rich mythology and history he has built into it. I was also intrigued by Feist's The Wood Boy, a tale that, for all it's positioning and setting as a chapter in a tale of strange alien invaders, is about nothing more complex than human nature and the compulsions that make us what we are as a species. Silverberg's Majipoor is also a very intriguing world, and I will be investigating it in the future. Terry Pratchett's entry is also a key one, showing that not all fantasy need to be deadly serious or take itself very seriously at all. Pratchett almost recalls Douglas Adams' contributions to Science Fiction. I think most Fantasy fans will be very happy with this book, largely becuase it is not a one-trick pony. There's something in here for every fan of the genre. Are you into fantastic worlds of extremes and mythology? Try Majipoor. Do you like to read tales that chill you and freeze your blood? The little sisters of Eluria are your ticket. Curious about an America that might have been? Orson Scott Card is yor man. Into knights and jousting, intrigue and politics? Martin and Jordan are for you. You can hardly go wrong buying this book, because if even one of the stories catches your interest, there's a new author for you to love. Thank you, Robert Silverberg.
Rating:
Summary: Be careful, the revs & book info for all 3 vols are mixed up
Review: I purchased this book looking for the stories by King and McCaffrey, only to find out that they are in a different volume. The reviews and book info are the same for all three volumes, so I suppose this review will also be listed on all three. Anyway, this is a review for LEGENDS 3! There are four stories in Legends 3: New Spring, by Robert Jordan, a Wheel of Time story. Dragonfly, by Ursula K. Le Guin, an Earthsea story. The Burning Man, by Tad Williams, a Memory, Sorrow and Thorn story. The Sea and Little Fishes, by Terry Pratchett, a Discworld story. This is a case where they saved the best for last :) Each story gets progressively better. I thought I would go ahead and read this book rather than return it since I am always on the lookout for new (to me) fantasy writers. After all the hype about Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I must say I was sorely dissappointed. The story was fairly interesting, and maybe the books are better than this short story, but I can't say I'm in much of a hurry to buy them now. However, I think maybe my daughter might like the children's versions. Dragonfly was better, and the ending was the best part of all. If this was the beginning of the series, I'd be much more likely to want to buy the books, but from what I can figure out, this happens at the end of the series. Will we ever find out what happens next? I kinda doubt it. There hasn't been a new book in this series for a long time. But, I might eventually check this series out. The Burning Man was pretty cool. It seemed to kinda stand alone though. Can't really imagine what the series is like. The Sea and Little Fishes was the coolest. The whole Discworld thing, the world being flat and flying thru space on the backs of four elephants riding on a giant turtle was a little weird, but that hardly had anything at all to do with the story. It was about witches, not so much about magic as how they interacted with one another and with the mortals all around them. I think I'd like to read more of these. I hope you find this helpful and don't make the same mistake that I did, thinking all of these stories are in one book, because they are actually in three. If you did find it helpful, please vote that you did. Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: THIS is what we've all been missing!
Review: There are many of us who have never read Jordan's "Wheel of Time", who indeed are overawed by the vast mass of his epic work. Herein lies the answer: "New Spring", a single story that can serve as an introduction to the whole of Jordan's world. It is marvelously entertaining in its own right; as well, it contains glimpses of the past and future that no Jordan aficionado should miss.
Within this volume, one can find not one, but eleven novellas by the finest talespinners of our age. Each represents an essential element of one of the world's greatest fantasy series. Were Tolkein alive today, doubtless a tale of Middle-Earth would grace these pages... but surrounded by this awesome store of treasures, his absence can be but scarcely noted.
I have no doubt that this is the finest fantasy anthology yet seen by my generation. Neither the collector nor the serious reader should permit it to pass by.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing short story
Review: I would have to say Robert Jordan's submission to Legends is perhaps his best work. This was a short story, about 80 pages. It was almost a completely new writing style. Gone were his repetitive descriptions and explanations. For this story, Jordan assumes the Reader has read the series and creates a much more fast paced and interesting plot. It is also a change to able to finish one of his stories in one day. All of the information remains fresh, I never struggled to remember why something was happening. Additionally the plot was well constructed. Reading about Moraine and Lan while they were younger was quite interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Robert Jordan's writing.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Prequel chapter
Review: If you are craving a new story in the Wheel of Time, try this one. It is a great look into the past of Moiraine and Lan. It is something that was hinted at in the main novels, but it certain expands on the readers knowledge of their relationship. Lan for much of the series is stone cold and he is hard to relate to, much like Rand 7-10. Lan is much like the boy Rand used to be, except a warrior. It has to be read after 4 or 5, or it won't be as thoroughly enjoyed (thats for newbies). The great thing is Robert Jordan expressed an interest to do another such novella if the opportunity arose. Little stories can be found in "The World of Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time" til the next book comes out.
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