Rating: 
Summary: Sharp and stunning
Review: This book was recommended to me by several people. I finished reading it yesterday and immediately sent it off to a friend to read. Kushner is able to make you root for some pretty unpleasant characters and not feel badly doing so. The plot is intricate and multi-layered, and she lets the reader figure things out without explaining every last detail. Although the ending did not come as a surprise to me, I enjoyed this book from start to finish
Rating: 
Summary: Veinglory
Review: This is a lush, swashbuckling adventure in the pretty and angsty tones you might expect from a hybrid of Jack Vance and Mercedes Lackey. It centres on a sell-sword and his lover a melancholic scholar with a secret in his past... This has been my favourite book for over ten years.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious and enticing
Review: This is a story without heroes. That said...the characters are exquisitely drawn. The romance between Alec and Richard is surprisingly sweet, especially since Alec is entertained by shows of blood and Richard is basically amoral. The wit is tart, sharp and stinging. The prose is, in a word, beautiful. This is a writer who can seduce with her prose. Anyway, just read it...it's a thoroughly rewarding experience.
Rating:
Summary: Swordspoint
Review: This is a well-written, original historical fantasy set in a bisexual, amoral, apparently totally irreligious, strangely kingless, magic-free Renaissance Europe-like world. I enjoyed it a great deal. Kushner uses language well and professionally, with very few infelicitous phrases and several lovely images. I have mixed feelings about the setting. It's very strong, very detailed, and I like the idea of a "Renaissance Europe" which tolerates same-sex affairs -- which the author presents attractively and in a believable manner, though in keeping with the time period, women seem to have less freedom than men. At the same time, examined closely, there are some logical weaknesses. Why does this society have no monarch? It has an essentially post-feudal structure, and there are dukes and other nobles -- and you can't have dukes without kings to make them so. It was also a little hard to believe that any meaningful number of men would be willing to be swordsmen, given that many of the challenges seem to be to the death. Still, the setting has that "REAL" feeling, and that's what counts. The characters are reasonably appealing and anything but tritely heroic -- the talented swordsman Richard, who we know will probably die by the sword himself in a matter of a few years; the disturbed young nobleman Alec; the appealingly scheming Ferris; the snotty, shallow Michael, who begins to learn his lesson as the story goes on. I found dialogue to be a definite strength here, except for occasional exchanges between the lovers Richard and Alec which came across as anachronistically "femme". The plot drags very slightly at times, but overall is an exciting one with plenty, as one would expect, of sword-fighting. The real story here, though, is one of political maneuvering, and it's well done, with a satisfying conclusion. I would recommend Swordspoint to people who enjoy well-written historical fantasy and romantic, but not "romance", novels.
Rating:
Summary: Exellent!
Review: This is one of the best books I ever read. It's da bomb!
Rating:
Summary: Dark, elegant, understated, riveting--an absolute joy
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read, in any genre. The characters are unusual and unforgettable, the plot interesting and intricate, and the writing elegant and beautiful. Kushner makes her two main characters appealing and sympathetic, without compromising their fundamental ruthlessness and violence. She portrays deep, unconditional love without sentimentality or mawkishness. This is in many ways a dark, disturbing book, and it did raise unsettling questions in my mind about the nature of reality, the morality of violence, and people's ability to change, among other topics to ponder. Yet it is a joy to read; the sex and violence are not explicit; and I throoughly enjoy thinking about the book, rereading bits as I try to make sense of the novel's themes. This is a book I will read over and over, and never forget. Writers, this is how it should be done!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story
Review: This is one of the best books I have read. Kushner has managed to build up an interesting world with charachters full of life and with own wishes of how to live their lives. I only hope she would write more books.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read
Review: This is the best fantasy book I have ever read. Ellen Kushner is a genius, and her writing is witty, engaging, and fascinating. Her characters draw you in and make you care about them, and her plot twists and turns until it finally comes to a startling and well-executed climax. Cheers, Ms. Kushner! ^_^
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining fluff
Review: This isn't a very good book. But many things, i suppose, can be forgiven as long as they are interesting. Swordspoint is an nearly-dreadful story about young, attractive, wealthy, well-dressed, horrible people scheming, conniving, blackmailing and intriguing; all the while giving fabulous parties and drinking hot coacoa. yeek. well, almost. at first i wasn't quite sure i was supposed to be rooting for anybody -- every character seemed incredibly unpleasant. but i eventually grew attached to a few of them, and i imagine that's what made this read worthwhile -- it certainly wasn't the writing! awful, misplaced, hackneyed metaphors abound. and the sex scenes.. don't get me started. it's like reading a really bad romance novel. overall, though, it was pleasant enough. if you're interested in reading a *good* fantasy/sf novel dealing with intrigue and politics, though, i'd reccommend something by Valerie Freireich in her "Polite Harmony of Worlds" universe.
Rating: 
Summary: Third time is the charm
Review: Well, I have written two reviews on this book and none were posted. So for this one I will just point out quickly that this is an awful book. Not a fantasy book at all, more like a Harliquin romance book with boring action and bland characters.
Oh and all the men in the story bat for both teams, graphically to I might add. If that's not your type of book, don't get this one. I returned my copy for the first time ever.
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