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Long ago, the gods forged Twelve Swords of Power and threw them on the gameboard of life for greedy mortals to scramble over. Too late, the gods learned that they had forged too well; the Swords could kill the gods themselves.

Now, ages later, the Swords are back in human hands, as powerful as ever. Vilkata the Dark King returns from exile seeking revenge on those who defeated him. His first goal is the vault in which is enemy Prince Mark has placed the remaining Swords; with these in hand, none can oppose his rule. Only one untested warrior stands in his way: fourteen-year-old Prince Stephen, with Shieldbreaker in hand.

User Reviews about The Last Book of Swords: Shieldbreaker's Story (Books of Lost Swords)

If I hadn't already read this book, I probobly wouldn't after reading all but one of these reviews...then again, that hasn't been all that unusual with the reviews I've seen on Amazon. Almost every review that I've bothered to write has been because I felt the need to counterbalance some very over-the-top reviews; this is definitely a case in point...

Some of the reviewers here claim to have enjoyed the rest of the series which almost made me stop myself from making this statement, but I'll take a chance and make it anyway: If you enjoyed the rest of the series, chances are good that you'll enjoy this book as much or more. The ending was not what I expected but in most of the books that I have enjoyed, the ending was somewhat of a surprise; frankly, I would have been disappointed if Fred HAD done the most obvious thing (whatever that is!).

Is it possible that he wanted to be done with the Swords? Certainly. If that was the reason, I really don't care. It is said that Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony was his way of dealing with his homosexual feelings; when I heard that I gave a little shudder and continued enjoying the music as much as I ever did. Whatever Fred's reason for ending the series the way he did doesn't change the fact that this is a fantastic book by any standard.

As a postscript I should point out that if Fred truly was sick of the world of the swords, explain the recent release of "Ardneh's Sword". This book was truly unnecessary to the series and the questions it answers could have been answered without going to the trouble of adding another 348 pages to the series. -- Surprised, not disappointed.

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. -- Heavens to Betsy!