Swordspoint

“Swordspoint begins with a single drop of blood on a field of new-fallen snow, an image that burned itself forever into my mind the first time I encountered it. I can close my eyes and see it still. It’s a terrific opening, and unforgettable opening… and the book just gets better from there.”—George R.R. Martin

On the treacherous streets of Riverside, a man lives and dies by the sword. Even the nobles on the Hill turn to duels to settle their disputes. Within this elite, dangerous world, Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master, as skilled as he is ruthless–until a death by the sword is met with outrage instead of awe, and the city discovers that the line between hero and villain can be altered in the blink of an eye.

“A now-classic novel. It’s an imaginary world, but the characters are real people [in] a Vanity Fair of aristocrats, rogues, orphans, and heroes… Ellen Kushner casts her sharp eye over them all, but with great affection and lavish detail.”— Neil Gaiman