Swashbuckling /anti/hero

[Siegbald]

Ok I just randomly came over a game trailer which is EXACTLY what I'm looking for-in form of books...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3AxNkEVp6I

The "hero" instead of chosing to save the world, chooses the path of "coins and cleavage", hot maidens, tavern drinking, sarcastic protagonist and narrator-these are the kind of books I'm searching for

[Siegbald]

Originally Posted by hildea

In some of these, the swashbuckler gets the gentlemen instead, but they are all swashbucking and heroic and/or antiheroic. I loved Lies of Locke Lamora, will keep an eye out for the other recommendations here.

Steven Brust: "Jhereg" and the rest of the series (about a mafia boss in a fantasy world. Favourite quote (from memory): "No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between his shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.")
Also his "Phoenix guards" and "Five hundred years after", it's Three musketeers set in the same world.
(This world has quite a lot of magic, the rest are closer to our world.)

Megan Whalen Turner: "The Thief" and the rest of the series. The first one is the least flashy, but all are very, very good. Fantasy/alternate history in a ancient Greece-like culture, but ~renaissance tech.

Zen Cho: "Sorcerer to the Crown".
"Prunella had once thought life in London would be all flirting and balls and dresses, hitting attentive suitors on the shoulder with a fan, and breakfasting late upon bowls of chocolate. She sighed now for her naïveté. Little had she known life in London was in fact all hexes and murder and thaumaturgical politics, and she would always be rising early for some reason or other!"

Ellen Kushner: "Swordspoint" and "The Priviledge of the Sword".
"Let the fairy tale begin on a winter’s morning, then, with one drop of blood new-fallen on the ivory snow: a drop as bright as a clear-cut ruby, red as the single spot of claret on the lace cuff. And it therefore follows that evil lurks behind each broken window, scheming malice and enchantment; while behind the latched shutters the good are sleeping their just sleeps at this early hour in Riverside."

Madeleine E.Robins: "Point of Honour" and the rest of the series.
"It is a truth universially acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must, soon or late, decend to whoredom."
(Our protagonist, who became a fallen woman by running away with her brother's fencing master, has instead descended to becoming a private eye/duelist for hire.)

Vlad Taltos seems very interestign to me-so as Phoenix Guards. I will look after them, thanks!

[drofgnal]

As far as swashbuckling anti-hero, my favorite is Kidnapped and the David Balfour by Robert Louis Stevenson featuring Alan Breck Stewart.

[Siegbald]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

As far as swashbuckling anti-hero, my favorite is Kidnapped and the David Balfour by Robert Louis Stevenson featuring Alan Breck Stewart.

Kidnapped was recommended to me several times, I will definately include it-as a summer reading, I love reading about pirates/ships during summer

[crossi]

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.

But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.

Like a king.

The Legend of Eli Monpress includes the novels: The Spirit Thief, The Sprit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Siegbald

Kidnapped was recommended to me several times, I will definately include it-as a summer reading, I love reading about pirates/ships during summer

If you like pirates, give Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood a try.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by issybird

If you like pirates, give Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood A try.

I'll certainly second that.

[Siegbald]

Originally Posted by crossi

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.

But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.

Like a king.

The Legend of Eli Monpress includes the novels: The Spirit Thief, The Sprit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater.

Sounds interesting.
Is it light-humorous, or more dark?

[crossi]

It starts our pretty light but gets some darker towards the third novel. The magic system is certainly unique.

[Dr. Drib]

For the lover of literature and fantasy (and the intelligent human), I give you - with no fee attached - that most enduring (yet neglected by the ignorant), one and only

SILVERLOCK

by

John Myers Myers

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

For the lover of literature and fantasy (and the intelligent human), I give you - with no fee attached - that most enduring (yet neglected by the ignorant), one and only

SILVERLOCK

by

John Myers Myers

A classic. Identifying the literary reference in that book is a fun game.

[Pulpmeister]

Here's a mouldy oldie:

The Curse of Capistrano (1919), aka The Mark of Zorro. By Johnston McCulley.

Filmed something like 40 times, at least 3 TV series, not to mention numerous sequels by McCulley after the 1920 silent flick starring Douglas Fairbanks was a huge hit. Set in California when it was still part of Mexico, (between 1821 and 1846), a lot of of swordfighting, including the famous Z-slash.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

Here's a mouldy oldie:

The Curse of Capistrano (1919), aka The Mark of Zorro. By Johnston McCulley.

Filmed something like 40 times, at least 3 TV series, not to mention numerous sequels by McCulley after the 1920 silent flick starring Douglas Fairbanks was a huge hit. Set in California when it was still part of Mexico, (between 1821 and 1846), a lot of of swordfighting, including the famous Z-slash.

Here are a page full of curses:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...istrano+kindle

[Siegbald]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

For the lover of literature and fantasy (and the intelligent human), I give you - with no fee attached - that most enduring (yet neglected by the ignorant), one and only

SILVERLOCK

by

John Myers Myers

I can't find a usable review on Goodreads (side note: I just hate that almost all the reviews on GR are about personal blabla for pages, but nothing said about the BOOK, the plot, the character itself).

What should I know about the protagonist(s)? Is he sarcastic/humorous/ladies man/etc?

Thanks,

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Siegbald

I can't find a usable review on Goodreads (side note: I just hate that almost all the reviews on GR are about personal blabla for pages, but nothing said about the BOOK, the plot, the character itself).

What should I know about the protagonist(s)? Is he sarcastic/humorous/ladies man/etc?

Thanks,

He's very sarcastic and thinks the world revolves around him. It's great fun.

You may also wish to check out some James Branch Cabell, of which 'Silverlock' shares somewhat in tone.