[.ca] Hawk And Fisher Omnibus 01 Swords Of Haven (ISBN 0451457501)

Three Great Books in One:
The Swords of Haven is a collection of first three books of the Hawk & Fisher series: Hawk & Fisher, Winner Take All, and The God Killer. The first story, Hawk & Fisher, is an intriguing murder mystery. Hawk and Fisher, set to guard an important person during a party, have to find out who is killing off the guests one by one. In the second book, Hawk and Fisher are guarding the life of a political candidate, which isn't as easy as you'd first think. In the third story, Hawk and Fisher are assigned to the God Squad, the small group that keeps order on Haven's Street of the Gods. Someone is killing the gods and the other gods, understandably, are frightened. If someone doesn't do something, the gods might take matters into their own hands, and Haven might not survive a war amongst the gods. Hawk and Fisher are a husband and wife fighting team. They are notorious in Haven, and people on the wrong side of the law wisely steer clear of them. They have a penchant for violence, and the fight scenes are many in this book. But don't let the tough guy exterior fool you. Hawk and Fisher are also intelligent, witty in a dark, tongue in cheek way, and are handy at solving mysteries. I read Simon R. Green's book Blue Moon Rising before I read Sword of Haven, and while it is not necessary to do so, I'm glad I did. Swords of Haven is based in the same world, and there is some talk in book of when the Blue Moon rose. I would also recommend reading Swords of Haven and Guards of Haven before reading Beyond the Blue Moon.

Hawk & Fisher = Rupert & Julia...?:
Simon R. Green has been the longstanding favorite author of mine, period, and after reading Blue Moon Rising at least a dozen times, I fell equally in love with the entire Hawk & Fisher series. The way Green is able to keep me hooked to the turn of each page with his intriguing style of writing is incredible. I definitely recommend these books to anyone who enjoys personality, humor, intrigue & mystery mixed in with their sci-fi/fantasy world, instead of just the usual, mundane warrior clash stories. I believe that Hawk & Fisher HAVE to be Rupert & Julia (from Green's Blue Moon Rising). Hawk & Fisher claim that those aren't their real names, and Hawk has an eyepatch, and the fact that they admitted to being in the Long Night... there;s hints at this in each book. BUT the only thing that gets me is, they are present at the reading of the will of Duncan MacNeil, who was an older man at the time of his death. Duncan was the one in Down Among The Dead Men, who was also around during the Blue Moon..how could he have aged so much, but Rupert & Julia are still in their late 20s? That's the only catch... In any case, these books are INCREDIBLE. You won't be disappointed!

Haven's Worst Nightmare:
In the refuse pile known as the city of Haven, Hawk and Fisher are one feared couple. In fact, very few couples are feared more. Captains in Haven's overworked, underpaid guard force, the two of them fight crime in one of the city's worst beats - and crime generally loses when the two of them are involved. A rather painful loss. Unfortunately for the law-abiding citizens of Haven, were there any to be found, Hawk and Fisher are only one couple and can only be in one place at one time. Crime manages to thrive despite their best efforts and that's enough to turn anyone cynical - which is exactly what they are. Overworked, underpaid, cynical, armed with sharp pointy things, and the best at what they do. GUARDS OF HAVEN is actually a set of three mid-length stories, told in chronologial order and occurring one right after the other. With a 'mystery' flavor, the stories have a definitive fantasy setting. The guards have no qualms about morality; they try to do what's right but their methods have become a little more violent along the way. The same undertone runs throughout the book, which deals with the nitty-gritty city life. Morality's an option, not a way of life. For all that though, the book is funny and invigorating. Hawk and Fisher have enough quirks to make them realistic. The description is enough to give the necessary information but never so much as to slow the plot down. The flashes of the deeper relationship between Hawk and Fisher are enough to make the hopeless romantic in me celebrate but never too much to be called 'mush.' This is definitely a book worth a read. Just don't go to Haven to buy it.

Great!:
I'm so happy they put these three books into one book! I loved them the first time around and I love em now! Great job! I'm partway through Guards of Honor and can't wait to get to Blue Moon....

A surprisingly good read:
Like Steven Brust, another favorite author, Simon Green uses magic as a single facet of a rich and complex world. Characters, not magical descriptions, drive Green's story. His protagonists are tongue in cheek tough, with a dark sense of humor and a penchant for violence. Maybe they aren't the most developed charters ever written, but neither is Richard Stark's well-received "Parker" character (another fine anti-hero). Green's world is refreshingly unique, particularly the Street of the Gods, and yet the stories revolve around very real problems and issues. The book is a page-turner that I recommend.