The third and final novel in 'The Book of Swords' trilogy. More stories of the twelve Swords continue with The Lost Swords series. The gods, the creators of the twelve Swords, realize their error in giving powerful Swords to humans. The humans, both good and evil, are ready to fight to the death to acquire and retain the Swords. With the Swords, new ideas and new dreams have entered the world. A change is taking place that threats the gods' very existence.

Vulcan the god has a hard task to perform for his bored and restless colleagues — forge 12 magic Swords, quenched with human blood, and scatter them across the world. Each Sword possesses a different power. With them the gods will play a new, grand, and glorious Game. Mere humans foolishly striving for dominion, wealth and glory, are invited to risk their puny lives by joining in. (Later, the gods realize with horror that something has gone wrong in the forging, and with the Game. The Swords are much too powerful, controlling chance, enhancing fortune, changing destiny. And lethal even to their divine creators.) Jord the Smith, drafted to help Vulcan in his task, loses his right arm in the process (receiving the Sword Townsaver as pay). He is too weak to claim Mala, his bride-to-be, who joins a traditional fertility rite, where her partner might be the enigmatic Emperor, his face hidden by a leather mask. Nine months later, she gives birth to Mark. Thirteen years pass, then Townsaver wipes out a raiding party on orange-furred warbeasts, sent to Mark’s village. It falls to Mark to carry the blade away to hide or destroy it.

Twelve swords are created as the playing pieces in a whimsical game of the gods.

Saberhagen's original trilogy is now collected for the first time in one volume. The gods have given the world 12 Swords of Power so that they might be amused as the nations battle for their possession. But they didn't know that Vulcan gave the Swords the power to kill the gods themselves.

A new generation confronts the ages-old battle between magic and technology in this new chapter of Saberhagen's Empire of the East.

An epic collection of fantasy tales in the grand tradition, including a never-before-published A Song of Ice and Fire story by George R.R. Martin and an introduction by Gardner Dozois.

Mark and Ben travel deep into the Blue Temple's hidden horde in an attempt to recover whatever gold and Swords they can for the forces of Sir Andrew. Gods, demons and human traitors have other plans for the Swords and for the adventurers. In the game of the gods, no one’s survival is secure, even a god’s.