The Waters of Eternity (The Chronicles of Sword and Sand #1.5) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Jan 26, 2012 Joseph rated it really liked it

A collection of short stories about Dabir and Asim -- adventure fiction (scimitar and sorcery?) in medieval Arabia, with a hint of Sherlock Holmes flavor. (Several of the stories have a light element of mystery to them; they're narrated by Asim, who plays Watson to Dabir's Holmes.) Ifrits and ghuls and other Arabian Nights-influenced creatures make appearances from time to time. It's a brief collection, but very enjoyable; it also includes the first several chapters of The Desert of Souls, a ful ...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This ebook collects most of the Dabir and Asim short stories by Howard Andrew Jones. Being a fan of both sword & sorcery (a genre Jones has made a valiant effort through articles at Black Gate, etc., to revive) and the Arabian Nights, I picked up this volume so as to learn about the characters before moving onto his debut novel, The Desert of Souls.

Dabir and Asim make an interesting pair of sword & sorcery heroes, very different from the genre's other notable duos, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and This ebook collects most of the Dabir and Asim short stories by Howard Andrew Jones. Being a fan of both sword & sorcery (a genre Jones has made a valiant effort through articles at Black Gate, etc., to revive) and the Arabian Nights, I picked up this volume so as to learn about the characters before moving onto his debut novel, The Desert of Souls.

Dabir and Asim make an interesting pair of sword & sorcery heroes, very different from the genre's other notable duos, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Elric and Moonglum. Dabir is a wise scholar, while expert swordsman Asim acts as the brawn. They're a bit like Holmes and Watson in that respect. Trusted by the caliph, they're called upon by a variety of people in need. In the stories collected, the premise most often involves some supernatural mystery or a threat on an important figure's life.

True to the genre, the stories are fast-paced, with swashbuckling action and strange creatures. The mystery elements are interesting, but Dabir often reaches conclusions with very little evidence, or at least none that's shared with the reader. As a result, these "brilliant deductions" can seem a little contrived. They'd ring a bit more true if Jones took more time placing hints beforehand.

The Arabian Nights atmosphere is a bit low-key, but there's enough flavor to distinguish these stories from standard Western fantasy. It's interesting to note that both Dabir and Asim are good Muslims, so while they encounter a variety of sword & sorcery temptresses, dancing girls, and femme fatales, there's no Conan-style wrenching to be found.

The book concludes with a sizable excerpt from the first Dabir and Asim novel, The Desert of Souls. This seemed superfluous to me, however, as most people likely to pick this book up have either read the novel and want to read Dabir and Asim's previously-published adventures, or those like me, who want to read these stories before moving onto the novel. I'll be buying Desert of Souls, so I skipped this excerpt entirely.

I look forward to reading more about Dabir and Asim's exploits. While sword & sorcery lends itself well to shorter formats, novel-length might be a better match for Howard's style. Perhaps the extra room will give Howard more time to develop his mystery plots, as well as treat the reader to a bit more Arabian atmosphere. ...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Vincent Darlage rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I like short stories and I like these characters, and this collection really delivered the goods. The flavor of the Arabian Nights is present, and, well, these were just fun reads.

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Sep 23, 2014 Pierre Armel rated it it was amazing

An excellent collection of short stories. I even felt they were better than the first novel (The Desert of Souls): more punch, great ideas and twists. Strongly recommended.

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