Books like The Complete Book of Swords

A good friend had recommended this collection to me a year or so ago, but had also added at the time that he had mislaid his copy of it and wished he could read it again. Recently while searching for an ugly shirt to wear to a Hawaiian themed party I was fortunate enough to find a copy of this volume on sale for a dollar at a local thrift store. When I informed my friend of my good fortune I had to promise to lend it to him to re-read as soon as I was done with it. And now having completed the task of reading these stories I am glad to say that I can now understand his eagerness to return to this world. To truly begin this review I should point out that while the volume I read is title "The Complete book of Swords" it only actually compromises 3 books out of the dozen or so volumes which Saverhagen's website Berzerker.com lists as belonging to the Swords cycle: http://www.berserker.com/FredsSwords....So I take this to mean that I do have more to look forward to in this series down the road and that I should keep my eye out whenever I happen to be in a book browsing mood.This collection is split into three separate tales revolving, primarily, around a boy named Mark and his friend's Ben and Barbara and how their lives intertwine with the destines of 12 Magic Swords. The eponymous swords of the title are shown in the first chapter being forged by a god named Vulcan at the behest of a pantheon of other gods and goddesses who are drawn from the mythologies of varied cultures and nations. It shouldn't be too much of a spoiler to point out that although this story is in a fantasy setting it can be also categorized as science fiction as it is set approximately fifty thousand years in the future of our own world and there are hints that the magical property of the Swords is actually at least partially technological in origin and that the gods themselves may be a manifestation of the collective unconscious of humanity and therefore not truly immortals at all. Part of the fun of the stories comes from the Song of Swords given in the forward to the book. A series of 12 poems that describes the properties of the swords and acts as an introduction and a warning for those who would wish to wield the power granted by the blades. Each time a new Sword was mentioned, I found myself flipping back to the front of the book to re-read the poem and try to figure out exactly how each weapon would be used and what effects it would have on the progression of the story. The first book is a bit of a chase, wherein Mark is on the run with the sword named Townsaver after accidentally killing the cousin of a local ruler. The second book opens up the scope of the book further and a now twenty year old mark and his friend Ben become embroiled in a heist attempt against the Blue Temple, a religious order that worships wealth. This story will be a lot of fun for any Dungeons and Dragons aficionados who enjoy a good dungeon crawl.The third book picks up 4 or 5 years down the line as the great game of the gods who set these swords loose into the world begins to really heat up, and the armies of at least 4 different forces are marching to war to control the swords and the fate of the world.If you can find a copy of this or any of the other books in the series I recommend giving them a read.