Legends 2

Cover art for Legends 2 by Geoff Taylor - the UK hardcover and trade paperback editions

Legends 2 is an anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. It contains a short story by Robin Hobb titled Homecoming which tells how the Rain Wild Traders originally settled in their area. The anthology placed second in the 2004 Locus Poll Award for Best Anthology category.

Legends 2 was first published in 2003. In addition to Homecoming, it contains 10 other stories that are original to the collection and set in the authors' established worlds:

  • The Sworn Sword by George R R Martin
  • The Yazoo Queen by Orson Scott Card
  • Lord John and the Succubus by Diane Galbadon
  • The Book of Changes by Robert Silverberg
  • The Happiest Dead Boy in the World by Tad Williams
  • Beyond Between by Anne McCaffrey
  • The Messenger by Raymond E Feist
  • Threshold by Elizabeth Haydon
  • The Monarch of the Glen by Neil Gaiman
  • Indomitable by Terry Brooks.

Editions

  • A hardcover edition published by Voyager on September 1, 2003 in the UK with ISBN 0007154348, original price £18.99
  • A trade paperback edition was published by Voyager on February 2, 2004 in the UK with ISBN 0007154356, original price £12.99, in Australia $29.95. Cover is the same grey-blue with the dragon as in the original UK hardback.
  • A paperback edition was published by Voyager on July 26, 2004 in the UK with ISBN 0007154364, original price £7.99 Uses the same dragon-circle cover art, but with red background.
  • A hardcover, leather bound? edition signed by all authors was published by Del Rey in December 2003 with ISBN 0345470753, original price $150.00
  • A hardcover edition by Random House in January 2004 in the United States and Canada with ISBN 0345456440, original price $28.95 and a hardback edition by Del Rey / Ballantine / SFBC, February 2004 ISBN 0345456440, $14.99 (a bookclub edition?)
  • A split paperback edition with the title Legends 2: Shadows, Gods, and Demons by Del Rey, published October 26th 2004 with ISBN 0345475771. The rest of the book was published under the title "Legends 2: Dragon, Sword, and King" with ISBN 034547578X. The Hobb story is in the first part, "Shadows, Gods, and Demons".
  • An eBook edition by Random House December 30, 2003 with ISBN 9780345471093, $7.99 Same cover as US hardback.

Translations

  • A Dutch translation Mythen by Luitingh-Sijthoff in 2004, paperback with ISBN 9024547679.
  • A French translation Légendes de la Fantasy Tome 2 by Pygmalion the 19th of January 2006 with ISBN 2756400238 and by J'ai lu the 8th of February 2008 with ISBN 9782290002957
  • A German translation Legenden - Lord John, der magische Pakt: und andere Abenteuer by Piper in June 2006 with ISBN 3492266169 (Legends 2 has spleen split in two, this part contains the RH story)
  • A Greek translation ΘΡΥΛΟΙ ΤΟΜΟΣ B by Anubis the 22nd of December 2006 with ISBN 9603065323. (It looks like Legends and Legends 2 were published in a series of 4 books, this one has the RH story)
  • A Japanese translation 伝説は永遠に―ファンタジイの殿堂〈2〉. Published by 早川書房 in November 2000 with ISBN 9784150202811.
  • A Polish translation Legendy II by Dom Wydawniczy Rebis in 2004, hardcover with ISBN 8373015019. Cover art by Jacek Pietrzyński.
  • A Russian translation Легенды 2 by ACT in 2006, hardcover with ISBN 5170344694, ISBN 5971319140, and ISBN 5957832839
  • A Spanish translation Leyendas from La Factoría de Ideas in 2006 with ISBN 9788498002515
  • An abridged Spanish edition of the above, La espada leal y otras novelas from La Factoría De Ideas the 16th of November 2012, paperback with ISBN 9788490181485. Contains only the stories by Hobb, G.R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman and Orson Scott Card.