Muskets, Swords, and Dragons

MUSKETS, SWORDS, AND DRAGONS: Three eighteenth century historical fantasies. Fantasy writers have tended to neglect the eighteenth century. This entertaining little mini-collection romps through the age of wigged courtiers and parade ground armies with three fantasies that delve into the complexities of military culture, the bedroom intrigues of the French court, and the proper influence of a proper Lady and Gentleman in a properly managed society.Dragon Drill and A Proper Place to Live are reprinted from Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. Madame Pompadour's Blade originally appeared in Jim Baen's Universe.How would a detachment from Frederick the Great's army fight a dragon? Dragon Drill examines an offbeat what-if? and portrays the period in history when the disciplined soldier replaced the heroic single-combat warrior who normally vanquishes dragons and other mythical creatures.Most magic swords can only be wielded by heroes with special qualities. What if the magic sword can only be wielded by a coward and a cad? Can a weak, debt-ridden aristocrat become Madame Pompadour's swordsman? And save Louis XV's mistress from dethronement?Can Sir Harold Tudor-Smith and his wife, Lady Millicent Tudor-Smith (formerly Millicent Cuddleby) (of the Puddleby Cuddlebys) protect their private world from the threat of Volume merely by exercising the powers of a Lady and a Gentleman? Length: about fifty hardcover pages. (Dragon Drill about twenty-five, Blade and Proper each about twelve.)