Swords and Deviltry vs The Wind's Twelve Quarters: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: English Short stories, Short Stories, Fiction

Swords and Deviltry Fritz Leiber · 1970 ★★★★☆ 3.9 160 pages · ≈ 2 h 58 m · Moderate

The first of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series. A collection of short stories.

The Wind's Twelve Quarters Ursula K. Le Guin · 1975 ★★★★☆ 4.1 303 pages · ≈ 5 h 37 m · Moderate

This is a collection containing, among other stories, the short story that started the Earthsea series." Along with "The Rule of Names," the story establishes the world and characters of Earthsea. First published in…

Science Fiction

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Wind's Twelve Quarters highest: The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1 · Swords and Deviltry 3.9.
Swords and Deviltry is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for The Wind's Twelve Quarters.
Swords and Deviltry has the widest readership — 13804 ratings behind its score.
The Wind's Twelve Quarters runs the darker storyline; Swords and Deviltry stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Swords and Deviltry ≈ 2h vs 5h for The Wind's Twelve Quarters In the mood for something dark? The Wind's Twelve Quarters a darker storyline than Swords and Deviltry Want something lighter? Swords and Deviltry an easier tone than The Wind's Twelve Quarters

Scores by source

	Swords and Deviltry	The Wind's Twelve Quarters
Goodreads	3.9 (13804)	4.1 (8243)
Hardcover	3.7 (99)	4.1 (48)
Google Books	5.0 (1)	—
Apple Books	4.5 (31)	4.5 (23)

Reception

	Swords and Deviltry	The Wind's Twelve Quarters
Ratings	13804	8243
Editions	31	33
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	15480	11762
Reading it now	1000	1633
Written reviews	1023	913
Wikipedia attention	1066	1985
Pages	160	303

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Swords and Deviltry or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

The Wind's Twelve Quarters has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1/5, Swords and Deviltry 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: Swords and Deviltry or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

Swords and Deviltry is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Swords and Deviltry (160 pages, ≈ 2 h 58 m); The Wind's Twelve Quarters (303 pages, ≈ 5 h 37 m).

Which is harder to read: Swords and Deviltry or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Swords and Deviltry: Moderate; The Wind's Twelve Quarters: Moderate.