At the end of the millennium, a wicked dwarf-sorcerer controls the world and only Rap and his resistance army can stop the wicked fiend, but they are quickly running out of time.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The fourth and final volume in Duncan's fantastical Handful of Men trilogy takes plodding steps, as any event of importance from previous volumes ( The Stricken Field et al.) is tediously recapitulated at great length here. Prolixity also leads to confusion as the reader almost immediately encounters characters--a woman and a boy--who believe, erroneously, that those nearest to them are dead. Matters get more complicated, if no more interesting, from there. Fans who have followed the convoluted exploits of King Rap of Krasnegar, the curious Emperor Shandie, the delightful Eshiala, the vulnerable Princess Kadolan and the other Forces for Good through earlier volumes may enjoy their continuing antics, though here they are delineated in prose that makes even the most pyrotechnic of them seem dull.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The fourth and concluding volume of Duncan's saga A Handful of Men begins just as Rap of Krasnegar's new career as the leader of resistance to the mad dwarf sorcerer Zinxio starts looking more and more futile. Like any proper fantasy hero's, however, Rap's abilities, as well as those of his hardy band of followers, are, by book's end, equal to wresting victory from the jaws of defeat and restoring something resembling peace to the sadly battered land of Pandemia. Duncan's latest deserves the same description as its predecessors: full of standard fantasy elements handled with thought and respect for the reader's intelligence. It also deserves and is likely to receive the same favorable reception. Fantasy collections, take note. Roland Green
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More About the Author
Dave Duncan is a prolific writer of fantasy and science fiction, best known for his fantasy series, particularly The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word, and The King's Blades. He and his wife Janet, his in-house editor and partner for over fifty years, live in Victoria, British Columbia. They have three children and four grandchildren.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A witty tetralogy with unbearable cliffhangers,
By A Customer
This review is from: Living God (A Handful of Men, Part 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
The tetralogy - circumstances make it a trilogy for part two is not available - which I have read translated in the Dutch language, is a work of a great craftsman, who is able to convert a rudimentary plot to a thrilling novel with appearant ease. Therefore it is not a work of great inspiration, but rather a product as a result of a production process which however doesn't intervene with the enjoyment. The characters are wellscetched and behave in proper alignment to their origin and environment, thus painting a fully beleavable world, which is enhanced by parallels to our own familiar world. They all are moving towards a certain goal that is not being reached by "the good guys" until the end of part four. The two other books (part 1 & 3) end with a cliffhanger, making you filled with anxiety for the next one, frustrated when it isn't available. My overall conclusion is that the available three books form a worthy addition to the bookshelf of the tru! e fantasylover who isn't so much interested in the artistical value of a book as in having a good time reading it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic conclusion to a marvelous series,
By Captain (Colorado) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Living God (A Handful of Men, Part 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Another exciting and well written book in The Handful of Men series. Dave Duncan is one of the five best fantasy writers ever and thankfully he is still at it. An author with his talent, who actually keeps producing books, is a rare treat these days. Thank you Mr. Duncan.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful conclusion to a series of eight books,
By Marshall Lord (Whitehaven, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Living God (A Handful of Men, Part 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
"The Living God" is the fourth and final volume of "A handful of men" which is itself the second of two marvellous fantasy quartets. (Hence this is the last volume in a series of eight books if you take the two quartets together.) "A handful of men" is a direct sequel to Duncan's quartet "A man of his word" and is set about 15 years after the last book of that quartet. The full sequence of eight books is: A MAN OF HIS WORD 1) The Magic Casement 2) Faery Lands Forlorn 3) Perilous Seas 4) Emperor and Clown A HANDFUL OF MEN 5) The Cutting Edge 6) Upland Outlaws 7) The Stricken Field 8) The Living God Each quartet is a full and self-contained story, but in my opinion the eight books work best when read in sequence. The titles of the four volumes of "A handful of men" are taken from Masefield's poem, "Tomorrow." The lines which inspire the titles are "Oh yesterday the cutting edge drank thirstily and deep, the upland outlaws ringed us in and herded us as sheep, they drove us from the stricken field and bayed us into keep, But tomorow by the living God, we'll try the game again!" At the start of "The Living God, the dwarf sorceror, Zinixio, has formed a coalition of wizards known as "The Covin" who are magically compelled to serve him. Zinixio calls himself the Almighty, has enslaved almost all the world's magic users, replaced the rightful Emperor, Emshandir V, with a puppet, and started the most ghastly war between all the races of men and dragons. The deposed Emperor, and King Rap of Krasnegar, are still fighting against the power of the covin, but their position is desperate. The only way they can hope to defeat Zinixio is with the help of - a living God. Superb adventure in a consistent and very clever fantasy world: strongly recommended.
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