Amazon.com Review
The Blades are back! Dave Duncan's deftly done swords-and-sorcery series adds its second chapter with
The Lord of the Fire Lands, the worthy standalone followup to
The Gilded Chain. Duncan's triumph with the first tale of the King's Blades--a trend that thankfully continues with the second--is his unabashed confidence in the genre. Swashbuckling high fantasy may get its share of derisive snickers, but done well it can be as engaging and smart as anything more weighty--not to mention that it's often a lot more fun.
Lord of the Fire Lands opens with fat King Ambrose back at hallowed Ironhall mustering more Blades, the Kingdom of Chivial's magically bound, magically enhanced super-swordsmen. But when His Majesty prepares to bestow this honor on the hall's senior pupil, Candidate Raider does the unthinkable, the unprecedented: he refuses. Why would a Blade-to-be insult--and enrage--his king? That, of course, is a long story, and just the start of this time-hopping, tortuous tale.
Cover to cover, Duncan has packed blood-thirsty pirates, betrayed princes, kidnapped brides, slippery assassins, stark-mad shamans, volcanic firedrakes, Blades (naturally) by the bushel, and even a satisfying cameo from none other than Gilded Chain's legendary Durendal. --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
Distinguished by its sophisticated structure and themes, Duncan's exceptional sequel to The Gilded Chain will satisfy both fantasy fans looking for high adventure and those more interested in rich characterizations. For five years Raider and Wasp have been training to become Blades, expert swordsmen who are magically enhanced. But when the two are offered the highest of honorsAto serve the king of Chivial himselfAthey refuse. As Raider's reasons for this unprecedented decision are explored, Duncan flashes back to present the history of the marriage of a "civilized" Chivian duchess to the king of the "barbarous" Baels, who have long terrorized Chivial. Raider and Wasp's rejection of the king has made them outlaws, so they must flee Chivial for Baelmark, where they face a situation explicitly like Hamlet's (king dead, queen mother married to her brother-in-law), though Duncan skillfully develops this section as a genuine, unique drama rather than as an arch reference to the Bard. His depiction of Bael culture, which is based in language and custom on Beowulf's time, is assured and creative, authoritative but without unnecessary ostentation. His Baelish villains may be two-dimensional, but the other characters display an appealing combination of fallibility, morality (of various sorts) and charm. Plot twists based on hidden identities and allegiances are surprising yet well prepared. The interesting magical system features eight elements, adding the evocative Love, Time, Death and Chance to the traditional Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Duncan can swashbuckle with the best, but his characters feel more deeply and think more clearly than most, making his novels, especially this one, suitable for a particularly wide readership. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
