Perilous Seas [Paperback]

Dave Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2002

Hunted now by the fearsome warlock wardens who rule the world, Inos is convinced that Rap is dead. But Rap is not, and the tide may be about to turn... She thought he was dead. Queen Inos feels Rap's presence as if he has risen from the grave to be beside her, but she knows all that is left of him is his voice, which echoed in her mind--well, so she thinks. Her duty is to serve her people, and Queen Inos doesn't know her galley slave, Rap, is alive and, with his magic wand, trying to bring happiness to his beloved Queen. But when the evil Nordland raider, Kalkor, arrives in port, Rap's plans begin to fall apart.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader's taste can become jaded after years of working in the publishing because books are so easily accessible. What I've come to look for is a writer whose work is really original, completely free of derivative content. Dave Duncan is one of those rarities. This is not another Tolkien spin-off. The MAN OF HIS WORD series makes an excellent sampler of his work. The concept is brilliant, well worked-out and populated with a dense imagination. The characters are memorable. I have to confess: After I read THE MAGIC CASEMENT, I begged the editor for a copy of the manuscripts of each of the remaining titles as Duncan sent them in. I couldn't wait to read what happened next.

--Steve Palmer, Director of Production Mass Market --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Queen Inos was badly shaken. Loyal, trustworthy Rap, who was supposed to have died, appeared to her. With this as a sign, Inos knew that she would serve her people, no matter what. But Rap was alive, and he would do whatever he could to help, even as his life took a turn for the worse.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: e-reads.com (November 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759239487
• ISBN-13: 978-0759239487
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Three in A Man of His Word Series, May 12, 2004

By 

Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Perilous Seas (Paperback)

Perilous Seas picks up right were Faery Lands Forlorn left us with Queen Inos still stuck in Zark, land of the Djinns, captive of the Sorceress Rasha. Inos is about to despair of ever escaping the sorceress and she still doesn't know if she should accept the Sultan Azak's marriage proposal or not. The gods told her long ago to trust in love - but what does that mean! Surely it must mean to trust in Azak's love for her, even though she doesn't love him, or does it? When Inos and Azak make a desperate bid for freedom, Inos drags her beloved Aunt Kade all across the desert in strange disguises. She will do anything to make it to the Imperor to plead her case for her beloved people in her shabby little kingdom of Krasnegar. Along the way, she is stunned to see Rap's image appear in the middle of the desert. Surely he must be a demon come to torment her for leaving him to die in the tower long ago. But how could Rap be that cruel...

Rap is anything but dead. After escaping the land of Faerie in a Jotunn boat, captained by Gathmore, Rap is all but imprisoned on the island of Durthing. He was bought as a slave to work on the boat, but earned his freedom, however, his gift of farsight makes him far too valuable to risk losing. When the vicious Jotunn raider, Kalkor, arrives on Durthing, he slaughters every man, woman and child he finds - but he takes Rap and Gathmore on board his ship. For the first time Rap gets to see what the power of multiple words turns a person into. Kalkor no longer has a heart and Rap wonders if he even has a soul left. Desperate to get to Inos and restore her to her throne, Rap finds himself playing a cat and mouse game with Kalkor, playing his magical powers off of Kalkor's. But even if Rap finds an opportunity to escape, how can he find Inos in time to stop her from making a terrible mistake?

Perilous Seas is the third book in A Man of His Word series by David Duncan and it is the weakest of the quartet, but it is still superbly written and I still loved most of the characters. It is true that Inos is kind of grating in this book and that I found myself rushing through her misadventures to get to the better story with Rap, but I like to think that Inos is growing as a character and getting to be more likeable. Still, it would be great if she dropped that whole I-am-a-princess-and-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me attitude. On the other hand, Rap is a great character who is still humble and completely oblivious to the fact that he doesn't live anything approaching a normal life anymore. Again, the host of secondary characters are superb and give additional life and sparkle to the third book of the series. I can't wait to see how it ends! If you like fantasy books that are just a bit different with clearly defined magical rules and different races set in an intriguing world, don't miss this set of 4 books!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 7, 2011

By 

Joy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perilous Seas (Paperback)

This book was full of excitement and adventure. Not a boring get-it-over-with bridge at all, I quite enjoyed the ride.

2.0 out of 5 stars Another one, September 16, 2010

By 

Nick F. (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Perilous Seas (A Man of His Word) (Kindle Edition)

This book continues the series following an unoriginal rote. It is OK, but at times seems like things happen without reason.

<Spoilers?>
One of the major problems is that the magic system is not well defined. Sorcerers have unlimited power (a problem by itself, since they can make you think or love or whatever). And yet they can be destroyed by telling them a single word. And yet no one has ever done this. And yet their prisoners can escape whenever they feel like it. And they never pry other people's thoughts. They send the hero to do stuff cause they do not want to interfere, but they use magic to send them there.

The character's character is at points incoherent.

The books does not just end in a hangover, but the most major one.

It is however a well written book with beautiful descriptions and nice prose.

All in all, I will borrow the next book to skim just for principle to see how thing go (they seem to be completely predictable, but one can always hope) I wish I had not started this series.