WALKER OF WORLDS (Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tom De Haven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1991 | Series: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1

Jack, a Walker, has learned a secret-one that could mean the end of all the worlds, not just his own. He has earned an enemy-and the Mage of Four, Mage of Luck, is a powerful enemy indeed. Jack must flee to our world, where he gathers a small group of unlikely, sometimes unwilling allies. In the ultimate confrontation, their efforts will determine the fate of the universes.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first book of what promises to be an exciting trilogy by the author of Funny Papers introduces four "moments" or worlds. De Haven weaves a complex tale of "intermoment" intrigue involving the birth of a monster and the imminent destruction of the universe. As strange characters and events begin to appear on Earth (the human world in the Moment of Kemolo) journalist Peter Musik recovers his memory and recalls his vendetta with the pharmaceuticals billionaire and the evil retired major who stole his mind with their "idiot drugs." But now strange voices are appearing in Peter's head--the voice of Jack the Walker who is visiting from the world of Lostwithal, and of Geeb, his earthly companion. De Haven's exuberant imagination conjures such characters as the dread Mage of Manse Seloc, whose face teems with crawling slugs; and Lita, a witch who turns into a wasp, stings her subject and brings that person's knowledge and memories to her master. All the characters are given life--even those cameos who meet quick, gruesome deaths. Horror, humor and a passel of plot twists spice up the inventive tale.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

In the world of Loftwithal a child is discovered whose existence foretells the end of all things, and the King's Tramp crosses the barrier between the worlds to find those persons capable of saving the universe. Sorcerers and magical minions clash with bag ladies, punks, homeless street people, and college students in DeHaven's ( Freaks' Amour; Funny Papers ) surrealistic cross-world fantasy. Kaleidoscopic prose, rapid-fire action, and imaginative characters make Walker of Worlds a strong purchase for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Spectra (June 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553290916
• ISBN-13: 978-0553290912
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,531,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, March 30, 2000

By 

Space Girl (Aldebaaran) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WALKER OF WORLDS (Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1) (Hardcover)

I wish I could get my hands on the second book in this series. It's got to be one of the most whimsical books I've ever read. I like my SF imaginative, fast-paced, and with a good sense of humor, and this book didn't disappoint. I'm not that good at picking stuff up, though, so I had to read it about 3 times before I really understood what was going on in the whirl of pageantry, weird alien-ish things, strange names, and a general assumption that I already knew most of this. It was disorienting in the same way a good party is disorienting: you enjoy it, then take some time to mull over what actually happened. It did kind of falter toward the end, with a sense that perhaps the author got somewhat lost, which is how it got 4 stars instead of 5. Incidentally, if you like reading out loud to kids, this book seems to have been written with storytelling in mind, and I don't think kids would find it too shocking.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing surprise!!!, March 17, 2011

By 

Michael A. Behr "mabehr" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Walker of Worlds: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1 (Pearls of Sarah) (Paperback)

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for literally 10 years... much to my regret, now!!! I had no idea this book was that good. De Haven's writing skill is incredible, and his techniques of moving the plot along while switching from one character's perspective to another's is almost like a movie switching camera angles, but better.

Plus, his overall storyline and concept are great! This is a fantasy novel that 90% happens in the real world: it's not all about magic, nor are the names all crazy and unpronounceable. Since this was intended as a trilogy, De Haven is able to really develop his characters, instead of trying to squeeze it in while rushing through the plot. I don't know if that stays true in The End-Of-Everything Man: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Bk. 2 (based on the end of the first, it might not), but I've ordered it already!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Holy weirdness, Batman...., February 21, 2010

By 

S. Goodwin (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Walker of Worlds: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1 (Pearls of Sarah) (Paperback)

After reading the first couple of chapters of this very Interesting book (you'll understand the capitalization if you read the book) I had to look up De Haven to see what he was all about. It's certainly no surprise that he wrote the script for the graphic novel interpretation of Neuromancer. He is obviously a devotee of the comic book form of writing. That said, his book goes deeper than a comic book (in my humble opinion-- as a person not enamored of comics). This book really makes you think. It is hard to keep up with the action at times, and I found myself re-reading parts of chapters several times to figure out what was going on.

I can't understand why this series hasn't attracted more attention. That may be because it isn't traditional fantasy. I feel like it falls somewhere between the cyberpunk and steampunk genres of writing. The book reads a bit like Gibson, but with more humor and entertaining dialogue.

While De Haven's frequent references to cultural icons of the 1980s and 1990s dates the novel a bit, I enjoyed the "trip down memory lane" experience his comments engendered.