The Gilded Chain:: A Tale of the King's Blades (Mass Market Paperback)

by Dave Duncan (Author) "Grand Master looked even older than the Squire, but he had a hard trimness that age had not softened, as if he would still be..." (more)
Key Phrases: sword breaker, gilded chain, Grand Master, Sir Durendal, Lord Roland (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Swords-and-sorcery fans aren't always proud. At times, they're left feeling a little embarrassed when they get a fix for their "pulp" addiction, maybe even sheepishly admitting that the genre isn't always that... sophisticated. Well, with Dave Duncan's The Gilded Chain, no apologies are necessary.

The author presents traditional high fantasy, with knights and magic (and even a few monsters) in a Tudoresque setting. The Gilded Chain satisfies all the usual cravings, while still managing to be both original and thought-provoking. Subtitled A Tale of the King's Blades (an indication that more excellent stand-alones should follow), Gilded Chain follows the career of Durendal, one of the King's magical and deadly swordsmen, who's compelled to serve his ward until death with single-minded purpose. Bound to a conniving, sniveling courtier and apparently doomed to a boring--or worse, compromising--existence, Durendal must find a way to fulfill both his potential and his duty. Events quickly hurl him halfway across the world to investigate the grisly secret behind a brotherhood of immortal swordmasters. This quest fuels the plot for the remainder of the book, which is nearly impossible to put down after the halfway point (just about the time a side story involving a Lord Roland cleverly dovetails with the main narrative). An inventive, intelligent exploration of duty and honor, and just a corking good adventure besides, The Gilded Chain is swords-and-sorcery at its best. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Duncan (The Great Game) raids some of the juiciest eras of European history for this classy opener to his King's Blades series. In the sorcery-ridden land of Chivial, the grim Ironhall nurtures unwanted boys, transmuting them by muscle-building, weapons-training and fearsome magic ritualizing into an elite corps of swordsmen, each spiritually bonded to defend a master unto death. Bound first to an outrageous fop, then to a Henry VIII look-alike monarch, rebellious knight Durendal pursues adventure and the horrifying secrets of immortality. Duncan's people are marvelously believable, his landscapes deliciously exotic, his swordplay breathtaking. Initially, the narrative disconcertingly alternates between dashing young Durendal and righteous Chancellor Roland, but all soon becomes satisfyingly clear. "Durendal," the sword that legendary Roland used to smite his Saracen enemies in France's national epic, binds swordsman and statesman into one irresistible hero in this handsomely crafted commentary on honor and betrayal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Eos (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380791269
• ISBN-13: 978-0380791262
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #90,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be misled!!, April 2, 2001

By	"dualplains" (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews

Keep in mind that this book is the first part of a series. One of the most intriquingly crafted series I've ever heard of. Each individual book (the Tales of the King's Blades series) tell of the lives of the certain characters, and tells of certain common events from those particular character's points of view. Each book tells the story of a different character (Gilded Chain - Durendal; Lord of the Fire Lands - Radgar Aelayding; Sky of Swords - Princess Malinda), and each book can be read and understood individually. But in order to truly appreciate the thought put into these novels, and the masterful authoring involved, it is very important to read the entire series.

This book is a good place to start. Duncan is one of those rarest of authors who forces you to read not only the words he has put on the page, but the words he hasn't. As most of his books, this is a superb example of how to write high fantasy. Duncan creates a world that COULD have been 12th century England, the mysticism and spirituality are well thought out and logical, the action is harsh and intense, and the plotlines and stories are believable. He holds no punches, and his realism and honesty are oftentimes brutal. Read this book. But don't wait too long to read the next.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The King's Blades, April 11, 2001

By	"fire_mage" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

Duncan's style of writing is something that's new to me. His characters have style, expression, and seem to come alive in a different way than the characters in the book I have read before. The descriptive swordsplay is breathtaking, and the action is enough to keep the reader on their edges of their seats.

The Gilded Chain is more of an action packed biography rather than just a novel, which is probably what makes it different from other novels. The storyline follows the main character very closely, from the time when he was a boy to old age. Duncan's style of "accelerated" writing, where the space between paragraphs can be anything from three minutes to two years means that he is always searching for something new to keep the audience interested, a mean feat which is fulfilled quite fully by perhaps a broad imagination which he possesses.

Unlike some of the other authors I have read, Duncan perhaps shares some similarities to Melanie Rawn, in that the most precious characters in the story, ones that the reader thinks will develop, usually meet a tragic end. In this way, the story is more life-like in that tragic circumstances like this will happen in real life.

The work of a truly great author, I look forward to reading sky of Swords and other books by Duncan.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be fooled by it's fluffy appearence..., August 14, 2003

By	Kalika (Canada) - See all my reviews

This book is certainly one of the most amazing that I have ever read. Don't be fooled by the "blurb" on the back, this is not a fluffy cheap romance, though it somewhat looks like one, I'll admit. Durrendal has got to be one of the greatest swordsmen ever written into a book, (Sorry Inigo Montoya) and this book deals with the era in which he was in his prime. There are three books in this series by Dave Duncan, and many have called it a trilogy (and indeed, it is.) BUT. There is no specific order in which you must read them. Each is a stand alone novel. Take the advice of someone who's read them over and over read them in this order:

1) The Gilded Chain
2) Lord of the Firelands
3) Sky of Swords.

The Gilded Chain and Lord of the Firelands have two VERY different endings, both dealing with the death of a character (in two different ways) There are many discrepancies between the two. However, all of this confusion is resolved in Sky of Swords. This is a wonderful book that you'll want to come back to again and again. Try it out. You won't be dissapointed.