Lord of the Fire Lands:: A Tale of the King's Blades (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The King is coming!..." (more)
Key Phrases: house thegns, ship lord, manifest elements, Grand Master, King Ambrose, Daue Duncan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Eos; 1st edition (October 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380974614
• ISBN-13: 978-0380974610
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,322,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PLEASE read this, October 20, 2000

By	T. Burger (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lord of the Fire Lands: A Tale of the King's Blades (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading the reviews of this book I am STUNNED at the number of people who were turned off and/or confused by the ending which contradicted events in The Gilded Chain. I want to quote Dave Duncan himself...IN THE BOOK. After the title page is one headed with: "Warning". Text follows.

"This book, like The Gilded Chain, is a stand-alone novel. They both cover much the same time interval and certain characters appear in both, but you can read either without reference to the other. The same is true of the upcoming third volume, Sky of Swords. However, the three taken together tell a larger story. If you read any of the two, you will note certain discrepancies that can be resolved only by reading the third."

Duncan is a terrific storyteller. Even without the warning, I had complete confidence in him. An author of his stature doesn't do something like that without reasons. I'm anxious to find out what they are. You should be too.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It didn't confuse ME, March 9, 2000

By	me (mine) - See all my reviews

Why does everyone find this book confusing? It seems fairly clear to me, but then I paid attention when Duncan explained that Time is an element which can be revoked by means of an octogram. So it ends differently from the first book; so what? There are still bloody swordfights, evil wizardry, and large amounts of fire and betrayal mixed with strong characters and a wild, pseudo-Shakespearian plot. You got a problem with that? Well, there's always Harry Potter...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work, but for one flaw, January 29, 2000

By	myrddin215 (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews

More of a stand-alone than a sequel, instead of picking up where The Gilded Chain left off, this novel tells the story of events that happened somewhere in the middle of that book, ones that were just barely mentioned because they didn't relate to Durendal. I liked the change in focus. This focuses on new characters, but there are some familiar names for those who have read The Gilded Chain, which gives a pleasant sense of recognition and connection. These new characters are engaging, just as the old ones, and there is increased explanation of the special connection between a Blade and his ward. All in all, I enjoyed this book and sped through it almost as quickly as the first. But when I reached the end, I was somewhat disappointed. For some reason, it seems Dave Duncan decided to alter the history between his first and second books. It seemed to kill all the connection that the story had established. I searched the remaining pages for some sort of explanation, but none existed. If anyone knows of any reason for this, I'd love to hear it.