Sky of Swords: A Tale of the King's Blades (Hardcover)

by Dave Duncan (Author) "On a bright and frosty morning in Eleventhmoon, Malinda came awake with a start, remembering that this was the second day of her ninth birthweek..." (more)
Key Phrases: matron companion, rightful queen, lord protector, Lord Roland, Grand Master, Grand Inquisitor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A lot of Dave Duncan fans let out a squeal at the end of Lord of the Fire Lands, the previous Tale of the King's Blades. (The Gilded Chain was first in the series, and Sky of Swords comes in third.) It seems that Duncan, in this ingenious, Rashomon-style series, had managed to kill off King Ambrose twice in just two books, and in a different way each time.

But this devilish author knew what he was up to, and Sky of Swords promises to answer all your questions. Just as The Gilded Chain jumped back and forth in time and Lord of the Fire Lands followed a concurrent tangent plot from Gilded Chain, Sky of Swords will likewise tie your brain in knots for a spell. (It should be stressed that all of these books are standalones, following different characters through overlapping timelines--you don't need to read them all, but each is much richer for having read the others.)

Swords picks up Fire Lands' crossbow-bolt-between-the-eyes finale somewhere around page 80. But this time we're looking through the eyes of Princess Malinda, this book's irascible (she is Ambrose's daughter, after all) but ultimately likable heroine. We learn about Malinda's bumpy upbringing, but Swords doesn't really get interesting until the aftermath of Ambrose's death, the ensuing threat of civil war, and the outcome of Malinda's trial for treason (which begins on page 1, but in true Duncan fashion, doesn't actually happen until near the book's finale). What's the best part of Sky of Swords? Not to ruin anything, but you've probably already read its conclusion--in the final pages of Gilded Chain. --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal
YA-In this third entry in the series, Princess Malinda is furious when her father, King Ambrose IV, arranges her marriage to the Baelish King Radgar in order to end a decade-long war. She fully intends to go through with it, however, until her groom gives her the option of walking away. So she does, and he assassinates her father in full view of the wedding guests and the King's Blades, an elite group of magically bound, magically enhanced swordsmen. The princess's baby half-brother is named king, but when the sickly child dies, Malinda seizes the throne, killing the Lord Protector in the process, but unfortunately letting two other contenders for the crown slip through her fingers. She is eventually imprisoned and accused of treason. A small band of Blades comes to the rescue, but rather than pursue her claim and subject Chivial to civil war, she determines to try a risky sorcerous ritual. This book, like the others, is an entertaining, swashbuckling adventure. The Blades are charming characters with legendary prowess at more than just swordplay. Malinda is a daring, stubborn, and kindhearted young woman who always acts with courage and aplomb. The realm of Chivial becomes more defined with each book, but there is plenty left for Duncan to explore.
Susan Salpini, Purcellville Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Eos; 1st edition (October 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380974622
• ISBN-13: 978-0380974627
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,413,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading, October 20, 2000

By	Gary Spechko (Regina, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is the third book in a trilogy, following The Gilded Chain, and Lord of the Fire Lands. Each was intended to stand alone, but the three combine to tell a slghtly larger story.

The Gilded Chain was my favorite Dave Duncan book (and I have read and enjoyed the vast majority of his works - it's a shame that many are currently out of print). I was intrigued to discover the discrepancy between its ending and that of Lord of the Fire Lands, the second book. The first two books do stand alone marvelously. This third book resolves the contradictions between the first two, but is the weakest of the three, and should not be read without first reading the other two books.

I did not like the manner in which the contradiction between the first two books was resolved, but despite that, the book tells a good tale, and gives the reader more depth of information about the Blades as an order, and as individuals. One cares about the characters. If you liked the first two, you'll like the third as well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful resolution, October 20, 2000

By	"janeh47" (Sterling, VA United States) - See all my reviews

I was very impatiently waiting this third King's Blades book to see how Dave planned to resolve the very puzzling contradictions between the first and second books. I was not disappointed - I literally had to keep reading until I got to the end.

If King Ambrose is Henry VIII (and he clearly is, with all his multiple wives and his problems with the 'conjurers'), then Malinda is Elizabeth I. And we get plenty of backstory to help us understand the woman she grows up to be.

Some things left me sad (poor little Amby's curtailed life, all the Blades who died, sniff) and some things made me happy (the rehabilitation of Radgar, whom I loved in Lord of the Fire Lands), and there were a lot of things I would have liked to have seen amplified, but then the book would have been too heavy to lift.

The Noble and Ancient Order of King's Blades is one of Dave's most enchanting inventions, and I sincerely hope that he can find more stories to tell in this universe. I've never met a King's Blade I didn't love. -- Jane

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A complex, dark swashbuckling adventure, October 15, 2000

By	David S. Thun (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Like other fans of "The King's Blades," I was eagerly awaiting this book to find out if it resolved the confusing contradictions between the endings of the previous novels. Be warned-yes it does. You will either love it or hate it, but it is resolved. Duncan once again spins a taut, gripping tale-this time concerning political intrigue surrounding the Princess Malinda (a minor character in the previous novels), and the bloody civil war brewing over her potential succession. Unlike "Lord of the Fire Lands," more attention is paid to the Blades in this volume. Malinda's personal guards are well-drawn characters (especially Dog), and Malinda herself is fleshed out into a far more complex and sympathetic personality than before. I didn't think much of her in previous books, but she's great in this one-both tragic and heroic. Plus you get the usual swordplay, treachery, conjuration and war Duncan is so good at. As with "Fire Lands" the last page ends rather abruptly (bringing the reader full circle back to "The Gilded Chain") but the story didn't disappoint me at all.