- Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Eos; Reissue edition (Aug 24 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0380791277
- ISBN-13: 978-0380791279
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.6 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#32,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #53 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Series
- #78 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Historical
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"The King is coming!" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"The King is coming!" Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lord of the Fire Lands - Another wonderful tale!,
By
This review is from: Lord Of The Fire Lands (Mass Market Paperback)
"Lord of the Fire Lands" is another exceptional example of superior fantasy writing by author, Dave Duncan. After finishing his first "Tale of the King's Blades" in "The Gilded Chain," it seemed as though that novel would be a hard one to follow but Dave Duncan deftly handles that in writing this thoroughly absorbing and compelling story. The only downside to this story is the beginning in which it seems to take some time for the story to get going at a decent pace but I suspect that was, for me, simply an aftereffect of having just finished "The Gilded Chain" and the frenetic pace at which that story concluded. Overall though, "Lord of the Fire Lands" is a completely compelling story where Dave Duncan sets a good pace for the plot and tells a tale that adds brilliantly to King's Blades mythology.The one truly intriguing aspect of this novel is the ending which contradicts the conclusion of "The Gilded Chain." As I understand it though, Dave Duncan cleverly handles this contradiction with ease in the third novel, "Sky of Swords." Every one of the novels begins with a blurb about how these novels can be read independently of the others but it would be "best" to read them in order to get the thorough experience of the overall story, which is exactly what I would suggest. The first two tales pretty much run concurrently of each other and there are even appearances in "Lord of the Fire Lands" by key characters from the first novel. The Premise: "Lord of the Fire Lands" is the story of two would be Blades in Wasp and Raider. When the time comes for King Ambrose IV to come to Ironhall and bind them into his service Raider respectfully refuses to do so and his best friend Wasp follows his lead. In the entire of history of the King's Blades, this has never happened before. As the two youngsters patiently await the outcome of their dreadful decision, King Ambrose comes to them and orders them to explain why they've done what they've done. This is where the true story kicks in for this outstanding novel as Raider, who turns out to be Radgar, the son of the former King of the Baels, Eled. Raider begins to tell them how he came to be in Ironhall and the tale takes of from there... What follows from there is an extremely enlightening addition to the "Tales of the King's Blades" as Dave Duncan takes us on an adventure that spans several years where the characters are extremely well defined with exceptional depth and the overall plot is thoroughly well thought out and executed. I highly recommend not only this second book in the King's Blades tales but the all of them to any and all who are fans of exceptional fantasy fiction that is written with adults in mind. Dave Duncan is a superior author who deserves any and all accolades he's received and I'm sure continues to receive for these exceptional stories. {ssintrepid}
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can't put the book down,
By Marie Anick (Ottawa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lord Of The Fire Lands (Mass Market Paperback)
Excellent read. Completely draws you in. I had trouble putting the book down!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book two only Second Rate??,
By Kalika (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lord Of The Fire Lands (Mass Market Paperback)
No way. The second book in the Kings Blades trilogy leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. Dave Duncan gives the reader exactly what they want, and in copious amounts. Personally, I preferred the Gilded Chain, but only because I like Durrendal!! This book is every bit as good as the first one, and the end creates a little confusion to those who have read the first book.YOU MUST READ THE THIRD ONE!!!!!!! If you have read the first book before picking this one up, make sure you have the third one close at hand - you'll need it to clear a lot of things up. On the book: Radgar Aeleding returns to the FireLands, his home, along with his Blade, Sir Wasp, to avenge his father and claim the kingship. A lot is learned about the house of Ranulf in this book, and Dave Duncan's portayal of the mysterious Firelands archpalego is glowing and memorable.You will love this book if you're a fan of action, magic, fantasy, or even politics with a slight twist. The way a king ascends the throne is very unique compared to Chivial.
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