Demon Knight

The Years of Longdirk #3

by Ken Hood (Pseudonym), Dave Duncan

In this third of an exciting series of riotous adventure fantasies, Toby Longdirk, bastard son of a Scottish lass and English invaders, must battle everything from kings possessed by demons to the attentions of seductive locals.Second in Command to the Flamboyant, Autocratic, and more-than-slightly-mad Don Ramon, the swash-buckling Toby Longdirk has -- by luck and fate -- been successful in defeating the forces of King Nevil of England at the Battle of Trent. Since this is the first military defeat of the demon king's forces, Toby's reputation is made as a commander.

Reputation means nothing, however, when local politics rears its ugly head. King Nevil (a.k.a. "The Fiend" because his body is possessed by a demon) soon recovers from this loss and begins an invasion of Italy, but when Toby is engaged to handle the defense of Florence, protracted negotiations over the terms of service cause massive delays in his preparations. As if that weren't enough, Toby's trusted aide is off mooning after an English princess, his wizard is killed in an ill-fated adventure, and the seductive sister of a local power is after Toby, and she just won't take no for an answer. With The Fiend bearing down on the city gates with vengeance on his mind and a horde of fearsome soldiers at his command, can Toby pluck victory out of certain defeat?

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 1998

About the author

Pen name originally used by Dave Duncan for his Years of Longdirk series.

Reviews

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disheartened to see this turning into a whodoneit. The pageantry and ongoings of the Italians has never been a field of interest to me so that, too, made things a little dreary to start with.
Nevertheless the exalted revelation came at me with all the surprise I could've wanted, and my not quite liking Toby's new attitude was not just me being picky after all. I utterly enjoyed the end, if 'twere a little rushed, and can safely say this is another Duncan series safely cherished.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book and the tale it was telling of Italy’s resistance to the English and the Khanate. I’d not realized that the Golden Horde had stretched as far Italy and its environs, and ai also learned that a Suzerain was a leader of an area, appointed by the Khan. Never too old to learn something new.

In addition to Don Pedro Ramon (who is the character we know as Quixote), we’ve run into Lucrezia Borgia, Queen Elizabeth I, and various and sundry leaders of Italy.

Our boy is having a rough go of it. He’s been thwarted at every turn by Lucrezia or her brother, he’s lost his hexxer and even Hamish is distracted. So this particular battle against Nevil is going to be an absolute shit show because he has not been able to unite the city states.

Then, the author springs on us his absolute mastery of strategic planning and in a didn’t-see-it-coming move, his grand opus comes to a glorious conclusion. It elevated this book from a 4-star to 5.

Well done, bravo!

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toby and Hamish, fresh from a major triumph over the Fiend's army, are now in Florence, Italy hoping to unite the independent Italian armies for a final push in the war. Both men have matured in their years on the run and in battle. Toby has better control over his Hob, although he remains at times aloof from strong emotion. Much of this third in the series revolves around their efforts to wade through the political and egocentric quagmire of Italian government. A surprise or two in plot either make this interesting or confusing.

[Sean Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily better than book 2. Better pacing without feeling like I was trudging through mud, although it was still easy to see that these were written at the beginning of Duncan's career.
Longdirk is at war with the arch-demon, called the fiend. Intrigue abounds. The ending was mostly satisfying, although the loose ends are covered after the actual story in an author's note.

[Kristine Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow development but a satisfying conclusion

Finished strong

Duncan meticulously sets up a surprising but satisfactory ending to the series, which feels reminiscent of the other books in the series as well as his Handful of Men series.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of this book is tedious. The last 50 pages got interesting but then it suddenly ended leaving much unanswered. The afterword answered some of these questions but still left me disappointed. Sorry I took the time to read it.

[Iain Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful ending to a wonderful series

One of Duncan’s best, a gripping and satisfying romp through a fantasy alternative history.the plot and characters are engaging and the action compelling

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

see review of Demon Sword (The Years of Longdirk #1)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever ending.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books of the series but I found Demon Knight to be a tedious slog of a book.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Tobias Longdirk, hob-ridden but defiant enemy of the demon know as the Fiend, and masquerading as King of England, is making a last stand in fractious Italy, trying to gather the city states for a united defense.

Review
Duncan mostly sticks to his template in this final book of the trilogy, and largely that’s a good thing – the strong characters and camaraderie he built up in the prior books keeps things together. However, he also takes some chances, and there I felt he fared less well. One crucial element, revealed at the end, felt to me like a cheat of the reader, insufficiently grounded in the story.

The end, as well, is a little muddled and rushed. While Duncan avoids a pat happy ending, the resolution he does offer also doesn’t feel quite satisfying, and I’d have wished he put as much effort into that as he does into the machinations of war and politics. Overall, a decent ending to a pleasant but not outstanding series.

[Joel Flank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterpiece by Ken Hood, aka Dave Duncan. This series deserves more renown, as it not only is excellent in just about every way, but each book changes the focus of the story, from the first one where Toby must deal as an individual with the sorcery around him, to the second, where he must deal with the supernatural powers in his life, as well as the dynamics of other people more regularly, and finally to a Byzantine political landscape of Renaissance Italy in Demon Knight. Without spoiling anything, this book has one of the best "didn't see it coming" twists towards the end I've ever experienced. Strongly recommended.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good third book in the series...I enjoyed the tension that built throughout. I'm sad that this appears to be the last book in this series, though (completed in 1998, under the name of Ken Hood). I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, and left plenty of room for more of the adventures of Longdirk and company.

[Robert Runte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly reminiscent (*cough* *cough*) of Dave Duncan's work, Ken has three fantasy novels in the "Years of Longdirk" series: Demon Sword [Harper Prism, 1995], Demon Rider and Demon Knight.

[Ron Judenberg]

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