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A Handful of Men #3
The Stricken Field
Pandemonium!
The end of the millennium was turning out to be every bit as bad as the prophecies had foretold…
The paranoid dwarf Zinixo had overthrown the Impire, proclaiming himself almighty. With legions of sorcerers bound to his will, his preposterous claim was scarcely open to doubt. Ruthlessly he trampled all resistance. Armies—both magic and mundane—swept across the lands.
Everywhere, lives were disrupted—or worse.
The “forces” opposing the tyrant were paltry, their leaders few: Imperor Emshandar V, deposed the very day he ascended the fabled Opal Throne; the dwarf Raspnex, Zinixo’s warlock uncle, who alone knew the depths of his kinsman’s madness; and Rap, the stableboy who had become the most puissant sorcerer in all Pandemia—and then left that power behind to rule a tiny kingdom with Inos, the woman he loved.
Together they set out to enlist whatever magic-users were not yet enslaved to Zinixo. But free sorcerers were scarce as hen’s teeth: Shandie, Rap, and Raspnex were forced to separate, each carrying the hope of freedom to a different corner of their troubled world.
Shandie rode north—into disaster.
Raspnex pursued his own secret plans.
And Rap toiled through steaming jungles in search of the troll-witch Grunth. He prayed that his wife and children were safe, protected by their icebound kingdom’s remoteness and by the spells that guarded the tiny realm. But the end of the age was wracking every land, and Inos and the twins Kadie and Gath were far indeed from home, and further yet from any hope of safety…
The end of the millennium was turning out to be every bit as bad as the prophecies had foretold…
The paranoid dwarf Zinixo had overthrown the Impire, proclaiming himself almighty. With legions of sorcerers bound to his will, his preposterous claim was scarcely open to doubt. Ruthlessly he trampled all resistance. Armies—both magic and mundane—swept across the lands.
Everywhere, lives were disrupted—or worse.
The “forces” opposing the tyrant were paltry, their leaders few: Imperor Emshandar V, deposed the very day he ascended the fabled Opal Throne; the dwarf Raspnex, Zinixo’s warlock uncle, who alone knew the depths of his kinsman’s madness; and Rap, the stableboy who had become the most puissant sorcerer in all Pandemia—and then left that power behind to rule a tiny kingdom with Inos, the woman he loved.
Together they set out to enlist whatever magic-users were not yet enslaved to Zinixo. But free sorcerers were scarce as hen’s teeth: Shandie, Rap, and Raspnex were forced to separate, each carrying the hope of freedom to a different corner of their troubled world.
Shandie rode north—into disaster.
Raspnex pursued his own secret plans.
And Rap toiled through steaming jungles in search of the troll-witch Grunth. He prayed that his wife and children were safe, protected by their icebound kingdom’s remoteness and by the spells that guarded the tiny realm. But the end of the age was wracking every land, and Inos and the twins Kadie and Gath were far indeed from home, and further yet from any hope of safety…
343 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Dave Duncan
144 books597 followersOriginally from Scotland, Dave Duncan lived all his adult life in Western Canada, having enjoyed a long career as a petroleum geologist before taking up writing. Since discovering that imaginary worlds were more satisfying than the real one, he published more than 60 novels, mostly in the fantasy genre, but also young adult, science fiction, and historical.
He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")
His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.
He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.
He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.
He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")
His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.
He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.
He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 10, 2017
The counterrevolution seemed to be over before it had begun, and the remaining conspirators were resolutely marching into a trap.
The third installment of Dave Duncan’s epic fantasy follows one of the most powerful unwritten rules of the genre, one that we probably have to thank master Tolkien for. Namely, that things must get impossibly more difficult for the heroes as their quest progresses. To recap previous events: a handful of men band together to fight the rise of an evil wizard who everybody thought was defeated in the original series (“A Man of his Word”) . Not only is warlock Zinixo still present, but he has managed to work in darkness for twenty years and to gather to his side the most powerful army of zombie sorcerers ever assembled, enslaved to his will. This Covin is able now to sniff any use of magic in Pandemia and swoop in to add the unwary practitioner to their ranks. Ancient prophecy though says that a million to one chance of winning for the underdogs is 100 percent guaranteed to come true.
If the setting reminds you of Sauron and of his flying Nazguls, I won’t blame you! but boy, does Dave Duncan know how to spin a gripping tale of wonder, adventure and courage ...
This was another page turner that I wouldn’t have minded if it was twice the size it came in. The enlarged cast of characters and the rushing pace of events required frequent jumps in the narrative from one POV to another, from one end of Pandemia to the other corner of the map, as the rebels are scattered to search for allies in their struggle. The drawback is that just as I got steamed up about one storyline, I had to switch to another one. This is not such a big problem as with other bloated fantasy epics (I am thinking Robert Jordan in particular), since I kind of like all of the heroes involved in the Pandemia counterrevolution.
How can you hope to defeat this Covin if it’s so powerful?
We can’t, unless we can collect more power than it has.
Echoing Neil Gaiman’s observation that fantasy is important because it teaches us not only that drogons exist but, more importantly, that dragons can be beaten, Duncan continues to explore the ethical implications of unlimited power. (... and yes, the above quote made me think of the current administration of Donald Trump). King Rap and his friends raise their banners against the evil overlord Zinixo but their tactics are not some doomed arms race but a social revolution that would put power back in the hands of the small people and establish the institutions that would rein in the present and the future tyrants. To make things simple, they issue a proclamation that magical zombification is illegal, that all races in Pandemia are equal and that abuses will be tried in a court of law choosen democratically.
... enough with the politiks! Duncan’s other major talent is to create memorable and likable characters. Even the scoundrels and the occasional anthropophage can get under your skin. A young emperor who thought that by waging total war he would ensure lasting peace is now reconsidering his past (Shandie). An epicurean spy that revels in gossip finds surprising resources of courage (Umpily). An eminence gris from the Impire is travelling the the most squalid corners of the realm and having to treat with ordinary people (Acopulo). A powerful warlock learns that women have brains too and can give good advice (Raspnex). A consummate lecher falls into his own trap as he tries to seduce an innocent woman:
Regardless of what they think, my dear, the Ylos of this world are far more interested in the race than the prize. The worst thing you can do is throw yourself on their mercy, because that ruins the sport. The don’t have any anyway – mercy sours the fruit of victory. With men like Ylo you must always play hard to get.
I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but I waited for the chapters in the hidden realm of the pixies, Thume, with far more trepidation than any other. In here Thaile, a young girl with inborn magical talent, is called to do her duty to her race and to the Warden that has kept the peace for a thousand years by isolating Thume from the rest of Pandemia (xenophobia on a rampage). But in order to bring her to the magic academy where her powers can be deloped and kept under control, the elders commit abominable crimes against her family. Does the end justifies the means? Is the death of a single child justified by the potential saving of thousands? If you fight evil with evil, are you any better than the enemy? What will Thaile do with her newly acquired talents when she discovers the betrayal? Most of the answers are left for the final book in the series.
Some of the moral quandaries of Thaile are reflected in the parallel stories of two young children unwittingly caught in the events: Rap’s teenage twins Gath and Kadie. Their presence here is more than a nod to the fantasy traditions of the Chosen One who raises from a modest role (stable boy, rebellious princess) to that of saviour of the realm at a very young age. It adds many layers of parent and child interactions, growing up in the middle of a brutal war and chosing pragmatism over early romantic daydreams.
Final thoughts and the third pillar of Dave Duncan’s recipe for success : Remember to have fun! even in the midst of the most terrible carnage. A sense of humour is practically required if you want to keep your sanity as the world as you knew it gets burnt to cinders by horrors you thought were figments of a poet’s imagination. . In the middle of an earnest council of war we come across this anachronism:
The stuffed penguin in the doorway defied explanation.
I would let the newly introduced cannibal chieftain Tik Tok and his approximate grasp of foreign languages have the last word and express my interest in the last volume of the series:
Tik Tok beamed his dagger teeth and sprang to his feet in a shower of rosebuds. “Fiends and alloys!” he proclaimed. “I am pleased to denounce that we have made significant breakdown in understudying!” He paused and glanced at Rap. “Good start?”
“An inedible performance,” Rap said drily. “Carry on.”
The third installment of Dave Duncan’s epic fantasy follows one of the most powerful unwritten rules of the genre, one that we probably have to thank master Tolkien for. Namely, that things must get impossibly more difficult for the heroes as their quest progresses. To recap previous events: a handful of men band together to fight the rise of an evil wizard who everybody thought was defeated in the original series (“A Man of his Word”) . Not only is warlock Zinixo still present, but he has managed to work in darkness for twenty years and to gather to his side the most powerful army of zombie sorcerers ever assembled, enslaved to his will. This Covin is able now to sniff any use of magic in Pandemia and swoop in to add the unwary practitioner to their ranks. Ancient prophecy though says that a million to one chance of winning for the underdogs is 100 percent guaranteed to come true.
If the setting reminds you of Sauron and of his flying Nazguls, I won’t blame you! but boy, does Dave Duncan know how to spin a gripping tale of wonder, adventure and courage ...
This was another page turner that I wouldn’t have minded if it was twice the size it came in. The enlarged cast of characters and the rushing pace of events required frequent jumps in the narrative from one POV to another, from one end of Pandemia to the other corner of the map, as the rebels are scattered to search for allies in their struggle. The drawback is that just as I got steamed up about one storyline, I had to switch to another one. This is not such a big problem as with other bloated fantasy epics (I am thinking Robert Jordan in particular), since I kind of like all of the heroes involved in the Pandemia counterrevolution.
How can you hope to defeat this Covin if it’s so powerful?
We can’t, unless we can collect more power than it has.
Echoing Neil Gaiman’s observation that fantasy is important because it teaches us not only that drogons exist but, more importantly, that dragons can be beaten, Duncan continues to explore the ethical implications of unlimited power. (... and yes, the above quote made me think of the current administration of Donald Trump). King Rap and his friends raise their banners against the evil overlord Zinixo but their tactics are not some doomed arms race but a social revolution that would put power back in the hands of the small people and establish the institutions that would rein in the present and the future tyrants. To make things simple, they issue a proclamation that magical zombification is illegal, that all races in Pandemia are equal and that abuses will be tried in a court of law choosen democratically.
... enough with the politiks! Duncan’s other major talent is to create memorable and likable characters. Even the scoundrels and the occasional anthropophage can get under your skin. A young emperor who thought that by waging total war he would ensure lasting peace is now reconsidering his past (Shandie). An epicurean spy that revels in gossip finds surprising resources of courage (Umpily). An eminence gris from the Impire is travelling the the most squalid corners of the realm and having to treat with ordinary people (Acopulo). A powerful warlock learns that women have brains too and can give good advice (Raspnex). A consummate lecher falls into his own trap as he tries to seduce an innocent woman:
Regardless of what they think, my dear, the Ylos of this world are far more interested in the race than the prize. The worst thing you can do is throw yourself on their mercy, because that ruins the sport. The don’t have any anyway – mercy sours the fruit of victory. With men like Ylo you must always play hard to get.
I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but I waited for the chapters in the hidden realm of the pixies, Thume, with far more trepidation than any other. In here Thaile, a young girl with inborn magical talent, is called to do her duty to her race and to the Warden that has kept the peace for a thousand years by isolating Thume from the rest of Pandemia (xenophobia on a rampage). But in order to bring her to the magic academy where her powers can be deloped and kept under control, the elders commit abominable crimes against her family. Does the end justifies the means? Is the death of a single child justified by the potential saving of thousands? If you fight evil with evil, are you any better than the enemy? What will Thaile do with her newly acquired talents when she discovers the betrayal? Most of the answers are left for the final book in the series.
Some of the moral quandaries of Thaile are reflected in the parallel stories of two young children unwittingly caught in the events: Rap’s teenage twins Gath and Kadie. Their presence here is more than a nod to the fantasy traditions of the Chosen One who raises from a modest role (stable boy, rebellious princess) to that of saviour of the realm at a very young age. It adds many layers of parent and child interactions, growing up in the middle of a brutal war and chosing pragmatism over early romantic daydreams.
Final thoughts and the third pillar of Dave Duncan’s recipe for success : Remember to have fun! even in the midst of the most terrible carnage. A sense of humour is practically required if you want to keep your sanity as the world as you knew it gets burnt to cinders by horrors you thought were figments of a poet’s imagination. . In the middle of an earnest council of war we come across this anachronism:
The stuffed penguin in the doorway defied explanation.
I would let the newly introduced cannibal chieftain Tik Tok and his approximate grasp of foreign languages have the last word and express my interest in the last volume of the series:
Tik Tok beamed his dagger teeth and sprang to his feet in a shower of rosebuds. “Fiends and alloys!” he proclaimed. “I am pleased to denounce that we have made significant breakdown in understudying!” He paused and glanced at Rap. “Good start?”
“An inedible performance,” Rap said drily. “Carry on.”
June 24, 2025
Now [redacted] had a whole new terror to deal with. Despair was much easier to bear than hope.
Ensemble cast scattered across the inhabited world attempt to save civilization as they know it. But the stakes are even higher than they suspect. Enjoyable four-part fantasy in a Roman Empire analog universe with Middle Earth races. Magic.
“Trouble tells a man who his friends are.”
This and previous book could easily have been combined but getting there is part of the fun. Fractured, competing tales of apparently disparate quests. A more personal and less violent take on epic fantasy. (Probably not four stars on an absolute scale but is so well told.)
“Because he is insane. He is trying to convince himself that he is invincible, and the harder he tries the less he believes himself.”
Enjoyable, thought-provoking, and unoffensive. Hard combination to find these days. Multiple-interleaved timelines requires continuous reading or a good memory.
“The Evil is almost upon us. The atrocities have begun, and now the Usurper stirs. The dragons are rising!”
Ensemble cast scattered across the inhabited world attempt to save civilization as they know it. But the stakes are even higher than they suspect. Enjoyable four-part fantasy in a Roman Empire analog universe with Middle Earth races. Magic.
“Trouble tells a man who his friends are.”
This and previous book could easily have been combined but getting there is part of the fun. Fractured, competing tales of apparently disparate quests. A more personal and less violent take on epic fantasy. (Probably not four stars on an absolute scale but is so well told.)
“Because he is insane. He is trying to convince himself that he is invincible, and the harder he tries the less he believes himself.”
Enjoyable, thought-provoking, and unoffensive. Hard combination to find these days. Multiple-interleaved timelines requires continuous reading or a good memory.
“The Evil is almost upon us. The atrocities have begun, and now the Usurper stirs. The dragons are rising!”
February 28, 2016
As Tik Tok would say "an impassive display of millinery power"! This was book 3 (of 4) or book 7 of 8. I think the best tribute I can give the author is that his excellence in this series is on a par with Robin Hobb's world of the Elderlings. Pandemia is well presented with the numerous races and mixtures along with the magic system. The narrative speeds into the finale. All characters lives hang in the balance.
December 26, 2015
Also had to purchase this on Kindle despite already owning a physical copy because I couldn't find it and needed to read it. . . .
I think this is actually my first time reading this book actually knowing what's coming in The Living God (my history with this series is. . . idiosyncratic). Must admit that there is a lot less suspense this way (I read the first half a lot of times before reading the rest of the series, and I remember this overwhelming thrill when Rap starts to remember the importance of Thume and meanwhile Thaïle is coming really close to understanding what's going on with the Keeper, but that wasn't nearly as exciting this time). Also in retrospect I'm a bit disappointed that isn't developed better since you know I was waiting for that ever since The Cutting Edge.
But Again, it's that bizarre contradiction at the heart of Duncan books where we are on the one hand presented with protagonists who consistently uphold and judge others according to a very rigid moral code, never developing any humility that might lead one to think that the narrative is calling on readers to question their judgments, and on the other hand characters whose cultural values and priorities might be alien and even horrifying at times but still manage to demonstrate admirable heroism not merely despite but in fact because of their culture. I obviously have a strong preference for the second part of that balance, but it's strange just how sustained both of these threads are. One day I really want to finish the second Dodec book as I felt that the teenage heroine who dedicated herself to the goddess mainstream society saw as evil was moving beyond that contradiction a little bit.
I think this is actually my first time reading this book actually knowing what's coming in The Living God (my history with this series is. . . idiosyncratic). Must admit that there is a lot less suspense this way (I read the first half a lot of times before reading the rest of the series, and I remember this overwhelming thrill when Rap starts to remember the importance of Thume and meanwhile Thaïle is coming really close to understanding what's going on with the Keeper, but that wasn't nearly as exciting this time). Also in retrospect I'm a bit disappointed that isn't developed better since you know I was waiting for that ever since The Cutting Edge.
But Again, it's that bizarre contradiction at the heart of Duncan books where we are on the one hand presented with protagonists who consistently uphold and judge others according to a very rigid moral code, never developing any humility that might lead one to think that the narrative is calling on readers to question their judgments, and on the other hand characters whose cultural values and priorities might be alien and even horrifying at times but still manage to demonstrate admirable heroism not merely despite but in fact because of their culture. I obviously have a strong preference for the second part of that balance, but it's strange just how sustained both of these threads are. One day I really want to finish the second Dodec book as I felt that the teenage heroine who dedicated herself to the goddess mainstream society saw as evil was moving beyond that contradiction a little bit.
November 17, 2010
"Innocent bystanders caught up in one of the worst wars in Pandemia's bloody history had very poor prospects for survival."
Undeniably and without any doubt this is the best thus far, but only because the build up (not only in the previous 2 but in the first series as well) is so well woven. In this instalment the characters are more vivid than ever, the action breathtaking and majestic, and it's everything to play for as we head out of the stricken field to meet The Living God.
Undeniably and without any doubt this is the best thus far, but only because the build up (not only in the previous 2 but in the first series as well) is so well woven. In this instalment the characters are more vivid than ever, the action breathtaking and majestic, and it's everything to play for as we head out of the stricken field to meet The Living God.
April 3, 2022
Dave Duncan has written two series with many of the same characters. The first series is A Man of His Word and the second is A Handful of Men. Because the two series are contiguous and share the same characters I am just going to review them together.
The first book, Magic Casement, from the first series was one that I liked and would have rated a 4 probably. I thought of it as a well-written YA fiction. The main characters in the book are teenagers and Duncan does, in my opinion, a very good job of expressing through the characters the feelings and viewpoint of teenagers even today. So I continued to read the series and Duncan did a poorer job of expressing the characters as they got older. But the progression of their growth and their stories was pretty well done and overall I would have given the series a 3.5.
While the first series was adventurous it was also more character-driven. The second series, which takes place 15 years after the first, is less character-driven and more political. Meaning political in terms of the disputes between the different regions and races. It could have been an excellent series based on that but it really wasn't.
The series is made up of all the mythical creatures devised by our world. Well, probably not all of them but a great deal. There are goblins and Jinn and pixies and fauns and trolls and so many more, including some I had never heard of. In addition, there are different locales inhabited by the different races. For example, the Jinnq live in awhat would be the Middle East today. (If you like world building, you probably wouldn't like that. It helped me to place some of the races and locales.) For me, given all the races, and their various characteristics, and their various locales, I found it exceedingly confusing. I don't know if that's because I needed a scorecard or if it was because the author made them sort of a muddle or whether I'm just not too bright, but I had trouble keeping track of all the players. And I should say, that there were a lot more players in this series than there were in the first series. And, in the first, the characters stayed together most of the time. They might have passed through a number of different locales but they did it together. In this series the characters were in pretty much all the locales but they went separately. So the stories would jump around between characters and locales. And sometimes a couple characters would come together and then they would separate, later coming together with different characters.
Finally, the climax and finale are a total mishmash. Seems that Duncan wanted to tie everything together in a pretty little bow in a very big hurry. As a result, the bow was squished and untied in places and just ugly. So if I were rating just the second series, I would give it a 2.5 and that might be generous.
In summary, I had to give the two series an overall 3. I really couldn't give it less since I read all 8 books. But if I had to do it over again, I would read the first series but not the second.
The first book, Magic Casement, from the first series was one that I liked and would have rated a 4 probably. I thought of it as a well-written YA fiction. The main characters in the book are teenagers and Duncan does, in my opinion, a very good job of expressing through the characters the feelings and viewpoint of teenagers even today. So I continued to read the series and Duncan did a poorer job of expressing the characters as they got older. But the progression of their growth and their stories was pretty well done and overall I would have given the series a 3.5.
While the first series was adventurous it was also more character-driven. The second series, which takes place 15 years after the first, is less character-driven and more political. Meaning political in terms of the disputes between the different regions and races. It could have been an excellent series based on that but it really wasn't.
The series is made up of all the mythical creatures devised by our world. Well, probably not all of them but a great deal. There are goblins and Jinn and pixies and fauns and trolls and so many more, including some I had never heard of. In addition, there are different locales inhabited by the different races. For example, the Jinnq live in awhat would be the Middle East today. (If you like world building, you probably wouldn't like that. It helped me to place some of the races and locales.) For me, given all the races, and their various characteristics, and their various locales, I found it exceedingly confusing. I don't know if that's because I needed a scorecard or if it was because the author made them sort of a muddle or whether I'm just not too bright, but I had trouble keeping track of all the players. And I should say, that there were a lot more players in this series than there were in the first series. And, in the first, the characters stayed together most of the time. They might have passed through a number of different locales but they did it together. In this series the characters were in pretty much all the locales but they went separately. So the stories would jump around between characters and locales. And sometimes a couple characters would come together and then they would separate, later coming together with different characters.
Finally, the climax and finale are a total mishmash. Seems that Duncan wanted to tie everything together in a pretty little bow in a very big hurry. As a result, the bow was squished and untied in places and just ugly. So if I were rating just the second series, I would give it a 2.5 and that might be generous.
In summary, I had to give the two series an overall 3. I really couldn't give it less since I read all 8 books. But if I had to do it over again, I would read the first series but not the second.
March 17, 2021
Summary: Enjoyed this as well though the outlook is looking increasingly bleak ... not sure where its going, but really engaging characters a huge premise with lots of complexities a great plot and a very readable writing style. Recommended
Plotline: Multiple threads, mostly joined now
Premise: Complex and huge, interesting magic, love it
Writing: great characters simple, readable
Ending: Even more doom and gloom
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: Multiple threads, mostly joined now
Premise: Complex and huge, interesting magic, love it
Writing: great characters simple, readable
Ending: Even more doom and gloom
Pace: Never a dull moment!
November 8, 2017
The action is picking up for the final volume. On to volume 4!
(This printing of the book had an annoying constant typo, as "th" was often changed to "m" at the beginning of words, especially "the", so that "the sun" became "me sun", and "rarely even then" became "rarely even men". Hopefully the next book won't have that irritant.)
(This printing of the book had an annoying constant typo, as "th" was often changed to "m" at the beginning of words, especially "the", so that "the sun" became "me sun", and "rarely even then" became "rarely even men". Hopefully the next book won't have that irritant.)
June 20, 2026
I'm enjoying this series much more than I did A Man of His Word, possibly because I find Inos more sympathetic in this one. I'm looking forward to reading the final volume to see how our heroes get out of the fine messes they are in.
April 9, 2020
There's a lot of goblin torture in this; I thought Death Bird renounced torture at the end of the previous series!
May 19, 2022
See review of The Cutting Edge
August 14, 2012
Our intrepid band of rebels continue on their separate quests and fall headlong into danger after danger. As they continue to search for sorcerers to aid their cause & strive to avoid capture by the mad dwarf usurper, their split band splinters even further. Zinixio, the self-proclaimed Almighty gathers sorcerers into his enforced Covin and uses them to release a brace of dragons upon the earth. Just when things seem hopeless, the occasional ray of sunshine, or demi-god pixie appears to give hope. Now onto the 4th & final in the series. Just as with the first series about Rap, the sorcerer, I've come to care so much about these characters that I really don't want the series to end.
November 16, 2015
In this instalment, the scattered heroes are mostly drifting around Pandemia, picking up more allies as they go. This book seems to be mostly Thaille's story, and it's obvious she'll have a great part to play in whatever comes next.
A good, solid read, though I probably would have enjoyed it even more if I'd been able to read it in paperback. But as it took me over 15 years to even locate the hardback, that wasn't much of an option. Good news for Kindle fans though, all the books are currently available!
A good, solid read, though I probably would have enjoyed it even more if I'd been able to read it in paperback. But as it took me over 15 years to even locate the hardback, that wasn't much of an option. Good news for Kindle fans though, all the books are currently available!
August 20, 2016
Dit boek komt wat moeizaam op gang. Pas wanneer de personages geherintroduceerd zijn, slaagt Duncan erin om een meeslepend fantasy-epos op te bouwen dat de moeite waard is.
Er gebeurt veel in dit verhaal, zodanig dat ik af en toe eventjes kwijt was wie en wat er speelde in het boek. Diverse verhaallijnen, die waarschijnlijk in een van de volgende delen bij elkaar zullen komen.
Ps. In het Nederlands lijkt dit deel 2 te zijn, maar in het overzicht op www.goodreads.com wordt het Engelse boek als #3 beschouwd.
Er gebeurt veel in dit verhaal, zodanig dat ik af en toe eventjes kwijt was wie en wat er speelde in het boek. Diverse verhaallijnen, die waarschijnlijk in een van de volgende delen bij elkaar zullen komen.
Ps. In het Nederlands lijkt dit deel 2 te zijn, maar in het overzicht op www.goodreads.com wordt het Engelse boek als #3 beschouwd.
June 12, 2008
Genre: High Fantasy
This is book 3 in the _A Handful of Men_ series. As I expected, stuff actually started happening in this book. The protagonists start taking actions to forward their plans. Since Book 2 we've know what the desired outcome was, but I am still clueless about how things are going to get there - as events in this book seems to go from bad to worse... It will be interesting to see if Duncan can avoid deus ex machina in the final book of the series.
This is book 3 in the _A Handful of Men_ series. As I expected, stuff actually started happening in this book. The protagonists start taking actions to forward their plans. Since Book 2 we've know what the desired outcome was, but I am still clueless about how things are going to get there - as events in this book seems to go from bad to worse... It will be interesting to see if Duncan can avoid deus ex machina in the final book of the series.
January 5, 2013
Book three of a Handful of Men suffers more from middle book syndrome: the characters continue to journey towards the climax, we learn new things, but endings are put off. One of the interesting choices Duncan made is how long it takes to get back to the pixies. Half the book passes before we return to them.
July 6, 2007
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
June 6, 2010
Very powerful ending, finished it at two in the morning. now i need the next one and I left it in Cheyenne.
September 30, 2012
Built up nicely for the forth and final installment.
January 25, 2013
Good story, like the characters.
July 2, 2013
Go Kadie!
April 9, 2016
4.5 stars this time. Another upgrade🥂
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