Portal of a Thousand Worlds

by Dave Duncan

The looming threat of a once-in-a-millennium magical event sends nineteenth-century China into violent chaos in this epic alternate-history fantasy.

Author of the Seventh Sword series Dave Duncan transports us to Imperial China in an alternate nineteenth century—an Asian epoch not unlike the Boxer Rebellion era—with a spellbinding tale of rebellion, political intrigue, larceny, seduction, shape-shifting, dark magic, and murder. These are troubled years in the Good Land.

Ten centuries have passed since the last time the Portal of a Thousand Worlds opened, bringing chaos, upheaval, and radical change to the then-ruling dynasty, and now the mystical gateway is rumored to be on the verge of opening once more. Only the Firstborn—he who has been reincarnated through countless generations and remembers all he has ever learned—knows what the future holds, but he has been imprisoned for refusing to comply with a repressive imperial government’s wishes.

Now, those hoping to seize the opportunity for wealth and position are hatching sinister plots. And as the cold-hearted dowager empress closely guards a fateful secret, and a rebel army led by a fanatical zealot gathers strength under the Bamboo Banner, the cataclysm approaches. . . .

The recipient of two Aurora Awards and numerous Locus and Endeavour Award nominations, Dave Duncan is an acknowledged master of sword-and-sorcery adventure on par with George R. R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. A sprawling epic with a colorful cast of royals, thieves, prostitutes, gods, warriors, dragons, assassins, merchants, and mages set against the backdrop of a volatile alternate Asia, Portal of a Thousand Worlds is a magnificent work of invention from one of the premier fantasists of our day.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Alternate History, Fiction, Historical, Adult, Science Fiction

450 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Originally 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.

Reviews

[Kaora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portal of a Thousand Worlds had a strong start, a detailed world set in medieval China. Life there is ruthless, as temples offer murderers for hire to rich families that work to increase their fortunes and take out their competition. Where the emperor and his family will do anything to stay in power. A world where greed and corruption are commonplace.

While I was quickly sucked into this world, I struggled to find characters that I liked. There were several points of view, but Sunshine was the only one I enjoyed. The only one who seemed to have a shred of decency in this corrupt world.

The storyline was good as well, the viewpoints converging until they overlap and all is revealed. I did enjoy the build up but not as much as I would have if I had someone to root for, but all in all a fascinating read, one that those that enjoy grim fantasy would enjoy.

[Sandra (LadyGrey Reads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 25%

The story confused me to no end as it never seemed to actually begin and I got annoyed with people's names (seriously; if you write a story about a place akin to China I expect some Chinese in there). In the end I just could not continue attempting to read this.

[Christaaay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 STARS

“I helped him advance on the staircase of worlds.”

A pretty euphemism for assassination, no?

About : The Good Land lives for centuries at a time without serious threat to its traditions. Each dynastic emperor rules from The Heart of the World, unseen by the masses and advised by his eunuchs. Periodically, rebellions protest the power of the emperor’s “usurper” mother, who appears to rule the throne; fortunately for the ruling class, the only real competing power lies with “The Grey Helpers” of “The Houses of Joyful Departure”—you guessed it, an assassin’s guild ;)

But the emperor takes fearful notice when the Man of a Thousand Lives reappears, a man who is reincarnated cyclically through the ages to share the wisdom of the prophets about the Portal of a Thousand Worlds. This time, the Man of a Thousand Lives prophesies the opening of the Portal. As the auguries pile up, the powerful grow nervous, for the Portal always brings great changes to the Good Land. Dynasties end and natural disasters rock the land.

The changes rarely favor the powerful. The Portal of a Thousand Worlds is adult epic fantasy/alternate history authored by Dave Duncan and published February 14th 2017 by Open Road Media Science & Fantasy. Duncan also authored The King’s Blades and The Seventh Sword series.

Thoughts : Portal of a Thousand Worlds feels like the sort of book that might take a lifetime to write—tightly plotted and cast, fully-developed in setting and characterized by the sort of raucous, racy and word-perfect humor that enlivens what might otherwise be considered a grim Chinese political fantasy.

The conflict between Emperor’s family and the rebels is the main focus of the book. Every so often, the focus slides back to the Man of a Thousand Lives (also known as the “Firstborn” or the “Urfather”) and his mysterious agenda; but basically every other narrator (and there are many) focuses on the palace intrigue. Most of the narrators are either nobility or Grey Helpers, and from them we learn delicious details of both palace life and the inner workings of the assassin’s guild. It’s like a very (very! Wonderfully! Atmospherically!!) Chinese Game of Thrones.

The story builds to address the climactic mystery of The Portal. Only rumors survive about its opening in centuries past, and nobody knows why. But everyone wants to know, of course—so they ask the Firstborn, who currently resides in the body of a fourteen year old peasant boy named “Sunlight.” But even he doesn’t know much—he always gets assassinated before the Portal itself opens.

So everybody watches and waits, anxious about the opening of the great portal.

My favorite part of Portal is the delightfully wicked and ever-present humor. Clever verbal gymnastics, situations that lurch sideways and riotous personality humor kept me giggling throughout the book. The Firstborn himself trademarks his own running joke, sharing hilarious anecdotes or reprimands about the confusion surrounding past philosophical teachings.

On top of the humor, surprises show up on every page. Tensions run high with conflicting character agendas, sudden tips in power, deaths, magics and all kinds of other ingenious plot twists. I was never bored. Certain portions could have probably been trimmed to shorten the book—I didn’t expect to take two weeks to read this ARC; but every page was honestly a pleasure to read.

The ending may disappoint readers who enjoy the concrete answers often found in a hard-fantasy like Brandon Sanderson’s stories; nevertheless, I found it to be profoundly touching and everything I didn’t know I wanted. I love the theme about how the passage of time can affect religion and public perception of religion. The religion also serves justice in a rather unique way…

The limitations of the female sex may also bother some readers. Life is unapologetically rough for all but noblemen (emphasis on the “men”), in this early 1800s-like Chinese fantasy. Women can gain only a little power, and only by birthing sons; as such, every female with a modicum of power spends or has spent time as a prostitute or concubine. If feminism is a touchy issue for you, you might consider the female situation anything from boring to grating; I took off half a star for the disturbingly obvious lack of strong, unique female heroines. But thankfully despite the limits on female power, I enjoyed the female characters as much as the heroes in this one. The range of personalities is both vast and entertaining. (My favorite character, Horse, grew up in a House of Joyful Departure where females get just as much opportunity and have just as much success as men. He is one of the few males who respects women outside the bedroom…and you might like where his arc leads, and what it promises for the future of the Good Land.)

Overall : I thoroughly enjoyed Portal. The humor and inventiveness far outweigh any negative considerations. It’s billed as a Chinese Game of Thrones, which seems like a fair description. (You might take this with a grain of salt, as I’m only familiar with book 1 + season 1 of GoT.) Occasional short action scenes pop up, but mostly as humorous or dramatic beats. The book is much more about politics and power than about the magic or even the Portal, really.

Recommended To : Anyone looking for a hilarious and political epic fantasy with a Chinese twist. Not recommended to feminists. Slight content warning for younger readers, there’s some violence and a loooooot of sex, haha. I don’t recall anything too dramatic, but sex is probably mentioned on every other page, in some form or another (often as a device of humor).

If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog

Thank you so much to Dave Duncan, Open Road Media Science & Fantasy and Netgalley for this amazing ARC of Portal of a Thousand Worlds!

[Rosie Rizk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world created is a fascinatingly corrupt empire, run by a corrupt upper class and a religious body that doubles as a society of secret assassins.

The story spans over several years, jumping between several characters, and while I didn't become extremely attached to any one character, I didn't loose interest in their individual stories either, since the book focused on how their lives intertwined, and how the world worked, and the people's corruption. Oddly, instead of being boring, it was actually a good read. Normally, if I don't relate to a character or two, I lose interest. But even though the story jumped before anyone could become a single major character, the overall story still drew me in with its darkness, corruption, and fascinatingly horrible world.

My review probably doesn't sound that great, but near the end of the book, I realized that while I didn't care too much for the characters, I was still somewhat interested in their lives, and especially in how the book would end. Like I said before, it's compellingly dark and corrupted, and somehow, that drew me in.

On the other hand - It was nearly as dirty as Game of Thrones. I don't care so much about the battles. Yes, I expect bloody deaths in war. But the way women were treated, or rather, mistreated, really ticked me off. It's not just a built in culture in that world, which lots of books have, but I felt like the author had no respect for women as characters. They were mostly viewed as sex objects, and even when a woman or two did something to further her character, it always jumped back to sex in the end. It was a very dirty male run world. Even Game of Thrones, which I compare this to for its extreme vulgarities, (I didn't read past the first book because it disturbed me too much. And I rarely stop for something like that!), took a much better view of women, and their individual roles. Actually, GoT is probably one of the best ones out there in terms of feminine character development.

Basically, it would've been a 4.0 book without all the vulgar men. With them, I'm downgrading it to a 3.2, and probably won't read another book by this author.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 of 5 stars
I got this book in my first ever book subscription from magic chest and was very excited to read it.
There are 4 main plot lines all concerned with the opening of the portal of a thousand worlds. The beginning was a bit slow and it took about 80 pages to introduce everyone who would become important in this story.

*Possible spoilers*
What I liked about the book:
- The setting in an alternate Chinese dynasty
- The different protagonists, since Duncan took so much time to introduce each and everyone of his characters you understood the reasons behind their actions, their likes and dislikes.
- The story, was quite interesting and quite unique:)
- The fact that this is a stand alone story and not part of a series

What I did not like about the book:
- The names, they were really odd, and the fact that some of the characters had more than three names in the course of the story quite confusing
- The drama, well that's part of political sinister plots that everyone tries to seize power, but I found it a bit annoying
- The sudden end, even though it wrapped the story up quite nicely

[Benni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, epic, with a rich tapestry of characters. Loved that this was fantasy based in a Chinese-inspired world. Ending was rather abrupt; wished this was a series.

[Maddalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portal of a Thousand Worlds was my first approach to Dave Duncan’s prolific production, and it ended up being a surprisingly involving read. The novel can be labeled as historical fantasy and is set in an alternate version of China, probably in the late 19th, early 20th Century: the rebellion of the Bamboo Banner adepts sounds quite similar to the real Boxer rebellion that flared up between 1899 and 1901, and here it serves as a useful time indicator.

The story follows several narrative strands that move, slowly but inexorably, toward the final confluence [...]

Read the full review at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG

[Tani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Dave Duncan was an author that I followed in my teenage years, so when I saw that he had a new novel coming out set in an alternate China, I was really excited to read it. Thanks so much to Open Road Media for giving me the opportunity to do so a bit early!

Portal of a Thousand Worlds is set in an alternate-history China, with a very mild fantasy element. On a broad scale, it's focused on a time of upheaval in the current Dynasty. The Empress Mother has been ruling for her son since the untimely death of her husband, but now that her son is at the age where he could be ruling himself, there are rumors that her son is actually dead. These rumors, as well as a surge of natural disasters, have led to a rebellion known as the Bamboo Blade. The story follows a number of different characters through this setting. Some of the more notable characters are Silky, an ambitious assassin/financial fixer out to make his fortune; Horse, a young man who gets pulled into more political intrigues than he can handle; and Sunlight, known as the Urfather, who is continually reborn into the world with all of his memories intact.

It's hard to tell you more exactly what the story is about. It's well-crafted, and yet it sets a meandering pace that could sometimes use some pepping up. I struggled a bit through the middle because I was having trouble connecting with some of the characters, particularly with the point of view that we get into the Bamboo Blade, the aforementioned rebel army, and Silky. Neither of these characters were very likable for me, although I'll admit that Silky truly grew on me by the end of the book. I wasn't at all sure how Duncan would be able to bring together all of these disparate stories into a cohesive whole.

And yet, I found myself drawn in. Duncan writes in a smooth style that makes it incredibly easy to keep reading, even when you're not sure where the story could be going. He switches characters often, which from another author would be confusing. However, I wasn't confused at all when Duncan did it. There was something really captivating about the way he could just let you slip into the skin of whatever character was currently the center of action. I also really liked the way that he actually translated the character names, rather than transliterating them. I thought it gave a foreign feel while still aiding my ability to keep all of the characters straight.

I also liked the darkness of the world. Be forewarned: things are not always pretty here. There's rape, assault, torture, and death. There's also a lot of politics that I enjoyed reading about. And yet it never felt gratuitous. It felt like a natural extension of the story and the world.

And the end! As I said, I wasn't sure if Duncan would be able to pull everything together, but he managed it admirably. I really enjoyed seeing all of the different characters meet up and events finally getting resolved. My favorite part of the book was definitely at the very end. Parts of the story that I wasn't as interested in got a resolution that made me laugh with how perfect it was. Having spent over 400 pages with some characters, I found that I liked them after all and was very happy to see them get a good ending. In general, I walked away from the book feeling very satisfied with how things had played out.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally published at Book of Bogan.

Portal of a Thousand Worlds is a book by the well-known fantasy author Dave Duncan, set in an alternate version of 19th Century China, and is filled with lots of political, and courtly intrigue. I haven't read a Dave Duncan book in quite a while, but was intrigued by the premise, and setting of this book to pick it up. There are a lot of political and story plots going on throughout the novel, and very few characters are exactly who they appear to be.

I'll be honest, I found the story a bit hard to follow, which is partially related to the amount of intrigues going on, but also related to the number of characters involved. The characters each have names like "butterfly sword" and other double barrelled names which don't follow a western style, which is a little alien to me. There is a certain amount of nominative determinism going on, with characters named after personality traits, or the jobs they do. As if this was not complicated enough, the author occasionally throws numbers at the end of names. The effect of this is that - for me - I struggled to understand who was whom, and I consequently lost interest in what was going on.

This is quite a long novel, but I still felt as though Duncan managed to rush his way through a number of scenes which I considered would be fairly critical to the plot. There is a civil war going on, but the actual fighting seems to be secondary to the machinations going on in the Imperial Court.

Maybe I'm used to a bit more action in the novels I read, and perhaps this would appeal to some others who might find the whole thing easier to follow. By the time I was finished the book, I was ready to be done with it, and I struggled to recall, and summarise the book as a whole.

I received the book in exchange for an honest review.

[R.S. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read for a lot of reasons. It was set in ancient China and I always love historical Eastern settings, and this one did a great job of really putting you in the culture and lifestyle. All the characters had noun names like Horse and Snow Lily and Silkworm. It made it a bit challenging to figure out what was going on (when the guy Horse was riding a horse, things got tricky) but all in all I think it worked well.

My two big gripes are the voice and the plot. The voice was super distant and felt like we were getting a semi-sarcastic account of the events long after they happened. The plot had so many characters and so many events going on, it got difficult to really care about one or another. I thought toward the end they would kind of all get together to have this big event but it ended up being a non-event and left me feeling like why did I even read this?

The big savior on this one are the stunning cover and gamazing title. Those two alone sold me on the book. I just wish the story itself had been just as amazing.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

You could say this was a story of many scoundrels who dispite being raised as professional assassins; which they're very good at, they have a streak of good (well at least pride in their work.)

For most of the book you follow separate plots by individuals, all of which are engaging. In the background is the mystery of The Portal which opens every thousands of years, with so much time inbetween that what happens is myth with few facts, muddied by political agendas. It makes for a surprise ending when all the diverse groups finally converge at The Portal.

The writing style does a fine job of setting the atmosphere of this pseudo far-East country with names like Silk Hand, Shard Ginko, Far Visions. There is a lot of humor; especially with Silky the Assassin, even with the population dying in droves from natural disaster and 'clients' being helped on to the fifth world by the gray helpers. Altogether an enjoyable stand alone novel.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this primarily for the worldbuilding! It is very Chinese - I loved the importance of being familiar with the previous masters and passing Imperial exams for promotion, the recognition of the Mandarins and the Eunuchs, as well as the issues surrounding feudalism (as depicted in the Goat Haven section). I also enjoyed the fantasy elements - the talk about moving to the next world or ascending the ladder of worlds referring to death. Other than that, it was rather low-magic; the only other magic referred to appeared to be the Grey Order's power of seeming.

Two minor quibbles I had was that the characters considered this world the Fourth World. I did wonder why the author chose fourth - in Chinese, fourth is a homonym for death. My second issue was with the choice of using translated names - Horse? Butterfly Sword? It felt strange. Then again, I took this as generic fantasy and went with it.

Basically: the Imperial Palace is ruled by the Empress Mother as regent for her son, Absolute Purity. There are two sources of tension - the Bamboo Banner raises a rebellion, claiming that the Empress Mother is truly ruling, and Absolute Purity is a mere puppet. (This is rather reminiscent of the Qing Dynasty.) The second source of tension is inside the palace, as Absolute Purity was mentally handicapped at two years old, and the Empress Mother seeks a replacement. We follow Sunlight, the Firstborn (a person who has reincarnated through the centuries), Silky, a initiate of the Grey Order (who care for the dead and serve as assassins to further their cause), and Horse (the "replacement" obtained for Absolute Purity).

Sunlight is basically the fictional version of the Dalai Lama - he's rather wise and equable. We don't get his point of view directly; we see him through his companion's perspective. I enjoyed that; it kept up some of the mystery. At the same time, I appreciated that there was a sense of character arc for him - he's seen it all before except the opening of the portal, and this was about him finally seeing the portal opening. At the same time, I get a sense that he's used for validation and historical perspective - when he meets both Silky and Horse, he reassures them that their actions have been carried out before - creating a sense of historical cyclicity.

Silky starts off as a poor initiate in the Grey Order and his portion of the story is basically him strategising his way to becoming a landowner. I enjoyed his story line - he was rather reckless (or daring) as a character, and it's nice that he found happiness with Verdant Harmony at the end. At the same time, his plot felt a little disconnected from the main plot.

Horse also starts off as a Grey Order initiate. However,the Empress Mother hires him as a stud to replace the current Emperor (who is an imbecile and therefore unable to continue the Imperial line). After the Empress Mother dies, Horse, renamed as Butterfly Sword, seizes power as the Emperor (doing a masterful job of the same. He too, is seen through by Sunlight, but Sunlight is rather philosophical about it.

I enjoyed seeing how the characters progressed along their story lines. I rather enjoyed Horse's character development - he starts off as appearing rather passive, but is able to act after the death of the Imperial Mother, where he decides to seize the throne. I did wonder how much of his personality change is due to the orders given to him by Sister Lark.

In short: engrossing and entertaining book.

[Kevin Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the different viewpoints and the whole idea of an imposter emperor is really interesting. Each character felt a little dry to me, though. I didn't want Silky to be so much of a monster and I needed to know more specific motivations for the bamboo banner people.
I was concerned this was going to be the first of a trilogy because I had 20 pages to go and like 4 story lines to wrap up, but then THEY ALL GOT WRAPPED UP. Why did that happen over the course of 20 pages instead of 50? Who knows! I would have liked to know more about how things settled out afterward.

I'm confused by Mouse - was he really the reborn guy? Is there some meaning in them getting bigger and two of them going into the portal at the end? What felt like it should have been a big revelation left me scratching my head.

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just after I started reading this book, I discovered the heartbreaking news that its author, Dave Duncan, passed away a month ago.

From the moment I picked up the first of his books that I came across (The Reluctant Swordsman, about 20 years ago), Mr. Duncan immediately cemented himself in the top spot of my favourite authors pantheon.
While I try to read widely - these days even more so, with varying results - my favourite genre remains fantasy, and no-one does fantasy quite like Duncan. His magic systems are always original and fun, but also follow clear rules and logic. In fact, there hasn't been a fantasy world he's written that I wouldn't have loved to visit.

So to hear that there won't be any more, has certainly had a real emotional impact on me.

Did this influence how I approached this book? I'd like to think not, but I'm not sure how reliable a witness I can be to that.

Portal of a Thousand Worlds is a re-imagined history set in imperial China with, of course, a healthy dose of magic thrown in, but not in a way that overpowers the story.

I enjoyed it very much, though I must admit I preferred certain POVs to others (Silky was great, Sunshine and Horse pretty good too, everything from the Bamboo camp bored me!). I would have loved to have been able to read more set in this world... All in all it had heart, considered both sides of the moral coin without preachiness, and was simply entertaining and interesting to read.

Thank you Mr. Duncan. I hope your ascension to the fifth world was a peaceful one.

[Anne Monteith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that it is hard to review without spoilers, but I am going to try. After I began this I developed an URI and despite being feverish I kept trying to read because I was totally enmeshed in the world that Dave Duncan has created. There is a lot going on in the story and there are many different characters and eventually all the stories and characters come together and give the readers a satisfying ending in this standalone novel.

The setting is a parallel world set in 19th century China, where the wealthy are trying to hide as much as possible from the Emperor’s tax collectors and the poor are struggling to survive. The Grey Helpers (TGH) are groups brothers and sisters who operate Houses of Joyful Departures that prepare the bodies of those who have died and perform the ceremony for them to journey into The Fifth World. Their families provide the material things they will need for the journey and als0 pay TGH for their services. People who handle corpses are considered unclean and despised by everyone else in their society. They steal anything of value from the corpses and provide other many other services for those that can pay. They have no problem finding young children who are grateful to have shelter, clothing and food while TGH teaches them how to read, write and other educational aspects that are usually only available to the wealthy. They are also taught how to fight, how to steal without being caught, and how to kill someone and make it look like an accident The are taught about all the common and uncommon poisons; some that will kill you instantly, other that will ensure that your suffering increases as you slowly succumb to the poisons you ingested the many different poisons you can use to kill someone quickly or very slowly to that they appear to be ill. They are also taught a form of magic called Seeming that allows them to change their appearance dramatically and maintain the illusion for a long period of time; a client can meet what they see as an innocent young child who puts them at ease only to discover that he’s not the innocuous child, but a devious Machiavellian entity that is a danger to him and his family as a result of his stupidity.

Then there is the Emperor, who is an adult with the mind of a two year old, but only a handful of people are aware of this because his mother the Empress has kept it hidden. After her husband died she had everyone in the palace who had a claim to the throne killed along with those who knew of her sons condition. Since then she has been ruling as the power behind the throne because a woman is not allowed to rule in their own right. In this she is aided y the Chief Mandarin and a few others. She is desperate for her son to conceive a son so she can continue her rein, but so far the Emperor has shown no interest in what happens between a woman and man.
There is a group of revolutionaries that have formed an army and are gaining strength; they tell the people that the Emperor is dead and the land is being ruled the Empress who they claim is a demon. Their leader is a man known as Bamboo who has a distant claim to the throne.

The heart of the story is centered on a boy called Sunshine; he is The Firstborn also known as Urfather someone who has been born time and time again and has the knowledge and memories from all his past lives. It is a widely known believe that his being alive when the Portal opens can signify a change of dynasty. Bamboo is counting on this with his revolution and TGH also have several plots going on related to the supposed opening. This is terrifying to the Empress and she has had him imprisoned and wants him to answer questions related to the upcoming event. He tells them that he will answer any and all questions if they will bring him to the emperor so that he can do it in person. Of course, the Empress cannot allow this to happen so she orders him to be tortured and if necessary killed to get the answers while she works on another plot that will allow her to remain the rule of the land.

This is an amazing story and the world building is very good. It is both character and event driven. I found the myths wonderful and the ending was so wonderful that I cried.

5/5 STARS: **I want to thank the author and/or publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are mine.**

[Lutin82 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce roman n’emballera pas tous les lecteurs. En effet, si vous cherchez un récit très rythmé, à l’action pétaradante et aux sorts spectaculaires, vous risquez d’être fort marri. La magie existe – comme les dragons – mais demeure très discrète et peu utilisée. De même le texte s’accommode mal des attentes épiques, même s’il s’agit d’une trame aux dimensions d’un pays, nombre d’événements se résolvent dans les couloirs feutrés. Les combats sont assez expéditifs (les moines connaissent leur affaire), à l’exception notable de l’affrontement entre Silky et un dragon pas commode ( 😉 ). Ce n’est pas du Gemmel.

En revanche, vous pourriez être enchanté par cette Chine intemporelle et ce récit qui fonctionne sur trois niveaux ; personnel, national et spirituel pour brosser un tableau à la saveur asiatique.

[Cassiopeia's Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book in the first Magic Chest I ordered, which was... 1 year ago, oh my. It's take me a while to pick this one up. But now I have to say, I am so glad I did. This was very different. It is the first book I've read that takes place in China and I have to say, such a nice change of scenery!

You get to follow multiple characters throughout the book, all with very different life situations, in the years before the Portal of Worlds is to open once again. This is a rare occurrence, followed by big changes. If one is to believe the legends.

This setup makes for an interesting read where you get to see many facets of society, and there is no shortage of political intrigue. The magic and fantasy elements of the story isn't in your face, rather they feel like an organic part of the world. It was very well written.

What did bug me a bit was the names. I just had a very hard time remembering them. Thankfully the characters were in situations different enough that I could figure out who was who, and by the end, I think I had gotten most of them down. But in the beginning, oh my. Characters changing names, a lot of them staring with 'S'... It wasn't made easy.

in conclusion: A great stand alone novel. If you are interested in reading something set in a very different culture, this is for you.

[RR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Portal Of A Thousand Worlds by Dave Duncan is a book that I can recommend to everybody. Do you love stories set in the Middle Ages? Are you interested in China? They've got you covered! But what about secrets, conspiracies, old myths and a dragon? If you are looking for all these things, then look no further. For this book has it all...

This paperback edition, which will be released on Valentine's Day 2017 has almost 450 pages. So this book is rather long in comparison to most books I have read in a while. But even though a few of you might say this is a lot, I can tell you I wouldn't have shortened the story by one single page.

The world in which the story takes place, is an alternate nineteenth century China. Since I study Japanese Studies and not Chinese Studies, I cannot tell you how much of the details, traditions and culture is authentic and which is part of the author's imagination. But is doesn't matter because the world in itself was understandable and logical.

There are quite a few main characters introduced to the reader and usually, I don't get all the names even after finishing a book. This time around, the characters were not just a means to an end but all of them had their depth, charisma and reasoning. So it was very easy to keep track of all the (important) people involved.

The writing style and overall pace was a little slow because a lot of events happened and everything was happening simultaneously. Slow - paced or not, the story was never boring and the plot never moved forward agonizingly slow. As I said, the book covers a lot of happenings, conspiracies, while introducing us to rituals, traditions, myths and other beliefs of the people of the time to create an authentic world every reader can understand and imagine.

Myths and secrets, magic, assassins, seduction, a dragon, rebellions and a little romance.: this book has it all. The thing is, as I am writing this I realize that it looks as though I am telling you about a Hollywood film in which the Producers desperately tried to squeeze in everything they could to get more people into the cinemas. Not this story though! Everything in this story was so well thought through. Every aspect of a character was useful in some way, entertaining and fit into the over all plot perfectly. This is my first Dave Duncan book but I will definitely read more of his books!

Even though the events that led to the ending felt kind of rushed, it was an appropriate way because it kind of taught a lesson. But what the lesson is, you will have to find out yourself ;) The ending was one of the most satisfying endings I have ever read. I still want a sequel of some sort because I don't want this to end so soon. Nevertheless, I have to say that I don't know if a sequel could compete with the first book. I enjoyed this book a lot and I can recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, or who needs a present for a book lover.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews

In an alternate China, destiny and sly characters bring great events to a head. The mysterious Portal, the secretive Grey Helpers, invulernable rebels, a reincarnated mystic, and a troubled Emperor all play their parts in a complex, puzzle that has taken millenia to reach this point.

I've started to worry about Dave Duncan recently. He's put out a fair number of new books, and a number of them haven't been very good. I worried that either he was cleaning out the closet, or losing his touch. Happily, Portal of a Thousand Worlds is more of a return to form, though not perfect.

I didn't really buy the alternate Chinese setting, but when I accepted it as simply a fantasy universe, it went down better. Duncan has a lot of characters in play. That's fair, in an epic novel that covers a vast landscape, but I found it easy to lose track of which was which, and what they were doing, especially since many of them had similarities, and they changed names at the drop of a hat. Still, aside from that occasional confusion, the plot moved smoothly and quickly. As is usual for Duncan, the tone was relatively light, and the characters (whatever their names) engaging. Women don't come off very well; it's a very male-centric world. That works better in an alternate historical China than in a modern fantasy, but that's not how I was looking at it. Every now and then even Duncan seems to lose track of his setting, introducing tennis metaphors, and a few other oddities.

While Duncan's characters and their machinations kept me interested, the book is steadfastly pointed at the opening of the Portal and the revelation of its mysteries. Here, Duncan lets us down, with a fairly thin ending that leaves very many things unexplained. The book works reasonably well despite that, because of the strength of the characters' interactions, but it would have been much stronger if it had either focused on that to begin with and left off the teasers, or put more energy into the finale.

It's an enjoyable, rapid read despite its size and complexity, and mostly satisfying. Duncan's still got it, when he puts his mind to it.



Received free copy of book in exchange for honest review.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

An aging Empress, a group of monks who make murder their main mission, and a ragtag army - led by a crazy man - who are high on drugs and convinced they are invincible. All of this in an alternate version of 19th-century Imperial China where politics truly makes for strange bedfellows.

First, this book is not really fantasy, though it is being marketed as such. Nor is it really sci-fi. It's almost more like a (very) loose Biblical parable, if Jesus was known as the Urfather and his disciples were Chinese killers and thieves. Having said that, as a person who is absolutely *not* religious, it was still a fairly decent story, and at no point was there anything overtly religious - just some...similarities. But - not fantasy, so if you're looking for that exclusively, you can stop reading here.

The story itself could be described as epic, if one is allowed to use that term about anything not in a series. It's long, there are a LOT of people involved, multiple plotlines, and various generations. It's also not a fast-moving tale. Instead of being like a race-horse, it's the slow and steady gate of a mule that will get you there. The names of the characters are...unusual...to the point that, sometimes, it sort of jerked me out of the story to try and reconcile what I was reading. Having said that, I still found myself interested in how the story would go and how all the various threads of the story would finish.

The characters never truly grabbed me, though I thought Sunshine the best of the lot. It's not that they weren't developed, but I simply did not feel like I cared about them. I'm not sure if it was due to the constant switching of viewpoints, or the large amount of viewpoints there were, but there just was not a connection forged.

Overall, it was just an ok book. I would recommend library over purchasing for most, unless you are already a fan of this author and his works.

[Sudha Kuruganti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, first off, because it wasn't the first part of a trilogy just masquerading as a story I could enjoy in one go. It's also nice to see books set in a pastiche of alternate Asia, I like seeing my fantasy set in worlds that aren't Europe-inspired!

I will say that in the first third of the book (Kindle says it was 20%) I became totally bored by the escapades of Silky. I had to flip to the ending to see if the book was worth finishing. I can see Silky's adventures - especially a set piece involving a dragon - translating well to the screen, but they were unnecessary to the story here, and just filler. The dragon, for example, has no role other than to remind readers that we're in a fantasy setting. There is no more mention of mythical creatures, the rest of the action takes place among humans, in court and elsewhere.

In addition, the character of Silky seemed superfluous to the story. Without giving away too many spoilers, his presence in the story wasn't central to the plot, and the other two characters would have continued on their set course even if he hadn't interacted with them.

One last thing, although it is just a tiny thing - the first third of the book was difficult for me to get through, the names of the places and people were so similar. Sometimes all that signaled that I was reading about a person was the numeral at the end of their name. Duncan has used Arabic numerals to denote inherited names, instead of Roman numerals, for some reason, which made it difficult for me to parse, initially.

In spite of all these issues, though, I enjoyed the book. I liked reading about palace intrigue and the eternally reincarnated boy, and I loved the denouement - I found it utterly charming. Would definitely recommend to lovers of alternate universe fantasy.

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this book, but about a quarter of the way in, the book became very interesting and the characters grabbed me. It's got some interesting surprises and all of the characters are intriguing. If you like fantasy with a twist I recommend this book. It's set in 19th century China, but in alternate universe, and I didn't really get the sense it was the 19th century. In any case its a good book and an intriguing read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very gripping read. Well developed characters and world.

[Sean Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Delightful, exciting, intriguing story which bounces around a remarkably memorable cast of characters. I know I've been waiting for a while, but this met my expectations very nicely indeed. Without a doubt, I'll take it for a slower read at some point and bask in the unusual flavour of this most interesting of releases from an author who, let's face it, keeps churning out works of breathtaking variety.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of everything Asian, so when was asked to review a book set in alternative nineteen century China, I said, "Heck yeah!". And for the most part, I loved the story. I have a few minor gripes that I will voice at the end of this review, but for the major part, this is a book I would recommend to my friends.

The Good Land is in trouble - the Bamboo Banner rebellion originated in the South and is slowly moving North towards the Heart of the World and the seat of the Empire. They claim that the young Emperor is dead, and that the Empress Mother hides that fact and rules in his name. And the natural disasters befalling the Good Land in the last years seem to corroborate their claim that the Eleventh Dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven - drought, then floods, then unusually cold winters threaten famine on a large portion of the Empire. Then an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude flattens cities and villages across the Good Land, killing millions and leaving even more homeless. The very foundations of the Empire are shaking, even though those living in the Inner Palace don't seem to notice it.

But scholars know that all those disasters are the portents of a bigger event - the opening of the Portal of Worlds, a mysterious carving in the cliffs of the great mountain range that guards the northern border of the Good Land. It is said that once a millennium, that carving becomes a real door. It is unclear what comes out of it, but every time it brings a time of great upheaval and suffering and the change of the ruling dynasty…

There isn't one single protagonist in this book. We follow the stories of several different characters instead. They come from different backgrounds and have different goals and aspirations.

We have several Gray Brothers, the Order officially in charge of all the funerary rites in the Good Land… and unofficially, the only sanctioned guild of assassins and spies in the Empire. Brother Silky is in charge of making a wealthy merchant even wealthier, even though he is also trying to advance a more personal cause of making a name for himself and founding his own family. Brother Butterfly Sword doesn't want anything to do with assassinations, but ends up on a mission in the most dangerous place in the entire Empire - the Inner Palace itself.

We have several members of the Bamboo Banner, from the lowest of henchmen to the nephew of Bamboo himself.

And finally, we have the Firstborn and his small retinue, who are travelling towards the Portal of Worlds in the hopes that maybe, for the first time in thousands of years, the Firstborn will live long enough to see it open…

I loved all the characters, the good ones, the bad ones, the in-between ones. Because they were exactly like people around me - not entirely good or bad, but both at different times. They were flawed and petty, ambitious and self-serving, but capable of compassion and sacrifice at times as well. I am glad that at least some of them managed to accomplish their dreams in this time of turmoil, and I am sad that others didn't survive the upheaval. This says a lot about the author's writing skill that he managed to keep me invested in so many different characters, each with their own small story, all of which wove into one big tapestry that is this book. I enjoyed every minute I spent with them, and even though the book is 389 pages long, I never felt like it dragged.

In fact, I would have loved it to be a bit longer, which brings me to my first gripe with this book - the ending feels rushed and anticlimactic for the build-up we had during the rest of the story. I won't put any details to avoid spoilers, but it basically goes like this: Portal opens. A certain character goes through. The rebels and the Imperial army don't even meet in confrontation, even though they've been chasing each other for the best part of the story. Everybody goes home. The End.

This ending left more questions than it gave answers. Who was the Firstborn? Why was he stuck in the Fourth World for so long? It's implied that it was a punishment, but for what? And why is that punishment suddenly over now instead of say a thousand years ago or a thousand years later? We get no answer to those questions.

My second gripe is with Bamboo, the leader of the Bamboo Banner. What was his ultimate goal, apart from toppling the existing dynasty? He had to know that an army of addicts would never stand a chance against trained soldiers with guns and cannons. Or was he so crazy that he didn't care? Was all this just the ravings of a delusional megalomaniac or was he guided by greater forces? In any case, it seems suspicious that he would manage to gather such a big following in the first place, because he didn't strike me as a very charismatic leader. I think that this whole storyline would have benefited from a bit more focus.

But despite those minor details, I really enjoyed this story and I would recommend it to my friends. If you are tired of the usual Western-based worlds and want to try something new and unique, this is definitely a book for you.

PS: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantasy novel being advertised as “Game of Thrones but in Ancient China”, so of course I had to read it. Did it hold up to that? Well, the politics and backstories are necessarily going to be shallower when you don’t have seven books to fill, but I think it’s a fair comparison.

Portal of a Thousand Worlds is set in what felt to me like vaguely early Qing Dynasty era (1600-1700s), but with fantasy elements such as a widespread network of assassins who have a little bit of magic, just enough to change their appearances (okay, maybe there's more than one Game of Thrones connection) and a giant door carved into a mountainside that supposedly opens once every few thousand years. No one's quite what happens when it opens, since generally no witnesses survive. Unfortunately for fantasy-China's stability, when the book begins portents suggest that it's due to open next year.

The plot mostly centers around the current emperor, a young man left severely mentally disabled after an attempted poisoning. His mother, the empress, has kept this a secret and is ruling in his stead, but the time has come for the emperor to sire an heir, and he's incapable of doing so. Horse, a member of that assassin's guild who's too nice to want to kill anyone, is smuggled into the palace to provide a look-alike sperm donor, but when he falls in love with one of his new concubines, he realizes that he's trapped in the court with no way back out. Meanwhile, a rebel army (with a bit of a Taiping Rebellion vibe) has risen in the south, firmly convinced that the real emperor is dead and determined to overthrow the "corrupt" empress.

In a separate plot thread, another member of the assassin's guild is cheerfully murdering his way to wealth and seducing the daughters of rich merchants along the way. Silky (the assassin) and Verdant Harmony (that merchant's daughter) end up married and surprisingly well-suited to one another. Seriously, Verdant might have been my favorite character in the book, and I would love a sequel watching her grow into herself.

In yet a third plot-thread, a young peasant boy named Sunlight is identified as the "Firstborn", the "Urfather", a Dalai Lama-like spiritual figure who is continually reincarnated with the full memory of his previous lives, much worshipped, feared, and respected for his wisdom. He sets out to broker peace between the emperor and the rebel army, but the hard part will be convincing anyone he is who he says he is.

I do have some complaints about the book. Many of the characters didn't feel quite three-dimensional, and Duncan seems to have a weird hatred for eunuchs. Not a single one could appear on the page without repeated descriptions of how they were smelly and devious. (Maybe this is my own bias, since I think I'm oddly predisposed to liking fictional eunuchs, but really, Duncan? Not a single sympathetic one?) The ending and the reveal of what’s up with the portal felt a bit underdeveloped/deus ex machina when they arrived. But despite these problems, I’m so goddamn glad to read an epic fantasy that manages to finish its story in one volume that I’ll forgive almost anything. Not to mention how refreshing it is to read an epic fantasy that's not set in vaguely medieval Europe! For the sake of those factors, I ended up more pleased by Portal of a Thousand Worlds than not.

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, I suppose. It kind of reminded me of an shorter version of Game of Thrones, set in ancient China. It was billed as a fantasy, and while there are fantastical elements, it didn’t come across to me as mainly fantasy, if that makes sense. The novel follows multiple viewpoints across ancient China over a period of years, during which all portents point to the Portal of a Thousand Worlds opening, which only happens every thousand of years or so, meaning no one actually knows if the Portal opens, or what happens when it does. Under this mystical uncertainty, the country also faces a number of upheavals, from the growing rebel army of the Bamboo Banner to massive natural disasters. Against this backdrop, the reader is treated to characters entrenched in the politics and machinations of the world.

I didn’t love this book. It was okay. The story was interesting, though a bit slow to unfold. The differing viewpoints, however, were interesting. I got to follow assassins, clothed as an order of monks who bury the dead, and the Empress Mother, as well as merchants and concubines who got caught in their webs. There are small love stories here, there’s intrigue, there’s politics, there’s rebellion, there’s unrest, and there’s some fantastical elements, such as a wise teenager who is the reincarnation of a man who’s constantly being killed by emperors and reborn years later. It was good, though sometimes the chapters read like loosely connected short stories, but maybe that was just because I read this in short bursts. Like Game of Thrones, it was interesting to know everything, when the characters didn’t. Just like in Westeros, rumors abound here. I love political fantasies, so I did like this, even if the fantasy elements were sorely lacking (there was a dragon for like 5 seconds, and some magic, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting).

I also felt like just as the story was getting going and at its most intriguing when it ended. As I watched the percentage on my Kindle near the end, I was sad because I felt like the ending would be rushed, because all of the threads were JUST starting to come together, and this is a standalone novel as far as I could tell (and I was correct). The story reaches a climax of sorts, and then everything is very quickly wrapped up and we are given a short prologue to explain how the rest of our characters’ lives played out. I feel like the building that was happening near the end could have led to another book and more story, and I would have been happy to read it. Instead, I felt like it petered out just as it was really getting good. However, wanting more of something isn’t a bad criticism, as criticisms go.

Overall, I had some things I liked about the book, and some I did not. The stories and characters were interesting, and I got some good political machinations with violence and love, which I kind of adore. The ending, however, was rushed, and I wish the author would have built into a longer, more epic and fulfilling story. This book is good to check out, though, if you like stories of political maneuvering and intrigue.

Note: I received a free e-galley of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite of his works. Part of the problem was I got confused early on and thought 2 of the characters were just one guy. This book tells the life stories (just a few years worth) of 4 different men and a few women characters occasionally. So it's like chapter 1 is about person A; chapter 2 is about person B; chapter 3 is about person C; chapter 4 is about person D. With occasional chapters or parts of chapters from the POV of minor characters. Once I cottoned on to that I was ok because I knew what was coming up next. THe problem is when I get so engrossed in Person A's story that I don't want to read about the other people, I want to find out what's gonna happen next in the cliffhanger ending of a chapter. Then by the time I get around to that character again I have to remind myself "Who is this again? Oh yeah, that guy".

THe background is a faux Chinese historical setting where they have the forbidden palace and the royalty never leave and are never seen by just peasants. They live their whole lives on the inside. And there is scheming between the eunuchs and the mandarins, no say nothing of the wife of the deceased emporer who poisons all the people who had a chance at the throne and makes her son the new Emporer.

THe titular Portal we know not much about and only see it open once, at the end of the book. I was disappointed because I was expecting more to do with the portal and the thousand worlds. I mean how do they even know it opens to a thousand worlds? We see it open to one world. Does it vary each time it opens (once a millenia!) and open to world 1 this time and open to world 2 next time? We'll never know.

[Deborah Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

. I’m a long-time and unabashed Dave Duncan fan. I love his literate, compassionate, exciting fantasy novels. He always comes up with fascinating twists and insights into standard themes, and his handling of the material seems effortless. My only quibble is that much of his work is in series forms, three or four volume (or longer) tales, so if I find a book from the middle, I pretty much have to hold on to it until I complete the set. So I was delighted to find this stand-alone, set it Duncan’s inimitably original version of a magical alternate China. Such stories go through cycles of popularity. Barry Hughart published a series (Bridge of Birds, etc.) back in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, Ken Liu’s The Grace of Kings and its sequels have attracted much attention. But Duncan’s vision is all his own, and with smooth mastery of his craft, he draws the reader into his marvelous world. His characters, from a starving orphan to a reincarnated god to the scheming, ruthless mother of the imbecile emperor, are vivid and engaging. While the story lines initially share little except a common culture and time, I had no doubt that Duncan would bring them together in the end; I was not disappointed, for the plot twists and thorny decisions resolved beautifully and with Duncan’s signature gracefulness. A treat for Duncan fans and a great introduction to his work, particularly if you are looking for non-Western settings.

[Bill Wittgow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different fantasy story

If you're looking for a different twist on fantasy this book offers it. The setting is like an alternate version of ancient China. I found the names and characters themselves hard to connect with. And the story was sometimes academic sounding in its descriptions. But I think both of these faults I'm describing were at least partly intentional to fit the culture portrayed in the story. The ending was a little underwhelming for me but the book was good enough that I got that far.