The Fire Duke

Keepers of the Hidden Ways #1

by Joel Rosenberg

Bringing home a couple of college buddies for a carefree vacation, Torrie Thorsen becomes enmeshed in a family legend that carries him through a secret portal to the House of Sky, where he must pay for an ancient crime. Reprint.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

354 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Note: This is a different person than the political/thriller author, Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg was the author of the bestselling Guardians of the Flame books as well as the D'Shai and Keepers of the Hidden Ways series. He made his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Ана Хелс · Rating 2 out of 5]

По принцип не е кой знае колко лоша идея да месиш нордическа митология с готини средноамерикански реднеци, които си падат по рапирите и свободната любов. По принцип, казах. Практически може и да се е получило нещо добро, което да не се е превело с нужното количество душа, а може и просто да имате в ръцете си силно отегчително повествование от преди понятието ърбън и смисловата недоумица епика да се съчетаят в нещо, което да се филмира от метросексуални симпатяги с бляскави зъбки и грацилните им партньорки с модерно пусти пазви. И, както се казва получило се е нещо толкова генгста, колко Мики Маус. Мда, цитирам 100 кила, ще ви изчакам да си изкашляте белите дробове от ужас и почуда, след което ще ви занимая още малко защо и как да четете тези книжки.

Защо – защото сте вероятно от мазохистичните деликатни читатели, които не могат да понесат мисълта, че могат да оставят непрочетена която и да е шитня просто ей така, от уважение към автора, и всеотдайните му роднини, които са му носили топло какао и бисквитки по нощите, докато отрочето им си пишe магна опуса. Как – идея си нямам, вероятно някой много добър приятел трябва да ви разгръща страниците, втори да ви държи очите отворени, а още двама да спъват всичките ви опити да избягате, заспите или повърнете в процеса. Не, не е толкова тежко, разбира се, че преувеличавам. Но вероятно поради липса на достатъчна бройка приятели не успях да се справя, признавам, със съвсем всички страници, пасажи и застинали като сутрешно пръцкано във въздуха на стая, в която току-що сте осъзнали, че не сте сами, идеи, герои и всичко помежду им.

Накратко – в света ни има едни скрити проходи към Тир На Ног, средни, високи, ниски земи, туата де данан плюс Один и компания. Поради някакви причини всичките излизат някъде в Средния Запад, където и бебетата плюят тютюн и си имат напълно ефективни пушцици, които да си смазват в люлките, докато чакат да мине някое дребно животно за обстрел. През един от тези проходи се изсипва една купчина върколаци, които отвличат едно привидно нормално семейство с все хлапетата, дошли им на гости да се върнат към корените на едното добро старо търкаляне в сламата. Ама всъщност се оказва, че отнесли в небитието негъра-бог създател и юбер майстора на меча от приказните земи, както и изключително подходящите им за меле битки гости. СлОчаеност? Не мислА. И авторът също не го е мислил, или преводачите, редакторите, някой там – в момента махам обвинително с пръст към всеки, който има кураж да се почувства леко виновен.

Иначе, ако махнете реалистичната част, силно напомняща на едни филми с готин златокос бог с чукче в ръката, ще попаднете на доста приятен Игра на тронове среща Майкъл Муркок сетинг, с възможности за епично-приказно и най-вече – странно фентъзи изживяване, което поради някакви причини аха да почне, и то вече приключи, обективно незадоволително в повече от един смисъл. Огромен потенциал, една – две брилянтни идеи, и после какво се случва – и аз не мога да определя. Има битки, богове някакви се мандахерцат, разни чудати създания правят Па! в мрака, има и готини мацки, естествено, и… толкоз. Пречистете се с чия, ленено семе и акулско акано, и продължете напред.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to rate this one higher; coming back to Rosenberg's writing is like putting on a comfy pair of old slippers or well-worn jeans. It's just a delight to immerse myself in his characters and worlds, which are top-notch as always. Alas, while the characters are awesome, the journey they take feels rather meh. There's very much this sense that they get on the roller-coaster and take their ride, with very little in the way of choice or volition. The one character who (briefly) considers refusing the call to this adventure ends up just tossing caution and reason to the wind, and while I understand why, it made it really hard to invest in him and his actions. The sense that he's very much a pawn is strong here, and it makes it hard to really empathise with him.

Still, this is Rosenberg, so you'll get a flavorful world, interesting characters, and strong action. If you're already a fan of his work, then certainly check it out. If not, you'll be better served by seeking his strong works like The Sleeping Dragon or D'Shai.

[Harold Citron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been a long-time fan of Joel Rosenberg, starting with the Guardians of the Flame series, and later his D'shai novels.

This one popped up recently, and was a quick read. While enjoyable, the characters were not as engaging as GotF, and the adventure seemed somewhat more plotted out with a hefty dose of Deux-ex Machina, at the end. The reveal of the hero in the final confrontation seemed more than a little forced and the explanations about the 'MacGuffin' also seemed shoe-horned into the story. Meanwhile the secondary characters were relatively flat and tossable.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the town of Hardwood, while a part of the story, seems almost tacked on.

Overall, not a bad yarn, and I will be looking for books two and three to see how it all turns out. But if I had to rank the three series, GotF is head and shoulders above this one, and the D'Shai novels were also better in their character development and story lines.

[Nancy Steinle gummel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a bag of books someone gave me. I really enjoyed it. The mix of current life of college kids going home for vacation and being attacked by werewolves and kidnapping to another world grabbed your attention right away. Mainly the tale concerned two young men, a girlfriend, a set of parents and a beloved uncle. It goes back and forth telling two sides of the story with a mix of the Norse gods. I would gladly recommend this book to everyone.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy; sort of coming-of-age. Interesting ideas but somehow this didn't quite click for me. The conclusion is very open-ended, obviously setting up for sequel(s).

[Seantheaussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, yet again.🥂

[Wrenna Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

i got about 100 pages in this book and had to stop reading it. i just could not understand what was going on it.

[James]

There are Hidden Ways built into the structure of existence -- linking the New World and the Newer . . . dating back to a time before time.When he brought college friends Maggie and Ian home to North Dakota, Torrie Thorsen anticipated a carefree vacation -- not werewolves, Norse gods and inconceivable worlds. But the Thorsen destiny leads them all to where the family's history began -- through secret portals into a place of legend and peril. For here, where the blade of Torrie's father once loyally served the House of the Sky, son and father both must suffer for ancient transgressions. And with war clouds gathering above the Middle Dominion, an unlikely champion will raise his sword in defense of captive friends . . . to prevent the fiery coming of the End of All Days.

[David Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was "okay" but not great. I've had this book on my shelves for some time, and I just got back to readying it. Now It's going to the donation pile.

A reader had better be willing to read a BIG mashup of Celtic & Norse mythology as well as some fantasy (werewolves, trolls, dwarves, etc.) thrown in for good measure. I think mashup is the best way to describe it.

Some of my concerns with this story were:
-- Does everyone use the F word that much? Is it really needed to move the story along (I think not)
-- The implied sexual innuendo and comments didn't work for me (yes, this book was written quite a few years ago, and maybe at that time it might have worked, but still ...)
-- There was no real development of any of the characters -- they seemed flat and one dimensional.

[David Geisbush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this fantasy series. It’s blend of mythology and modern life was fun and light.

[Judy Laflin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Not much written about Poland during wwll.

[MILTON DEAL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep reading!

There was a bit much confusion at times, but still so enthralling! Extremely entertaining, exciting, and an enjoyable new world revealed.

[Joel Flank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Keepers of the Hidden Ways is about Torrie, and his friends from college Ian and Maggie visiting his house for spring break from college. After introductions to his somewhat secretive and strange family, things quickly take a wrong turn in more ways than one when a pack of werewolves abducts Torrie's Mom and Maggie. Torrie, his Dad and his Uncle Hosea set off to rescue them. They quickly find themselves in another world, where werewolves and gods and magic are all accepted part of the landscape, as well as settling conflicts and matters of honor by dueling.

Fortunately, Torrie and his friends are all expert fencers, and they learn that Torrie's family is originally from this world. Much of the book is told from the college kid's point of view, which lets the reader discover the nature of what's really going on and what's at stake along with the characters. Along the way they learn that much of the world's mythology has a basis in this other world, with a particularly strong influence of Norse myth, and they even meet a few legendary beings in their quest to regain their freedom and stop being pursued by the Fire Duke.

Rosenberg presents the world and his characters with a hefty does of realism and mixes the harsh reality of real life problems and motivations along with the sense of wonder to be expected in a fantasy world of magic and monsters. This results in a strong sense of the terror the main characters face being thrust into a world far beyond what they are accustomed to, along side the sense of confidence and accomplishment of dealing with larger than life problems far removed from the mundane world of school work.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel Rosenberg's books recently showed up on Audible, and I've begin listening to them (again, after reading years ago). The Fire Duke begins one of his later series, still showing signs of the Guardians of the Flame series. In this case we follow some college students (check!) home on vacation to discover that there are parallel worlds (check!) and they're going to get pulled into them (check!). The main differences lie in Rosenberg's deeper drawing of the politics of the gods in the parallel world, and an emphasis on the mechanics of sword fighting and fencing.

I enjoyed it, and am on to The Silver Stone.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I'm listening to a Great courses lecture series on The Vikings during my commutes and as I've been pretty heavy on the non-fiction lately, this popped into my head. It's been many years since I read this, and I had forgotten much - reminded, pleasantly, as it unfolded. The characters as written can annoy at times, but the story is creative and enjoyable.

[Peter Bensen]

I loved these books. Fantasy, sci-fi, family, mystery and guys who work together to accomplish something and figure stuff out. They are clever, I like the characters and how they interact and I like the male relationships. I thought all three of the books in this series was good and I loved the premise.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read this when it first came out and then forgot to keep looking for the next parts of the series.

A wide mix of modern and old Norse mythology. Love the characters and the characterization of the Gods.

[Fatbaldguy60 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel Rosenberg is one of my favorites. Good stuff.