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The King's Blades #1
The Gilded Chain
On the heels of his resoundingly praised fantasy series THE GREAT GAME, author Dave Duncan returns to the form with which he originally established his reputation: the epic sword-and-sorcery adventure. The breathtaking saga of THE KING'S BLADES begins with THE GILDED CHAIN, the relentlessly exciting story of an unparalleled swordsman trained from early childhood to take his place among the King's elite corps of warrior/bodyguards in a dangerously uncertain fantasy realm. Audaciously taking as his own name of Kingdom's most fabled champion of long ago, Durandel sees his lifelong dream of serving his liege dashed to bits when he is bonded for life, not to his beloved king, but to an effete noble fop. But Destiny has inscrutable plans for this able young knight, in an ancient, isolated city in a land far from the blood intrigues of the perilous court. On a mission that promises glory and great treasures, grisly secrets of opulence and immortality will be revealed--while countless betrayals and untold horrors combine to threaten a remarkable future prophesied for a warrior who could be the mightiest hero in the history of the monarchy.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
86 people are currently reading
2583 people want to read
About the author
Dave Duncan
140 books589 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 - 30 of 153 reviews
April 23, 2020
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews
The Gilded Chain begins the six book series The King’s Blades by Dave Duncan. (If one includes the companion young adult trilogy The King’s Daggers, then there are nine novels in this fantasy world.) The unique thing about The King’s Blades series is that every book is a stand alone tale set in the same world but with brand new characters and different adventures; something that all readers weary of long multi-volume, interconnected fantasy works should appreciate. For whatever reason though, this is a swashbuckling story that has largely went under the radar of most fantasy aficionados, but shouldn’t for reasons I’ll try to point out.
This opening installment of the series focuses in on a young, unwanted youth who finds himself dumped at the school for the King’s Blades by his uncaring benefactors. While he does go through a recruitment process (or interview if you will), Mr. Duncan keeps it very short, laying out just enough facts to get a reader acclimated to the type of school this is before jumping ahead many years.
Now, our young waif is proudly called Durendal; a special name he took for himself in emulation of the legendary Durendal, who is considered the greatest King’s Blade to ever grace the kingdom. And while it is a lofty bar to set for himself, the youth has lived up to it so far, and is eagerly awaiting the call of the King when he will be bound to his sovereign or to another whom the King has chosen for him.
This binding is what makes the Blades the most feared swordsman in the realms. For this ceremony of allegiance is a sorcerous affair whereby their old self is killed and a new one arises that is soul sworn to obey and protect the life of their liege lord above their own in every way. This results in Blades not requiring sleep, despising the taste of alcohol or any substance that would dull their senses, remaining on constant alert for any threat to their lord, refusing to be bought or bribed, and always fighting to the death without any qualm. It is a difficult life to be among the King’s Blade, but one of the highest honor for every member of the school.
Since Durendal is a special student, primed for great things, it would seem inevitable that he would immediately be thrust into grand affairs. Mr. Duncan doesn’t follow that normal route however, choosing to put our youth through the wringer for a bit before he eventually finds his bearings upon a grand quest to another part of the world. Durendal’s task to uncover the fate of a missing Blade who was on a secret mission for the King himself; his orders to return the Blade or dispose of him and finish the mission if he can.
The unique thing about The Gilded Chain is the way Mr. Duncan designs the narrative. It is a flip-flop affair where we flash back and forth from the old Durendal and the young. Somewhat confusing political intrigue that is taking place in the present ultimately are explained by these visits to our hero’s pasts. Clues and answer to the present mystery are mined directly from that same story of Durendal’s life. And while it causes the narrative to read slowly at first, it eventually becomes a very compelling piece of writing that livens up the story considerably.
For world-building fans out there, I should warn you that there isn’t anything inherently unique or new in this setting. Chivail (Durendal’s home kingdom) is very reminiscent of sixteenth century England with King Ambrose IV strikingly similar to Henry VIII, and the society, technology, and warfare are comparable to that same time period in history. The only difference between Tudor England and Chivail being the integration of magic into this renaissance society.
As he always does, Mr. Duncan has established a creative – albeit simplistic – magic system to set this world apart from other fantasy faire. Here magic is based upon spirits of the eight elements of this world’s cosmology. Invocations abound: both benevolent and sinister, and no one really goes around shooting fire from their eyes or destroying whole armies by waving their hands in the air. So while magic is definitely prevalent in every day life (especially around the King who has magical protectors who “sniff” out magic users), it doesn’t overpower the classic setting.
Overall, The Gilded Chain is a solid, entertaining novel, written in a flowing, easy to read style, steadily paced, and littered with interesting characters, intriguing plots, swashbuckling adventure, and a nice dose of mystery. It even has a nice, twisted ending.
Could this novel be labeled (Because everyone loves labels, right?) a classic fantasy?
Absolutely, Mr. Duncan leans this one toward old school fantasy. Even with that being said however, he writes this story with grittiness and violence (though it isn’t any gorier than necessary); sexual liaisons and situations do occur (but are tastefully mentioned yet never focused excessively on); bad language does get spoken (but the expletives are those of Chivail, which doesn’t exactly match our own real world curse words); and the good guys tend to be imperfect but noble people while the bad guys are imperfect evil people (though a morality play this is not).
So if you are looking for a fun read with some swashbuckling action, a dash of mystery, and a classic fantasy flavor, pick up The Gilded Chain. Don’t let the old school fantasy scare you off.
The Gilded Chain begins the six book series The King’s Blades by Dave Duncan. (If one includes the companion young adult trilogy The King’s Daggers, then there are nine novels in this fantasy world.) The unique thing about The King’s Blades series is that every book is a stand alone tale set in the same world but with brand new characters and different adventures; something that all readers weary of long multi-volume, interconnected fantasy works should appreciate. For whatever reason though, this is a swashbuckling story that has largely went under the radar of most fantasy aficionados, but shouldn’t for reasons I’ll try to point out.
This opening installment of the series focuses in on a young, unwanted youth who finds himself dumped at the school for the King’s Blades by his uncaring benefactors. While he does go through a recruitment process (or interview if you will), Mr. Duncan keeps it very short, laying out just enough facts to get a reader acclimated to the type of school this is before jumping ahead many years.
Now, our young waif is proudly called Durendal; a special name he took for himself in emulation of the legendary Durendal, who is considered the greatest King’s Blade to ever grace the kingdom. And while it is a lofty bar to set for himself, the youth has lived up to it so far, and is eagerly awaiting the call of the King when he will be bound to his sovereign or to another whom the King has chosen for him.
This binding is what makes the Blades the most feared swordsman in the realms. For this ceremony of allegiance is a sorcerous affair whereby their old self is killed and a new one arises that is soul sworn to obey and protect the life of their liege lord above their own in every way. This results in Blades not requiring sleep, despising the taste of alcohol or any substance that would dull their senses, remaining on constant alert for any threat to their lord, refusing to be bought or bribed, and always fighting to the death without any qualm. It is a difficult life to be among the King’s Blade, but one of the highest honor for every member of the school.
Since Durendal is a special student, primed for great things, it would seem inevitable that he would immediately be thrust into grand affairs. Mr. Duncan doesn’t follow that normal route however, choosing to put our youth through the wringer for a bit before he eventually finds his bearings upon a grand quest to another part of the world. Durendal’s task to uncover the fate of a missing Blade who was on a secret mission for the King himself; his orders to return the Blade or dispose of him and finish the mission if he can.
The unique thing about The Gilded Chain is the way Mr. Duncan designs the narrative. It is a flip-flop affair where we flash back and forth from the old Durendal and the young. Somewhat confusing political intrigue that is taking place in the present ultimately are explained by these visits to our hero’s pasts. Clues and answer to the present mystery are mined directly from that same story of Durendal’s life. And while it causes the narrative to read slowly at first, it eventually becomes a very compelling piece of writing that livens up the story considerably.
For world-building fans out there, I should warn you that there isn’t anything inherently unique or new in this setting. Chivail (Durendal’s home kingdom) is very reminiscent of sixteenth century England with King Ambrose IV strikingly similar to Henry VIII, and the society, technology, and warfare are comparable to that same time period in history. The only difference between Tudor England and Chivail being the integration of magic into this renaissance society.
As he always does, Mr. Duncan has established a creative – albeit simplistic – magic system to set this world apart from other fantasy faire. Here magic is based upon spirits of the eight elements of this world’s cosmology. Invocations abound: both benevolent and sinister, and no one really goes around shooting fire from their eyes or destroying whole armies by waving their hands in the air. So while magic is definitely prevalent in every day life (especially around the King who has magical protectors who “sniff” out magic users), it doesn’t overpower the classic setting.
Overall, The Gilded Chain is a solid, entertaining novel, written in a flowing, easy to read style, steadily paced, and littered with interesting characters, intriguing plots, swashbuckling adventure, and a nice dose of mystery. It even has a nice, twisted ending.
Could this novel be labeled (Because everyone loves labels, right?) a classic fantasy?
Absolutely, Mr. Duncan leans this one toward old school fantasy. Even with that being said however, he writes this story with grittiness and violence (though it isn’t any gorier than necessary); sexual liaisons and situations do occur (but are tastefully mentioned yet never focused excessively on); bad language does get spoken (but the expletives are those of Chivail, which doesn’t exactly match our own real world curse words); and the good guys tend to be imperfect but noble people while the bad guys are imperfect evil people (though a morality play this is not).
So if you are looking for a fun read with some swashbuckling action, a dash of mystery, and a classic fantasy flavor, pick up The Gilded Chain. Don’t let the old school fantasy scare you off.
August 5, 2016
Note, Aug. 4, 2016: I edited this review just now to correct a misspelling of one word.
When my wife gave me this book for Christmas, back in the 90s (I've got so many unread books piled in stacks that they tend to sit around a long time, alas!), my initial guess, having no prior experience at all with Duncan's work, was that the King's Blades series would be fantasy based on the Three Musketeers tradition in pop culture. That's not the case. The setting is a pre-technological world with affinities to our early modern one, and the King's Blades are an elite royal bodyguard; but that's really the only similarity. Chivial is actually more like 16th-century England than 17th-century France (and Ambrose IV has more than a passing resemblance to Henry VIII). There are nine books in the series, but this one, while it has an epilogue that opens the door for other stories, is a tale nicely complete in itself; it can stand alone very well. (Although I really liked this one, I don't expect at this point to continue the series.)
Duncan has created a fairly original magic system, based on conjurations of "spirits" associated with the eight elements that are recognized in his world's cosmology. (So this is a system of strictly invocational magic --the more sinister kind, compared to relatively innocuous incantational magic-- and it's not conceived in religious terms; the author's world-building makes no reference to religion, a decision which, as in Anne McCaffrey's work, probably reflects an antipathy to the latter.) Individual Blades are magically bound to the King (usually) or to another person designated by him, and until released from their binding have a conjured compulsion to defend their "ward" at all costs. The plot here spans much of one Blade's lifetime, but it doesn't unfold in strictly linear fashion; especially in the early chapters, Duncan jumps back and forth in time in a way that actually seems intended to confuse and misdirect the reader; but the basic shape of things is made clear after that. Taken as a whole, the structure actually works well; and some parts of the book are less episodic than they appear to be.
This is a page-turner; the pace is steady, and Duncan's story-telling is top-notch. The plot is ultimately well-crafted; the author's characterizations are life-like and rounded. He writes with wit, and an ear for the telling detail and phrase; there's a certain grittiness to the work, but the presentation is tasteful. Violence isn't any more gory in its depiction than it needs to be. While sexual attitudes in Duncan's fantasy world tend towards the earthiness that characterized pre-Victorian Europe, there's no explicit sex, and not a lot of reference to sexual activity. (To his credit, when our hero finds the lady he wants to marry, he's completely faithful to her from then on, despite circumstances in which many less honorable males might not be.) Bad language isn't a significant issue here (most of the expletives in the character's world might be vulgarisms there, but they aren't in our culture). And we do ultimately have a moral vision to the tale, a conflict between altruistic good and self-serving evil that requires moral choice, and that promotes virtue by example.
I'd probably rate this novel at four and 1/2 stars if I could. For me, the only real negative, besides the unrealistic indifference to the religious nature of human consciousness, is the "insta-love" connection between Durendal and his love interest. Yes, I do believe that two people can experience very strong attraction when they first meet. But I recognize that it still has to have some getting to know each other to nurture and develop. There essentially isn't any of that here; things accelerate from a first meeting (even if the young lady had her eye on him some time before) to a lifelong commitment with, IMO, very improbable speed. (And while I'll admit that the strategy she used to pursue the relationship demonstrated guts and decisiveness --albeit not the best moral judgment-- I definitely don't think it would work the same way with most males.) But that didn't keep me from appreciating the book overall! My wife also liked it (we read it together as a "car book"), so it can appeal to readers of both genders.
When my wife gave me this book for Christmas, back in the 90s (I've got so many unread books piled in stacks that they tend to sit around a long time, alas!), my initial guess, having no prior experience at all with Duncan's work, was that the King's Blades series would be fantasy based on the Three Musketeers tradition in pop culture. That's not the case. The setting is a pre-technological world with affinities to our early modern one, and the King's Blades are an elite royal bodyguard; but that's really the only similarity. Chivial is actually more like 16th-century England than 17th-century France (and Ambrose IV has more than a passing resemblance to Henry VIII). There are nine books in the series, but this one, while it has an epilogue that opens the door for other stories, is a tale nicely complete in itself; it can stand alone very well. (Although I really liked this one, I don't expect at this point to continue the series.)
Duncan has created a fairly original magic system, based on conjurations of "spirits" associated with the eight elements that are recognized in his world's cosmology. (So this is a system of strictly invocational magic --the more sinister kind, compared to relatively innocuous incantational magic-- and it's not conceived in religious terms; the author's world-building makes no reference to religion, a decision which, as in Anne McCaffrey's work, probably reflects an antipathy to the latter.) Individual Blades are magically bound to the King (usually) or to another person designated by him, and until released from their binding have a conjured compulsion to defend their "ward" at all costs. The plot here spans much of one Blade's lifetime, but it doesn't unfold in strictly linear fashion; especially in the early chapters, Duncan jumps back and forth in time in a way that actually seems intended to confuse and misdirect the reader; but the basic shape of things is made clear after that. Taken as a whole, the structure actually works well; and some parts of the book are less episodic than they appear to be.
This is a page-turner; the pace is steady, and Duncan's story-telling is top-notch. The plot is ultimately well-crafted; the author's characterizations are life-like and rounded. He writes with wit, and an ear for the telling detail and phrase; there's a certain grittiness to the work, but the presentation is tasteful. Violence isn't any more gory in its depiction than it needs to be. While sexual attitudes in Duncan's fantasy world tend towards the earthiness that characterized pre-Victorian Europe, there's no explicit sex, and not a lot of reference to sexual activity. (To his credit, when our hero finds the lady he wants to marry, he's completely faithful to her from then on, despite circumstances in which many less honorable males might not be.) Bad language isn't a significant issue here (most of the expletives in the character's world might be vulgarisms there, but they aren't in our culture). And we do ultimately have a moral vision to the tale, a conflict between altruistic good and self-serving evil that requires moral choice, and that promotes virtue by example.
I'd probably rate this novel at four and 1/2 stars if I could. For me, the only real negative, besides the unrealistic indifference to the religious nature of human consciousness, is the "insta-love" connection between Durendal and his love interest. Yes, I do believe that two people can experience very strong attraction when they first meet. But I recognize that it still has to have some getting to know each other to nurture and develop. There essentially isn't any of that here; things accelerate from a first meeting (even if the young lady had her eye on him some time before) to a lifelong commitment with, IMO, very improbable speed. (And while I'll admit that the strategy she used to pursue the relationship demonstrated guts and decisiveness --albeit not the best moral judgment-- I definitely don't think it would work the same way with most males.) But that didn't keep me from appreciating the book overall! My wife also liked it (we read it together as a "car book"), so it can appeal to readers of both genders.
March 27, 2025
All the school had assembled under a sky of swords
In Game of Thrones we are presented with a throne made up of the swords of defeated enemies. At Ironhall, a martial academy, we have a sky of swords – the ceiling of its main hall is made up of a lattice that holds the weapons of past graduates, hundreds of clones of Damocles' sword all pointing down, a tradition that goes back centuries in service to the kingdom of Chivial.
Ironhall offers refuge to unruly and rebellious boys and turns them into the best swordsmen in the realm, but there is a price to pay. Can a fourteen years old boy make an informed decision about something that will affect the rest of his life?
“On the other hand, if you survive your training, you will have achieved a position of some honor in society. You will very likely live at court, one of the very select brotherhood, the finest swordsmen in the known world. Again, you will be embarking on a life of complete obedience. You will serve your King or whomever else he decrees. You will have no say in the matter. Indeed, this decision you take now is in a sense the last decision you will ever make of your own free will.”
>>><<<>>><<<
Dave Duncan is one of the most reliable storytellers in my stable of fantasy authors. He has yet to let me down, and this first book in the King’s Swords series is one of the best in his whole catalogue. As a bonus, it is actually a stand-alone adventure, self-contained and complete in its central story arc.
It tracks the whole career as a member of the elite corps for the lost boy who must first renounce his own name upon entering the gates of Ironhall, to be known only as the Brat, later to choose his own epic surname of Durendal, the most famous swordsman in the school’s long history, a name replaced in turn by Roland, as he will be known in later life after his king grants him a nobiliary title and lands.
The novel interweaves the timelines of Durendal’s school days, his early exploits, his rise to fame and his late betrayals into a gripping adventure story. For me, the key to the novel lies in its exploration of a moral conundrum, something that brings Duncan closer to the style of another favorite author in the genre – Lois McMaster Bujold.
However great his swordsmanship, he knew he was stuck with the job of guarding the obnoxious Marquis for the rest of his days. Never would he serve the king he revered, never ride to war at his side or save his life in lethal ambush, never battle monsters, unmask traitors, rise to high office, travel on secret missions in far dominions – never be anything at all except a useless ornament around the court.
The King’s Blades are made obedient through a magic ritual that literally pushes a sword through their heart. Not all candidates survive the ordeal, even fewer even believe a reversal ritual can be successful. So once the king decides to claim you, or to offer you as a gift to one of his courtiers, you are stuck with it for the rest of your life, and you will probably turn crazy if your charge dies.
Durendal has the worst possible luck of the draw, despite the fact that he was the best fighter at Ironhall.
>>><<<>>><<<
I should probably stop here with my synopsis, in order to save all the surprises the author has prepared for the reader. I think the last quote is enough to point out that Duncan took pity on his own creation and made Durendal into false prophet of his own future: all the things he dreamed of as a kid and he thought were lost forever will eventually come to pass, but not without tremendous personal loss and soul searching. How can one person balance loyalty and free will when he is irrevocably bound to another’s person whimsy, a person whose actions one might find truly reprehensible?
Just tell me one this: Is our brotherhood so much more evil than yours? You don’t think I’m worth all the lives it takes to keep me alive, but is your precious king?
Binding only worked one way, but a man’s instincts and standards insisted that loyalty must be a two-edged sword.
The setting, in particular King Ambrose and his domain of Chivial, borrow a lot from the personality and times of King Henry VIII. King Ambrose is charismatic and powerful but he struggles to beget a heir, which leads to controversial divorces and costly wars. Ambrose will in his later years confiscate the properties of clerical orders that include magic practitioners, leading to further revolts and problems for his Guards.
The magic in the novel is in the form of special rituals and doesn’t compete with the actual swordsmanship, but it plays an important role in the plot both for the geas it places on the King’s Guards and for rogue rituals aimed at rejuvenation.
I plan to continue with the series, and I have high hopes from the next episodes.
In Game of Thrones we are presented with a throne made up of the swords of defeated enemies. At Ironhall, a martial academy, we have a sky of swords – the ceiling of its main hall is made up of a lattice that holds the weapons of past graduates, hundreds of clones of Damocles' sword all pointing down, a tradition that goes back centuries in service to the kingdom of Chivial.
Ironhall offers refuge to unruly and rebellious boys and turns them into the best swordsmen in the realm, but there is a price to pay. Can a fourteen years old boy make an informed decision about something that will affect the rest of his life?
“On the other hand, if you survive your training, you will have achieved a position of some honor in society. You will very likely live at court, one of the very select brotherhood, the finest swordsmen in the known world. Again, you will be embarking on a life of complete obedience. You will serve your King or whomever else he decrees. You will have no say in the matter. Indeed, this decision you take now is in a sense the last decision you will ever make of your own free will.”
>>><<<>>><<<
Dave Duncan is one of the most reliable storytellers in my stable of fantasy authors. He has yet to let me down, and this first book in the King’s Swords series is one of the best in his whole catalogue. As a bonus, it is actually a stand-alone adventure, self-contained and complete in its central story arc.
It tracks the whole career as a member of the elite corps for the lost boy who must first renounce his own name upon entering the gates of Ironhall, to be known only as the Brat, later to choose his own epic surname of Durendal, the most famous swordsman in the school’s long history, a name replaced in turn by Roland, as he will be known in later life after his king grants him a nobiliary title and lands.
The novel interweaves the timelines of Durendal’s school days, his early exploits, his rise to fame and his late betrayals into a gripping adventure story. For me, the key to the novel lies in its exploration of a moral conundrum, something that brings Duncan closer to the style of another favorite author in the genre – Lois McMaster Bujold.
However great his swordsmanship, he knew he was stuck with the job of guarding the obnoxious Marquis for the rest of his days. Never would he serve the king he revered, never ride to war at his side or save his life in lethal ambush, never battle monsters, unmask traitors, rise to high office, travel on secret missions in far dominions – never be anything at all except a useless ornament around the court.
The King’s Blades are made obedient through a magic ritual that literally pushes a sword through their heart. Not all candidates survive the ordeal, even fewer even believe a reversal ritual can be successful. So once the king decides to claim you, or to offer you as a gift to one of his courtiers, you are stuck with it for the rest of your life, and you will probably turn crazy if your charge dies.
Durendal has the worst possible luck of the draw, despite the fact that he was the best fighter at Ironhall.
>>><<<>>><<<
I should probably stop here with my synopsis, in order to save all the surprises the author has prepared for the reader. I think the last quote is enough to point out that Duncan took pity on his own creation and made Durendal into false prophet of his own future: all the things he dreamed of as a kid and he thought were lost forever will eventually come to pass, but not without tremendous personal loss and soul searching. How can one person balance loyalty and free will when he is irrevocably bound to another’s person whimsy, a person whose actions one might find truly reprehensible?
Just tell me one this: Is our brotherhood so much more evil than yours? You don’t think I’m worth all the lives it takes to keep me alive, but is your precious king?
Binding only worked one way, but a man’s instincts and standards insisted that loyalty must be a two-edged sword.
The setting, in particular King Ambrose and his domain of Chivial, borrow a lot from the personality and times of King Henry VIII. King Ambrose is charismatic and powerful but he struggles to beget a heir, which leads to controversial divorces and costly wars. Ambrose will in his later years confiscate the properties of clerical orders that include magic practitioners, leading to further revolts and problems for his Guards.
The magic in the novel is in the form of special rituals and doesn’t compete with the actual swordsmanship, but it plays an important role in the plot both for the geas it places on the King’s Guards and for rogue rituals aimed at rejuvenation.
I plan to continue with the series, and I have high hopes from the next episodes.
July 28, 2008
The novel "The Gilded Chain" is a high fantasy novel by Dave Duncan. I recommend it! It is by no means perfect. However, it's a page-turner and a good read. It is the first installment of the "King's Blades" series.
The Plot
The setting for this novel is a fantasy world separate from but much like our own Europe during the middle ages. There exists a knightly order called "The Blades" which recruits youngsters and then, through a mixture of magic and training, forges them into the finest warriors in the land. These men are then "bound" to a person they are to protect. This person is referred to as a blade's "ward". The blade is connected to their ward psychically, having a sort of sixth sense when it comes to their ward. Another side effect of this binding is that a blade no longer needs to sleep. A blade MUST remain loyal to their ward, protecting their ward's life to the exclusion of everything else, including their own lives and families. It is possible to be relieved of this bond if their ward so decrees.
Usually, a blade is bound to the king or the crown prince. However, the king can decide to give the gift of a blade to a favored subject.
The book follows the life and times of one particular blade, named Durendal. The novel begins with his indoctrination as a youth into the blades and the plot develops from there.
The Good
The Characters in this book are very well done. Whenever a character's name was mentioned, I never once asked, "who is this guy?". That is usually a sign that you're reading a well-characterized novel. The characters change for the better (and for the worse) during the course of the novel. This also impressed me.
The main characters in this book were all compelling. The main protagonist, Durendal, is the obvious "good guy" in the novel. I can't really point to one bad character of the "Snidely Whiplash" type, which is a bonus. The "bad" characters are all motivated logically by realistic, even selfless, goals.
I really liked the plot of this novel also. It was pretty straightforward, but the tone seemed to very subtly change from a swashbuckling adventure to a more horrific, scary story and then back again. It was not a jarring or heavy-handed switch, so it didn't detract from the overall flow of the book.
The fact that this novel is part of a greater whole may or may not cause it to rise further in quality when reading the subsequent novels in this series. I hope it does.
The Not-So-Good
One complaint I have is that I wanted the characters to be a little more complex than they were. I know I said I liked the characters, and I did. However, more complexity in the characterizations and plot would have been better, in my opinion. Duncan, in an attempt to keep the plot moving, glosses over lots of plot details which would have been perhaps compelling and interesting if done well. There's some wasted potential here.
Another complaint would be about the setting of this novel. It was not a poorly done setting, but it wasn't very detailed, either. Tokien's middle earth or the late Robert Jordan's settings for their books were deep, fleshed out settings; culturally, politically, geographically, even religiously and mythologically compelling.
Duncan's was not quite so well done. It's like a majestic lake that, after one dives into it, is discovered to be only 6 inches deep throughout.
If the world setting was a little more compelling, I would have given it the full 5 stars.
Conclusion
It's a good read. The characters and plot are great. With some more effort in fleshing out the setting and more plot detail and more complex characters, this would have been a classic. As it is, you should only read it if you're a fan of the fantasy genre.
The Plot
The setting for this novel is a fantasy world separate from but much like our own Europe during the middle ages. There exists a knightly order called "The Blades" which recruits youngsters and then, through a mixture of magic and training, forges them into the finest warriors in the land. These men are then "bound" to a person they are to protect. This person is referred to as a blade's "ward". The blade is connected to their ward psychically, having a sort of sixth sense when it comes to their ward. Another side effect of this binding is that a blade no longer needs to sleep. A blade MUST remain loyal to their ward, protecting their ward's life to the exclusion of everything else, including their own lives and families. It is possible to be relieved of this bond if their ward so decrees.
Usually, a blade is bound to the king or the crown prince. However, the king can decide to give the gift of a blade to a favored subject.
The book follows the life and times of one particular blade, named Durendal. The novel begins with his indoctrination as a youth into the blades and the plot develops from there.
The Good
The Characters in this book are very well done. Whenever a character's name was mentioned, I never once asked, "who is this guy?". That is usually a sign that you're reading a well-characterized novel. The characters change for the better (and for the worse) during the course of the novel. This also impressed me.
The main characters in this book were all compelling. The main protagonist, Durendal, is the obvious "good guy" in the novel. I can't really point to one bad character of the "Snidely Whiplash" type, which is a bonus. The "bad" characters are all motivated logically by realistic, even selfless, goals.
I really liked the plot of this novel also. It was pretty straightforward, but the tone seemed to very subtly change from a swashbuckling adventure to a more horrific, scary story and then back again. It was not a jarring or heavy-handed switch, so it didn't detract from the overall flow of the book.
The fact that this novel is part of a greater whole may or may not cause it to rise further in quality when reading the subsequent novels in this series. I hope it does.
The Not-So-Good
One complaint I have is that I wanted the characters to be a little more complex than they were. I know I said I liked the characters, and I did. However, more complexity in the characterizations and plot would have been better, in my opinion. Duncan, in an attempt to keep the plot moving, glosses over lots of plot details which would have been perhaps compelling and interesting if done well. There's some wasted potential here.
Another complaint would be about the setting of this novel. It was not a poorly done setting, but it wasn't very detailed, either. Tokien's middle earth or the late Robert Jordan's settings for their books were deep, fleshed out settings; culturally, politically, geographically, even religiously and mythologically compelling.
Duncan's was not quite so well done. It's like a majestic lake that, after one dives into it, is discovered to be only 6 inches deep throughout.
If the world setting was a little more compelling, I would have given it the full 5 stars.
Conclusion
It's a good read. The characters and plot are great. With some more effort in fleshing out the setting and more plot detail and more complex characters, this would have been a classic. As it is, you should only read it if you're a fan of the fantasy genre.
March 6, 2018
Rating
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan is the first in his six book King's Blade series. While the story in each novel takes places in the same world, each work stands alone as a tale unto itself. This first book tells the story of Durendal, a waif with little future who is recruited to become a King's Blade, a swashbuckling swordsman bound by magic to serve either the king or whoever the king so chooses.
The enchantment is important as it defines the identities of the Blades as a whole. It goes beyond mere allegiance as each Blade is bound magically to protect, serve, and always hold their ward's safety and life in the highest regard. Blades do not sleep, they can stomach only one glass of wine when on duty, and they look upon everyone with suspicion or at least as a potential threat. They do not do this willingly; the enchantment makes them. While there is great loss of freedom in choosing to serve as a King's Blade, it is also considered the highest honor.
Durendal is, of course, special. It is a common practice for each Blade to take the name of a previous Blade and, in doing so, aspire to live up to the previous Blade's deeds. There is one name, Durendal, that none will take for the bar was set too high when that first Durendal served. Not so for our young hero as he claims the name for himself and not only meets the challenge but far exceeds it. What begins as a bit of a predictable tale, with Durendal bound to a nothing lordling, does an about face when that lordling is killed early on. The tale picks up from there, introducing a completely different tale from what one expected based on the book's summary. This works out for the best, for Durendal is sent to learn the whereabouts of a missing Blade and to unravel the mystery of a gladiatorial arena where the gladiators cannot be killed.
I've been reading a bit of Duncan's work lately, namely The Alchemist series of Venetian fantasy/mysteries, which is one of his more recent works. The Gilded Chain goes back a bit to 1998. It's interesting to note the differences in style between this book and Duncan's more recent novels. I can see signs of maturation in both the author's ability to tell a tale and in his writing chops. Regardless, The Gilded Chain is exceptionally written, with a good balance of endearing characters, plot intrigue, adventure, and even a bit of mystery. Duncan does an excellent job of bringing the overall story full circle with a bit of a twist ending that I did not see coming.
The Gilded Chain is a fun read and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan is the first in his six book King's Blade series. While the story in each novel takes places in the same world, each work stands alone as a tale unto itself. This first book tells the story of Durendal, a waif with little future who is recruited to become a King's Blade, a swashbuckling swordsman bound by magic to serve either the king or whoever the king so chooses.
The enchantment is important as it defines the identities of the Blades as a whole. It goes beyond mere allegiance as each Blade is bound magically to protect, serve, and always hold their ward's safety and life in the highest regard. Blades do not sleep, they can stomach only one glass of wine when on duty, and they look upon everyone with suspicion or at least as a potential threat. They do not do this willingly; the enchantment makes them. While there is great loss of freedom in choosing to serve as a King's Blade, it is also considered the highest honor.
Durendal is, of course, special. It is a common practice for each Blade to take the name of a previous Blade and, in doing so, aspire to live up to the previous Blade's deeds. There is one name, Durendal, that none will take for the bar was set too high when that first Durendal served. Not so for our young hero as he claims the name for himself and not only meets the challenge but far exceeds it. What begins as a bit of a predictable tale, with Durendal bound to a nothing lordling, does an about face when that lordling is killed early on. The tale picks up from there, introducing a completely different tale from what one expected based on the book's summary. This works out for the best, for Durendal is sent to learn the whereabouts of a missing Blade and to unravel the mystery of a gladiatorial arena where the gladiators cannot be killed.
I've been reading a bit of Duncan's work lately, namely The Alchemist series of Venetian fantasy/mysteries, which is one of his more recent works. The Gilded Chain goes back a bit to 1998. It's interesting to note the differences in style between this book and Duncan's more recent novels. I can see signs of maturation in both the author's ability to tell a tale and in his writing chops. Regardless, The Gilded Chain is exceptionally written, with a good balance of endearing characters, plot intrigue, adventure, and even a bit of mystery. Duncan does an excellent job of bringing the overall story full circle with a bit of a twist ending that I did not see coming.
The Gilded Chain is a fun read and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.
January 16, 2021
The King's Blades series is amazing. Dave Duncan is an excellent writer. When I read the first three books in this series I was blown away. The intricacy, attention to detail, and ability to keep the integrity of the story line is a thing a beauty. If you have not read a book by Dave Duncan, do yourself a favor and start one today.
May 22, 2013
I had many issues with this book. Firstly, the transition between time periods was done clumsily, making it unclear when some events were occurring. I have no idea why the author jumped back and forth so much at certain points in the book. It had the sense of trying to be clever, but just making things more complicated than it needed to be.
The concept wasn't horrible. I liked the main character well enough in the beginning...
!!! WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD !!!
I would have enjoyed a book about Durendel in his younger days. Instead, the author attempted to squash the main character's entire life into one book. There were entire story-lines within the plot that would've made for a great books on their own, but were instead compressed to act as highlights for the larger story here. In doing this, the author lost much of what would've made the characters and the story worthy of investing in emotionally (As the reader).
I actually had to pause and take a deep breath so as to calm my annoyance about a third of the way through the book when the author suddenly skipped two years and then basically described those two years as what was probably the most interesting time of the character's life!
Here, a quote:
"It has been an interesting trip, has it not?"
"Moderately, sir. You promised me seas and deserts and mountains- no complaints there. Brigands, yes. Wild beasts, I think you mentioned. Not too many of those. Or pirates. But hostile tribesmen...yes, you delivered those." He did not mention the snakes, scorpions, fevers, shipwreck, avalanche, forest fire and dysentery.
The actual events that were covered in the book occurred in fits and spurts. At times great detail was given to the tamest events, and then the story would skip ahead. And rather than take hold of a situation and build it into what promised to be an interesting event, the author would take his characters and leave the playground. Oh, you're supposed to be my brother in arms, friend and noble man but have become a murderous monster of the foulest kind? We were friends once, so I'll leave the thousands to their fate...
Several characters who showed promise of making the book more interesting were either killed off prematurely or were twisted into villains.
The feeling I had upon finishing the book was that little was accomplished by the characters. They lived their lives, some of them survived, some managed to make small differences in the grand scheme of things, but in the end the author's RELENTLESS use of life mirroring previous events thus creating symmetry (man has a certain experience as a child, which he later lives as the adult to another child, and that experience happens again to another child, etc.,) made the world seem stagnant and unchanging.
I honestly don't understand the appeal of this book...
The concept wasn't horrible. I liked the main character well enough in the beginning...
!!! WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD !!!
I would have enjoyed a book about Durendel in his younger days. Instead, the author attempted to squash the main character's entire life into one book. There were entire story-lines within the plot that would've made for a great books on their own, but were instead compressed to act as highlights for the larger story here. In doing this, the author lost much of what would've made the characters and the story worthy of investing in emotionally (As the reader).
I actually had to pause and take a deep breath so as to calm my annoyance about a third of the way through the book when the author suddenly skipped two years and then basically described those two years as what was probably the most interesting time of the character's life!
Here, a quote:
"It has been an interesting trip, has it not?"
"Moderately, sir. You promised me seas and deserts and mountains- no complaints there. Brigands, yes. Wild beasts, I think you mentioned. Not too many of those. Or pirates. But hostile tribesmen...yes, you delivered those." He did not mention the snakes, scorpions, fevers, shipwreck, avalanche, forest fire and dysentery.
The actual events that were covered in the book occurred in fits and spurts. At times great detail was given to the tamest events, and then the story would skip ahead. And rather than take hold of a situation and build it into what promised to be an interesting event, the author would take his characters and leave the playground. Oh, you're supposed to be my brother in arms, friend and noble man but have become a murderous monster of the foulest kind? We were friends once, so I'll leave the thousands to their fate...
Several characters who showed promise of making the book more interesting were either killed off prematurely or were twisted into villains.
The feeling I had upon finishing the book was that little was accomplished by the characters. They lived their lives, some of them survived, some managed to make small differences in the grand scheme of things, but in the end the author's RELENTLESS use of life mirroring previous events thus creating symmetry (man has a certain experience as a child, which he later lives as the adult to another child, and that experience happens again to another child, etc.,) made the world seem stagnant and unchanging.
I honestly don't understand the appeal of this book...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2010
What a great book! Everything that a sword-and-sorcery novel should be. Even the minor characters seemed fully realized, and the major ones all the more so. The plotting was also excellent...I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. I will definitely be reading on in the series, and am even considering upgrading my Kindle edition to a physical book, which, giving my shrinking shelf space, is a rare thing these days!
September 4, 2015
Really had a good time with this one. It has everything: swords, sorcery, politics, a little romance.... The pacing is quick. The characters are engaging. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.
July 12, 2020
This book is part of a loosely connected series. It stands alone completely. Good story, with an unusual approach to swordsmanship and sorcery. Good enough read, but in my opinion the characters were not fully engrossing.
January 19, 2018
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...
Un premier tome bien sympathique. Quelques lenteurs au milieu ont fait que ça ne sera pas un coup de cœur mais dans l'ensemble il était bien équilibré.
Dans ce livre nous suivons Durandal tout au long de sa vie. Il est une des Lames du Roi, un épéiste confirmé au service du roi qui est lié magiquement à la personne qu'il est censé protéger.
Il est d'ailleurs le plus prestigieux et renommé d'entre eux même car il a atteint le poste de chancelier royal, un des plus élevé à la cour .
Mais sa vie ne sera pas de tout repos. Entre les traitres qui grouillent à la cour, les voyages de plusieurs années à l'autre bout du monde et les machinations politique, toute sa vie il devra se sacrifier pour honorer son serment ...
On est ici vraiment dans un roman d'aventure de capes et d'épées avec son lot important de politique et une touche de fantasy, un duo qui marche toujours. Les tomes de cette série sont tous indépendants, et suivent des personnages différents dans un même monde.
L'élément central de ce tome est le lien qui lie une Lame à son protégé. Ce lien est inviolable et il donne à la Lame tout ce dont il a besoin pour faire son travail. Ainsi il n'a plus besoin de dormir, il ne peut plus devenir ivre et il a besoin de savoir en permanence ce que fait et ou est celui ci.
Sachant que même si ils protègent une personne particulière les Lames sont avant tout liées au Roi lui même. C'est donc une bonne façon pour celui ci de faire surveiller les personnes les plus douteuses.
C'est ainsi que Durandal passe les premières années de sa vie, assigné au frère de la maitresse royale, un moins que rien qui profite sans vergogne de tous les avantages que cela lui procure et que Durandal ne peux pas supporter ...
Dans le livre nous suivons à la fois le jeune Durandal qui avance dans sa vie, et aussi le vieux Durandal, lorsqu'il fini sa carrière de politicien. En fait nous les suivons en parallèle jusqu’à ce que les 2 temporalités se rejoignent et que les 2 intriguent finissent par n'en faire plus qu'une. Et j'ai bien aimé ce principe, car finalement nous passons autant de temps avec le vieil homme qu'avec le jeune. Et d'ailleurs la partie la plus importante de l'intrigue se passe bien sur quand il est âgé.
J'ai trouvé Durandal sympathique et équilibré même si au premier abord il me semblait un peu passe partout. On a un nombre de personnages qui gravitent autours de lui très important et il n'y en a pas vraiment qui sont plus développés que d'autres en dehors du Roi lui même, avec qui Durandal développe une amitié qui va durer longtemps, et de l'adversaire de toujours de Durandal, Kromman. Que ça soit les autres Lames, les nobles, sa femme et les autres institutions du royaume, il a vraiment une image assez centrale de tout ce qui s'y passe.
Le système magique n'est pas vraiment expliqué, mais nous savons qu'il utilise des cercles magiques et des éléments et qu'il peut être utilisé de façon bénéfique ou pas.
Quand au background on est clairement dans l'Europe du 16ième-17ième. Rien de terriblement original tellement tout ça nous rappelle un coté mousquetaire (bien sur aidé par l'illustration de couverture).
J'ai trouvé quelques longueurs au récit, surtout dans la première partie. Mais je dois avouer que ça ne m'a pas plus dérangé que ça, c'était surtout du à mon impatience de savoir enfin ce que voulait bien dire la partie de l'intrigue qui implique le Durandal âgé.
Sur l'ensemble on a un roman solide et distrayant. Le style est fluide et rapide à lire. Les personnages sont intéressants à suivre et variés et l'intrigue pleine de mystère et d'aventure. Pour moi le contrat est rempli, en fait ce roman était exactement ce que j'en attendais, ni plus ni moins. Je suis suffisamment intriguée pour avoir envie d'en savoir plus sur ce monde et suivre d'autres personnages.
16/20
Un premier tome bien sympathique. Quelques lenteurs au milieu ont fait que ça ne sera pas un coup de cœur mais dans l'ensemble il était bien équilibré.
Dans ce livre nous suivons Durandal tout au long de sa vie. Il est une des Lames du Roi, un épéiste confirmé au service du roi qui est lié magiquement à la personne qu'il est censé protéger.
Il est d'ailleurs le plus prestigieux et renommé d'entre eux même car il a atteint le poste de chancelier royal, un des plus élevé à la cour .
Mais sa vie ne sera pas de tout repos. Entre les traitres qui grouillent à la cour, les voyages de plusieurs années à l'autre bout du monde et les machinations politique, toute sa vie il devra se sacrifier pour honorer son serment ...
On est ici vraiment dans un roman d'aventure de capes et d'épées avec son lot important de politique et une touche de fantasy, un duo qui marche toujours. Les tomes de cette série sont tous indépendants, et suivent des personnages différents dans un même monde.
L'élément central de ce tome est le lien qui lie une Lame à son protégé. Ce lien est inviolable et il donne à la Lame tout ce dont il a besoin pour faire son travail. Ainsi il n'a plus besoin de dormir, il ne peut plus devenir ivre et il a besoin de savoir en permanence ce que fait et ou est celui ci.
Sachant que même si ils protègent une personne particulière les Lames sont avant tout liées au Roi lui même. C'est donc une bonne façon pour celui ci de faire surveiller les personnes les plus douteuses.
C'est ainsi que Durandal passe les premières années de sa vie, assigné au frère de la maitresse royale, un moins que rien qui profite sans vergogne de tous les avantages que cela lui procure et que Durandal ne peux pas supporter ...
Dans le livre nous suivons à la fois le jeune Durandal qui avance dans sa vie, et aussi le vieux Durandal, lorsqu'il fini sa carrière de politicien. En fait nous les suivons en parallèle jusqu’à ce que les 2 temporalités se rejoignent et que les 2 intriguent finissent par n'en faire plus qu'une. Et j'ai bien aimé ce principe, car finalement nous passons autant de temps avec le vieil homme qu'avec le jeune. Et d'ailleurs la partie la plus importante de l'intrigue se passe bien sur quand il est âgé.
J'ai trouvé Durandal sympathique et équilibré même si au premier abord il me semblait un peu passe partout. On a un nombre de personnages qui gravitent autours de lui très important et il n'y en a pas vraiment qui sont plus développés que d'autres en dehors du Roi lui même, avec qui Durandal développe une amitié qui va durer longtemps, et de l'adversaire de toujours de Durandal, Kromman. Que ça soit les autres Lames, les nobles, sa femme et les autres institutions du royaume, il a vraiment une image assez centrale de tout ce qui s'y passe.
Le système magique n'est pas vraiment expliqué, mais nous savons qu'il utilise des cercles magiques et des éléments et qu'il peut être utilisé de façon bénéfique ou pas.
Quand au background on est clairement dans l'Europe du 16ième-17ième. Rien de terriblement original tellement tout ça nous rappelle un coté mousquetaire (bien sur aidé par l'illustration de couverture).
J'ai trouvé quelques longueurs au récit, surtout dans la première partie. Mais je dois avouer que ça ne m'a pas plus dérangé que ça, c'était surtout du à mon impatience de savoir enfin ce que voulait bien dire la partie de l'intrigue qui implique le Durandal âgé.
Sur l'ensemble on a un roman solide et distrayant. Le style est fluide et rapide à lire. Les personnages sont intéressants à suivre et variés et l'intrigue pleine de mystère et d'aventure. Pour moi le contrat est rempli, en fait ce roman était exactement ce que j'en attendais, ni plus ni moins. Je suis suffisamment intriguée pour avoir envie d'en savoir plus sur ce monde et suivre d'autres personnages.
16/20
February 3, 2020
**Audiobook Warning**
I received a free copy of the audio from the author, with no expectation of a review.
I’m kinda swamped with work and school right now (not to mention two kids), so I’ve managed to fall way behind on my reviews. In fact, I’m falling behind on my reading too. Gasp! Anyway, moving swiftly on. I’ve been reading spec fiction for donkeys years, and somehow I've managed to avoid reading anything by Dave Duncan, so The Gilded Chain was my first experience. This one tells the tale of Durendal, a swordsman par excellence who gets sent on a potential suicide mission, instead of fulfilling his dream of guarding the king. He survives, but it sets him on a lifelong journey that may yet see him fulfill his dream, but not as planned. Here’s my thoughts on the book:
This was a fun story, with a witty script that kept me chuckling along throughout. There wasn’t a whole lot of action going on, apart from the occasional flurry, but the pacing is great and the odds of you getting bored are slim. At least, that’s how it was for me. Speaking of the lack of action, at the start of the story, Durendal travels on a great journey, which is basically the start and the end. However, Durendal alludes to a great adventure that they had along the way. Even the fight scenes seem stripped down, and for a story about a legendary swordsman, this just seems a bit weird. The plot is okay, and takes the course over thirty years or so, with the occasional time jump. The story does revolve around Durendal and a mage, both of him want to be close to the King, but for different reasons.It gets a little wild down the stretch. The narrator was great, and probably the highlight of the whole audiobook.
More like 3.5 stars
I received a free copy of the audio from the author, with no expectation of a review.
I’m kinda swamped with work and school right now (not to mention two kids), so I’ve managed to fall way behind on my reviews. In fact, I’m falling behind on my reading too. Gasp! Anyway, moving swiftly on. I’ve been reading spec fiction for donkeys years, and somehow I've managed to avoid reading anything by Dave Duncan, so The Gilded Chain was my first experience. This one tells the tale of Durendal, a swordsman par excellence who gets sent on a potential suicide mission, instead of fulfilling his dream of guarding the king. He survives, but it sets him on a lifelong journey that may yet see him fulfill his dream, but not as planned. Here’s my thoughts on the book:
This was a fun story, with a witty script that kept me chuckling along throughout. There wasn’t a whole lot of action going on, apart from the occasional flurry, but the pacing is great and the odds of you getting bored are slim. At least, that’s how it was for me. Speaking of the lack of action, at the start of the story, Durendal travels on a great journey, which is basically the start and the end. However, Durendal alludes to a great adventure that they had along the way. Even the fight scenes seem stripped down, and for a story about a legendary swordsman, this just seems a bit weird. The plot is okay, and takes the course over thirty years or so, with the occasional time jump. The story does revolve around Durendal and a mage, both of him want to be close to the King, but for different reasons.It gets a little wild down the stretch. The narrator was great, and probably the highlight of the whole audiobook.
More like 3.5 stars
June 26, 2017
I've read this 3 or 4 times over the years but I still love this series. It's pretty standard fantasy but it's full of nostalgia for me.
August 10, 2016
The Gilded Chain The Gilded chain could have been a decent book. It had an interesting premise, a group of men trained to be Blades, the best swordsmen in the kingdom, magically bonded to protect one individual until their ward dies or their bond is broken and they retire. I liked how the author attempted to handle this topic, he starts out with the main character, Durendal, thinking there is nothing wrong with this arrangement, but as the book continues, he seems to become more aware of the problems with this setup. Unfortunately, what was the only thing I really liked about this book, was swept under the rug by the end of the book. Durendal's back at the keep, recruiting the next generation and I honestly think the author could have done more with this. There was so much potential for conflict and it felt like the author brought up the issue and then tried to sweep it under the rug at the end because he didn't know how to deal with the moral issues he brought up. I really had issues with the pacing in this novel. There were sections that were just rushed, like the tournament, saving the King's life in the field, and dissolution of the magic guilds. This is all relevant to who Durendal is as a character. He's famous amongst other Blades for these things and the author devoted, maybe three pages to each of these events. Meanwhile we get a large chunk of the book devoted to the Blades prowess with the ladies. At one point, when Durendal receives his Blade Quarrel, he worries about how he will deal with it when Quarrel gets one of their servant girls pregnant. Not if, when, because it's expected a Blade will sleep with all the women. And women are just so impressed by Blades,they'll leap into bed with them; I spent a large chunk of this book rolling my eyes. On top of the nonsense above, we get this nice quote:"He had seen no women, but he had not looked into the kitchen..."What about the bedrooms, did you check the bedrooms Durendal? They're surrounded by Blades, so where else would they be.The abilities of the Blades were inconsistent. At the beginning of the book it's stated that any non-Blade swordsman doesn't have a chance against a Blade in a fight, they're just too good. Obviously multiple fighters against one Blade will eventually overcome him, but one on one it's not considered a fair fight. Durendal is considered the best Blade in recent years, easily able to beat anybody Blade or not. Then we get to the tournament, which is one of the events that led to Durendal's fame. He's beaten by a non-Blade, Aldane, at rapiers. Durendal then goes up against Aldane, in a final match and right out states that he has no chance against him. He does eventually win and everybody treats it like some great feat, but earlier in the book we're pretty much told his victory against any single non-Blade is a forgone conclusion.The political maneuvering in this book, struck me as childish compared to some of things you see in WOT or ASoFI. When Durendal is named as Chancellor, Montpurse, the previous owner of the title, is offered up as a sacrificial lamb to the counsel. The King and Durendal know that the council is going to call for his head, but believe that he doesn't deserve that, he doesn't. So they sit down and discuss how they can save his life. Their solution is to offer him up for questioning because that'll appease the council. They do this knowing that questioning by the Inquisitors will lead to his eventual death. So in an effort to keep him from being charged with treason and being beheaded, they give him over to questioning which will eventually lead to his death. And it's not even the questioning itself that kills him, the spell that they use on him is so awful that they decide it'll be kinder to kill him in the end. I guess that's better??? Take that council members, I just gave you exactly what you wanted.
I honestly can't think of a single reason to continue this series.
I honestly can't think of a single reason to continue this series.
August 17, 2016
Through the first half of the book I thought it was going to be a three star read. I just never quite connected with the characters. The premise of the story was great. A place called Ironhall where young boys, often misfits, came and years later they emerge as the most skilled highly efficient fighters in the land…called Blades. Through a very brutal and chilling magical ritual, each boy will be bound to a Ward and the Ward is chosen by the King. The boy who has been there the longest is always the Blade assigned. The ritual involves at the end that the Ward will plunge a sword into the heart of the Blade thus sealing the bond they will have as long as they both live. Rarely does a Blade die from the sword because it is a part of the magical incantation, but it does happen.
The reader sees the boy as he is accepted into Ironhall and then as he becomes perhaps the greatest Blade of all time. A blade chooses his own name, and he chooses the name Durendal which is the name of the most famous Blade centuries before him.
I won’t spoil the story by going into detail, but we do see Durendal with a seemingly unimportant and unpleasant ward the first time. A ward is for life unless of course that ward dies. His second ward is the King. A Blade absolutely is unable to do anything but protect his ward no matter what the situation. He is trained and driven to keep him safe. To complicate it further, a Blade can have a ward assigned to him, and thus he himself has protection from a second Blade.
I think in reading this book, I was cared more for Durendal’s two wards more than I did for him. The first was Wolfbiter and the second was Quarrel. Wolfbiter was the best of the best from the young Blades in training while Quarrel, the last one, was, as they all are a wonderful fighter, but not necessarily the best. Quarrel was, to me the hero of the book….
I did like the story and there is a lot of political intrigue within it. But there are a few reasons why this was not higher than a 3.5 read for me, although I am going to bump it up to 4.
I do think this book may appeal to a guy more than it did to me. There is no romance, or hardly any. I do not need romance to love a book, but I do like some sort of a love story. There is a woman, a wife actually, but I never really felt the connection. There were two things that I did not care for. One was the back and forth between when Durendal was an old man and with the story as it unfolded. It may just be me, but because he had a different name, at first I did not realize the old man was Durendal so that was confusing. But even when I did, I really do not want to know the ending while the story is going on.
The other thing that really did turn me off, was the horror of what the evil people in this book did. Durendal and Wolfbiter were sent on a quest by the King to find out what had happened to another Blade and his Ward. The journey just to get to where they thought he was took over two years. What they found was disgusting to me (and to them) and the practices those evil people (if I can call them that) were carrying on went through to the end of the book. It is an important part of the story, but it was something I really would rather not know about.
As gruesome as the book got toward the end, it did not end badly which I appreciated. This is he first book of a series but I probably won't read the others.
The reader sees the boy as he is accepted into Ironhall and then as he becomes perhaps the greatest Blade of all time. A blade chooses his own name, and he chooses the name Durendal which is the name of the most famous Blade centuries before him.
I won’t spoil the story by going into detail, but we do see Durendal with a seemingly unimportant and unpleasant ward the first time. A ward is for life unless of course that ward dies. His second ward is the King. A Blade absolutely is unable to do anything but protect his ward no matter what the situation. He is trained and driven to keep him safe. To complicate it further, a Blade can have a ward assigned to him, and thus he himself has protection from a second Blade.
I think in reading this book, I was cared more for Durendal’s two wards more than I did for him. The first was Wolfbiter and the second was Quarrel. Wolfbiter was the best of the best from the young Blades in training while Quarrel, the last one, was, as they all are a wonderful fighter, but not necessarily the best. Quarrel was, to me the hero of the book….
I did like the story and there is a lot of political intrigue within it. But there are a few reasons why this was not higher than a 3.5 read for me, although I am going to bump it up to 4.
I do think this book may appeal to a guy more than it did to me. There is no romance, or hardly any. I do not need romance to love a book, but I do like some sort of a love story. There is a woman, a wife actually, but I never really felt the connection. There were two things that I did not care for. One was the back and forth between when Durendal was an old man and with the story as it unfolded. It may just be me, but because he had a different name, at first I did not realize the old man was Durendal so that was confusing. But even when I did, I really do not want to know the ending while the story is going on.
The other thing that really did turn me off, was the horror of what the evil people in this book did. Durendal and Wolfbiter were sent on a quest by the King to find out what had happened to another Blade and his Ward. The journey just to get to where they thought he was took over two years. What they found was disgusting to me (and to them) and the practices those evil people (if I can call them that) were carrying on went through to the end of the book. It is an important part of the story, but it was something I really would rather not know about.
As gruesome as the book got toward the end, it did not end badly which I appreciated. This is he first book of a series but I probably won't read the others.
September 24, 2013
Az aranyszín láncban sir Durendal hosszú életét és legendáját követhetjük nyomon – pár (hét) rövidebb novella-szerű részletben. Hogyan lesz egy vakarcsból minden idők legjobb Pengéje, legnemesebb, leghűségesebb kardforgatója, Chivial hőse, később mégis ura és jótevője – a mindenki által igen tisztelt és hőn szeretett (vagy félt), ravasz és bátor Ambrose király – végzete.
A könyv nagy erénye, hogy az intrikus részek egyenértékű minőséget képviselnek az akciókban, világi kalandokban gazdagabb részekkel. A mű egyes részei kifejezetten felkavaróak, akár az Örökkétig-ről szóló részre gondolok (az színtiszta horror!), akár csak arra, hogy a szerző milyen bőkezűen osztja hősei számára a halált. Ez egy ilyen életút regénynél mindenképpen üdvözlésre méltó, hiszen ettől – hogy egyaránt látjuk a legnagyobb hősök és a szürke kisemberek halálát is – válik hihetővé, életszerűvé, de egyúttal komorrá és lehangolóvá egyaránt (tehát stílusossá, nem pedig giccsparádévá) a mű és a benne szereplő karakterek egyaránt. Nekem a jellemfejlődéseken túl egyébként az alaptörténet is roppantul tetszett, ahogy az egyedi – elementáris – mágiarendszer, sőt a szerző karcos humora szintén.
Roppant hangulatos, minőségi, hősies „középkori” fantasy – egy majdhogynem realisztikus világban –, ami egyetlen rajongó polcáról sem hiányozhat. Robin Hobb, George R. R. Martin, Glen Cook, David Eddings – valamint Henry Rider Haggard és Alexandre Dumas – rajongóknak egyenesen kötelező darab. Melegen ajánlom! A sorozat második része, A Tűzföldek Ura – ami egyébként nem klasszikus folytatás (mint ahogy a sorozat többi rész sem), hanem ugyanebben az időben játszódik, csak egy másik szereplő szemén keresztül vizsgálhatjuk az eseményeket – remélhetően még az idén megjelenik. Nálam mindenesetre keményen várólistás lett, sőt felkeltette a kíváncsiságomat a szerző más könyvei iránt is. Abszolút kedvenc – még sok ilyet kérünk!
Bővebben a blogon:
http://profunduslibrum.blogspot.hu/20...
A könyv nagy erénye, hogy az intrikus részek egyenértékű minőséget képviselnek az akciókban, világi kalandokban gazdagabb részekkel. A mű egyes részei kifejezetten felkavaróak, akár az Örökkétig-ről szóló részre gondolok (az színtiszta horror!), akár csak arra, hogy a szerző milyen bőkezűen osztja hősei számára a halált. Ez egy ilyen életút regénynél mindenképpen üdvözlésre méltó, hiszen ettől – hogy egyaránt látjuk a legnagyobb hősök és a szürke kisemberek halálát is – válik hihetővé, életszerűvé, de egyúttal komorrá és lehangolóvá egyaránt (tehát stílusossá, nem pedig giccsparádévá) a mű és a benne szereplő karakterek egyaránt. Nekem a jellemfejlődéseken túl egyébként az alaptörténet is roppantul tetszett, ahogy az egyedi – elementáris – mágiarendszer, sőt a szerző karcos humora szintén.
Roppant hangulatos, minőségi, hősies „középkori” fantasy – egy majdhogynem realisztikus világban –, ami egyetlen rajongó polcáról sem hiányozhat. Robin Hobb, George R. R. Martin, Glen Cook, David Eddings – valamint Henry Rider Haggard és Alexandre Dumas – rajongóknak egyenesen kötelező darab. Melegen ajánlom! A sorozat második része, A Tűzföldek Ura – ami egyébként nem klasszikus folytatás (mint ahogy a sorozat többi rész sem), hanem ugyanebben az időben játszódik, csak egy másik szereplő szemén keresztül vizsgálhatjuk az eseményeket – remélhetően még az idén megjelenik. Nálam mindenesetre keményen várólistás lett, sőt felkeltette a kíváncsiságomat a szerző más könyvei iránt is. Abszolút kedvenc – még sok ilyet kérünk!
Bővebben a blogon:
http://profunduslibrum.blogspot.hu/20...
December 19, 2010
A swords & sorcery fantasy books with echoes of the Three Musketeers that does some things well and some things poorly.
What Duncan does especially well is trim out the bloat that usually infests fantasy. In a single book we're given a lifetime of adventures from possibly the greatest King's Blade of all time, from his first misguided binding to his final geriatric retirement.
While Duncan does end up tying a couple of the threads together in a loose way, essentially what we're presented are a series of short stories taken at various points in Durendal's life. This is initially jarring -- mostly because I went into the book with typical fantasy expectations and I had to recalibrate those -- but not a bad thing.
The plot(s) tend to be of the non-epic variety. That, combined with the decades long time-span, means that we are given glimpses of an evolving fantasy world. Too many fantasy worlds are totally static -- the elves have ruled the Elvish Forests for 10,000 years blah blah -- which is hard to reconcile with what everyone knows about how real societies work. Granted, we're only given the barest glimpses of it in this book but sweeping political reforms play a bigger role than Fighting Evil in The Gilded Chain.
What ultimately drags the book down to a mere 2-stars are the wafer-thin characterizations. Duncan is so intent on the break-neck plotting that apparently there was no room for giving any depth to any characters. Durendal's long-suffering wife Kate remains a cipher, the great nemesis isn't treated much better. Even Durendal himself doesn't have much meat on his bones other than his magic-and-habit-infused desire to serve his King.
I've tried two of Duncan's books now and been underwhelmed both times. Maybe I need to stop trying and just move on to other authors.
What Duncan does especially well is trim out the bloat that usually infests fantasy. In a single book we're given a lifetime of adventures from possibly the greatest King's Blade of all time, from his first misguided binding to his final geriatric retirement.
While Duncan does end up tying a couple of the threads together in a loose way, essentially what we're presented are a series of short stories taken at various points in Durendal's life. This is initially jarring -- mostly because I went into the book with typical fantasy expectations and I had to recalibrate those -- but not a bad thing.
The plot(s) tend to be of the non-epic variety. That, combined with the decades long time-span, means that we are given glimpses of an evolving fantasy world. Too many fantasy worlds are totally static -- the elves have ruled the Elvish Forests for 10,000 years blah blah -- which is hard to reconcile with what everyone knows about how real societies work. Granted, we're only given the barest glimpses of it in this book but sweeping political reforms play a bigger role than Fighting Evil in The Gilded Chain.
What ultimately drags the book down to a mere 2-stars are the wafer-thin characterizations. Duncan is so intent on the break-neck plotting that apparently there was no room for giving any depth to any characters. Durendal's long-suffering wife Kate remains a cipher, the great nemesis isn't treated much better. Even Durendal himself doesn't have much meat on his bones other than his magic-and-habit-infused desire to serve his King.
I've tried two of Duncan's books now and been underwhelmed both times. Maybe I need to stop trying and just move on to other authors.
July 28, 2009
This book has garnered a lot of good will, from some very high-flying people. my views on Duncan are something of a mixed bag - I absolutely loved his Seventh sword series but wasn't too keen on the Alchemists Apprentice.
I was nevertheless presently surprised by the Gilded chain. Perhaps, because the first seventh sword book was that little bit shorter, or perhaps just because it was a different story, I enjoyed it (and subsequently the series) that much more. Gilded chain started to chafe a little; given the overarching morality of Durendal and the introduction and prancing displays of the inquisitor's at almost the outset of the book.
Still, a very solid, fantasy romp, with good swordsmanship and an interesting take on the allegiance of knights to a monarch. The magic is different to many other titles I've seen - in many cases, magic often saves the day or becomes a far too pivital plot point. here, requiring an octogram and chanting, as well as having The White Sisters who can detect enchantment's residue, magic becomes a much riskier venture.
it seems that the ending of this book paves the way for the beginning of the next. I suppose I shall come to it soon - not immediately, but despite its shortcomings, I quite enjoyed it.
I was nevertheless presently surprised by the Gilded chain. Perhaps, because the first seventh sword book was that little bit shorter, or perhaps just because it was a different story, I enjoyed it (and subsequently the series) that much more. Gilded chain started to chafe a little; given the overarching morality of Durendal and the introduction and prancing displays of the inquisitor's at almost the outset of the book.
Still, a very solid, fantasy romp, with good swordsmanship and an interesting take on the allegiance of knights to a monarch. The magic is different to many other titles I've seen - in many cases, magic often saves the day or becomes a far too pivital plot point. here, requiring an octogram and chanting, as well as having The White Sisters who can detect enchantment's residue, magic becomes a much riskier venture.
it seems that the ending of this book paves the way for the beginning of the next. I suppose I shall come to it soon - not immediately, but despite its shortcomings, I quite enjoyed it.
October 12, 2014
OK plot, well written, good worldbuilding, BUT: The female characters were handled so badly that it was noticable and annoying. I've read lots of books describing societies where women have less power than men, so that's not the problem. But the women were mostly invisible, or when they appeared they were described so briefly that you could practically hear the author muttering "Let's get boring this female stuff out of the way so I can return to important things". Minor spoiler:
I expect this kind of treatment of women from Dickens, but not from someone living today.
I expect this kind of treatment of women from Dickens, but not from someone living today.
July 19, 2020
In this book you follow the life of Durendal, one of the King’s Blades, a soul bonded servant to the protection of the King or any Nobel he chooses (basically a bodyguard with a vested interest in your personal safety).
I found it really hard to get into this book, but about 8 chapters in EVERYTHING changed. Do you know that feeling of riding a roller coaster, but it’s the type that spins and jerks you in unexpected directions? You’re thrilled and you want more and you know you shouldn’t because you have to get up for work in the morning? That’s what I got. It’s unexpected surprises that completely fit in with the narrative of the book.
I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes high fantasy and adventure. The book also wraps itself up neatly at the end and can be read as a stand alone.
I found it really hard to get into this book, but about 8 chapters in EVERYTHING changed. Do you know that feeling of riding a roller coaster, but it’s the type that spins and jerks you in unexpected directions? You’re thrilled and you want more and you know you shouldn’t because you have to get up for work in the morning? That’s what I got. It’s unexpected surprises that completely fit in with the narrative of the book.
I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes high fantasy and adventure. The book also wraps itself up neatly at the end and can be read as a stand alone.
November 22, 2013
This is my third time reading this book, yet it has been a long enough that I only remembered the general plot, and not much of the specifics. It was interesting reading it this time as I know more history, and was now able to appreciate that Henry VIII was the obvious inspiration behind the character of the king. This book is a fast paced, entertaining, yet fairly grisly, standalone tale, but the true brilliance of it can only be appreciated when you read all three books in the series.
July 29, 2016
First in a series of loosely connected novels, The Gilded Chain is a good old swords & sorcery tale, fast-paced and engaging, that follows the life of Sir Durendal, one of the finest swordsmen the realm has ever seen, over many decades of his life through training, service, quests, intrigue and conspiracies. An enjoyable read with plenty of action.
November 18, 2019
I last read this nearly two decades ago and forgot almost all of it except for the premise, but it was pretty good upon re-read. It was more fantastical than I remembered, which is saying a lot considering the premise is swordsmen are bound to protect various nobles in a magical ceremony that involves driving a sword through their heart. I would re-read it again in less than twenty years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2011
4.5
Vraiment très bon. L'aspect politique est présent mais évite l'assommant, la part de fantasy contient juste ce qu'il faut de magie, et le côté "cape et épée" est beaucoup plus prenant qu'il n'y paraît.
Bref, un ensemble qui sonne juste, et qui nous transporte en toute simplicité !
J'adore !
Vraiment très bon. L'aspect politique est présent mais évite l'assommant, la part de fantasy contient juste ce qu'il faut de magie, et le côté "cape et épée" est beaucoup plus prenant qu'il n'y paraît.
Bref, un ensemble qui sonne juste, et qui nous transporte en toute simplicité !
J'adore !
February 9, 2017
An amusing story that kept my attention. Solid read. =)
June 5, 2018
This is one of Duncan's better ideas and I really enjoyed it. Who ever heard of a bodyguard taking a sword through the heart to begin his service? The elite warriors in this book do! Plenty of good action and likeable characters to get to know.
September 6, 2018
My Rating Scale
1 - Strong Do Not Recommend (Very Rare)
3 - Weak Recommend (Majority)
5 - Strong Recommend (Rare)
Dave Duncan is one of my favorite writers. His material may not have the depth of other authors, but he is prolific and enjoyable.
1 - Strong Do Not Recommend (Very Rare)
3 - Weak Recommend (Majority)
5 - Strong Recommend (Rare)
Dave Duncan is one of my favorite writers. His material may not have the depth of other authors, but he is prolific and enjoyable.
June 24, 2022
The Short Answer
A fun medieval adventure full of knights and magic. The book spends most of its time with it's characters and with the bigger picture and never gets bogged down with unimportant details. This is a very traditional world, full of manly men doing manly things, but it is wonderfully realized, and the way magic is handled is very clever. Worth reading if you're looking for some old school pulpy fantasy with likeable characters.
The Long Answer
I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I somehow fell in love with this series when I was quite young. I stumbled upon it in a used bookstore and decided to revisit it and see how well it holds up. I'm very glad I did.
While I wouldn't call this book particularly original, it is very well written. It jumps along at a wonderful pace that allows just enough time for character development and world building, but never gets tied down to unimportant details. A good example of this happens in the middle of the book when something called "The Monster Wars" happens. We see the the politics that start the war, and the horrifying first assault, but then we move on to years after the war is over. This is because Duncan understands how uninteresting these wars can be, and writing endless action is not what this book is about.
I said the book wasn't original, but it does have some solid twists. The book is broken into a series of different stories all taking part during the life of one swordsman. They all tie together very nicely in ways that aren't immediately obvious, but are well set up.
The world itself has probably aged poorest. It is reasonably well built up, but wholly unoriginal. The main setting is clearly based off some western medieval Europe, while the barbaric lands are very clearly just somewhere in the middle east. He gives them new names and plays with the geography, but the stereotypes are unchanged. Westerners are greedy but civilized, barbarians live in dirty cities and have few morals.
There are also no dragons or mythical beasts here. In this world magic is mostly used for simple healing, love potions, and things like that. It's very understated, and that actually makes it feel very real. There are clear rules to how it can be used and what it's limits are. It fits in perfectly with the medieval setting that's been established and gives the world a little something special.
And don't expect much in the way of women here. Women rarely manage to make it to the status of window dressing, and only one even manages to get a name. The book isn't particularly sexist, but if you're looking for some strong female characters you'd best look elsewhere.
That said, if those issues don't bother you then there is a solid fantasy adventure awaiting you amongst these pages that will take you away to a classic fantasy world.
A fun medieval adventure full of knights and magic. The book spends most of its time with it's characters and with the bigger picture and never gets bogged down with unimportant details. This is a very traditional world, full of manly men doing manly things, but it is wonderfully realized, and the way magic is handled is very clever. Worth reading if you're looking for some old school pulpy fantasy with likeable characters.
The Long Answer
I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I somehow fell in love with this series when I was quite young. I stumbled upon it in a used bookstore and decided to revisit it and see how well it holds up. I'm very glad I did.
While I wouldn't call this book particularly original, it is very well written. It jumps along at a wonderful pace that allows just enough time for character development and world building, but never gets tied down to unimportant details. A good example of this happens in the middle of the book when something called "The Monster Wars" happens. We see the the politics that start the war, and the horrifying first assault, but then we move on to years after the war is over. This is because Duncan understands how uninteresting these wars can be, and writing endless action is not what this book is about.
I said the book wasn't original, but it does have some solid twists. The book is broken into a series of different stories all taking part during the life of one swordsman. They all tie together very nicely in ways that aren't immediately obvious, but are well set up.
The world itself has probably aged poorest. It is reasonably well built up, but wholly unoriginal. The main setting is clearly based off some western medieval Europe, while the barbaric lands are very clearly just somewhere in the middle east. He gives them new names and plays with the geography, but the stereotypes are unchanged. Westerners are greedy but civilized, barbarians live in dirty cities and have few morals.
There are also no dragons or mythical beasts here. In this world magic is mostly used for simple healing, love potions, and things like that. It's very understated, and that actually makes it feel very real. There are clear rules to how it can be used and what it's limits are. It fits in perfectly with the medieval setting that's been established and gives the world a little something special.
And don't expect much in the way of women here. Women rarely manage to make it to the status of window dressing, and only one even manages to get a name. The book isn't particularly sexist, but if you're looking for some strong female characters you'd best look elsewhere.
That said, if those issues don't bother you then there is a solid fantasy adventure awaiting you amongst these pages that will take you away to a classic fantasy world.
September 13, 2019
Quite solid heroic fantasy, without being outstanding. It's the first in the King's Blades series but all of the books work well as standalones with different characters.
It's a swashbuckling story, vaguely inspired by The three Musketeers and by the swords & sorcery genre. The book follows the life and career of Durendal, perhaps the greatest of the King's Blades. The Blades are a knightly order which recruits young boys, often troublesome ones or ones without family but who show athletic promise, and trains them into becoming some of the finest swordsman in the world. Then, through a magical ritual, the resulting young men are bonded to the king or to a person of his choosing. This person is referred to as a blade's "ward". Blades are connected to their ward psychically, and can't help being loyal beyond any other consideration, and giving their lives if necessary to protect their ward.
The story starts with a young waif being tested for reflexes and skill before being accepted into the Order. This would have been a good opportunity to get us readers to bond with the hero by following his training, starting with his period as "the Brat", the newest blade candidate, who is subjected to hazing until a new boy is recruited. However, this is a more long-term story, so we skip ahead to the end of his training, when he is already one of the most skilled blade candidates produced by the order.
We would expect young Durendal then to start a career of adventures. Instead, he is bonded to a despicable fop from the court, and it seems his talent and life will be wasted. Years pass, however, and we finally see that fate has other things in mind for sir Durendal.
Because of what I have explained, the start of the book can be a bit underwhelming, and it takes a while before we get the adventures and the magic we had been expecting. But we sure do get them, in a swashbuckling, swords & sorcery style.
Then we follow Durendal's later life and, as we wait to see what his ultimate fate will be, the circle of the story ends up closing in a very satisfactory manner.
On the negative side, the worldbuilding is a bit generic, inspired by Britain in the late Middle Ages. Also, the characterization is not as skillful as it could have been. I liked Durendal, but I did not feel as if I knew him as deeply as I might have.
On the other hand, although I was suspicious of the time skips in the beginning, I finally thought that the story was quite well-structured. Duncan does well in showing how the kingdom changes throughout the life of the main character, and the story arc closes in a way that gives cohesion to a seemingly episodic story.
It's a swashbuckling story, vaguely inspired by The three Musketeers and by the swords & sorcery genre. The book follows the life and career of Durendal, perhaps the greatest of the King's Blades. The Blades are a knightly order which recruits young boys, often troublesome ones or ones without family but who show athletic promise, and trains them into becoming some of the finest swordsman in the world. Then, through a magical ritual, the resulting young men are bonded to the king or to a person of his choosing. This person is referred to as a blade's "ward". Blades are connected to their ward psychically, and can't help being loyal beyond any other consideration, and giving their lives if necessary to protect their ward.
The story starts with a young waif being tested for reflexes and skill before being accepted into the Order. This would have been a good opportunity to get us readers to bond with the hero by following his training, starting with his period as "the Brat", the newest blade candidate, who is subjected to hazing until a new boy is recruited. However, this is a more long-term story, so we skip ahead to the end of his training, when he is already one of the most skilled blade candidates produced by the order.
We would expect young Durendal then to start a career of adventures. Instead, he is bonded to a despicable fop from the court, and it seems his talent and life will be wasted. Years pass, however, and we finally see that fate has other things in mind for sir Durendal.
Because of what I have explained, the start of the book can be a bit underwhelming, and it takes a while before we get the adventures and the magic we had been expecting. But we sure do get them, in a swashbuckling, swords & sorcery style.
Then we follow Durendal's later life and, as we wait to see what his ultimate fate will be, the circle of the story ends up closing in a very satisfactory manner.
On the negative side, the worldbuilding is a bit generic, inspired by Britain in the late Middle Ages. Also, the characterization is not as skillful as it could have been. I liked Durendal, but I did not feel as if I knew him as deeply as I might have.
On the other hand, although I was suspicious of the time skips in the beginning, I finally thought that the story was quite well-structured. Duncan does well in showing how the kingdom changes throughout the life of the main character, and the story arc closes in a way that gives cohesion to a seemingly episodic story.
February 13, 2022
What it's about: Following the life of a boy sent to a strict order to learn to be a knight; those who succeed are magically bound to serve their king as the King's Blades - legendary swordsmen and defenders of the Crown.
Sir Durendal is a Blade who becomes renowned for his skills and his principles. His successes and failures chart the course of a kingdom.
What I thought: I LOVED this book! It's hard to discuss it much without giving away some big twists and turns.
This story landed RIGHT smack-dab in the middle of my wheelhouse: a scrappy, overconfident underdog who gets smacked down, learns from it, and becomes a strong force for good.
Why my chosen shelves: This story follows the political machinations of a king and his courtiers, from the POV of a magically bound bodyguard. There are lots of deaths throughout - sometimes of unexpected characters. The story is told almost entirely from Durendal's perspective (with a minor detour at one point).
Why I rated it like I did: I will re-read this book at some point in the future, and will definitely explore more books in this series. I wish there was a bit more representation included - it's pretty much white European dudes from start to finish - but the character development is excellent and the storytelling is first-rate.
Sir Durendal is a Blade who becomes renowned for his skills and his principles. His successes and failures chart the course of a kingdom.
What I thought: I LOVED this book! It's hard to discuss it much without giving away some big twists and turns.
This story landed RIGHT smack-dab in the middle of my wheelhouse: a scrappy, overconfident underdog who gets smacked down, learns from it, and becomes a strong force for good.
Why my chosen shelves: This story follows the political machinations of a king and his courtiers, from the POV of a magically bound bodyguard. There are lots of deaths throughout - sometimes of unexpected characters. The story is told almost entirely from Durendal's perspective (with a minor detour at one point).
Why I rated it like I did: I will re-read this book at some point in the future, and will definitely explore more books in this series. I wish there was a bit more representation included - it's pretty much white European dudes from start to finish - but the character development is excellent and the storytelling is first-rate.
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