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The Great Game #1-3
The Great Game: Past Imperative / Present Tense / Future Indefinite
Book Club Edition. Trilogy from the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Achievement Award-winner. PAST IMPERATIVE, PRESENT TENSE, FUTURE INDEFINITE.
- GenresFantasy
953 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Dave Duncan
139 books590 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2018
I have loved Dave Duncan since the late 1980's when I read his Seventh Sword fantasy series...and even more in the early 1990's when I read A Man of His Word. He is a mastery storyteller with a light touch, nice sense of humor, and plenty of creativity. So when a friend loaned me a copy of Past Imperative, I was all over it. And the thought of a setting that wove a new fantasy world, Nextdoor, together with Britain in WWI - yummy!
And I will say that I quite enjoyed the book. Enough that I then looked for books 2 and 3 to continue. I was unable to find either volume alone, but I eventually found an omnibus edition on Amazon and ordered it.
But by the time I had done all that and the book it arrived, I had gotten into something else, and somehow never came back to finish the trilogy. Maybe one of these days!
And I will say that I quite enjoyed the book. Enough that I then looked for books 2 and 3 to continue. I was unable to find either volume alone, but I eventually found an omnibus edition on Amazon and ordered it.
But by the time I had done all that and the book it arrived, I had gotten into something else, and somehow never came back to finish the trilogy. Maybe one of these days!
October 23, 2023
Duncan's fantasies are predictably good reading. This was one of his early works. It takes place around the time of WWI both on Earth and on Next Door, a parallel world reachable by performing a ritual at one of the places of power, like Stonehenge. Those "strangers" from Earth who have reached Next Door over the millennia have acquired god-like powers and have set themselves up either as neo-colonials or as divine beings. There is a prophecy that D'ward will defeat Death, setting up the main story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews