"Exceptional . . . Duncan can swashbuckle with the best, but his
characters feel more deeply and think more clearly than most"
(Publishers Weekly).
Raider and Wasp have spent five years at Ironhall studying to become
Blades, expert swordsmen whose talents stand unmatched. Magic both
enhances the Blades' fighting skills and binds them to lifelong duty.
But when Raider and Wasp are selected to protect the king of Chivial
himself, they refuse, an act unprecedented in the living history of the
Blades. Now on the run for their "treasonous" act, the two gifted
swordsmen must escape to the Fire Lands, where pirates, monsters, and
mixed allegiances wait around every corner. As old hatreds and
still-fresh tragedies come to light, these young swashbucklers must
confront both harsh truths from the past and a present swarming with
their would-be brothers at arms seeking vengeance and intending
punishment. Dave Duncan's Lord of the Fire Lands serves as a splendid
sequel and companion to his earlier book The Gilded Chain, and his
later Tale of the King's Blades Sky of Swords. Engaging and complex,
it may be enjoyed as a standalone novel or in combination with the rest
of the trilogy. Either way, readers are in for a smart, thrilling
adventure that cuts like a knife.
