Tag Archives: Dave Duncan

The Alchemist’s Code by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
Nostradamus and his assistant, the dashing Alfeo Zeno, solve a politically motivated murder while keeping their alchemical doings from being discovered by the reigning powers in heavily Catholic 16th Century Venice.

Review:
I listened to The Alchemist’s Code on audiobook, and wasn’t aware that it was a sequel until looking up the publication date to craft this post. It definitely stands alone as a mystery novel–no backstory needed for enjoyment–but I am now curious about what I missed in the first book.

Present Tense by Dave Duncan (The Great Game)

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Synopsis:
Book two in this trilogy has our unjustly accused hero crossing back to WWII-era England, hoping to escape from the law so he can enlist on the front lines and narrating the story of his time as a battle commander Nextdoor to his cohort of rescuers.

Review:
I was not quite as enthralled with Present Tense as I’d hope to be, but I still enjoyed it. I get frustrated when fantasy stories rely too heavily on the notion of prophecy, because then the story just starts feeling like a video game. All the hero has to do is hit various marks to complete the board. Here, Edward is trying to break the prophecy, so that adds a level of tension to the predestination that kept me interested.

The theology of Present Tense is wild. Basically the gods are people like Edward who have crossed over, not meta-beings at all. The series has a core of atheism but reeks of magic. Plot issues aside, this is enough for me to want to see where he takes things in book 3.

Past Imperative by Dave Duncan (The Great Game)

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Synopsis:
An upper class young man on trial for murder in WWI England finds his destiny entwined with a girl on the road with a traveling troupe of actors in an alternate vaguely medieval world ruled by capricious and contentious gods.

Review:
I really enjoy Dave Duncan’s writing–he’s imaginative and not afraid of getting a little literary, and always comes up with great characters. Past Imperative (Round One of the Great Game) was a welcome departure from the usual epic fantasy in that half of the book is a murder mystery set in England.

Since it’s hard to sum up the first book in a series, I’ll let this review suffice for now. I’m about to dive into Present Tense so I’ll see if it keeps up the momentum.

Highlights (Booking Through Thursday)

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From Booking Through Thursday:

It’s an old question, but a good one . . . What were your favorite books this year?

List as many as you like … fiction, non-fiction, mystery, romance, science-fiction, business, travel, cookbooks … whatever the category. But, really, we’re all dying to know. What books were the highlight of your reading year in 2007?

It was a good year, reading-wise. Here are my highlights, with links to my reviews.

The Ghost Writer by John Harwood

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson by Judy Oppenheimer

The Cross (Kristin Lavransdatter 3) by Sigrid Undset

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (translated by Joel Carmichael)

Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell

And a few series:

Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word and A Handful of Men

Megan Lindholm’s Ki and Vandien Quartet

One Year Anniversary!

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And what a great year it’s been… I get so much pleasure out of blogging about the books I’m reading, not to mention interacting with commenters and other book bloggers. I’ve catalogued the books I own on Librarything, Goodreads is a growing list of all the books I’ve ever read, and I’m giving away books on Bookmooch.

I have 330 posts. Now, my general rule is that I only post when I’ve finished a book, but I went through my archive and counted about 25 posts that were not linked to a book (ie contest announcements and blogging projects). That means I still read over 300 books this year. I’ve never actually counted my reads before, and I’m a little scared.

Those 330 posts generated over 1600 comments, for which I’m incredibly grateful. Continue reading →

The Living God by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
The epic battle for control of Pandemia converges on Thume, a peaceful enclave that’s hidden from sight for two millenia.

Review:
I’m sort of relieved to be finished The Living God, thus concluding the four-part series by Dave Duncan called A Handful of Men. I loved every minute of this series, which is a sequel to a previous series known as A Man of His Word, but it’s just awfully hard blogging about epic fantasy when it’s this perfect. Continue reading →

The Stricken Field by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
The fate of Pandemia rests upon the shoulders of Imperor Shandie and his friends, who have spread to the far corners of the world in the hopes of uniting all the races against a common foe. Plus, did somebody say that the dragons are rising?

Review:
In The Stricken Field, the third of four books in A Handful of Men, author Dave Duncan shows us just exactly how big a task he’s set for his protagonists–and for himself. You see, Pandemia is peopled by just about every kind of magical creature that you’ve ever heard of, and then some. And they’ve all got societies, political systems, cultures, and histories. Let me run down the list for you: Continue reading →

Upland Outlaws by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
A despotic sorcerer has torn the Impire apart through a ruthless program of magical slavery, and imperor Shandie’s small cadre of loyal supporters are forced to travel to the farthest corners of Pandemia in order to save the world.

Review:
Upland Outlaws is Part Two of the Handful of Men series, and I’m sort of running out of superlatives. I’m beyond grateful to Shari for introducing me to this fine author, who is helping me bide my time until A Dance of Dragons comes out. Continue reading →

The Cutting Edge by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
Seventeen years after the conclusion of A Man Of His Word, Pandemia finds itself on the brink of a civilization-destroying calamity, and former sorcerer Rap is pulled from his peaceful family life in Krasnegar to play the hero once again.

Review:
The Cutting Edge kicks of a four-book follow up to the series that began with Magic Casement. While familiarity with A Man of His Word is recommended, for the most part this book does not rely too heavily on backstory. Fortunately, Duncan is far too skilled a writer to let this first installment of A Handful of Men get bogged down in clunky exposition. It’s all story, people. Thank you. Continue reading →

Emperor and Clown by Dave Duncan

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Synopsis:
Now married to the cursed Sultan Azak, Princess Inos finally heads to the capital city to plead her case in front of the wardens, as stable boy Rap rushes to meet her and embrace his destiny.

Review:
(Is that like the worst cover you have ever seen? Seriously.) Emperor and Clown is the final installment in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and a most satisfying conclusion indeed. The overall story is a rich, satisfying adventure full of political machinations and romance, with a thoroughly original world and three-dimensional characters. In short, I would recommend this series to any readers who enjoy George RR Martin or Robin Hobb. I’ve mooched the follow up series, but will be taking a palate-cleansing break from epic fantasy. Continue reading →