Bøger af Dave Duncan

When one life ends, another begins.After forty years as the village school teacher in the idyllic valley of Greenbottom, Agatha is looking forward to a quiet retirement. Instead, an enigmatic stranger arrives to drag her through a long-closed portal to another world.Confronted with a completely foreign culture steeped in magic and violence, Agatha finds herself a crucial pawn being played between rival factions. The only way forward through the rigid traditions and convoluted politics of the Archons of Otopia is to remain true to herself and her Greenbottom ideals.

"They know the world is dying, but they hope not in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, they're top dogs and will do anything to stay that way."Doig Gray is fifteen when his father is killed in a mining accident, which Doig comes to realizes was no accident. Torn from his mother and sister, Doig is sent off to college, his every movement monitored in case he has inherited his dissident father's unacceptable attitudes . . . or passwords. Doig has nothing but his own sense that there's something desperately wrong with the world-and a last name that evokes the assumption that he's destined to be the next traitor-hero.The Traitor's Son is a science fiction novel about a colony world where everything that could go wrong already has. Stuck on the wrong world at the wrong site, with the wrong leaders, the colony is doomed to extinction unless immediate steps are taken to correct-everything. But 500 years of hiding from the reality of their situation has created an unchallengeable status quo-and the Accident Squad, determined to ensure it remains that way.The Traitor's Son is a fast-paced SF adventure in the best tradition of Duncan's Hero, West of January, and Eocene Station.

A new adventure of brotherhood and magic from beloved fantasist Dave Duncan In the Kingdom of Jorgary, the days of feudal chivalry are fading as national armies are formed. But Ottokar Magnus is still baron, and his host of brothers include Anton, an ambitious young soldier, and Wulfgang, an amiable teenager. Unable to seek his fortune as a knight errant, Anton has enlisted with the royal Jorgarian hussars and taken Wulf along as his servant. There is magic in Jorgary, but it is regarded as Satanism, rituals performed by Speakers who are in contact with the Devil. The Speakers, though, believe that the Voices they hear belong to saints. Anton is not a Speaker...but Wulf is. Anxious to impress the court, Anton exhibits spectacular horsemanship at a royal hunt, with a little boost from Wulf. Two nights later he is dragged before Cardinal Zdenek, the king's chief minister. Zdenek offers him an earldom and anything else he could dream of if he will ride at once to a strategic fortress at Cardice and take command there. The count and his son have died, victims of both treason and witchcraft. The cardinal thinks that neighboring enemies are preparing to invade, using "modern" arms to capture the fort. Mortal resources alone will not suffice, but Zdenek knows that Anton's improbable jump at the hunt was aided by supernatural power. Anton wants nothing to do with this mission, but Wulf's Voices tell him that they should accept the charge. The result is a harrowing ride through limbo with astonishing results.

The mightiest swordsmen in the relm, are bound by magic to defend their noble wards...to the death.The King's Blades The unloved child of the unscrupulous King Ambrose,Princess Malinda learned at an early age to fight for what was rightfully hers. Now, with the Kings abrupt death, civil war has become her grim destiny. Making her uncertain way through the blood labyrinth of schemesand betrayals, Malinda can trust none but the Blades of the Royal Guard. But the Blades themselves are in grave peril. And the young Queen faces the most crucialdecision of her life: a choice that will either redeem her kingdom from chaos...or bring ultimate destruction down upon it, her Blades, and herself.

The looming threat of a once-in-a-millennium magical event sends nineteenth-century China into violent chaos in this epic alternate-history fantasy. Author of the Seventh Sword series Dave Duncan transports us to Imperial China in an alternate nineteenth centuryan Asian epoch not unlike the Boxer Rebellion erawith a spellbinding tale of rebellion, political intrigue, larceny, seduction, shape-shifting, dark magic, and murder. These are troubled years in the Good Land. Ten centuries have passed since the last time the Portal of a Thousand Worlds opened, bringing chaos, upheaval, and radical change to the then-ruling dynasty, and now the mystical gateway is rumored to be on the verge of opening once more. Only the Firstbornhe who has been reincarnated through countless generations and remembers all he has ever learnedknows what the future holds, but he has been imprisoned for refusing to comply with a repressive imperial government's wishes. Now, those hoping to seize the opportunity for wealth and position are hatching sinister plots. And as the cold-hearted dowager empress closely guards a fateful secret, and a rebel army led by a fanatical zealot gathers strength under the Bamboo Banner, the cataclysm approaches.... The recipient of two Aurora Awards and numerous Locus and Endeavour Award nominations, Dave Duncan is an acknowledged master of sword-and-sorcery adventure on par with George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. A sprawling epic with a colorful cast of royals, thieves, prostitutes, gods, warriors, dragons, assassins, merchants, and mages set against the backdrop of a volatile alternate Asia, Portal of a Thousand Worlds is a magnificent work of invention from one of the premier fantasists of our day.

Fantasy at its most enchanting: An original and absorbing tale from a master storyteller about the profound effects of a single life on the battle against ultimate evil It is Midsummer Day, the beginning of the year 700, in the city of Benign. All the children born in the year 684 celebrate their joint sixteenth birthday by passing in front of the statue of the blind goddess Capricebut only one will become the Chosen and join the Seventy who govern and guide the city. Much to her surprise, Irona Matrinko, one of the many children of an impoverished fisherman, is chosen. Irona 700 moves into the palace and, with the help of a new mentor, recognizes and cultivates her great talent for guiding wars: strategy and tactics, leadership and inspiration. As Irona gives her life to the city, an ancient enemy, Maleficence, attacks again and again, corrupting Irona's friends, destroying her lover, and continually defeating her grandest plans for peace and harmony. Along the way, Irona becomes a masterful politician, a shrewd judge of character, and, even at great cost to her personal happiness, a true heroine.

First in the WWI alternate reality trilogy. ';Duncan has a wonderful knack of conjuring up wacky scenarios and making them believable and fascinating' (Kirkus Reviews). The Great Game of Gods is afoot in a world on the brink of madness . . . In the summer of 1914, a young man of reputation beyond reproach awakens under police guardgrievously injured and accused of heinous, impossible murder. And in a strange, distant place, the youngest member of a penniless acting troupe has been taken prisoner by the loyal minions of a corrupt, vengeful goddess. For an ancient prophecy has divided the realm's ruling deities into warring factionsa prophecy that mentions the crippled captive child and a youth recovering from inexplicable wounds in a British hospital bed. The game weaves through worlds and dimensions as it has since time immemoriala deadly contest of skill and manipulations that ruthlessly creates wizards, destroys human pawns, and transforms ordinary men,women, and children into something more.

A young imperor flees his own kingdom to escape an army of sorcerers in this ';lively adventure' of a fantasy novel from the author of The Cutting Edge (Publishers Weekly). The old imperor was dead at last. His popular soldier grandson, known as Shandie, had succeeded him . . . Had he not? No, he had not. The man who sat on the opal throne was not Shandie, but an illusion created by the mad dwarf Xinixo. Year after year, he had stealthily been ensorcelling sorcerers, turning them into loyal minions. Now, wielding their combined power, he was irresistible. He ruled the Impire, so he ruled the world. He would continue to rule it for centuries. Anyone who knew the truth or opposed him in any way, he would destroy or enslave. That especially included his old enemy, King Rap of Krasnegar, Shandie, the rightful imperor, and all their supporters, their friends, their families. All of them! First he had to catch them. With his infinite magic, that ought to be easy. Rap and Shandie had other ideas, but even they could see that their cause looked hopeless.

A king resists a sorcerer's rule over the Impire in this fantasy series from the Aurora Awardwinning author of the Man of His Word novels. Paranoid but almighty, the sorcerer Xinixo had seized control of the Impire. But ruling the imps and most of the world was not enough. He would never feel safe until he was universally loved, so he would smash everything and then rebuild the whole world in his own insane image. Who could resist him? King Rap of Krasnegar and Shandie, the rightful imperor, were still at large and determined to resist the evil, however slender their chances. Their one, faint hope was to enlist the help of the remaining free sorcerers of the world, those not already spellbound by Xinixo. Their quest soon ran into disaster. Their messengers were betrayed or ensnared. A rampaging goblin army had captured Shandie and was about to torture him to death. Rap was mired in a tropical jungle, hoping his wife and children were safe back home in Krasnegar. They were not in Krasnegar and certainly not safe.As the flames of war raged across Pandemia, news of the disasters penetrated even into Thume, the Accursed Land. Outsiders believed that the pixies had been extinct for a thousand years, but they still lived there, hoarding their magic. Their ruler, the Keeper, adamantly refused to meddle in events outside her borders, but one young pixie girl was prepared to rebel against the ancient order . . .

The epic fantasy adventure of Queen Inos continues as she is pursued by powerful warlocks, all the while convinced her beloved servant, Rap, is dead. Still stuck in the desert land of Zarkand mourning RapQueen Inos has conflicted feelings about Sultan Azak's proposal. Her heart lies with her beloved kingdom of Krasnegar and her duty to its people. But when she and Azak make a desperate escape, Inos is shocked by an image of Rap and knows that he must be alivesomewhere... On the island of Durthing, Rap's gift of farsight has made him too valuable to be truly freeuntil the evil Nordland raider Kalkor captures him after a bloody slaughter. Testing his magical wits against Kalkor, Rap searches for a chance to escape and restore Inos to her rightful throne. ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. ' SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

The Man of His Word series debuta novel ';with enough fresh ideas to allow it to sit unashamedly alongside the great fantasy books of recent times' (Fantasy Book Review). ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure' as Princess Inosolan is forced to leave behind her carefree childhoodas well as her dear friend, the stableboy Rap (Library Journal). Now of marriageable age, she is sent to a finishing school to hone the skills that all noble ladies should possess. Mystery, menace, and the gods appear in short order, as Inos and Rap begin to discover their magical powers, even as Inos is courted by a charming man with motives far more dangerous than the eyeand heartcan see... ';Magic Casementhas a charm and vibrant sense of humor.... If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy.' SFReviews.net

The final volume in the Aurora Awardwinning author's epic fantasy series. ';Duncan's plots add up and his characters have personalities' (Kirkus Reviews). War had engulfed the whole world. The imposter imperor ruling in Hub was the tool of the paranoid and almighty sorcerer Xinixo, who wielded the combined power of thousands of sorcerer slaves. And yet, despite his seeming omnipotence, the pathetic few who resisted him were still at liberty, even making a little progress. Xinixo's prime foe, Rap of Krasnegar, had rallied troll sorcerers to the cause and was about to try enlisting the incomprehensible elves. Fortunately, for his sanity, he did not know that his daughter, Kadie, had been carried off by goblin invaders or that his son, Gath, was heading for stark Nordland to deal with the fearsome jotnar, or that his wife, Inos, was in Guwash, negotiating with gnomes. Shandie, the rightful imperor, was with her, unaware that his wife, Impress Eshiala, believed him dead and had fled with Signifer Ylo, that notorious rake. And none of them knew about the sorcerers of Thume, especially the rebel pixie girl, Thale, who chafed against the secret binding of a thousand years. But the odds were still impossible and Longday was fast approaching. The sorcerers of the world foretold blood on Longday.

The author of Magic Casement returns to the fantastical world of Pandemia: ';The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy' (Fantasy Book Review). When Queen Inos was abducted through the magic casement and her friend, the stableboy Rap, tried to follow her, they arrived in places very strangeand very far apart... Inos finds herself in the country of Zark, captured by a powerful sorceress who rules over the desert land with a brutal magic. Meanwhile, Rap and his companions wind up in Faerie. Desperate to find Inos, he'll try anything, even though witches and warlocks aboundand trustworthy allies are hard to find. One, though, a sea captain, hires Rap as part of his crew, and they embark on a journey that could take him farther away from Inosand deeper into a dangerous adventure... ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. 'SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

The saga of Inos and Rap comes to its thrilling conclusion in the final Man of His Word novel from ';one of the leading masters of epic fantasy' (Publishers Weekly). While Queen Inos and her new husband, the cursed Sultan Azak, head to the capital city to beg the emperor's aid, Rap is imprisoned and tortured in the sultan's dungeons. But a third magic word gives him power beyond his wildest dreams, allowing him to escape. Struggling with his newfound abilitiesand his feelings for Inoshe follows after her. With his faithful companions, Rap will find himself battling old enemies, fulfilling prophecies, and navigating the empire's politics, forging his own destiny as one of the most feared men in the kingdom. ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. 'SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

The Aurora Awardwinning author of the Man of His Word novels returns to the magical realm of Pandemia with the first in his Handful of Men series. For fifteen years, Queen Inos and King Rapthe former stable boy and secret sorcererhave ruled Krasnegar wisely and happily, raising a family and prospering in their remote little kingdom. But a darkness is encroaching, foreshadowed by prophecies of unimagined cataclysms across Pandemia. Prince Emshandar, better known as Shandie to Krasnegar's royal family, is engaged in several conflicts along the Impire's borderlands, as armies of djinns, gnomes, and other races declare and wage war. His grandfather, the aged imperor himself, continues to behave more erratically and tyrannically with each passing hour. Rap dismisses the warnings as superstitious nonsense and the borderland battles as far from home and none of his kingdom's affair. But on the night of the birth of his fourth child, Rap is visited by a god who regales him with a cryptic tale of Pandemia's impending doom. Once upon a time, a young sorcerer made an error, an error that now threatens to nullify the Protocol, the treaty that has controlled the use of magic for a millennium. Without the Protocol, the realm will fall into chaos and certain destructionunless Rap embarks on a dangerous quest to right his long ago wrong ... The beginning of a new series by the author of the Seventh Sword novels and many other acclaimed works of fantasy, The Cutting Edge is ';deftly woven and set forth with a refreshingly unpretentious clarity and directness: imagine David Eddings rewritten by Kate Wilhelm. Grab this one' (Kirkus Reviews).

The first novel from ';one of the leading masters of epic fantasy'a tale of a place where death holds no sway and heroes are born (Publishers Weekly). Alya has an almost magical talent. Her hunches are never wrong. The scientists of planet 4 I want to use her talent and promise her a spot on the next off-world colonization team in return for her assessment of the potential of the latest worlds they have discovered. But Alya meets Cedric, the grandson of the brilliant and tyrannical director of 4 I, and she begins to doubt her own intuition. Cedric has dreamed of becoming a scout and exploring new worlds, and when he meets Alya, he is more determined than ever to leave 4 I with her. His grandmother needs him on 4 I, though, because she has schemes afoot to protect her planet and to cover up a murder, and she does not intend to let him go. However, she has underestimated her grandsonand the young woman whose intuition is strong and whose destiny is linked to Cedric's.

Sald Harl would like nothing more than to soar on the wings of his noble eagle, but his youthful rides in the sky are cut short by an appointment to guard the prince. Sald watches his dreams of flight fade with his name and independence as he takes over his bodyguard duties. During a perilous journey to the edges of the kingdom, a dark secret comes to life. Now the great Prince Shadow is accused of treason, and Sald must orchestrate a desperate plan of escape or he will lose the one thing he has been ordered to defend. His only option for freedom is a dangerous flight that no one has ever survived. Once again Sald hopes to feel the freedom of soaring though the air unshackled from servitude.