King's Blades

As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm-A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his ward-if not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designates-with absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all was-and is-Sir Durendal. But a lifelong dream of protecting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange and inscrutable plans for the young knight-for a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But he soon finds himself enmeshed in treason and foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvation-and few ever return unscathed. As unwanted and rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall....Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm-A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his ward-if not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designates-with absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all was-and is-Sir Durendal..

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.

The mightiest swordsmen in the realm, 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 schemes and 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 crucial decision of her life: a choice that will either redeem her kingdom from chaos...or bring ultimate destruction down upon it, her Blades, and herself.

Many legends have emerged from the shadows of Ironhall, yet surely none can surpass the greatness and glory predestined for Sir Beaumont-possessor of the purest and strongest of hearts, and a mind as quick, keen, and accurate as his sword. But the day he sets out in the service of the elderly Lord Wassail turns to a black one, and young Beau's journey ends in horror and blood . . . and disgrace. Banished from the King's Blades, he now faces a grim future as a homeless pariah, a creature to be shunned and despised. But redemption can come from unexpected directions and in unrecognizable guises. Approached in secret by the legendary Durendal, now Grand Master of the Order, the dishonored paragon is offered one last chance to win back his weapon and his place among his brothers in arms. But to do so, Beau must ride alone back through the icy gates of Hell . . . and do battle with the Devil himself.

Elite warrior swordsmen, they are unequalled in any time or realm . . .The King's Blades The King has decreed that new Blades must be sworn into the service of the Grand Duke Rubin, deposed by a foul usurper and currently on the run. But none of the rough youths being readied at Ironhall possess the seasoning to survive what better, more skilled Blades already have not. Still, two woefully unprepared candidates are approached with an offer of early bonding and probable death: deft but dense, rude Ranter, and eager, impetuous Ringwood . . . with a third, the inadequate swordsman but potentially able spy Bellman, enlisted into their threadbare ranks. Joining the Duke's entourage along with the courageous and prescient White Sister Trudy, the would-be champions must restore a rightful ruler to the throne or die in the process. But before them waits an army of the dead. And the Duke whom the Blades must protect to the last drop of their lifeblood is not the liege they imagined . . .

The realm's most feared swordsman, Sir Wolf has earned his name, the 'King's Killer,' well. Unlike many of his brother Blades, however, Wolf detests his sworn duty to do the bloody bidding of a liege he can never respect. But when an impregnable fortress is breached and a former royal mistress is abducted by brazen assailants, Wolf must leap into the fray. Burdened with the company of his disgraced brother, Sir Lynx-the only Blade ever to lose his ward and live-and shadowed by a mysterious Inquisitor with a secret agenda, Wolf must make his way across a landscape of nightmares vivid and terrible enough to chill any fearless heart. For somewhere in this dark, unfamiliar world, the fate of all Chivial hangs in the balance-and it is the destiny of one reluctant Blade to tip the scales to salvation . . . or doom.

Swashbuckling adventure awaits four unemployed knights searching for treasure in this fantasy tale by the award-winning author of The Jaguar Knights. Sir Rhys, Sir Sharp, and Sir Trusty may be three of the world's greatest swordsmen, but that hasn't saved them from being let go from their positions as Royal Guards. All three are still young , and without a job or pension, they need to find some way of making money. Rhys's father, Sir Spender, is a great Blade hero listed in the Litany. He is also without a job and may have a solution for their predicament. A great treasure was lost more than thirty years ago, and Spender thinks he knows its location and suggests they find it. Of course, Spender is not the only one to remember the lost treasure. King Ambrose claims it as his own-and is ready to use all the manpower at his disposal to get his hands on it first . . . Praise for Dave Duncan "Dave Duncan is one of the best writers in the fantasy world today. His writing is clear, vibrant, and full of energy. His action scenes are breathtaking, and his skill at characterization is excellent." -Writers Write"Duncan is an exceedingly finished stylist and a master of world building and characterizations." -Booklist

In the final adventure in the King's Blades series, one of the Blades is asked to go undercover to hunt down a possible threat to the crown of Chivial. Niall's father raised him to be a man of his word, and Niall has tried to live that way throughout his life, even during his training to become a Blade. But things have changed. King Ambrose has died. His daughter, Malinda, is now queen and behaving suspiciously. When she makes Niall Prime of the Blades, he is asked to swear an oath to protect her-and then is made a spy. Now Niall faces a mission that challenges everything he believes and must place his life on the line for a leader he's not certain he can trust . . . Praise for Dave Duncan "Dave Duncan is one of the best writers in the fantasy world today. His writing is clear, vibrant, and full of energy. His action scenes are breathtaking, and his skill at characterization is excellent." -Writers Write"Duncan excels at old-fashioned swashbuckling fantasy, maintaining a delicate balance between breathtaking excitement, romance, and high camp in a genre that is very easy to overdo." -RT Book Reviews

Originally issued as a YA trilogy called the King's Daggers (including volumes Sir Stalwart, The Crooked House, and Silvercloak), The Monster War works equally well as a single novel. The story fills a gap in the first Blades novel, The Gilded Chain, when King Ambrose sought to shut down the evil sorcery of the Elementaries, and the sorcerers fought back by trying to kill him. The same great characters are all here: Ambrose himself, Grand Master, and Blades Durendal, Bandit, and Snake. Appearing for the first time are Sir Stalwart, the only Blade who does not bear a binding scar, and Emerald of the White Sisters, the only girl ever enrolled in Ironhall. The action wanders across Chivial from the White Sisters' headquarters at Oakendown, to Grandon, and into the heart of Ironhall, for the evil penetrates even there. If you missed this one the first time (and most Blades fans did), then here is your chance to join the action as the King's Blades ride again!