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The Gilded Chain
 
 
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The Gilded Chain [Mass Market Paperback]

Dave Duncan
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Gilded Chain + Sky of Swords:: A Tale of the King's Blades + Impossible Odds (Tale of the King's Blades)
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Product details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 418 pages
  • Publisher: Avon Books (1 Sep 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0380791269
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380791262
  • Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 2.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 419,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Dave Duncan
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Product Description

Review

"Fast-paced...Sharp humor and swashbuckling action add charm and vigor to this fantasy adventure." --" Library Journal"Good characters; fine plotting; a lean and supple narrative."--" Kirkus Reviews

Product Description

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.

But a lifelong dream of protcting 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 treasonand 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.


Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Grand Master looked even older than the Squire, but he had a hard trimness that age had not softened, as if he would still be deadly with that sword he wore. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Excellent 9 Dec 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The first book in a peculiar trilogy that isn't a trilogy, but rather covers the same period from different perspectives. Surprisingly, this doesn't make the second and third book extremely boring, because you don't really know the ending until you've read all three books and put the pieces together.

Very well written, the characters and the story are the focus, Duncan doesn't get mired in descibing the world or cluttering it with strange creatures and magics. There are just enough peculiarities to make it interesting, and the pace is relatively high throughout the series.

The binding of a guard, or slave for that matter, to his master has been explored by some other writers, but Duncan paints a particularly vivid picture of the pros and cons of this practice. Other than that, this is swordfighting and riding around type of fantasy, but a good one at that.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I hadn't read Dave Duncan up until now, but I received this book as a gift. I was expecting another saga of a scullion who grows up to discover that he's the warrior foretold in prophecy, blah, blah, blah. Instead, it's the story of a virtuous man living in troubled times, and doing his duty as honor binds him. The central theme of the King's Blades is different from most magic systems in fantasy novels, and the exploration of the concept was interesting. And I was especially pleased to discover that the novel stands completely alone; there's little room to return to this character in a sequel. However, I would certainly be interested in another novel of the King's Blades.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
If you are reading this then you are most likely deciding if The Gilded Chain is a book that you'd like to read. You should. Why? A swashbuckling adventure. Conspiracies against the king. A mysterious five year quest. Heroism, honor and treachery. The entire story of a man who grows into a legend. All in a single volume.

Dave Duncan's books have always reeked of intelligence. The writing is crisp, and the dialog is witty. There were times The Gilded Chain made me laugh out loud. Every world that he has created has been filled with clever ideas. While, the world of The Kings Blades is more like our world then any of his others, it is no exception.

If you are looking for a memorable story filled with adventure, magic, and true heroes then Buy This Book. You won't even have to wait 10 years for the ending!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
completely uninteresting
With such high praise from well known fantasy authors, this was set up to be an absolutely fantastic book! However, I was absolutely disappointed. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Larewen Evenstar
Absolutely Fantastic
This book (and the whole series) has fantastic charatcers and such an interesting complex world. I adored this book, found it suprising, dark, funny and fantastic then I read the... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2008 by Emily Johnson
Excellent and well constructed yarn
An excellent swords and sorcery tale. Good plot with plenty of action. Good philosophical undertones. I look forward to more in the same setting.
Published on 29 Aug 1999
Exciting through and through
This is the first book of the fantasy genre that I found first-rate. When I was reading the book I just lost track of the time and I was reading till the early hours of the day. Read more
Published on 14 July 1999
Worth every penny, thoroughly enjoyable
An excellent book. The first of Duncan's I have ever read. I made the mistake of picking it up around 4 am, one sleepless night. I didn't put it down till I was finished. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 1999
A disappointing story about a plausible character.
When I first read the discription of this book, I thought that it would be an enjoyable read. The concept seemed to possess a story line that could introduce strong interesting... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 1999
An engaging story. Fun but dark.
Since reading the "Man of His Word" series several years ago, Dave Duncan has been one of my favorite authors. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 1998
Not what I had expected, but very enjoyable
This book certainly was not as awesome as I had hoped. However, it shows, in stark detail, both the benefits of serving a monarchy, and the dark, terrible tragedy & blind... Read more
Published on 25 Dec 1998
Fun book, decent read
This book is worth your time, as good as or better than most fantasy novels out there.
Published on 7 Dec 1998
Duncan Transitions to a fantastic new series
Few authors can generate so many complex and different worlds which are exactingly consistent within themselves, let alone populate them with such interesting characters. Read more
Published on 6 Dec 1998
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