MAN OF HIS WORD A princess and a stableboy? It sounds like the worst sort of hackneyed formula romance. Think again, for "A Man of His Word" may well be the most original fantasy you ever read. The magic is unique and applied in unexpected ways, some of which the late Lester del Rey admitted he had not met in fifty years as writer and editor. The world itself is unique - there are no humans in Pandemia, only imps, elves, gnomes, jotnar, and many more, all of whom you will recognize as "human". EMPEROR AND CLOWN With Inos married to the wrong man and Rap dying in a dungeon, obviously the cause is hopeless. Only Aunt Kade refuses to admit defeat...
From the PublisherA Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader's taste can become jaded after years of working in the publishing because books are so easily accessible. What I've come to look for is a writer whose work is really original, completely free of derivative content. Dave Duncan is one of those rarities. This is not another Tolkien spin-off. The MAN OF HIS WORD series makes an excellent sampler of his work. The concept is brilliant, well worked-out and populated with a dense imagination. The characters are memorable. I have to confess: After I read THE MAGIC CASEMENT, I begged the editor for a copy of the manuscripts of each of the remaining titles as Duncan sent them in. I couldn't wait to read what happened next.
--Steve Palmer, Director of Production Mass Market
From the Inside FlapThe loyal stableboy Rap had fought through hell and high water to rescue Inos, his queen. But once he did, he found that she had already married the accursed Sultan Azak, who had despoiled her beauty. As Inos follows her destiny, and Azak his, Rap awaits his fate at the hands of torturers....