The Griffin or the Agate

     How should one describe Sky of Swords, the new release from Dave Duncan in his King's Blades universe? It's a love story, of two young hearts find one another during times of fear and strife and making one another that much stronger. It's a tragedy, with characters both new and old feeling the kiss of death or the painful sting of betrayal. It's high adventure, with engrossing battle sequences and narrow escapes and a kingdom hanging in the balance. It's a web of political intrigue, a three-sided struggle to claim the throne.
     Nah, it's better to keep it simple. As has come to be expected from Duncan, it's just plain good. The former geologist knows how to spin a tale, and this one follows the daughter of King Ambrose, the heavy-handed ruler of Chivial. Malinda hates her father, despite sharing many of his traits - stubborness, excessive willfulness, and a furious temper, to name a few. But when her arranged marriage goes horribly awry and Chivial is without a monarch, Malinda must find a way to put the best person on the throne - and that might be herself.
     Adding to her woes is the public's growing discontent with the King's Blades, a warrior sect magically bound to protect the ruler and his family. The spell that makes them fanatically loyal also unhinges them if they fail in their duty, and soon the order is in danger of being disbanded. Familiar faces from Duncan's other books drift in and out of the picture, including Durandal, the hero of the first text of the series, The Gilded Chain. Duncan uses Malinda's viewpoint to show these characters in a different light, one the reader is not used to viewing them in.
     Sky of Swords features an engaging story, with foreshadowing and plot twists balancing one another out. Duncan, who writes with an obvious affection for his characters, keeps the reader guessing until the end, mixing humor with sudden and shocking violence. He juggles the political, martial and romantic angles with skill and aplomb, and his style is both easy to follow and compelling. Sky of Swords can be read as a stand alone, but as a first exposure to Duncan's work it will no doubt whet the appetite for the other books in the series (The Gilded Chain and Lord of the Fire Lands, and, to some degree, the two shorter companion books of the King's Dagger series, Sir Stalwart and Crooked House). Highly recommended.   §

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Author's website: http://www.daveduncan.com