Rating: 
Summary: Dull Blades carve a sharp story.
Review: The Blades are bound by honor and a sacred magic to protect their king, but what happens when that very binding turns sour, when the sacred magic itself has been profaned and something contrary to Nature, both natural and supernatural, is served instead? Duncan covers interesting terrain in the Realm of Philosophy as well as telling a fine stand-alone fantasy tale. As a reader of many fantasy novels, I found the "knights of the round setting" dull and uninspiring, seen it so much, you know? But, the adventure Durendal takes to explore the brotherhood of Immortal Swordmasters contrasts the tawdry Teutonic setting with something completely alien and unique.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great easy Read..
Review: Good Book. I enjoyed in immensely. My only complaint is that I think that Mr. Duncan could have extended the story, made it longer. I was left with wanting more. I had the same problem with the Cursed, which, also was a Excellent book. Anyhoo, in short, great read..
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Finish the Book
Review: While some of other Duncan's series took a while to hook me and I was used to the detailed way the stories developed in his other work, I couldn't get into this one. I had no problem putting this book down. In fact, I haven't picked it up since- a bad sign from a bibliophile like myself. I may finish it as I feel guilty for spending money and not reading it. The most interesting element I found was the character development of the main character and the story of the immortal warriors that fought with swords of gold which reminded me strongly of a dark fairy tale a la 1000 Arabian Nights. That section of the book was really interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read--needs a better backstory
Review: DAVE DUNCAN! if you're reading this, please do yourself and your readers a favor by writing a few short stories about some minor players to give your world more depth, clarify your thinking, and inject a note of mystery. I got the impression that you don't know any more about the Baelish Raiders than I do. (Read the essay On Fairytales by JRR Tolkein for more details) Aside from that, it was a great book, and I look forward to the rest of the series!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and well constructed yarn
Review: An excellent swords and sorcery tale. Good plot with plenty of action. Good philosophical undertones. I look forward to more in the same setting.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny, thoroughly enjoyable
Review: 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. Then I read it again.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise...and a stand-alone novel!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing story about a plausible character.
Review: 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 characters. Unfortunetly the book did not live up to my expectations. At the beginning of the book we are only given a brief character development of the protagonist. From then on it is a sporadic jumble of ideas and images. We are never given images that seem to be developed, only diffuse imaginative thoughts and too numerous sub-plots. This is unfortunate because the main character would be someone who I would like to see in further adventures.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging story. Fun but dark.
Review: Since reading the "Man of His Word" series several years ago, Dave Duncan has been one of my favorite authors. He creates a level of realism that brilliantly achieves the "suspension of disbelief". "The Gilded Chain" fits perfectly into this category. The story at first appears to be on two separate lines, but as you read they flow into a single thread that makes the book almost impossible to put down. The characters behave as you think they should, at least in hindsight. The story has only one major drawback: reality. Rather than the optomistic happy endings, things happen in a much grimmer and believable manner. This book is a must read for Duncan fans, and would be enjoyed by many very critical readers. Dave Duncan has created another amazing world for his readers to visit. I'm just glad I don't have to live there.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I had expected, but very enjoyable
Review: 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 obedience which such service entails. I would have preferred a story encompassing a shorter time-period, instead of a capsule summary of the life of a legend. However, it was very enjoyable - an average tale for Dave Duncan, but still good.
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