Rating: 
Summary: Lord of the Fire Lands - Another wonderful tale!
Review: "Lord of the Fire Lands" is another exceptional example of superior fantasy writing by author, Dave Duncan. After finishing his first "Tale of the King's Blades" in "The Gilded Chain," it seemed as though that novel would be a hard one to follow but Dave Duncan deftly handles that in writing this thoroughly absorbing and compelling story. The only downside to this story is the beginning in which it seems to take some time for the story to get going at a decent pace but I suspect that was, for me, simply an aftereffect of having just finished "The Gilded Chain" and the frenetic pace at which that story concluded. Overall though, "Lord of the Fire Lands" is a completely compelling story where Dave Duncan sets a good pace for the plot and tells a tale that adds brilliantly to King's Blades mythology.The one truly intriguing aspect of this novel is the ending which contradicts the conclusion of "The Gilded Chain." As I understand it though, Dave Duncan cleverly handles this contradiction with ease in the third novel, "Sky of Swords." Every one of the novels begins with a blurb about how these novels can be read independently of the others but it would be "best" to read them in order to get the thorough experience of the overall story, which is exactly what I would suggest. The first two tales pretty much run concurrently of each other and there are even appearances in "Lord of the Fire Lands" by key characters from the first novel. The Premise: "Lord of the Fire Lands" is the story of two would be Blades in Wasp and Raider. When the time comes for King Ambrose IV to come to Ironhall and bind them into his service Raider respectfully refuses to do so and his best friend Wasp follows his lead. In the entire of history of the King's Blades, this has never happened before. As the two youngsters patiently await the outcome of their dreadful decision, King Ambrose comes to them and orders them to explain why they've done what they've done. This is where the true story kicks in for this outstanding novel as Raider, who turns out to be Radgar, the son of the former King of the Baels, Eled. Raider begins to tell them how he came to be in Ironhall and the tale takes of from there... What follows from there is an extremely enlightening addition to the "Tales of the King's Blades" as Dave Duncan takes us on an adventure that spans several years where the characters are extremely well defined with exceptional depth and the overall plot is thoroughly well thought out and executed. I highly recommend not only this second book in the King's Blades tales but the all of them to any and all who are fans of exceptional fantasy fiction that is written with adults in mind. Dave Duncan is a superior author who deserves any and all accolades he's received and I'm sure continues to receive for these exceptional stories. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Fire Lands - Another wonderful tale!
Review: "Lord of the Fire Lands" is another exceptional example of superior fantasy writing by author, Dave Duncan. After finishing his first "Tale of the King's Blades" in "The Gilded Chain," it seemed as though that novel would be a hard one to follow but Dave Duncan deftly handles that in writing this thoroughly absorbing and compelling story. The only downside to this story is the beginning in which it seems to take some time for the story to get going at a decent pace but I suspect that was, for me, simply an aftereffect of having just finished "The Gilded Chain" and the frenetic pace at which that story concluded. Overall though, "Lord of the Fire Lands" is a completely compelling story where Dave Duncan sets a good pace for the plot and tells a tale that adds brilliantly to King's Blades mythology. The one truly intriguing aspect of this novel is the ending which contradicts the conclusion of "The Gilded Chain." As I understand it though, Dave Duncan cleverly handles this contradiction with ease in the third novel, "Sky of Swords." Every one of the novels begins with a blurb about how these novels can be read independently of the others but it would be "best" to read them in order to get the thorough experience of the overall story, which is exactly what I would suggest. The first two tales pretty much run concurrently of each other and there are even appearances in "Lord of the Fire Lands" by key characters from the first novel. The Premise: "Lord of the Fire Lands" is the story of two would be Blades in Wasp and Raider. When the time comes for King Ambrose IV to come to Ironhall and bind them into his service Raider respectfully refuses to do so and his best friend Wasp follows his lead. In the entire of history of the King's Blades, this has never happened before. As the two youngsters patiently await the outcome of their dreadful decision, King Ambrose comes to them and orders them to explain why they've done what they've done. This is where the true story kicks in for this outstanding novel as Raider, who turns out to be Radgar, the son of the former King of the Baels, Eled. Raider begins to tell them how he came to be in Ironhall and the tale takes of from there... What follows from there is an extremely enlightening addition to the "Tales of the King's Blades" as Dave Duncan takes us on an adventure that spans several years where the characters are extremely well defined with exceptional depth and the overall plot is thoroughly well thought out and executed. I highly recommend not only this second book in the King's Blades tales but the all of them to any and all who are fans of exceptional fantasy fiction that is written with adults in mind. Dave Duncan is a superior author who deserves any and all accolades he's received and I'm sure continues to receive for these exceptional stories. {ssintrepid}
Rating: 
Summary: Can't put the book down
Review: Excellent read. Completely draws you in. I had trouble putting the book down!
Rating:
Summary: Tricky
Review: I just finished Lord of the Firelands. I thought, of course, this is what happened in The Gilded Chain. Malinda marries the pirate king...and then I read the ending and totally thought I missed something. I had to come here and read some reviews which explained that the endings were intentionally very different. I only gave this book four stars, even though I liked it better than the Gilded Chain, because I sort of felt that the endings should match. I wanted Radgar to marry Malinda. But disregarding that, I really enjoyed this book. It has some great plot twists. I can sort of see how he would want to change the endings...it certainly is different. You don't read series like this very often. Fortuneately, I have Sky of Swords here, so I'm going to go see how it turns out now.......
Rating:
Summary: Slow Start and a Gripping End
Review: I started this book a while ago, and my reading habits are admittedly slow at times. A recent recovery required a lot of time at home, so I dove in determined to get through this book (since I enjoyed the first one so well).
Luckily getting over the hump in this book was close at hand by this time and the story really started to flow. Don't give up on all of the groundwork that is lain as the book progresses. I promise you will be rewarded for your patience as this book went every direction but where I had expected. Just like some movies that need to explain why something is about to happen, so too does this book. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book to show up in my PO Box!
Rating: 
Summary: Quite Good
Review: I think this book is an excelent, if slightly uncomplicated, fantasy book. I would call this book a "light read". It was very enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting story....but the end???[spoiler]
Review: I've read nearly all of Mr. Duncan's books and thought that The Gilded Chain was by far his best book. This is a worthy sequel save one confusing part. The end. It directly contradicts the Gilded Chain, undoubtedly Mr. Duncan knows this and will explain in some future time, but it is inherently frustrating. Especially the "emphasis" on this contradiction in the nicely worded epilogue. It is worse than a cliffhanger, and leaves a bad aftertaste to an otherwise fine novel.
Rating:
Summary: Another book from the Tales of the King's Blades Series
Review: Lord of the Fire Lands is perhaps a book in it's own right, and although it is not a continuation from The Gilded Chain, it is nevertheless recommended that the first book is read in order to get a "feel" for the story and the setting. Duncan's writing style is interesting yet curious, because the second book is completely set aside from the first, so far in fact that the two books don't even connect, as if we are viewing two possible time lines. Nevertheless, Lord of the Fire Lands is an exceptional book, and very readable, Duncan's writing style and technique makes the reader feel for the characters, and the suspense to see what happens next is what keeps the page turning. However, unlike the Gilded Chain, Lords is not a biography style book about the main character, which can possibly lead to further ideas in Sky of Swords perhaps? It is disappointing that the book has not been published anywhere else outside the States. I look forward to reading his third book when I do have a chance to ship it in from America.
Rating:
Summary: Another book from the Tales of the King's Blades Series
Review: Lord of the Fire Lands is perhaps a book in it's own right, and although it is not a continuation from The Gilded Chain, it is nevertheless recommended that the first book is read in order to get a "feel" for the story and the setting. Duncan's writing style is interesting yet curious, because the second book is completely set aside from the first, so far in fact that the two books don't even connect, as if we are viewing two possible time lines. Nevertheless, Lord of the Fire Lands is an exceptional book, and very readable, Duncan's writing style and technique makes the reader feel for the characters, and the suspense to see what happens next is what keeps the page turning. However, unlike the Gilded Chain, Lords is not a biography style book about the main character, which can possibly lead to further ideas in Sky of Swords perhaps? It is disappointing that the book has not been published anywhere else outside the States. I look forward to reading his third book when I do have a chance to ship it in from America.
Rating:
Summary: Book two only Second Rate??
Review: No way. The second book in the Kings Blades trilogy leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. Dave Duncan gives the reader exactly what they want, and in copious amounts. Personally, I preferred the Gilded Chain, but only because I like Durrendal!! This book is every bit as good as the first one, and the end creates a little confusion to those who have read the first book.
YOU MUST READ THE THIRD ONE!!!!!!!
If you have read the first book before picking this one up, make sure you have the third one close at hand - you'll need it to clear a lot of things up.
On the book: Radgar Aeleding returns to the FireLands, his home, along with his Blade, Sir Wasp, to avenge his father and claim the kingship. A lot is learned about the house of Ranulf in this book, and Dave Duncan's portayal of the mysterious Firelands archpalego is glowing and memorable.You will love this book if you're a fan of action, magic, fantasy, or even politics with a slight twist. The way a king ascends the throne is very unique compared to Chivial.
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