false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg 57687 4 Swords-and-sorcery fans aren't always proud. At times, they're left feeling a little embarrassed when they get a fix for their "pulp" addiction, maybe even sheepishly admitting that the genre isn't always that... sophisticated. Well, with Dave Duncan's <I>The Gilded Chain</I>, no apologies are necessary.<p> The author presents traditional high fantasy, with knights and magic (and even a few monsters) in a Tudoresque setting. <I>The Gilded Chain</I> satisfies all the usual cravings, while still managing to be both original and thought-provoking. Subtitled <I>A Tale of the King's Blades</I> (an indication that more excellent stand-alones should follow), <I>Gilded Chain</I> follows the career of Durendal, one of the King's magical and deadly swordsmen, who's compelled to serve his ward until death with single-minded purpose. Bound to a conniving, sniveling courtier and apparently doomed to a boring--or worse, compromising--existence, Durendal must find a way to fulfill both his potential and his duty. Events quickly hurl him halfway across the world to investigate the grisly secret behind a brotherhood of immortal swordmasters. This quest fuels the plot for the remainder of the book, which is nearly impossible to put down after the halfway point (just about the time a side story involving a Lord Roland cleverly dovetails with the main narrative). An inventive, intelligent exploration of duty and honor, and just a corking good adventure besides, <I>The Gilded Chain</I> is swords-and-sorcery at its best. <I>--Paul Hughes</I> 56199 1 9 1998 The Gilded Chain (King's Blades, #1) total:278|5:75|4:114|3:74|2:10|1:4| 278 1080 384 19 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 1 false Sat Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 10:16:09 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 12:21:21 -0700 2008
The Plot

The setting for this novel is...more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 3 0 false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 26 08:03:53 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 07:41:24 -0700 2009
I was nevertheless presently surprised by the Gilded chain. Perha...more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 1 0 false Sat Apr 04 17:02:03 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 17:05:18 -0700 2009
I've seen several rave reviews of Dave Duncan but I frankl...more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Sun Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 15:01:04 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 15:04:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 5 0 false Mon Nov 02 21:30:42 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 21:31:41 -0800 2009 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 0 0 false Fri May 29 08:10:59 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 08:10:59 -0700 2009 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Wed Jul 23 07:52:49 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 07:52:49 -0700 2008 Lord of the Fire Lands and Sky of Swords you discover that Duncan has taken the idea of "history being written by the winners" and given it a fic...more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Wed Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 19 23:17:13 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 17:32:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 5 0 false Wed Jul 30 11:39:07 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 30 11:43:35 -0700 2008 more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 5 0 false Wed Jan 30 17:57:58 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 30 18:00:25 -0800 2008 more...]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Wed Jun 06 19:14:10 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 06 19:16:48 -0700 2007 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Tue Sep 02 06:58:03 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 27 12:38:07 -0700 2008 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 18 17:43:09 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 18 17:48:20 -0700 2008 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 5 0 false Sun Aug 24 16:48:48 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 24 16:49:50 -0700 2008
Just great stuff, with many more good books in the series.
]]> 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Tue Jul 15 10:39:10 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 15 10:42:54 -0700 2008 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Tue Oct 09 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 06 21:17:53 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 21:23:58 -0800 2008 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 5 0 false Sat Nov 10 15:49:28 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 11 13:24:37 -0800 2007 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Sun Aug 12 07:25:19 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 12 07:25:19 -0700 2007 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Mon Aug 18 10:59:24 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 11:00:20 -0700 2008 57687 0380791269 9780380791262 272 19 3.88 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219589831m/57687.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57687.The_Gilded_Chain 4 0 false Mon Dec 14 13:26:16 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 14 13:26:16 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=57687