What do you think?
Rate this book
Night-Threads #3
One Land, One Duke
Chris, Jennifer, and Robin must save Rhadaz, a fantastical land that has been oppressed under false rule for too long. It is time for these three from Earth to save a planet that is new to them. It is time for them to use their powers as warrior, shape-shifter and sorceress to reinstall the long-lost Aletto to the throne that is naturally his. It is time for the power of the Night-Threads to overthrow the demonic Hell-Light as the planet demands one One Land, One Duke.
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
6 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Ru Emerson
54 books52 followersaka Roberta Cray
Ru Emerson was born on December 15th, 1944 in Montana. She and her husband, Doug, live in Oregon with their only child, a silver mackerel tabby cat named Roberta. She likes to lift weights, run, bike, skate in-line, ski, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, garden, play guitar, scuba dive, and fly stunt kites. Her favorite reading material includes Megan Lindholm, science fiction by Larry Niven, murder mysteries by Patricia Cornwell, plus any other good historical non-fiction.
Ru Emerson was born on December 15th, 1944 in Montana. She and her husband, Doug, live in Oregon with their only child, a silver mackerel tabby cat named Roberta. She likes to lift weights, run, bike, skate in-line, ski, play basketball, tennis, racquetball, garden, play guitar, scuba dive, and fly stunt kites. Her favorite reading material includes Megan Lindholm, science fiction by Larry Niven, murder mysteries by Patricia Cornwell, plus any other good historical non-fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2018
Engrossing - started at 10 pm and forced myself to pause at 2:30 am.
Did have to skim past the rap - it's just....no.
Opera I could somewhat accept; clunky white LA boy rap. >< Aside from that Chris was an ok character - even with Valley speak..
Did have to skim past the rap - it's just....no.
Opera I could somewhat accept; clunky white LA boy rap. >< Aside from that Chris was an ok character - even with Valley speak..
May 24, 2023
Third book in the Night-Threads series, and the last one in the trilogy.
A good ending of a trilogy, but leave out some questions unanswered. We learn a bit more about the magic systems of the world, but questions that came up about it in previous books seem to be forgotten.
There is more politics in this book, but the action that appears is high-stakes.
The ending of the book leaves a lot of doors open for sequels, but it doesn´t make it necessary to read those books to enjoy the ending of this one.
A good ending of a trilogy, but leave out some questions unanswered. We learn a bit more about the magic systems of the world, but questions that came up about it in previous books seem to be forgotten.
There is more politics in this book, but the action that appears is high-stakes.
The ending of the book leaves a lot of doors open for sequels, but it doesn´t make it necessary to read those books to enjoy the ending of this one.
April 17, 2022
Troubling book 3
Fantasy magic parallel world quest
For me, the most interesting part of the series is the magic. The many back alley fights and magical attacks remain well done. The missing map that the digital publisher failed to include would have helped with the mental place would have helped, but I had the benefit of reading the series 35+ years ago in paperback.
On the one hand, I agree with the rule of law -- but that also means those in charge must be kept from letting their greed from getting away from themselves. But for some, it is the might of the state (no matter what type of government it is) that assists in civil obedience because there are implied consequences if they flaunt the law. I applaud the desire to live non-violent lives, but Rhadaz is an isolated nation, and as foreigners return, for some citizens it will be like Japan's five cups of tea when the Americans forced a reopening of trade (tea cups being the advanced naval vessels capable of blockading local trade or shelling coastal cities with superior firepower).
People maintain armies because there are some who are quite willing to not only take everything you own, including your liberty, but without a second thought, take your life, too.
Even if you don't agree with the philosophy behind a story premise, if a story provokes you to think, it has a better chance of being remembered.
I agree with Jennifer that she acted foolishly, and did so for the right reasons; she also knows that if she has to, she is capable of defending herself and others when all else fails as she proved in the previous book when she killed to protect the man she loved.
I have the follow-up trilogy, and I am ready to refresh my memory of how this unfolds.
Fantasy magic parallel world quest
For me, the most interesting part of the series is the magic. The many back alley fights and magical attacks remain well done. The missing map that the digital publisher failed to include would have helped with the mental place would have helped, but I had the benefit of reading the series 35+ years ago in paperback.
On the one hand, I agree with the rule of law -- but that also means those in charge must be kept from letting their greed from getting away from themselves. But for some, it is the might of the state (no matter what type of government it is) that assists in civil obedience because there are implied consequences if they flaunt the law. I applaud the desire to live non-violent lives, but Rhadaz is an isolated nation, and as foreigners return, for some citizens it will be like Japan's five cups of tea when the Americans forced a reopening of trade (tea cups being the advanced naval vessels capable of blockading local trade or shelling coastal cities with superior firepower).
People maintain armies because there are some who are quite willing to not only take everything you own, including your liberty, but without a second thought, take your life, too.
Even if you don't agree with the philosophy behind a story premise, if a story provokes you to think, it has a better chance of being remembered.
I agree with Jennifer that she acted foolishly, and did so for the right reasons; she also knows that if she has to, she is capable of defending herself and others when all else fails as she proved in the previous book when she killed to protect the man she loved.
I have the follow-up trilogy, and I am ready to refresh my memory of how this unfolds.
July 22, 2019
This was my favorite so far. At the time I couldn't find the remaining books, and for the longest time I thought Emerson had given up on the series. I'm glad that's not the case because this was a book that kinda solidified my thoughts on becoming a writer. Still does. I'm reading the series over in a couple of months just to rekindle that inspiration.
September 28, 2020
Loved this. Lost this trilogy years ago & only just found it in Amazon.
I'd forgotten how engaging the characters are & how well Ru Emerson writes.
The pace of the books is good & the magic is original & different.
Well worth reading.
I'd forgotten how engaging the characters are & how well Ru Emerson writes.
The pace of the books is good & the magic is original & different.
Well worth reading.
December 31, 2014
Aletto has secured initial promises of aid, but the journey is far from over. Now he must get to Podhu, rally more supporters, and finally confront his uncle in a way that will keep the law on his side and not leave anyone dead. But with Dahven's presence, the trouble has just multiplied---Dahven, like Aletto, has enemies who will stop at nothing to see him dead.
The strength of this series continues to be the humanity of the characters. For all Aletto's goals to retake his Duchy and oust his uncle, the story never reads like a journey from point A to point B. If anything, it's a circular narrative, which finally ends up where it began, only everything is different. Aletto's struggles with responsibility are shaping him; Lialla, too, has grown up. Jennifer, Robyn, and Chris are finding their own place in a strange new world (Chris's attempt to introduce everyone to rap music is particularly funny).
I don't particularly care for the back cover descriptions, because they're such a shallow picture of what's really going on. There's a good dose of action and magic, but the character's abilities never define them as much as their personalities. Far from being "a sorceress, a shapeshifter, and a soldier", Jennifer, Robyn, and Chris each do far more than that brief description suggests. For example, I was pleasantly surprised with Jennifer's big moments at the end---she doesn't suddenly turn into a high-powered sorceress casually mowing down enemies with spellcraft. Rather she is, as previously, a lawyer who happens to have a natural high affinity for the local magic but not much training in using it. Neri's lessons in the previous book notwithstanding, she doesn't suddenly have an arsenal of deadly spells at her disposal to use whenever she wants (actually, the bo fighting Chris taught her does more to keep her alive than Thread). And that feels right. It feels so much more true to the characters not to suddenly be geniuses in fields they had little experience in before coming to this world.
There were a few small things at the end that felt a little off: Lialla's transformation is a bit fast, the missing Triad was almost too convenient, and Jennifer's decision about marriage works against her own intentions most of the book. Actually I was really surprised when the two of them started sleeping together, given Jennifer's attitude the whole first half of the book.
The story ties up nicely, leaving just enough open to wonder about future possibilities, but no plot points unresolved. Although the introduction gives enough background that new readers should be able to slip in reasonably easily, it really would be best to read this at the end of the trilogy in order to enjoy the full rewards of seeing various characters transformed. I rate this book Recommended.
The strength of this series continues to be the humanity of the characters. For all Aletto's goals to retake his Duchy and oust his uncle, the story never reads like a journey from point A to point B. If anything, it's a circular narrative, which finally ends up where it began, only everything is different. Aletto's struggles with responsibility are shaping him; Lialla, too, has grown up. Jennifer, Robyn, and Chris are finding their own place in a strange new world (Chris's attempt to introduce everyone to rap music is particularly funny).
I don't particularly care for the back cover descriptions, because they're such a shallow picture of what's really going on. There's a good dose of action and magic, but the character's abilities never define them as much as their personalities. Far from being "a sorceress, a shapeshifter, and a soldier", Jennifer, Robyn, and Chris each do far more than that brief description suggests. For example, I was pleasantly surprised with Jennifer's big moments at the end---she doesn't suddenly turn into a high-powered sorceress casually mowing down enemies with spellcraft. Rather she is, as previously, a lawyer who happens to have a natural high affinity for the local magic but not much training in using it. Neri's lessons in the previous book notwithstanding, she doesn't suddenly have an arsenal of deadly spells at her disposal to use whenever she wants (actually, the bo fighting Chris taught her does more to keep her alive than Thread). And that feels right. It feels so much more true to the characters not to suddenly be geniuses in fields they had little experience in before coming to this world.
There were a few small things at the end that felt a little off: Lialla's transformation is a bit fast, the missing Triad was almost too convenient, and Jennifer's decision about marriage works against her own intentions most of the book. Actually I was really surprised when the two of them started sleeping together, given Jennifer's attitude the whole first half of the book.
The story ties up nicely, leaving just enough open to wonder about future possibilities, but no plot points unresolved. Although the introduction gives enough background that new readers should be able to slip in reasonably easily, it really would be best to read this at the end of the trilogy in order to enjoy the full rewards of seeing various characters transformed. I rate this book Recommended.
September 20, 2013
A solid end. I like the way it resolves. Enjoyable end to an enjoyable series.
December 21, 2014
Continuing
Settling in to a different world.I thought this book a bit slow,but story continuation was good.Not sure where it is going from here,but on with number four.
Settling in to a different world.I thought this book a bit slow,but story continuation was good.Not sure where it is going from here,but on with number four.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews