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Dodec #1
Children of Chaos
On a dodecahedral world in thrall to the tyrannical, war-obsessed Hrag dynasty, no one could stop the Bloodlord from sending troops to Florengia, invading its major cities, and offering them a choice between strict colonial rule or immediate and total destruction. When the doge of Celebre was faced with this ultimatum, he gave his children up as hostages so that the rest of Celebre might live. Thus the four young Florengians were taken back over the Edge and scattered across the Vigaelian face.
Fifteen years later, when Celebre suddenly takes on crucial political significance, one of the siblings must return home to serve as Celebre's puppet ruler and the others must be eliminated so that there are no rival claimants to the throne. It's going to be tough enough finding each other, let alone deciding whether enough kinship remains after fifteen years apart that the siblings care enough to help each other out of their respective predicaments. If they're feeling particularly altruistic, the Celebres might even take on the bonus trying to save Dodec from the culture of death and war imposed on it by its evil warlords.
One thing's for the Celebre children are going to have a lot of adjusting to do . .
Children of Chaos is the start of a stirring, politically-charged quest duology by acclaimed fantasy author Dave Duncan.
Fifteen years later, when Celebre suddenly takes on crucial political significance, one of the siblings must return home to serve as Celebre's puppet ruler and the others must be eliminated so that there are no rival claimants to the throne. It's going to be tough enough finding each other, let alone deciding whether enough kinship remains after fifteen years apart that the siblings care enough to help each other out of their respective predicaments. If they're feeling particularly altruistic, the Celebres might even take on the bonus trying to save Dodec from the culture of death and war imposed on it by its evil warlords.
One thing's for the Celebre children are going to have a lot of adjusting to do . .
Children of Chaos is the start of a stirring, politically-charged quest duology by acclaimed fantasy author Dave Duncan.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Dave Duncan
140 books591 followersOriginally from Scotland, Dave Duncan lived all his adult life in Western Canada, having enjoyed a long career as a petroleum geologist before taking up writing. Since discovering that imaginary worlds were more satisfying than the real one, he published more than 60 novels, mostly in the fantasy genre, but also young adult, science fiction, and historical.
He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")
His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.
He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.
He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.
He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")
His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.
He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.
He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 17, 2013
The four children of the Doge of Celebre are taken hostage by the warlord Stralg. Each child becomes the devotee of a particular god, who gives certain powers but also extracts a corban, a penalty the devotee must pay. Children of Chaos is the first book of a two-part series, and it's one of Duncan's more elaborate world-building efforts. The planet, or world, of Dodec is a literal dodecahedron and the action takes place on two of the contiguous faces.
As the children grow into their powers they become first pawns and then opponents of Stralg and of his sister Saltaja.
As elaborate as the world-building is, it takes second place to the intricate plot as Duncan moves his characters unerringly into position to defeat the warlord. The story is continued and completed in the second book, Mother of Lies.
If you are looking for a quick mindless fantasy read, don't bother with this. If you are interested in amazing world-building with fully realized characters, read this now. Highly, highly recommended.
As the children grow into their powers they become first pawns and then opponents of Stralg and of his sister Saltaja.
As elaborate as the world-building is, it takes second place to the intricate plot as Duncan moves his characters unerringly into position to defeat the warlord. The story is continued and completed in the second book, Mother of Lies.
If you are looking for a quick mindless fantasy read, don't bother with this. If you are interested in amazing world-building with fully realized characters, read this now. Highly, highly recommended.
January 10, 2008
I got this book as a joke because the description sounded so hokey, the names were so goofy, and the cover was so bad, but, surprise! I really liked it. Good solid fantasy, with an involving plot that wasn't too convoluted. I liked the shape changers that gradually lose the ability to change back. And some pluses: no kids hatching out dragons! No mysterious elves! No mighty wizards! No bards running around with lutes!
August 27, 2013
this was a good book. I enjoyed it immensely except one part near the end where the characters are upping secrets to each other. I found that conversation so dry and false that it took me away from the story instantly and worried me that the rest would be the same, it was almost as if someone added in that scene or edited it wrong. Anyways the irritating part ended quickly and the book went on to be as good as the beginning.
Hence, 4 stars instead of 5
Hence, 4 stars instead of 5
July 15, 2023
All good fantasy books start with a map and a list of characters, including gods and ‘Children Of Chaos’ is a very good fantasy. The world is a dodecahedron where every individual has sworn allegiance to a single god or goddess, there being thirteen to choose from. These range across the usual attributes of wisdom, health, prosperity, war and so on. Two faces of the dodecahedron feature in this story, the Vigaelian and the Florengian, separated by frozen mountains which few have ever crossed.
In the prologue of ‘Children Of Chaos’, Stralg Hragson, bloodlord of the Heroes of Weru from the Vigaelian Face, crosses the icy mountains and slaughters all before him. The doge of Celebre, a wealthy, civilised town in Florengia, is forced to hand over his wife, three sons and a baby daughter as hostages to Stralg. The brown-skinned Florengians are helpless before these huge, blue-eyed devils, devotees of the war god Weru, who shape shift to become huge animals for battle.
Florengia defeated, it’s the children’s story next. Years pass. Lord Dantio, the eldest son, has vanished and no one knows his fate. Benard Celebre, only eight years old when taken, is now a sculptor in the city of Kosord but has some magical skills that enable him to rescue a beautiful lady from his nemesis Cutrath Horoldson, the satrap’s spoiled son. Orlando, three when captured, has no memory of his childhood and has become Orlad Orladson, keen apprentice warrior in the Werist cult that rules the world and conquered his homeland. Meanwhile, the baby is now known as Frena Wigson and believes herself to be the daughter of a rich merchant in the city of Skjar.
The Florengian hostages have all grown up and we follow them as they learn about their heritage, decide what path to pursue and cope with the many challenges of living under a ruthless tyranny. The Werists rule. The price paid for their battle prowess is that they slowly turn more bestial each time they revert back to human form. They used to be mercenaries for whichever city could pay them but, united under Stralg Hragson, to conquer and rule instead. In this they were helped by the Witnesses, seers who know what is happening nearly everywhere. They used to be neutral but were terrified into serving the Werists. There are other gods and goddesses with many followers who have different abilities, none spectacular, though. This isn’t one of those fantasies where withering blasts of energy are exchanged by glowing eyed mages in robes. It’s subtle.
‘Children Of Chaos’ doesn’t stick to one main character but shifts point of view to cover all the children. The chapters begin with the name of the point of view character centred in large type and stick to that person. Multiple point of view switches don’t aid strong reader identification and some sages say you should have one central character but this can be too limiting in a big epic fantasy.
The rich background is put over slowly in the course of events and the characters grow on you as the story progresses smoothly to a satisfying stage post. Not the end as there’s a sequel, ‘Mother Of Lies’ which I’ll be reading soon. Note that this is only a duology, downright petite for a modern fantasy epic. Dave Duncan is new to me but a well-respected author in the field, I gather, and alas has departed this veil of tears albeit, at a ripe old age. I really enjoyed this one, looked forward to the sequel and will seek out his other works in future.
In the prologue of ‘Children Of Chaos’, Stralg Hragson, bloodlord of the Heroes of Weru from the Vigaelian Face, crosses the icy mountains and slaughters all before him. The doge of Celebre, a wealthy, civilised town in Florengia, is forced to hand over his wife, three sons and a baby daughter as hostages to Stralg. The brown-skinned Florengians are helpless before these huge, blue-eyed devils, devotees of the war god Weru, who shape shift to become huge animals for battle.
Florengia defeated, it’s the children’s story next. Years pass. Lord Dantio, the eldest son, has vanished and no one knows his fate. Benard Celebre, only eight years old when taken, is now a sculptor in the city of Kosord but has some magical skills that enable him to rescue a beautiful lady from his nemesis Cutrath Horoldson, the satrap’s spoiled son. Orlando, three when captured, has no memory of his childhood and has become Orlad Orladson, keen apprentice warrior in the Werist cult that rules the world and conquered his homeland. Meanwhile, the baby is now known as Frena Wigson and believes herself to be the daughter of a rich merchant in the city of Skjar.
The Florengian hostages have all grown up and we follow them as they learn about their heritage, decide what path to pursue and cope with the many challenges of living under a ruthless tyranny. The Werists rule. The price paid for their battle prowess is that they slowly turn more bestial each time they revert back to human form. They used to be mercenaries for whichever city could pay them but, united under Stralg Hragson, to conquer and rule instead. In this they were helped by the Witnesses, seers who know what is happening nearly everywhere. They used to be neutral but were terrified into serving the Werists. There are other gods and goddesses with many followers who have different abilities, none spectacular, though. This isn’t one of those fantasies where withering blasts of energy are exchanged by glowing eyed mages in robes. It’s subtle.
‘Children Of Chaos’ doesn’t stick to one main character but shifts point of view to cover all the children. The chapters begin with the name of the point of view character centred in large type and stick to that person. Multiple point of view switches don’t aid strong reader identification and some sages say you should have one central character but this can be too limiting in a big epic fantasy.
The rich background is put over slowly in the course of events and the characters grow on you as the story progresses smoothly to a satisfying stage post. Not the end as there’s a sequel, ‘Mother Of Lies’ which I’ll be reading soon. Note that this is only a duology, downright petite for a modern fantasy epic. Dave Duncan is new to me but a well-respected author in the field, I gather, and alas has departed this veil of tears albeit, at a ripe old age. I really enjoyed this one, looked forward to the sequel and will seek out his other works in future.
July 20, 2018
DNF at around page 70. I've loved a lot of Dave Duncan's work, and the premise of political hostages and shape-changing conquerors sounded interesting, but after the intro chapter, this one just took too long to take off. I flipped ahead another 50 pages and saw that it looked interesting there, but did I really feel like persevering until then...? Sadly, my book-pile is currently too tall.
I might give this one another try later on, but I have too much on my plate now to deal with a slow-starter.
I might give this one another try later on, but I have too much on my plate now to deal with a slow-starter.
March 23, 2020
Excellent! What a strange world, a dodecohedron. Too bad he only wrote two books in this universe, we never get to know what the other faces are like.
This book, the first of a two book series, has a crew of main characters instead of just one. So it takes a while in the beginning to establish who these people are, where they are, and what they are doing.
This book, the first of a two book series, has a crew of main characters instead of just one. So it takes a while in the beginning to establish who these people are, where they are, and what they are doing.
March 13, 2025
I had forgotten how well Dave Duncan wrote. In all, this is a very satisfying fantasy novel. There are a couple of elements I feel uncomfortable with, so I won’t be giving it full marks, but it was good to read a well crafted novel novel by an old acquaintance, and indeed to read the copy I inherited from a now deceased friend.
July 13, 2019
Excellent fantasy
Yet again Dave Duncan entertains with another ripping yarn, although perhaps slightly more adult concepts than his other series. A good mix of characters that take time to be drawn and interact, I’m looking forward to the next book.
Yet again Dave Duncan entertains with another ripping yarn, although perhaps slightly more adult concepts than his other series. A good mix of characters that take time to be drawn and interact, I’m looking forward to the next book.
May 25, 2021
Very entertaining. There are many viewpoint characters but it never gets confusing. The world is rich and fascinating - can't wait to read the second half!
May 6, 2009
Duncan takes a well worn formula, and adds a few twists and his own deft touch on characters in Children of Chaos, the first of the two Dodec fantasy novels.
The medieval fantasy world Dodecians believe they live on a twelve sided world (a note in the novel suggests that the truth will be revealed in the sequel and is more complex than this). This twelve sided fantasy world is looked over by 12 very active Gods (and one Anti-God), and boasts a variety of societies, one on each of the faces of the world.
As the action begins, the Florengian face has been overrun by the warriors from the neighboring Vigelian face, who have united their usually fractious society with the promise of conquest of another face of the world. To ensure the safety of the city of Celebre, four young hostages are taken from the family of the Doge, and brought to the Vigelian face and split apart.
Fifteen years later, with varying degrees of knowledge of their origins and heritage, these hostages are coming of age, drawing close to one of the Gods, and slowly discovering each other. In the midst of this and their own predicaments, the tenuous political peace on the Vigelian face brought by the promise of outside conquest is breaking down. It seems that the Celebres are destined to live in interesting times.
Thus is the story of Bernard, Orland, and Frena, mixed up with their relationships with their Gods, peers and each other unfolds. Duncan once again shows that he understands characters (and even female characters) very well. The characters are believable, sympathetic, and none of them are false one-note cardboard cutouts. There is an interesting theology and magic system (unique, although this sort of thing is common in Duncan's work), and I want to know more about the world beyond the two Faces that we see.
There is a sequel, Mother of Lies, that I do plan on getting and reading. I do appreciate that Duncan keeps his fantasy series to two or three at a maximum, rather than making them impenetrably interminable. In the meantime, I commend this volume to you.
The medieval fantasy world Dodecians believe they live on a twelve sided world (a note in the novel suggests that the truth will be revealed in the sequel and is more complex than this). This twelve sided fantasy world is looked over by 12 very active Gods (and one Anti-God), and boasts a variety of societies, one on each of the faces of the world.
As the action begins, the Florengian face has been overrun by the warriors from the neighboring Vigelian face, who have united their usually fractious society with the promise of conquest of another face of the world. To ensure the safety of the city of Celebre, four young hostages are taken from the family of the Doge, and brought to the Vigelian face and split apart.
Fifteen years later, with varying degrees of knowledge of their origins and heritage, these hostages are coming of age, drawing close to one of the Gods, and slowly discovering each other. In the midst of this and their own predicaments, the tenuous political peace on the Vigelian face brought by the promise of outside conquest is breaking down. It seems that the Celebres are destined to live in interesting times.
Thus is the story of Bernard, Orland, and Frena, mixed up with their relationships with their Gods, peers and each other unfolds. Duncan once again shows that he understands characters (and even female characters) very well. The characters are believable, sympathetic, and none of them are false one-note cardboard cutouts. There is an interesting theology and magic system (unique, although this sort of thing is common in Duncan's work), and I want to know more about the world beyond the two Faces that we see.
There is a sequel, Mother of Lies, that I do plan on getting and reading. I do appreciate that Duncan keeps his fantasy series to two or three at a maximum, rather than making them impenetrably interminable. In the meantime, I commend this volume to you.
December 31, 2016
I may have to revise this rating after reading #2. This one's good enough that I will read #2 just to see what Duncan does with this somewhat laborious setup.
He's obviously put a lot of work into the worldbuilding, and if I choose not to believe in the 12-sided world apparently all will be explained in #2, so I'll reserve judgement.
Maybe too much worldbuilding? Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series also has many gods, but has a whoel novel for each and then some; and each god's followers don't take on a unique power from the god. Duncan has to explain each one, and work it into the plot.
Maybe too many characters, too. There's a list at the front that only names a few, and some change names as we go along. I had to check a few times for "wait, which one is he/she?"
Benard can't still be alive, he's such a dork. And we are led to wonder whether his power might end up at the planet-busting level. He's balanced by some other characters whose power is described minimally and subtly, leaving us wondering how important THAT player's going to be later.
There are several characters whose loyalty seems to be negotiable, but maybe a few too many who are constrained to predictable actions. Some of the Hrag make Niven's Kzin seem cautious, and are so inflexible and aggressive it's hard to believe they conquered anything -- but they are offset by a few who are quite reasonable.
In all, I'm left with a nagging sense that the key players have rolled the dice too many times without crapping out. But maybe in the next book ...
He's obviously put a lot of work into the worldbuilding, and if I choose not to believe in the 12-sided world apparently all will be explained in #2, so I'll reserve judgement.
Maybe too much worldbuilding? Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series also has many gods, but has a whoel novel for each and then some; and each god's followers don't take on a unique power from the god. Duncan has to explain each one, and work it into the plot.
Maybe too many characters, too. There's a list at the front that only names a few, and some change names as we go along. I had to check a few times for "wait, which one is he/she?"
Benard can't still be alive, he's such a dork. And we are led to wonder whether his power might end up at the planet-busting level. He's balanced by some other characters whose power is described minimally and subtly, leaving us wondering how important THAT player's going to be later.
There are several characters whose loyalty seems to be negotiable, but maybe a few too many who are constrained to predictable actions. Some of the Hrag make Niven's Kzin seem cautious, and are so inflexible and aggressive it's hard to believe they conquered anything -- but they are offset by a few who are quite reasonable.
In all, I'm left with a nagging sense that the key players have rolled the dice too many times without crapping out. But maybe in the next book ...
August 19, 2008
This was a fun and fast read, but ultimately light. It's the first part of a two part story, and it never really engaged me.
The setting is a twelve sided world. At the start of the book, a group of children are taken from one of the pentagonal faces to another, as war hostages. The siblings are split up, and the book takes place years later, after they have all grown up among their people's occupiers.
Each chapter uses one of the children as its point of view character. The plot is fairly simple, which can be fine, but so are the characters. One of the characters, the sculptor, is so unconcerned about his own life that it was very hard for me to care about him either.
The sister is the most interesting character, as she pursues forbidden magic in order to survive in a nest of vipers.
There are some nice twists, but ultimately I found the book light. As far as I could tell, it wasn't about anything.
On the up side, it moves fast and is written in a clear and direct style. This is my first Dave Duncan, I enjoyed it, and will try him again.
The setting is a twelve sided world. At the start of the book, a group of children are taken from one of the pentagonal faces to another, as war hostages. The siblings are split up, and the book takes place years later, after they have all grown up among their people's occupiers.
Each chapter uses one of the children as its point of view character. The plot is fairly simple, which can be fine, but so are the characters. One of the characters, the sculptor, is so unconcerned about his own life that it was very hard for me to care about him either.
The sister is the most interesting character, as she pursues forbidden magic in order to survive in a nest of vipers.
There are some nice twists, but ultimately I found the book light. As far as I could tell, it wasn't about anything.
On the up side, it moves fast and is written in a clear and direct style. This is my first Dave Duncan, I enjoyed it, and will try him again.
August 20, 2012
An excellently crafted opener in Duncan's remarkable style. Benad, Orlard and Frena are all vividly painted and styled so distinctly and differently that any concerns that you might confuse them are instantly dispelled.
The witnesses are very cleverly done; I like the semantics and sheer gall they employ, although Mist's apostasy seems radical given the milieu. Still, a minor niggle in a very well paced and intriguing series of intrigue and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next.
I have decided to prolong the wait by starting my next Duncan Duology before following up with the Dodec conclusion!
The witnesses are very cleverly done; I like the semantics and sheer gall they employ, although Mist's apostasy seems radical given the milieu. Still, a minor niggle in a very well paced and intriguing series of intrigue and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next.
I have decided to prolong the wait by starting my next Duncan Duology before following up with the Dodec conclusion!
August 31, 2008
Dave Duncan is an author I consumed while in college but had not read since. This is one of his newer novels. I saw it at the library and thought I'd give it a try.
Not bad. As there is only one more in this series I'll probably pick it from the library up at some point.
Not a subtle book but it is entertaining.
Duncan sets up a world that seemingly follows very strict rules (of magic and such) and then winds it up his story and lets it go.
Not bad. As there is only one more in this series I'll probably pick it from the library up at some point.
Not a subtle book but it is entertaining.
Duncan sets up a world that seemingly follows very strict rules (of magic and such) and then winds it up his story and lets it go.
February 21, 2011
Four young children taken hostage and separated. Now the fate of their birth nation depends on them. They don't know each other, and when they meet, they don't all like each other.
This book was pretty slow. It is a set up for the next book The Mother of Lies, which I hope will move at a little swifter pace and plot. I love most of Dave Duncan's books, but this one was a place holder.
This book was pretty slow. It is a set up for the next book The Mother of Lies, which I hope will move at a little swifter pace and plot. I love most of Dave Duncan's books, but this one was a place holder.
June 19, 2008
It was hokey, but pretty engaging. Not bad, but not great. I'd consider it an airplane book.
October 21, 2008
I didn't finish this book.
April 14, 2010
Very good but why couldn't it be published with the sequel in one volume?
July 12, 2009
Good escape.
June 3, 2010
Brilliant fantasy romp.
November 8, 2010
Interesting world of gods and those who follow them.
February 10, 2011
A fun, different read. I really like the world he created and very much appreciated the lack of unnecessary sex, language, and violence. Already looking forward to the sequel.
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November 25, 2012Dave Duncan is known for bringing an offhand, breezy humor to dark fantasy stories. The combination of dark, adventurous fantasy and Duncan’s sense of humor may appeal to you.
February 15, 2014
Love Dave Duncan's worlds and mythology. This one is one of best. It's also one of two, not a huge epic to have to get through!
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March 1, 2016to-read
July 4, 2011
Better than I thought..always good when a book has a great finish
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews