kgbooklog

Dave Duncan, The Gilded Chain
Eos (1998) ISBN: 0-380-97460-6
Score: 1

First novel about the King's Blades, a group a magically enhanced bodyguards. This is the story of the life of Durendal (who chose the same name as the founder of the Blades), and works pretty well as an adventure and politics story. What I didn't like was the structure of the book (the first section of each chapter covers events that happen at the end) and I really disliked the idea of magically enforced loyalty; especially when we see the king deliberately assigning Blades to people he suspects of treachery.

Next Book: P.C. Hodgell, To Ride a Rathorn

Holly Lisle, Diplomacy of Wolves
Warner Aspect (1998) ISBN: 0-446-67395-1
Score: 2

Beginning of the Secret Texts trilogy, an epic high fantasy with lots of secrets, dirty politics, and betrayal. Good premise and worldbuilding; (you don't see many stories with werewolves in airships), and the good characters are well drawn (but the bad guys torture little girls to show you they're bad). A bit too much Fate and Destiny for my tastes, and I wish the heroine (who trained as a diplomat) was more suspicious of a certain character who keeps forgetting her cover story, but overall it's well written and engaging.

Next Book: Laura Resnick, Disappearing Nightly