Book description
The old Imperor was dead at last. His popular soldier grandson, known
as Shandie, had succeeded him... Hadn't he? No, he hadn't. The man who
sat the opal throne was not Shandie, but an illusion created by the mad
dwarf, Xinixo. Year after year he had stealthily been ensorcelling
sorcerers, turning them into loyal minions. Now, wielding their combined
power, he was irresistible. He ruled the Impire, so he ruled the world.
He would continue to rule it for centuries. Anyone who knew the truth or
opposed him in any way, he would destroy or enslave. That especially
included his old enemy, King Rap of Krasnegar. And Shandie, the rightful
Imperor, of course. And all their supporters, their friends, their
families. All of them! First he had to catch them. With his infinite
magic, that ought to be easy. Rap and Shandie had other ideas, but even
they could see that their cause looked hopeless. Dave Duncan, born in
Scotland in 1933, is a Canadian citizen. He received his diploma from
Dundee High School and got his college education at the University of
Saint Andrews. He moved to Canada in 1955, where he still lives with his
wife. He has three grown children and four grandchildren. He spent
thirty years as a petroleum geologist. He has had dozens of fantasy and
science fiction novels published, among them A ROSE-RED CITY, MAGIC
CASEMENT and THE REAVER ROAD, as well as a highly praised historical
novel, DAUGHTER OF TROY, published, for commercial reasons, under the
pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin. He also published the "Longdirk"
series of novels, DEMON SWORD, DEMON KNIGHT and DEMON RIDER, under the
name Ken Hood. His website is DaveDuncan. com. In the Fall of 2007,
Duncan's 2006 novel, CHILDREN OF CHAOS, published by Tor Books, was
nominated for both the Prix Aurora Award and the Endeavour Award.
