One of the things I often do as I'm reading a novel or short story is keep track of words whose definitions I do not know or that I find interesting. Either way, these interesting words are ones I feel might be of use in my own writing. That, and it's good to expand one's vocabulary every once in a while.

Read my review of Sky of Swords.

anteroom: a large entrance or reception room or area

argent: a metal tincture used in heraldry to give a silvery appearance

coiffure: the arrangement of the hair (especially a woman's hair)

commissariat: a stock or supply of foods

cortege: the group following and attending to some important person

cynosure: something that strongly attracts attention and admiration

galliard: A gay, lively dance

garderobe: a wardrobe or its contents

harridan: a scolding (even vicious) old woman

kirtle: a long dress worn by women

misprision: A neglect, negligence, or contempt

pillory: a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the neck and hand... [More]

I'm taking LibraryThing's 50 Book Reading Challenge for 2010. This is my 18th read of the 50.

There are six books in the King's Blades series. They are:

1. The Gilded Chain
2. Lord of the Fire Lands
3. Sky of Swords
4. Paragon Lost (review forthcoming)
5. Impossible Odds (review forthcoming)
6. Jaguar Knights (review forthcoming)

Sky of Swords by Dave Duncan is the third novel in the King's Blades series. In book two, Lord of the Fire Lands, the reader is left hanging at the end as history inexplicably unfolds in a different fashion compared to what was told in the first novel in the series. Duncan not only has some explaining to do, but, as a writer myself, I was curious to see how he was going to handle this inconsistent situation. I wasn't disappointed in the storytelling or the characters, but I was a little at the ultimate conclusion. Still, I'll give the author some credit: it was something you don't often see done in a fantasy novel, a... [More]

One of the things I often do as I'm reading a novel or short story is keep track of words whose definitions I do not know or that I find interesting. Either way, these interesting words are ones I feel might be of use in my own writing. That, and it's good to expand one's vocabulary every once in a while.

Read my review of Lord of the Fire Lands.

adjudicator: a person who studies and settles conflicts and disputes

baldric: a wide (ornamented) belt worn over the right shoulder to support a sword or bugle by the left hip

burgher: a member of the middle class

cabochon: a highly polished convex-cut but unfaceted gem

connivance: agreement on a secret plot

cordwainer: A worker in cordwain, or cordovan leather; a shoemaker

coronet: a small crown; usually indicates a high rank but below that of sovereign

creel: a wicker basket used by anglers to hold fish

demesne: territory over which rule or control is exercised

deportment:... [More]

I'm taking LibraryThing's 50 Book Reading Challenge for 2010. This is my 17th read of the 50.

There are six books in the King's Blades series. They are:

1. The Gilded Chain
2. Lord of the Fire Lands
3. Sky of Swords
4. Paragon Lost (review forthcoming)
5. Impossible Odds (review forthcoming)
6. Jaguar Knights (review forthcoming)

Lord of the Fire Lands by Dave Duncan is the second in the King's Blades novels. While it largely stands on its own, it is still intertwined with events that take place in the first novel, The Gilded Chain. In fact, Duncan drops a bomb at the end of Lord of the Fire Lands which directly contradicts events that take place in The Gilded Chain. At first, I had to wonder if I was remembering things wrong (I'd just finished the first book, so I was pretty sure I hadn't), or if I'd missed some subtle hint that would explain why history was not about to follow the path set out in The Gilded Chain. In the end, I realized Duncan had ju... [More]

I'm taking LibraryThing's 50 Book Reading Challenge for 2010. This is my 14th read of the 50.

There are six books in the King's Blades series. They are:

1. The Gilded Chain
2. Lord of the Fire Lands
3. Sky of Swords
4. Paragon Lost (review forthcoming)
5. Impossible Odds (review forthcoming)
6. Jaguar Knights (review forthcoming)
   

The Gilded Chain by Dave Duncan is the first in his six book King's Blade series. While the story in each novel takes places in the same world, each work stands alone as a tale unto itself. This first book tells the story of Durendal, a waif with little future who is recruited to become a King's Blade, a swashbuckling swordsman bound by magic to serve either the king or whoever the king so chooses.

The enchantment is important as it defines the identities of the Blades as a whole. It goes beyond mere allegiance as each Blade is bound magically to protect, serve, and always hold their ward's safety and life in the highest regard. Blades do not sleep, they ... [More]

One of the things I often do as I'm reading a novel or short story is keep track of words whose definitions I do not know or that I find interesting. Either way, these interesting words are ones I feel might be of use in my own writing. That, and it's good to expand one's vocabulary every once in a while.

Read my review of The Alchemist's Pursuit.

altruistic: showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others

aquiline: curved down like an eagle's beak

ascetic: practices self denial as spiritual discipline

avaricious: immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth

condottiere: A military adventurer of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, who sold his services, and those of his followers, to any party in any contest.

connivance: tacit approval of someone's wrongdoing

damask: a fabric of linen or cotton or silk or wool with a reversible pattern woven into it

demimonde: a... [More]

Other books in Duncan's Venetian fantasy/mystery series:

1. The Alchemist's Apprentice
2. The Alchemist's Code
3. The Alchemist's Pursuit

I'm taking LibraryThing's 50 Book Reading Challenge for 2010. This is my 11th read of the 50.

The Alchemist's Pursuit by Dave Duncan is the third of his tales involving Nostradamus and his resourceful and daring apprentice, Alfeo Zeno. This time the Maestro is called upon by Violetta, courtesan and friend to Alfeo, who informs the pair that a dear friend of hers has been murdered. An impossible case—the woman was killed weeks ago, there are no witnesses, and the body spent considerable time in the water—turns into something much larger as the murders of other courtesans come to light and soon intersect with the guilty party in an eight year old patricide long thought solved.

So begins the latest installment in Duncan's Venetian fantasy/mystery series. While th... [More]