Emperor and Clown - Softcover

A Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader's taste can become jaded after years of working in the publishing because books are so easily accessible. What I've come to look for is a writer whose work is really original, completely free of derivative content. Dave Duncan is one of those rarities. This is not another Tolkien spin-off. The MAN OF HIS WORD series makes an excellent sampler of his work. The concept is brilliant, well worked-out and populated with a dense imagination. The characters are memorable. I have to confess: After I read THE MAGIC CASEMENT, I begged the editor for a copy of the manuscripts of each of the remaining titles as Duncan sent them in. I couldn't wait to read what happened next.

--Steve Palmer, Director of Production Mass Market

The loyal stableboy Rap had fought through hell and high water to rescue Inos, his queen. But once he did, he found that she had already married the accursed Sultan Azak, who had despoiled her beauty. As Inos follows her destiny, and Azak his, Rap awaits his fate at the hands of torturers....