Dave Duncan was a Scottish-born Canadian fantasy and science fiction author known for inventive magic systems, brisk adventure plots, and series that often begin with familiar fantasy ideas before taking them in less predictable directions.
His bibliography includes several completely separate worlds. The two Pandemia quartets form one eight-book continuity. The King’s Blades and King’s Daggers share another setting. The Seventh Sword, Great Game, Longdirk, Dodec, Alchemist, Brothers Magnus, Starfolk, and Enchanter General books all stand apart from one another.
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Duncan also published historical fiction as Sarah B. Franklin and originally released the Years of Longdirk trilogy under the name Ken Hood.
Because most of these series are independent, there is no reason to force his entire bibliography into one chronology.
The Fast Reading Index
If you want Duncan’s most accessible large fantasy world, read:
- Magic Casement
- Faery Lands Forlorn
- Perilous Seas
- Emperor and Clown
- The Cutting Edge
- Upland Outlaws
- The Stricken Field
- The Living God
If you want portal fantasy and swordsmanship, read:
- The Reluctant Swordsman
- The Coming of Wisdom
- The Destiny of the Sword
- The Death of Nnanji
If you want swashbuckling court fantasy, begin with The Gilded Chain.
If you want historical fantasy around the First World War, begin with Past Imperative.
If you want mystery fantasy in Renaissance Venice, begin with The Alchemist’s Apprentice.
For science fiction, West of January, Wildcatter, The Traitor’s Son, and Corridor to Nightmare are all independent entry points.
A Man of His Word Books in Order
A Man of His Word is a completed four-book fantasy sequence set in Pandemia.
It follows Rap, a stableboy from the remote kingdom of Krasnegar, and Princess Inosolan as magic, politics, and distance repeatedly separate them.
The four books should be read without interruption.
Magic Casement
- Magic Casement (1990): Stableboy Rap’s devotion to Princess Inos becomes part of a much larger crisis when the king dies, magic begins influencing events, and the future of isolated Krasnegar suddenly matters to powerful outsiders.
The novel introduces Pandemia’s unusual races, magical words of power, and the relationship that drives the quartet.
Faery Lands Forlorn
- Faery Lands Forlorn (1991): Rap and Inos are separated across Pandemia, with each facing radically different cultures, dangers, and magical forces while trying to find a way back to the other.
The sequel expands the world beyond Krasnegar and makes the rules of magic much more important.
Perilous Seas
- Perilous Seas (1991): Rap’s growing magical importance pulls him deeper into the affairs of sorcerers and rulers while Inos faces political choices that could permanently determine her future.
The journeys begun in the first two books start converging toward the struggle for Krasnegar.
Emperor and Clown
- Emperor and Clown (1992): Rap and Inos reach the final stage of their long separation as political ambition, magical power, and the struggle over who should rule bring the quartet to its conclusion.
This completes A Man of His Word.
Readers can stop here with a finished story or continue into A Handful of Men.
A Handful of Men Books in Order
A Handful of Men returns to Pandemia roughly fifteen years after Emperor and Clown.
Rap and Inos are older, married, and ruling Krasnegar. The new conflict is more political and more concerned with the balance of magical power across the entire world.
Read A Man of His Word first.
The Cutting Edge
- The Cutting Edge (1992): Fifteen years of relative peace end when the magical Protocol protecting Pandemia begins to fail and a new imperial crisis draws Rap back into international affairs.
The book reintroduces older characters while shifting attention toward the next generation and the wider Impire.
Upland Outlaws
- Upland Outlaws (1993): The sorcerer Zinixo seizes control through a magically enslaved network of powerful adepts, forcing Rap, Imperor Shandie, and a small group of allies into hiding.
The story turns into a resistance campaign against an enemy who can dominate other magic users.
The Stricken Field
- The Stricken Field (1993): War spreads across Pandemia as the scattered resistance attempts to bring together races and magicians capable of challenging Zinixo’s Covin.
The scale is much larger than the first quartet, with political survival and magical slavery now affecting the whole world.
The Living God
- The Living God (1994): Rap’s alliance makes its final attempt to break Zinixo’s control as gods, sorcerers, rulers, and the peoples of Pandemia converge for the deciding confrontation.
This is the eighth and final book in the full Rap and Inos continuity.
The Complete Pandemia Order
The two quartets form one larger sequence:
- Magic Casement (1990): Rap and Inos are pulled out of their quiet lives by succession and magic.
- Faery Lands Forlorn (1991): Their separation becomes a journey across unfamiliar regions of Pandemia.
- Perilous Seas (1991): Magic and imperial politics tighten around both protagonists.
- Emperor and Clown (1992): The first quartet reaches its conclusion.
- The Cutting Edge (1992): Fifteen years later, the world’s magical balance begins collapsing.
- Upland Outlaws (1993): Zinixo’s Covin takes control and drives the resistance underground.
- The Stricken Field (1993): The conflict becomes a multi-racial war for Pandemia.
- The Living God (1994): The resistance makes its final stand.
This is the order to use. There is no meaningful alternate chronology.
The Seventh Sword Books in Order
The Seventh Sword begins as portal fantasy.
Wallie Smith, a modern man dying in a hospital, awakens in another world in the body of a highly trained swordsman. The Goddess of the World expects him to perform a task, but his modern assumptions often conflict with the society he has entered.
The original story was a trilogy. Duncan returned to the setting decades later for a fourth book.
The Reluctant Swordsman
- The Reluctant Swordsman (1988): Wallie Smith awakens in the body of the swordsman Shonsu and learns that a goddess expects him to complete a mission in a rigid society organized around ranked professions.
The contrast between Wallie’s modern ethics and the World’s customs drives much of the novel.
The Coming of Wisdom
- The Coming of Wisdom (1988): Wallie continues serving the Goddess while gathering companions and learning that the conflict between swordsmen and sorcerers is more complicated than his initial instructions suggested.
His knowledge from Earth becomes both an advantage and a source of danger.
The Destiny of the Sword
- The Destiny of the Sword (1988): Wallie attempts to unite the swordsmen against a technological and magical threat while deciding how much of the World’s existing order deserves to survive.
This completes the original trilogy.
The Death of Nnanji
- The Death of Nnanji (2012): Fifteen years after the earlier peace, renewed killings force Wallie and his old companions back into a conflict involving swordsmen, sorcerers, and the future structure of the World.
This is a later sequel rather than an original fourth installment from the 1980s.
Read it after the complete trilogy.
Is The Seventh Sword Complete?
Yes.
The four published novels provide a complete available sequence, with The Death of Nnanji functioning as a later return to Wallie’s world.
Omnibus editions containing all four books are available.
The King’s Blades Books in Order
The King’s Blades books take place primarily in Chivial.
Young men trained at Ironhall are magically bound to protect the person to whom they are assigned. The binding grants extraordinary loyalty and creates difficult questions when personal conscience conflicts with sworn service.
The books often shift protagonists and time periods, so the series is less linear than Pandemia.
For a first reading, publication order is safest.
The Gilded Chain
- The Gilded Chain (1998): Sir Durendal’s long service to King Ambrose reveals how boys become Blades, how magical binding works, and what absolute loyalty costs across an entire lifetime.
This is the best introduction to Ironhall and King Ambrose’s reign.
Lord of the Fire Lands
- Lord of the Fire Lands (1999): A young Blade becomes caught between Chivial and the fierce culture of Baelmark, where divided loyalties make his magical oath especially dangerous.
The novel expands the setting beyond the royal court.
Sky of Swords
- Sky of Swords (2000): Political succession and the fate of Chivial bring several established characters back into a story that reveals major events from a different angle.
Read it after The Gilded Chain and Lord of the Fire Lands because it draws on both.
Paragon Lost
- Paragon Lost (2002): Blade Sir Beaumont is drawn into a mystery involving disappearance, duty, and political deception, giving the series a more investigative structure.
The story is comparatively self-contained but assumes familiarity with the institution of the Blades.
Impossible Odds
- Impossible Odds (2003): Three inexperienced young Blades become involved in an attempt to restore a displaced ruler, forcing them into war, sorcery, and a mission far beyond their training.
The novel continues exploring how the magical bond functions when politics become morally uncertain.
The Jaguar Knights
- The Jaguar Knights (2004): A Blade travels beyond familiar Chivian culture and encounters a distant society whose traditions test his assumptions about honor, service, and power.
This completes the original six adult novels.
One Velvet Glove
- One Velvet Glove (2017): Three newly released Blades and an older veteran pursue a long-lost treasure, only to discover that King Ambrose remembers the same prize and believes it belongs to the Crown.
The late novel returns to familiar characters and works best after the earlier Blades books.
The Ethical Swordsman
- The Ethical Swordsman (2019): After King Ambrose’s death, Niall becomes Prime of the Blades under Queen Malinda and is ordered into a mission that makes loyalty and personal honor difficult to reconcile.
This was Duncan’s final King’s Blades novel and provides the series’ last published conclusion.
The King’s Daggers Books in Order
The King’s Daggers are younger-reader adventures in the same world as The King’s Blades.
They focus on Sir Stalwart and Emerald and take place during events connected to the earlier reign of King Ambrose.
Sir Stalwart
- Sir Stalwart (1999): A young Blade and his clever companion become involved in a dangerous royal assignment, introducing the Daggers side of Chivial through a faster, younger-focused adventure.
The Crooked House
- The Crooked House (2000): Stalwart and Emerald investigate another threat involving secrecy, murder, and court politics while learning that royal service demands more than swordsmanship.
Silvercloak
- Silvercloak (2001): The pair face an assassin and a larger threat to the kingdom, bringing their trilogy to its conclusion.
The three books form one continuous young-adult sequence.
The Monster War
The Monster War (2006): This omnibus collects Sir Stalwart, The Crooked House, and Silvercloak.
It is not a fourth King’s Daggers novel.
Readers who own The Monster War already have the complete trilogy.
The Best King’s Blades Reading Order
For a clean first experience:
- The Gilded Chain
- Lord of the Fire Lands
- Sky of Swords
- Sir Stalwart
- The Crooked House
- Silvercloak
- Paragon Lost
- Impossible Odds
- The Jaguar Knights
- One Velvet Glove
- The Ethical Swordsman
The Daggers trilogy overlaps earlier Blades history, but placing it after the first three adult books gives the world a stronger introduction.
The Great Game Books in Order
The Great Game combines First World War Britain with a parallel world shaped by gods, prophecy, empire, and competing champions.
Edward Exeter is a young Englishman whose ordinary future is interrupted by forces from another reality.
Past Imperative
- Past Imperative (1995): As the First World War begins, Edward Exeter learns that another world has a claim on him and that people there believe he has a role in a supernatural struggle.
The novel establishes the two-world structure and the political stakes of the Great Game.
Present Tense
- Present Tense (1996): Edward’s life becomes increasingly divided between Earth and the alternate world as gods, followers, and human factions attempt to control what he will become.
The sequel assumes the revelations of Past Imperative.
Future Indefinite
- Future Indefinite (1997): Edward reaches the final stage of the Great Game and must decide how to use power in a conflict where supposedly divine plans have manipulated generations.
This completes the trilogy.
Years of Longdirk Books in Order
Duncan originally published the Years of Longdirk under the pseudonym Ken Hood.
The trilogy takes place in an alternate medieval Europe where the Mongol conquest has reshaped history and supernatural beings interfere in political struggles.
Demon Sword
- Demon Sword (1995): Young Scotsman Toby Strangerson becomes the outlaw Longdirk while resisting English domination and discovering that sorcery and demonic power are deeply involved in Europe’s politics.
Demon Rider
- Demon Rider (1997): Toby’s rebellion expands as his reputation grows and supernatural forces complicate the struggle against both political and magical enemies.
Demon Knight
- Demon Knight (1998): Longdirk’s fight reaches its conclusion as war, loyalty, and sorcery determine the future of Scotland and the alternate Europe surrounding it.
The trilogy is complete.
Modern editions usually carry Dave Duncan’s name while noting the original Ken Hood publication.
Omar Books in Order
The Omar books are comic fantasy adventures narrated around the larger-than-life Omar.
The Reaver Road
- The Reaver Road (1992): Omar leads companions through a dangerous journey involving treasure, deception, violence, and stories that may become less reliable every time he tells them.
The book combines adventure with deliberate exaggeration and unreliable narration.
The Hunters’ Haunt
- The Hunters’ Haunt (1995): Omar returns for another tale of travel, danger, and elaborate storytelling in which separating fact from legend remains part of the entertainment.
The books share their narrator and style rather than one tightly serialized plot.
Read The Reaver Road first.
Dodec Books in Order
Dodec takes place on a world shaped like a dodecahedron, with distinct civilizations occupying its different faces.
The story centers on royal siblings separated as children after their home is conquered.
Children of Chaos
- Children of Chaos (2006): Four children of Celebre are taken as political hostages and raised apart, only to become important again fifteen years later when their homeland’s succession becomes strategically valuable.
The unusual geography directly shapes travel, culture, and politics.
Mother of Lies
- Mother of Lies (2007): The separated siblings move toward reunion while war, religion, and political manipulation tighten around the competing claims to Celebre.
This concludes the two-book story.
The Alchemist Books in Order
The Alchemist trilogy, sometimes called the Nostradamus or Venice trilogy, mixes mystery with historical fantasy.
Young Alfeo Zeno serves the elderly astrologer and occult scholar Maestro Nostradamus in sixteenth-century Venice.
The Alchemist’s Apprentice
- The Alchemist’s Apprentice (2007): Alfeo investigates a poisoning that threatens to implicate Nostradamus, drawing him into Venetian politics, family rivalry, and supernatural uncertainty.
The Alchemist’s Code
- The Alchemist’s Code (2008): A new case forces Alfeo and Nostradamus to interpret prophecy, hidden messages, and political motives while powerful Venetian interests attempt to control the truth.
The Alchemist’s Pursuit
- The Alchemist’s Pursuit (2009): Alfeo’s final major investigation brings murder, occult knowledge, and political danger together in a case that tests both his independence and his loyalty to Nostradamus.
The trilogy is complete.
Brothers Magnus Books in Order
The Brothers Magnus series is historical fantasy set in an alternate medieval Europe where families can possess magical talents and religious authorities fear sorcery.
Speak to the Devil
- Speak to the Devil (2010): Anton Magnus and his brothers become involved in dynastic politics and supernatural danger when abilities their society condemns become essential to survival.
When the Saints
- When the Saints (2011): The Magnus family faces a wider political and religious conflict as war and accusations of sorcery place their unusual talents under greater pressure.
These are the two main novels.
The Speaker and the Saints
The Speaker and the Saints (2013): This shorter companion work returns to the Brothers Magnus setting and adds another episode involving the family, faith, and supernatural power.
It is optional rather than a third full-length novel.
Starfolk Books in Order
The Starfolk duology mixes modern life with supernatural beings whose influence has survived into the contemporary world.
King of Swords
- King of Swords (2013): A young man becomes entangled with hidden supernatural powers and discovers that apparently ordinary human relationships may involve far older forces.
Queen of Stars
- Queen of Stars (2014): The conflict between mortal characters and the Starfolk develops further as identities, loyalties, and supernatural inheritance reach their conclusion.
The two books form a completed duology.
Ivor of Glenbroch Books in Order
Ivor of Glenbroch is a sequence of shorter historical fantasy adventures set in medieval Scotland.
The Runner and the Wizard
- The Runner and the Wizard (2013): Young Ivor serves as a messenger and is drawn into danger involving political obligations and a wizard whose interests reach beyond ordinary Scottish conflict.
The Runner and the Saint
- The Runner and the Saint (2014): Ivor undertakes another dangerous journey where faith, politics, and supernatural reputation complicate his mission.
The Runner and the Kelpie
- The Runner and the Kelpie (2014): Ivor encounters a threat connected to Scottish folklore, turning another courier mission into a confrontation with the supernatural.
Read the three stories in that order.
The Adventures of Ivor
The Adventures of Ivor (2015): This omnibus collects The Runner and the Wizard, The Runner and the Saint, and The Runner and the Kelpie.
It does not add a fourth principal adventure.
The Enchanter General Books in Order
The Enchanter General trilogy combines medieval history, mystery, and restrained magic.
The books follow Durwin, a scholarly Saxon with unusual abilities, in England after the Norman Conquest.
Ironfoot
- Ironfoot (2017): Durwin becomes involved in a mystery at a Norman castle where politics, murder, and apparently supernatural events test both his scholarship and his unusual talents.
Trial by Treason
- Trial by Treason (2018): Durwin enters a dangerous investigation involving accusations of betrayal and the unstable relationship between Norman rulers and Saxon subjects.
Merlin Redux
- Merlin Redux (2019): Durwin’s story reaches its conclusion as older magical traditions and political conflicts bring him into a case connected to legends larger than his previous investigations.
This is a completed trilogy and one of Duncan’s final series.
Standalone Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels
A Rose-Red City
A Rose-Red City (1987): A mysterious city isolated from ordinary reality becomes the center of a fantasy about outsiders, immortality, and the cost of apparent perfection.
This was one of Duncan’s earliest published novels.
Shadow
Shadow (1987): A man caught between identity, pursuit, and an unusual speculative premise must determine what is real while powerful forces attempt to use him.
The novel stands alone and is unrelated to Duncan’s later fantasy series.
West of January
West of January (1989): On a slowly rotating world where habitable regions move with the sun, a young man undertakes a journey across cultures shaped by radically different climates and social systems.
This is standalone planetary science fiction.
Strings
Strings (1990): Human lives become entangled with manipulation, control, and a speculative system that raises questions about freedom and whether unseen forces are directing personal choices.
The novel is independent.
Hero!
Hero! (1991): A young man in a harsh future society is pushed toward a role larger than the life he expected, combining adventure with Duncan’s interest in social systems and manufactured heroism.
It is standalone science fiction.
The Cursed
The Cursed (1995): A society struggling with disease and social division is transformed when an affliction creates people feared and isolated by those around them.
The novel uses fantasy to explore prejudice, survival, and political reaction.
Daughter of Troy
Daughter of Troy (1998): Helen of Troy’s daughter Hermione becomes the center of a historical novel about family, war, marriage, and the consequences left behind by the Trojan conflict.
Duncan published the book under the name Sarah B. Franklin.
It is not fantasy and has no sequel.
Ill Met in the Arena
Ill Met in the Arena (2008): In a world where elite fighters settle disputes through public combat, young warriors become involved in rivalry, romance, politics, and a mystery surrounding the rules of their society.
The novel is standalone fantasy.
Pock’s World
Pock’s World (2010): Investigators arrive on an isolated artificial world after communication fails, forcing them to uncover what happened to its population before the station’s problems become fatal.
This is standalone science fiction.
Against the Light
Against the Light (2012): A woman with unusual abilities becomes central to a struggle involving a powerful family, political intrigue, and a world where magic is dangerous enough to change the balance of power.
The novel stands alone.
Wildcatter
Wildcatter (2012): A small commercial expedition searches an alien planet for biological discoveries valuable enough to justify the enormous risks of interstellar prospecting.
The story combines exploration, corporate pressure, and survival science fiction.
The Eye of Strife
The Eye of Strife (2015): A young protagonist becomes trapped in a political and magical conflict where an extraordinary object can change the ambitions of everyone seeking it.
The fantasy is independent of Duncan’s named series.
Irona 700
Irona 700 (2015): An artificial woman designed for service becomes involved in a larger science fiction conflict that raises questions about autonomy, identity, and ownership.
The novel stands alone.
Eocene Station
Eocene Station (2016): A remote scientific outpost becomes the setting for a speculative mystery involving isolation, unusual discoveries, and dangers that challenge the people stationed there.
This is independent science fiction.
Portal of a Thousand Worlds
Portal of a Thousand Worlds (2017): In an alternate historical China, rumors of a gateway to another realm draw rulers, rebels, believers, and opportunists toward a crisis capable of reshaping the empire.
The novel combines historical adventure with fantasy.
Pillar of Darkness
Pillar of Darkness (2019): Nine people enter Sungoback, a vast unexplained region in Africa where ordinary technology fails and most explorers never return.
Published after Duncan’s death, the novel follows the expedition into a phenomenon that may involve aliens, time, or another form of reality.
The Traitor’s Son
The Traitor’s Son (2024): Fifteen-year-old Doig Gray discovers that his father’s fatal mining accident was connected to resistance against the authorities controlling a failing colony world.
The society has spent centuries refusing to confront the environmental and political problems that threaten its survival.
This previously unpublished science fiction novel was edited for posthumous publication.
Corridor to Nightmare
Corridor to Nightmare (2024): Retired schoolteacher Agatha is taken through a long-closed portal from the peaceful valley of Greenbottom into Otopia, a world of magic, violence, rigid customs, and political factions.
Her ordinary values become unexpectedly important after she is magically bound to a man caught in the struggle around her.
This was the last of Duncan’s previously unpublished novels released by Shadowpaw Press.
Dave Duncan’s Pseudonyms
Duncan used two notable alternate names.
Ken Hood
The Years of Longdirk trilogy was originally published as by Ken Hood:
- Demon Sword
- Demon Rider
- Demon Knight
Modern reissues normally credit Dave Duncan.
Sarah B. Franklin
Daughter of Troy (1998): Duncan used the Sarah B. Franklin name for this historical novel centered on Hermione and the aftermath of Troy.
It is the same author and should be included in a complete Duncan bibliography.
Dave Duncan Books in Broad Publication Order
This chronological list focuses on first publication of the principal novels and series entries.
- A Rose-Red City (1987): A mysterious ideal city hides a more complicated relationship with reality and immortality.
- Shadow (1987): Identity and pursuit drive an early standalone speculative novel.
- The Reluctant Swordsman (1988): Wallie Smith awakens in another world in the body of a master swordsman.
- The Coming of Wisdom (1988): Wallie continues the Goddess’s mission and discovers deeper conflict between swordsmen and sorcerers.
- The Destiny of the Sword (1988): The original Seventh Sword trilogy reaches its conclusion.
- West of January (1989): A traveler crosses a slowly rotating world shaped by moving climates.
- Magic Casement (1990): Rap and Inos begin the Pandemia saga.
- Strings (1990): Hidden control and individual freedom shape a standalone speculative story.
- Faery Lands Forlorn (1991): Rap and Inos travel separately across unfamiliar parts of Pandemia.
- Perilous Seas (1991): Their journeys move closer to the magical and political center of the conflict.
- Hero! (1991): A young man confronts a society’s expectations of heroism.
- Emperor and Clown (1992): A Man of His Word concludes.
- The Reaver Road (1992): Omar begins his comic fantasy adventures.
- The Cutting Edge (1992): Rap and Inos return fifteen years later.
- Upland Outlaws (1993): Zinixo’s magical dictatorship forces the Pandemia resistance underground.
- The Stricken Field (1993): The resistance against the Covin becomes open war.
- The Living God (1994): A Handful of Men concludes the eight-book Pandemia sequence.
- The Cursed (1995): Disease and social exclusion reshape an independent fantasy society.
- The Hunters’ Haunt (1995): Omar returns for another exaggerated adventure.
- Past Imperative (1995): Edward Exeter is drawn from First World War Britain into the Great Game.
- Demon Sword (1995): Toby Strangerson becomes Longdirk in alternate medieval Scotland.
- Present Tense (1996): Edward’s parallel-world conflict deepens.
- Future Indefinite (1997): The Great Game trilogy concludes.
- Demon Rider (1997): Longdirk’s rebellion and supernatural conflict expand.
- Demon Knight (1998): The Years of Longdirk reaches its conclusion.
- The Gilded Chain (1998): Sir Durendal introduces the King’s Blades.
- Daughter of Troy (1998): Hermione becomes the center of a historical novel published as Sarah B. Franklin.
- Lord of the Fire Lands (1999): A Blade faces divided loyalties beyond Chivial.
- Sir Stalwart (1999): The young-adult King’s Daggers sequence begins.
- Sky of Swords (2000): Chivial’s succession and earlier Blade histories converge.
- The Crooked House (2000): Stalwart and Emerald investigate another royal danger.
- Silvercloak (2001): The King’s Daggers trilogy concludes.
- Paragon Lost (2002): A Blade investigates disappearance and political intrigue.
- Impossible Odds (2003): Young Blades become involved in a campaign to restore a ruler.
- The Jaguar Knights (2004): The Blade tradition is tested in a distant culture.
- Children of Chaos (2006): Four separated royal siblings become central to the fate of Dodec.
- Mother of Lies (2007): The Dodec duology reaches its conclusion.
- The Alchemist’s Apprentice (2007): Alfeo Zeno begins solving mysteries with Nostradamus in Venice.
- The Alchemist’s Code (2008): Prophecy and politics complicate another Venetian investigation.
- Ill Met in the Arena (2008): Public combat and political intrigue shape an independent fantasy.
- The Alchemist’s Pursuit (2009): The Venice trilogy concludes.
- Speak to the Devil (2010): The Magnus brothers enter a medieval conflict involving magic and religion.
- Pock’s World (2010): Investigators confront disaster on an isolated artificial world.
- When the Saints (2011): The Brothers Magnus story expands into war and religious danger.
- Against the Light (2012): A woman’s unusual powers place her inside a standalone political fantasy.
- Wildcatter (2012): Commercial explorers search an alien world for valuable biological discoveries.
- The Death of Nnanji (2012): Duncan returns to the Seventh Sword world fifteen years after the original trilogy.
- King of Swords (2013): The Starfolk duology begins with hidden supernatural forces in the modern world.
- The Runner and the Wizard (2013): Ivor begins his medieval Scottish courier adventures.
- Queen of Stars (2014): The Starfolk story concludes.
- The Runner and the Saint (2014): Ivor faces another dangerous mission involving faith and politics.
- The Runner and the Kelpie (2014): Scottish folklore complicates Ivor’s latest journey.
- The Eye of Strife (2015): A magical object drives an independent fantasy conflict.
- Irona 700 (2015): An artificial woman confronts questions of identity and autonomy.
- Eocene Station (2016): A remote scientific installation becomes the site of a dangerous mystery.
- Portal of a Thousand Worlds (2017): An alternate China is destabilized by rumors of a gateway to another realm.
- Ironfoot (2017): Durwin begins investigating mysteries in Norman England.
- One Velvet Glove (2017): Retired Blades search for treasure while King Ambrose pursues the same prize.
- Trial by Treason (2018): Durwin confronts another politically dangerous investigation.
- Pillar of Darkness (2019): An expedition enters the impossible phenomenon known as Sungoback.
- Merlin Redux (2019): The Enchanter General trilogy concludes.
- The Ethical Swordsman (2019): Queen Malinda’s reign creates one final moral challenge for the King’s Blades.
- The Traitor’s Son (2024): A teenager on a failing colony world uncovers the truth behind his dissident father’s death.
- Corridor to Nightmare (2024): A retired teacher crosses into a magical world where she becomes part of a political struggle.
Short stories, omnibuses, and reissues are excluded from this sequence when they duplicate material already listed.
Latest Dave Duncan Book
Dave Duncan died on October 29, 2018.
Two previously unpublished novels were released in 2024.
The Traitor’s Son (2024): Doig Gray investigates the corrupt system that killed his father while living on a colony world whose leaders refuse to address an approaching civilizational disaster.
Corridor to Nightmare (2024): Agatha leaves the peaceful life she expected in retirement after a portal carries her into the magical and politically dangerous world of Otopia.
Corridor to Nightmare was released on August 6, 2024 and was described by its representatives as Duncan’s final previously unpublished novel.
No additional unreleased Dave Duncan novel had been reliably announced as of August 7, 2026.
Current Series Status
A Man of His Word
Complete quartet
Emperor and Clown concludes the first Pandemia story.
A Handful of Men
Complete quartet
The Living God concludes the sequel series and the full eight-book Pandemia arc.
The Seventh Sword
Complete four-book sequence
The Death of Nnanji is the later final installment.
The King’s Blades
Complete
The Ethical Swordsman is the final published Blade adventure.
The King’s Daggers
Complete trilogy
Silvercloak concludes the sequence. The Monster War collects all three books.
The Great Game
Complete trilogy
Future Indefinite provides the ending.
Years of Longdirk
Complete trilogy
Demon Knight concludes Toby Strangerson’s story.
Omar
Two books
The Reaver Road and The Hunters’ Haunt form the available sequence.
Dodec
Complete duology
Mother of Lies concludes the story.
The Alchemist
Complete trilogy
The Alchemist’s Pursuit is the final Alfeo Zeno novel.
Brothers Magnus
Two main novels plus shorter companion fiction
When the Saints completes the principal novel sequence.
Starfolk
Complete duology
Queen of Stars is the final volume.
Ivor of Glenbroch
Three stories
The Adventures of Ivor collects the complete sequence.
Enchanter General
Complete trilogy
Merlin Redux concludes Durwin’s adventures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Dave Duncan book should I read first?
Magic Casement is the best starting point for a longer traditional fantasy series.
The Reluctant Swordsman is a strong alternative for portal fantasy, while The Gilded Chain is the place to begin if swashbuckling court adventure sounds more appealing.
Are A Man of His Word and A Handful of Men connected?
Yes.
A Handful of Men takes place about fifteen years after A Man of His Word and returns to Rap, Inos, and Pandemia.
Read all four A Man of His Word books first.
What is the complete Pandemia order?
Read Magic Casement, Faery Lands Forlorn, Perilous Seas, Emperor and Clown, The Cutting Edge, Upland Outlaws, The Stricken Field, and The Living God.
Is The Living God book three or four?
It is book four of A Handful of Men.
Some online databases incorrectly reverse The Living God and The Stricken Field.
The correct sequence places The Stricken Field third and The Living God fourth.
Is The Seventh Sword a trilogy?
It was originally a trilogy.
Duncan later published The Death of Nnanji as a fourth novel in 2012.
Where should I read The Death of Nnanji?
After The Destiny of the Sword.
Its story takes place about fifteen years later and assumes full knowledge of the original trilogy.
Are the King’s Blades novels one continuous story?
Not in the same way as Pandemia.
They share a world, institution, rulers, and recurring characters, but individual novels often follow different Blades and different periods.
Publication order remains the easiest first-reading route.
Are the King’s Daggers part of King’s Blades?
Yes.
They take place in the same setting and focus on younger characters serving the Crown.
They are aimed at younger readers but contribute to the same world.
What is The Monster War?
It is an omnibus containing Sir Stalwart, The Crooked House, and Silvercloak.
It is not another sequel.
Is The Ethical Swordsman the final King’s Blades book?
Yes.
Duncan states in the book’s closing material that there would be no more Blades novels.
Did Dave Duncan write under another name?
Yes.
He originally published the Years of Longdirk trilogy as Ken Hood.
He published Daughter of Troy as Sarah B. Franklin.
Is Daughter of Troy fantasy?
No.
It is historical fiction centered on Hermione and the aftermath of the Trojan War.
Are The Great Game and Years of Longdirk connected?
No.
Both mix history and fantasy, but they use different worlds and characters.
Is Dodec complete?
Yes.
Children of Chaos and Mother of Lies form a complete two-book story.
Is The Alchemist series historical fantasy?
Yes.
The novels use an alternate Renaissance Venice in which Nostradamus’s occult talents may have real supernatural significance.
Is Enchanter General complete?
Yes.
Read Ironfoot, Trial by Treason, and Merlin Redux.
What was Dave Duncan’s final novel?
Corridor to Nightmare was the last previously unpublished Duncan novel released, appearing on August 6, 2024.
It was written before his death and edited for posthumous publication.
Is The Traitor’s Son part of a series?
No.
It is a standalone science fiction novel.
Is Corridor to Nightmare connected to Portal of a Thousand Worlds?
No.
Both involve passage between worlds, but they are separate stories.
The Best Overall Dave Duncan Reading Plan
Begin with Magic Casement and read all eight Pandemia books if you want Duncan’s most sustained traditional fantasy story. The transition from A Man of His Word into A Handful of Men is direct, and The Living God provides a complete ending.
Choose The Reluctant Swordsman when you want a shorter series with portal fantasy, philosophical clashes, and swordsmanship. Read the original trilogy first, then The Death of Nnanji.
For episodic swashbuckling fantasy, start with The Gilded Chain and move through the King’s Blades in publication order. Treat the King’s Daggers trilogy as a connected side branch.
The Great Game, Longdirk, Dodec, Alchemist, Starfolk, and Enchanter General series all have their own entry points and do not require crossover reading.
For Duncan’s final published material, The Traitor’s Son and Corridor to Nightmare are standalone posthumous novels. Neither needs to be saved until after his fantasy series.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.