Impossible Odds
core novel 2003 The King's Blades
Record
| First published | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.90 (1,346 ratings, collected 2026-11-02) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780380818341 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
Grand Duke Rubin of Krupina asks King Athelgar of Chivial for help in regaining his duchy. The king promises two Blades, magically bound swordsmen who each serve a single ward, but there are too few trained Blades available. Rubin instead receives two senior boys from Ironhall, Ranter and Ringwood, who are bound to serve him for life. Rubin is a deposed noble with uncertain prospects, and he travels with the sharp-tongued old Baron von Fader. Their mission involves fending off shadowmen, keeping their identities secret, exposing traitors, and breaking into fortresses that seem impossible to enter.
Where it sits
- Universe: The King's Blades
- Series: Chronicles of the King's Blades core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Dave Duncan
Notes
- From the series record (Chronicles of the King's Blades): Three later novels set in Chivial during the reign of King Athelgar.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Chronicles of the King's Blades: position 2 of 3: previous Paragon Lost (2002) · next The Jaguar Knights (2004)
- Internal chronology, within The King's Blades: position 5 of 11: previous Lord of the Fire Lands (1999) · next The Crooked House (2000)
Sources
- Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: Duncan, Dave
- Publishers Weekly, Paragon Lost
- Publishers Weekly listing, Impossible Odds
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