Pandemia
#3914.05 adjusted 4.04 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 8 books Status Complete 1990–1994 Reading commitment High Dave Duncan Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Pandemia is the setting of two linked fantasy quartets by Canadian author Dave Duncan. A Man of His Word (1990-1991) follows Inosolan, the daughter of the king of the small northern kingdom of Krasnegar, and Rap, a stable boy who grows up beside her; their friendship and their magical gifts draw them into the affairs of gods, warlocks and the Impire. A Handful of Men (1992-1994) is set fifteen years later and continues with Inos, now queen, Rap, now king, the young Imperial heir Shandie and the sorcerer Zinixo, as the Protocol that has governed magic for a thousand years begins to fail. The backstory of Rap, Inosolan and Shandie is told in the first quartet. Both series are complete, eight novels in all.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (8 works) counts toward ranking
A Man of His Word Dave Duncan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Magic Casement; First published as a Ballantine/Del Rey paperback original. | 1990 | 1 | core | 4.03 (3,344 ratings) |
 | Faery Lands Forlorn | 1991 | 2 | core | 3.98 (2,313 ratings) |
 | Perilous Seas | 1991 | 3 | core | 4.08 (2,178 ratings) |
 | Emperor and Clown | 1991 | 4 | core | 4.16 (2,102 ratings) |
Four novels following the princess Inosolan and her friend Rap from childhood to the fall of the Impire's old order.
A Handful of Men Dave Duncan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Cutting Edge; The ISBN is the first-edition hardcover (Del Rey, 1992). | 1992 | 1 | core | 4.00 (1,225 ratings) |
 | Upland Outlaws; The ISBN is the first-edition hardcover (Del Rey, 1993). | 1993 | 2 | core | 3.99 (1,051 ratings) |
 | The Stricken Field | 1993 | 3 | core | 4.01 (1,035 ratings) |
 | The Living God; Final volume of A Handful of Men. | 1994 | 4 | core | 4.09 (1,082 ratings) |
Four sequels set in Pandemia in which Rap, Inos and Shandie face the sorcerer Zinixo as the Protocol governing magic breaks down.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Pandemia? Pandemia's Core Canon is 8 books.
- What is the reading order for Pandemia? Publication order, starting with Magic Casement. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Pandemia finished? Complete (1990–1994).
- How much reading does Pandemia take? High reading commitment (estimated from 8 Core Canon books).
- How is Pandemia ranked? #391 in this site's official ranking, based on 14,330 reader ratings across 8 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #391?
Ranked #391 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.05 across 8 core books.
- A smaller readership (14,330 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #390, James and the Giant Peach (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 8 books · Complete · 14k ratings · Ranks #391 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (8 Core Canon books)
- Magic Casement (1990)
- Emperor and Clown (1991)
- Faery Lands Forlorn (1991)
- Perilous Seas (1991)
- The Cutting Edge (1992)
- The Stricken Field (1993)
- Upland Outlaws (1993)
- The Living God (1994)
Documented internal/story order
- Magic Casement (1990)
- The Cutting Edge (1992)
- Faery Lands Forlorn (1991)
- Upland Outlaws (1993)
- Perilous Seas (1991)
- The Stricken Field (1993)
- Emperor and Clown (1991)
- The Living God (1994)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Pandemia and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Forgotten Realms Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.20
- Essalieyan Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.18
- Riftwar Cycle Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.16
- Belgariad Universe Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.05 across 14,330 ratings on 8 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 28 universes; Greyhawk gains three novels; 2 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia, The Cutting Edge Tier 2
- Wikipedia, Upland Outlaws Tier 2
- Open Road Media publisher page, A Man of His Word Tier 2
- Apple Books publisher description, A Handful of Men Tier 2
- Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: Duncan, Dave Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the eight Pandemia novels, from Magic Casement (1990) to The Living God (1994), comprising A Man of His Word and A Handful of Men.