Children of Chaos

by Dave Duncan

Publisher:

Tor Books

, 2006

Overview

Four estranged siblings are at the center of a political maelstrom in this award-winning start of a stirring fantasy quest duology by the acclaimed author.

"Duncan’s storytelling has never been better [than] in this superb fantasy. . . . How the children of Celebre reunite makes for a captivating adventure-filled story." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

On a dodecahedral world in thrall to the tyrannical, war-obsessed Hrag dynasty, no one could stop the Bloodlord from sending troops over the Edge to Florengia, invading its major cities, and offering them a choice between strict colonial rule and immediate and total destruction. When the doge of Celebre was faced with this ultimatum, he gave his children up as hostages so that the rest of Celebre might live. Thus the four young Florengians were taken from their homes and scattered across the Vigaelian face.

Fifteen years later, and you’d never guess that they’re siblings. Fabia was adopted by a wealthy landowner and spoiled rotten, Orlando desperately yearns to overcome his Florengian blood and fight for the Vigaelian army, Benard is a flighty but talented artist, and Wisdom has it that Dantio, the eldest, died fighting his captors. But when Celebre suddenly takes on crucial political significance, one of the siblings must return home to serve as Celebre’s puppet ruler, and the others must be eliminated so that there are no rival claimants to the throne.

It’s going to be tough enough finding one another, let alone deciding whether enough kinship remains after fifteen years apart that the siblings will care to help each other out of their respective predicaments. If they’re feeling particularly altruistic, the Celebres might even take on the bonus round: trying to save Dodec from the culture of death and war imposed on it by its evil warlords.

One thing’s for certain: the Celebre children are going to have a lot of adjusting to do . . .

"Dave Duncan produces excellent work in book after book, yet never gains the attention he deserves. This is a fun book but with more substance than most light fantasy. . . . Another solid entry by a writer who deserves a wider audience." —SFReview

Product Details

• Title: Children of Chaos
• Author: Dave Duncan
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Print Publication Date: 2006
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 350
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781429954808, 9780765314833, 0765314835, 1429954809
• Resource ID: LLS:9781429954808
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2026-02-21T00:49:20Z

About Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan, born in Scotland in 1933, is a Canadian citizen. He received his diploma from Dundee High School and got his college education at the University of Saint Andrews. He moved to Canada in 1955, where he still lives with his wife. He has three grown children and four grandchildren. He spent thirty years as a petroleum geologist. He has had dozens of fantasy and science fiction novels published, among them A Rose-Red City, Magic Casement, and The Reaver Road, as well as a highly praised historical novel, Daughter of Troy, published, for commercial reasons, under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin. He also published the Longdirk series of novels, Demon Sword, Demon Knight, and Demon Rider, under the name Ken Hood.

In the fall of 2007, Duncan’s 2006 novel, Children of Chaos, published by Tor Books, was nominated for both the Prix Aurora Award and the Endeavour Award. In May 2013, Duncan, a 1989 founding member of SFCanada, was honored by election as a lifetime member by his fellow writers, editors, and academics. His website is www.daveduncan.com.