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Dave Duncan
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Cutting Edge (A Handful of Men, Part 1) Paperback – February 22, 1993

by Dave Duncan (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 138
See all formats and editions
Beautiful Queen Inos married the loyal stableboy Rap and made him her king. They were very much in love, and they lived happily ever after.

Fifteen years went by Rap and Inos were comfortable, secure, and truly happy, raising their family in the little backwater kingdom of Krasnegar, well removed from the hurly-burly of great affairs...

But in far-off Hub, the old Imperor's health -- and, some said, his sanity -- deteriorated inexorably. The borderlands were seething, Prince Emshandar -- or Shandie, as Rap knew him -- found himself leading his grandfather's armies into terrible battles where victory and justice hung in gravest doubt.

And now the end of the millennium was at hand, ushered in by prophecies of cataclysmic upheaval on a scale never before imagined. All across Pandemia, sensible people tried to dismiss a growing sense of unease as superstitious nonsense.

Then a God appeared to Rap and warned him that the prophecies spoke the least of the truth. Devastation was a certainty; total destruction loomed. The very fabric of the world was at risk. And it was all Rap's fault.

The lasting in the world Rap had wanted was another adventure. And it might be the last thing he would ever get..
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    A Handful of Men
  2. Print length
    30 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Del Rey
  5. Publication date
    February 22, 1993
  6. Dimensions
    4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    034538167X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0345381675
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

If you haven't read it, please see my comment on Duncan's MAN OF HIS WORD series, to which this series is a sequel. If you enjoyed that series and, like me, hoped it would never end, well, it didn't, but continues here! Duncan's Pandemia world is too rich for one series to contain. I loved both. Once again, I couldn't wait for the books to be typeset--I read extra copies of the manuscripts.

--Steve Palmer, Director of Production Mass Market

From the Inside Flap

een Inos married the loyal stableboy Rap and made him her king. They were very much in love, and they lived happily ever after.

Fifteen years went by Rap and Inos were comfortable, secure, and truly happy, raising their family in the little backwater kingdom of Krasnegar, well removed from the hurly-burly of great affairs...

But in far-off Hub, the old Imperor's health -- and, some said, his sanity -- deteriorated inexorably. The borderlands were seething, Prince Emshandar -- or Shandie, as Rap knew him -- found himself leading his grandfather's armies into terrible battles where victory and justice hung in gravest doubt.

And now the end of the millennium was at hand, ushered in by prophecies of cataclysmic upheaval on a scale never before imagined. All across Pandemia, sensible people tried to dismiss a growing sense of unease as superstitious nonsense.

Then a God appeared to Rap and warned him that the prophecies spoke the least of the truth. Devas

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey (February 22, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 30 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 034538167X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345381675
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 138

About the author

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Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan

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Dave Duncan was a prolific writer of fantasy and science fiction, best known for his fantasy series, particularly The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word, and The King's Blades. He is both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SF Canada. Dave passed away in Oct 2018, leaving behind his wife of 59 years Janet, three children and four grandchildren. Visit his website www.daveduncanauthor.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
138 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Stosh Holly
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cutting Edge-- Part 1 of A Handful of Men
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2012
Verified Purchase
I bought this and the other three books in the story to replace my paperbacks with hardbound volumes. After the first story of Princess Inos and her loyal stable boy Rap called A Man of His Word... I was overjoyed to find this story which falls into what happened in their "happily ever after" portion of life. Both stories are wonderful and Epic. I will forever be a fan of Dave Duncan for these books. If it takes one to know one... judging by this story, he is a hero. Or at least he is one of my heroes! :)
5 people found this helpful
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RTC
4.0 out of 5 stars I thought A Handful of Men (series) was a pretty good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
I thought A Handful of Men (series) was a pretty good read. Entertaining, but the ending seemed a bit rushed.

Definitely read the series A Man of His Word first.
One person found this helpful
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x
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, but beware typos.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is part five of my favorite eight books ever, so of course I love it. I wanted to give a warning to new readers who are only reading the Kindle edition: there are some typos, the most significant of which is the misspelling of Thane Kalkor's title. Kalkor is his name; Thane is his title. It is misspelled as Thaïle Kalkor, which is especially confusing because there is another character named Thaïle. These characters are in no way related; it is a typo.
One person found this helpful
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Bibliovore
3.0 out of 5 stars My favorite author, poorly spelled
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2010
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I have always loved Dave Duncan, and while this is not his best series, I do still enjoy it. I first read it years ago when I borrowed them from the library. I was excited to see a reprint of the series available (Dave Duncan books are so hard to find in used book stores). Unfortunately, this edition is SO poorly edited I almost returned the books. I could not go more than 2 pages without finding a typo, some of them so jarring that I had to stop and think about what the word was supposed to be (someone must have done a Find and Replace on THE to change it to ME, because in book 3 this typo exists no fewer than 25 times).

I guess my review is more a reflection of the general failings of the publishing industry in this day of reliance on spell check. In general, an enjoyable series and a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. Just as long as you don't mind being brought back from your fantasy world to figure out what something was supposed to say.
7 people found this helpful
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John Sharples
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice read
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
this book was very entertaining and I am looking forward to the next few books that follow. I hope you do as well.
One person found this helpful
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Lilacs4me
5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2014
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Masterful story telling with relatable characters in enchanting situations! Once you start, you cannot put this book down. A fascinating read!
2 people found this helpful
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dubbug
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Looking forward to the rest of these books. Like Mr. Duncan Sword books. Excellent writer.
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Kilgore
4.0 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong with Dave Duncan
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
A good read with a fine cast of characters.
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Top reviews from other countries

Leo T
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2013
Verified Purchase
Read this book in high school. Wanted to read it again. Was surprised I remembered most of the story. Hope my future children can enjoy these books like I did.
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Nancy R
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
was a gift so can't comment on personally but receiver didn't complain
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