One needs to provide a bit of patience and will to go through at least the first 40 pages of Dave Duncan’s CHILDREN OF CHAOS. If you can weather the onslaught of characters, the unfamiliar terminology (there’s a two page factsheet at the front worthy of study) and the level of detail, you will discover a rich and coherent world that has some fascinating internal conflicts. These conflicts are eventually going to be healed, by the selfsame children in the title.

These children were taken in their youth from the Doge of Celebre in the land of Florengia. They were acquired by the Bloodlord Stralg of Vigaelia and they are kept as ransom to make sure that Celebre obeys the rule of the Vigaelians. Over time, the children are separated and they grow up in a foreign land, generally despised by the natives, unsure of their own heritage and lineage, and mostly wary of their captors. One of the children however, has practically become a Vigaelian and hopes to go back to Florengia to put his own people to the sword.

Slowly, as the war in Florengia continues to go badly, the children are reunited. Rebels are increasing their strength, and there are rumors of rebel bands even in Vigaelia. Will the children, now fully grown, be able to make a difference and save their homeland? Well, you won’t find out here because this is the first in a series of two books, the second to follow being MOTHER OF LIES.

And I can’t wait for that book to appear because Duncan has done a remarkable job with his characters and the world of Dodec. He’s very carefully thought through the differences between the factions on his world, the religions, the habits and the styles of life. He is adept at sprinkling his world history throughout the text, so you don’t have to swallow a huge chunk of boring “in this year, this happened, then next year, that happened” stuff. Instead, you get it gradually, within the context of the tale. This enables the reader to see how Vigaelia has fallen under the spell of the murders Hrag clan, and how their fortunes of war have dangerously shifted.

Overall, this is an excellent fantasy tale with a new world to explore, tons of complicated political intrigues to unravel, and a promising storyline that should see the children fulfill their destiny. As a caution, though it has a harmless title, I would be careful giving the book to adolescents, as there are some moments of strong sexuality. Another item to note is that this is part of the Sci-Fi Essential branded book series, which means each month, the Sci-Fi Channel chooses one Tor book to receive its logo stamp on the cover and spine, as an award of sorts. If all the books in the series are as good as Duncan’s, you might want to keep an eye out for the others. –Mark Rose

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