Voici enfin le dernier tome des Lames du Roi, trilogie qui nous est décrite par l’éditeur français comme le sommet du talent de l’auteur, Dave Duncan. Chacun des tomes peut être lu de manière totalement indépendante des autres. Toutefois, comme on le verra ci-après, la lecture d’Un Ciel d’Epées offre bien des synergies avec celle des précédents. Les Lames du Roi se range aisément dans le genre fantasy, puisqu’il dépeint un univers parfaitement imaginaire, bien que proche du nôtre. Le contexte est assez voisin de l’Europe du XVIIème siècle ; on note également la présence discrète du surnaturel : filtres d’amour, nécromancie voisine du vaudou, etc. Chacun des volumes du cycle se focalise sur le destin d’un des personnages : « L’Insigne du Chancelier » traitait de Durandal, épéiste et éminence grise anoblie, « Le Seigneur des Terres de feu » retraçait l’ascension vers les sommets du guerrier Paeahrd Aedeling, et ce présent roman s’intéresse à la princesse Malinda, fille du roi Ambrose IV.Malinda est une jeune fille dynamique et décidée, dont l’appétit de vie est constamment contrarié par la réserve que lui impose son statut de princesse. Un tragique évènement la propulse à la tête du royaume, où elle se trouve plongée dans un nid de vipères inextricable. Dans cet enfer conspirationniste, ses seuls atouts sont les Lames : des gardes du corps aux ressources immenses dont la loyauté est assurée par un rituel magique secret. Malinda devra sauver son amour et son pays au bord de la guerre civile.Encore plus que les deux premiers tomes, le romanesque de Duncan est sans doute plus voisin des Chouans de Balzac ou de l’œuvre d’Alexandre Dumas que de Tolkien et ses dérivés. Si l’aventure reste présente, dans la lignée des volumes précédents, elle cède quelque peu la place aux manipulations et aux intrigues politiques, que l’auteur ne maîtrise peut-être pas aussi bien. Le fil conducteur se fait ténu et difficile à suivre, la faute à une galerie de personnages secondaires un peu confuse car les composants en sont trop brièvement décrits, donc peu identifiables au cours du récit. A cela, il faut ajouter quelques problèmes de rythmes, avec des scènes dont la puissance dramatique est parfois trop faible. Là où Duncan rehausse largement l’intérêt d’Un Ciel d’Epées, c’est dans le lien qu’ont les trois romans entre eux. Après avoir semé des informations en apparence contradictoires, la conclusion de ce troisième volume lie merveilleusement le cycle, telle la dernière pièce d’un puzzle de peinture surréaliste. Trois histoires en apparence indépendantes se révèlent ne faire qu’une ; et les incohérences grossières disparaissent de la plus belle des manières : brillant scénario. Et cette fin vraiment jouissive fait oublier les quelques bâillements provoqués par quelques chapitres sans relief. Du grand art. Extraits :« Les secondes comptent plus que les années.Quelques instants suffisent à changer une vie à jamais. » (Messire Chien)« La guerre, comme l’amour, ne devrait jamais être faite en public. » (Baron Léandre)
Sky of Swords by Dave Duncan is the third novel in the King's Blades series. In book two, Lord of the Fire Lands, the reader is left hanging at the end as history inexplicably unfolds in a different fashion compared to what was told in the first novel in the series. Duncan not only has some explaining to do, but, as a writer myself, I was curious to see how he was going to handle this inconsistent situation. I wasn't disappointed in the storytelling or the characters, but I was a little at the ultimate conclusion. Still, I'll give the author some credit: it was something you don't often see done in a fantasy novel, and while I did see where things were going about halfway through, the ride getting there was still fun.In this installment our point-of-view character is Princess Malinda, daughter of the King of Chivial, which is the principal realm we are concerned with in book one of the series. Similar to how Lord of the Fire Lands was laid out, the story is part past, part present, but always told from Malinda's viewpoint. The novel opens with Malinda locked in prison, accused of high treason against the king. Of course, we know from the second book that the king, her father, is dead, and so the question of who is the current king is just one of many as the story unfolds.It's interesting that Duncan chose Malinda as the primary viewpoint character. While she shows up in the previous two novels, it is mostly as cameo roles. In those, she is depicted as a spoiled child with little depth. This changes in Sky of Swords as she is forced to grow up fast or crumple beneath the political and royal weight laid upon her. Durendal (the hero and main character from the first novel) once again is present, this time as a secret advisor as Durendal must fear for his own life: Calls for the disbanding of the Blades grow louder after the king's death; anyone associated with them past or present must be wary. But Malinda casts a bold strike when she Binds four Blades to her, thus creating a group called the Princess's Blades.Sky of Swords is an adventure novel first and foremost, but contains more court and political drama than the first two novels as Malinda must contend for the throne with a cousin and half-brother. Malinda is a likeable character whose personality we learn is quite different from her previous portrayal as we come to realize Duncan's characters are not always the most reliable narrators.I liked Sky of Swords, but I did find the final solution to setting things right a bit of a letdown. Not to give anything away, but it was a very Superman-like ending. Still, it was a fun read and I'm looking forward to jumping into the next novel, Paragon Lost.This review also at http://www.scottmarlowe.com/post/Book...
Do You like book Sky Of Swords (2001)?
I was really getting excited to finish the trilogy! This book was from Princess Melinda's point of view - which was interesting, until things started getting all twisted up and fouled up from the other 2 books. I thought, "what the heck is going on?" Until I realized, from all the foreshadowing, that Melinda's element is Time. Then I realized what was going on and once that happened, I thought the book really dragged on and on and on and on and on in a depressing, hopeless, perilous situation in
—Ane
Sky of Swords satisfyingly wrapped up the discrepancies from The Gilded Chain and Lord of the Fire Lands. I didn't like it as much as the first two books because it was al little too dry and political, but I love the ending(not the Aftermath).(view spoiler)[That part where Malinda slaps Radgar twice was probably my favorite! (hide spoiler)]
—Xiaoke
I read this book years ago (I think I was still in high school) and I don't remember liking it all that well. Apparently it had a lasting effect on me, however, because although I lost the book the plot-line stuck in my head and I have been searching for it for about 10 years now. I do remember thinking it was too convoluted with all the court-intrigue which I think I might enjoy more now because I devour that in other novels but probably didn't as my high school self. I am definitely going to give this another fresh try. And since it's part of a series, I might try those too, if I enjoy this one enough.
—Stephanie
