The DUKE OF SUMAVA

By Sara J. Wrench

With his prosperous and free country of Sumava under attack by the ruthless leaders of surrounding nations, Duke Ottokar will do anything to save Sumava, even accept supernatural help, but he soon... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671877852
• ISBN13: 9780671877859
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Baen
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.8" x 4.5"

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly good first (and only) novel

The Duke of Sumava works surprisingly well as a novel, considering how little actually happens in its narrative. The story concerns itself with one Ottokar, the ruler of a small Eurpoean duchy called Sumava, and we open with him in the midst of a pursuit by agents of the Holy Roman Empire. In desperation, he calls on any available help and is answered by a race of elves who inhabit a world parallel to our own but who can travel between dimensions freely. Other, more diabolical, personages respond to the call as well, and the remainder of the novel concerns itself with the resulting ethical conundra of debt, love and responsibility. Consider the resulting problems: elven prejudices against humans; the Church's condemning of the elves as demons; Ottokar's own subjects' uneasiness at their Duke's consorting with otherworldly beings; Ottokar's tendency to use his newfound friends as his own personal mercenary force; and the question of whether Ottokar owes anything for demonic aid that he didn't intend to summon and later repudiates. Each of these dilemmas takes place in the shadow of Ottokar's twin devotions: his sincere desire to protect his country at any cost, and his love for the elven woman who rescued him. Wrench does an excellent job of balancing all of these factors in a way that portrays the chaos that has begun to pervade her protagonist's life without rendering his story too chaotic to follow. Actual events are minimal; there is a battle, of course, and the ambush that opens the novel, and a kidnapping, and some other isolated occurrences, but the novel is not so much a narrative that threads these happenings together like beads on a string as it is a study of how each of these things affects Ottokar's relationship with his people, his allies, his lover, and his God. The dramatic tension lies not in which side will win the next battle, but in which of these tenuous bonds will be compromised first. Something has to give, in other words. The Duke of Sumava is not perfect; some readers will probably take issue with the dialogue, which isn't particularly distinguished. Ottokar doesn't sound like a member of the nobility very often--probably a necessary concession to readability--and one would think that humans and elves--species which have little to no social intercourse--would develop radically different manners of speech; in fairness, though, Wrench may be deliberately highlighting similarities between the two races--her depiction of elvish in-laws is humorously familiar. The most striking oddity (and it's just that--odd, not necessarily bad) is the ending, which comes out of absolutely nowhere and really isn't foreshadowed at all (except inasmuch as it continues the theme of Ottokar's selfless dedication to his country). The situation, as Wrench leaves it, cries out for a sequel; from a publisher's or agent's perspective, if not from that of the reader. Oddly, exhaustive research fails to turn up a single additional word publ

A fun ride with a great cast of characters

This is a classic fantasy novel, full of adventure, wit, warmth, growth - satisfying on many levels. I really enjoyed spending time inside this author's mind.

A sweeping tale of loss and love -and the costs thereof.

The Duke of Sumava by Sara J.Wrench starts a little like Indiana Jones -at full speed! It is a fantasy, but not quite like the traditional story of questing hero battles evil and wins a maiden fair in the land of Fairy. This takes place in the all too real 30-year war that raged in Europe in the 17:th century -a time when meddling with anything outside the beliefs of the catholic church was likely to get you killed -if you were lucky! The Duke of Sumava has to deal not only with impending invasion as well as with the prejudice of both men and elves. He must also struggle with his own beliefs and convictions to finally decide what his Sumava is worth: His love? His life? His soul? Don't miss this new author who has managed to bring fantasy to a new level.

Love conquers all

The Duke of Sumava is a story about a man, Duke Ottokar, willing to sacrifice his all to protect his people. For their sakes will he sell his soul and risk eternal damnation? Will his love of a woman of the race of legend turn every heart against him? And when he thinks his problems couldn't get worst he discovers a secret about himself that could get him burn at the stake. This story will leave you rooting for the underdog. It's a must read for fantasy lover.*****