Speak to the devil /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A new adventure of brotherhood and magic from beloved fantasist Dave Duncan

In the Kingdom of Jorgary, the days of feudal chivalry are fading as national armies are formed. But Ottokar Magnus is still baron, and his host of brothers include Anton, an ambitious young soldier, and Wulfgang, an amiable teenager. Unable to seek his fortune as a knight errant, Anton has enlisted with the royal Jorgarian hussars and taken Wulf along as his servant.

There is magic in Jorgary, but it is regarded as Satanism, rituals performed by Speakers who are in contact with the Devil. The Speakers, though, believe that the Voices they hear belong to saints. Anton is not a Speaker...but Wulf is.

Anxious to impress the court, Anton exhibits spectacular horsemanship at a royal hunt, with a little boost from Wulf. Two nights later he is dragged before Cardinal Zdenek, the king's chief minister. Zdenek offers him an earldom and anything else he could dream of if he will ride at once to a strategic fortress at Cardice and take command there. The count and his son have died, victims of both treason and witchcraft. The cardinal thinks that neighboring enemies are preparing to invade,using "modern" arms to capture the fort. Mortal resources alone will not suffice, but Zdenek knows that Anton's improbable jump at the hunt was aided by supernatural power.

Anton wants nothing to do with this mission, but Wulf's Voices tell him that they should accept the charge. The result is a harrowing ride through limbo with astonishing results.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Popular fantasy writer Duncan (Children of Chaos) takes readers to an alternate 15th-century Europe where knighthood is on the wane, and the magic of Speakers is secretly courted by the same political and religious powers who condemn it as Satanism. The noble but penniless Magnus family of Jorgary has "a long and painful history of producing Speakers." That's why Cardinal Zdenek, the power behind Jorgary's throne, sends brothers Anton and Wulfgang Magnus to take control of strategic Castle Gallant and defend the northern border against Duke Wartislaw. A love triangle among the daughter of the castle's dead lord and the Magnus brothers soon mixes explosively with politics and war in a stimulating adventure grounded by deft characterizations and a vivid historical setting. The Magnus family motto is omnia audere-"I dare any odds!"-and Duncan is primed to follow it with style in this compelling new series. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Did Joan of Arc really hear angels, or was she under the influence of Satan, as the church determined? This tale of five brothers of noble descent, set in an alternate Europe at the end of the feudal era, asks the same question. In this case, however, the church is aware that Speakers actually exist and often uses them for its own ends while attempting to keep the populace ignorant of the magic such persons can perform. Anton Magnus, a baron's younger and therefore socially much lesser brother, is very ambitious. Catching the attention of the king's chief minister, Cardinal Zdenek, he gets sent on a virtually suicidal mission that does, however, promise riches and a title should he succeed at it and live. When he begs to bring his younger brother Wulf, the cardinal forces Anton to reveal that Wulf is a Speaker and can perform miracles. For each action performed, another layer of the story is revealed. Love, magic, religion, and politics collide in this tale of the supernatural knight-errantry.--Gerber, Rebecca Copyright 2010 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Dave Duncan was born in Scotland in 1933. He graduated from the University of St. Andrews in 1955 and moved to Canada. He worked for 31 years as a geologist in the petroleum industry. He started writing novels in 1984 and became a full-time author in 1986. He has written over 40 novels including the series The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word, A Handful of Men, The King's Blades, The Great Game, Years of Longdirk, King's Daggers, and Seventh Sword. He has also written under the names Sarah B. Franklin and Ken Hood.

(Bowker Author Biography)