David Duncan is a Canadian fantasy author. He was born in 1933 in Scotland, and educated there at the High School of Dundee and at the University of St Andrews. After graduating in 1955 he moved to Canada where he lived in Calgary, Alberta, and is currently situated on Vancouver Island in Victoria, British Columbia. He has been married since 1959 to his wife, Janet, and currently has one son, two daughters, and four grandchildren.

He started writing fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 novels in 1984 and made his first sale (A Rose Red City) in 1986, at which point he switched to full-time writing, after 31 years as a geologist in the petroleum industry

Petroleum industry

The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...

. Although Duncan usually uses his own name, he has written as Ken Hood and also used a female pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin.

The Seventh Sword

A dying young man named Wally Smith is transferred from Earth into the body of a master swordsman in a technologically backward world by its gods for their own purposes.

1. The Reluctant Swordsman (1988), ISBN 0-345-35291-2
2. The Coming of Wisdom (1988), ISBN 0-345-35292-0
3. The Destiny of the Sword (1988), ISBN 0-345-35293-9

Announced -- The Death of Nnanji (2012)link

A Man of His Word

1. Magic Casement (1990), ISBN 0-345-36628-X
2. Faery Lands Forlorn (1991), ISBN 0-345-36629-8
3. Perilous Seas (1991), ISBN 0-345-36630-1
4. Emperor and Clown (1992), ISBN 0-345-36631-X

A Handful of Men

1. The Cutting Edge
   The Cutting Edge (novel)
   -Plot introduction:"The world of Pandemia seethes with tension as imperial troops wage war along its borderlands and omens predict disaster. When the Protocol which restricts the use of magic begins to break down, only a few handpicked people have a chance to preserve the balance of their crumbling...
   
    (1992), ISBN 0-345-37896-2
2. Upland Outlaws
   Upland Outlaws
   -Plot introduction:The sorcerer Zinixo has taken control of Hub, but life goes on as normal. As Zinixo and his Covin track down Rap and friends, Rap must get the word out to the other sorcerers about the plans to join together and destroy Zinixo....
   
   (1993), ISBN 0-345-37897-0
3. The Stricken Field (1993), ISBN 0-345-37898-9
4. The Living God (1994), ISBN 0-345-37899-7

The Omar books

1. The Reaver Road (1992), ISBN 0-345-37481-9
2. The Hunters' Haunt (1995), ISBN 0-345-38459-8

The Great Game

1. Past Imperative (1995), ISBN 0-380-78129-8
2. Present Tense (1996), ISBN 0-380-78130-1
3. Future Indefinite (1997), ISBN 0-380-78131-X

The Years of Longdirk

Published using the pseudonym Ken Hood:

1. Demon Sword (1995), ISBN 0-06-105410-0
2. Demon Rider (1997), ISBN 0-06-105758-4
3. Demon Knight (1998), ISBN 0-06-105759-2

Tales of the King's Blades

1. The Gilded Chain (1998), ISBN 0-380-97460-6
2. Lord of the Fire Lands (1999), ISBN 0-380-97461-4
3. Sky of Swords (2000), ISBN 0-380-97462-2

Chronicles of the King's Blades

1. Paragon Lost (2002), ISBN 0-380-81835-3
2. Impossible Odds (2003), ISBN 0-380-81834-5
3. The Jaguar Knights (2004), ISBN 0-06-055511-4

The King's Daggers

A series of young adult

Young adult literature

Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...

 books set in the "King's Blades" world:

1. Sir Stalwart (1999), ISBN 0-380-80098-5
2. The Crooked House (2000), ISBN 0-380-80099-3
3. Silvercloak (2001), ISBN 0-380-80100-0

Omnibus edition of all 3 is titled The Monster War

The Dodec books

1. Children of Chaos (2006), ISBN 0-7653-1483-5
2. Mother of Lies (2007), ISBN 0-7653-1484-3

Venice trilogy

1. The Alchemist's Apprentice (2007), ISBN 0-441-01575-1
2. The Alchemist's Code (March 2008), ISBN 0-441-01562-X
3. The Alchemist's Pursuit (March 2009), ISBN 978-0-441-01678-5

The Brothers Magnus books

1. Speak to the Devil (2010), ISBN 978-0765323477
2. When the Saints (scheduled for 8 November 2011), ISBN 978-0765323484

Standalone novels

• A Rose-Red City (1987), ISBN 0-345-34098-1
• Shadow (1987), ISBN 0-345-34274-7
• West of January
  West of January
  West of January is a fantasy novel by Dave Duncan. The book won the 1990 Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English.-Plot introduction:...
  
  (1989), ISBN 0-345-35836-8
• Strings (1990), ISBN 0-345-36191-1
• Hero! (1991), ISBN 0-345-37179-8
• The Cursed (1995), ISBN 0-345-38951-4
• Daughter of Troy (1998), (as Sarah B. Franklin,) ISBN 0-380-79353-9
• Ill Met in the Arena (August 2008), ISBN 0-765-31687-0
• Pock's World (October 2010)

External links

• Dave Duncan's Home Page