Dave Duncan 
Emperor and Clown 

A princess and a stableboy? It sounds like the worst sort of hackneyed formula romance. Think again, for A MAN OF HIS WORD may well be the most original fantasy you ever read. The magic is unique and applied in unexpected ways, some of which the late Lester del Rey admitted he had not met in fifty years as writer and editor. The world itself is unique–there are no humans in Pandemia, only imps, elves, gnomes, jotnar, and many more, all of whom you will recognize as "human". EMPEROR AND CLOWN With Inos married to the wrong man and Rap dying in a dungeon, obviously the cause is hopeless. Only Aunt Kade refuses to admit defeat…