Dave Duncan 
Perilous Seas 

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". Hunted now by the fearsome warlock wardens who rule the world, Inos is convinced that Rap is dead. But Rap is not, and the tide may be about to turn… She thought he was dead. Queen Inos feels Rap’s presence as if he has risen from the grave to be beside her, but she knows all that is left of him is his voice, which echoed in her mind–well, so she thinks. Her duty is to serve her people, and Queen Inos doesn’t know her galley slave, Rap, is alive and, with his magic wand, trying to bring happiness to his beloved Queen. But when the evil Nordland raider, Kalkor, arrives in port, Rap’s plans begin to fall apart.