Heroes and Duels

Anne Marble · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 593

What do you think of plots involving duels, particularly involving heroes who kill people in duels? Have you ever hated a hero because he killed someone in a duel fought over something senseless? Or cheered for him when he killed a horrid villain in a duel?

Also, can you recommend stories where dueling is central to the story? (In SF, I love the duels Honor Harrington have been involved in -- she kicks @ss. Laughing

)
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Nana · Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 898

As a general rule, I dislike duels. In order to be a hero, the hero of course must be invincible and a dead accurate shot (leaving aside the impossibility of being a marksman with early 19th century pistols). To me, threatening duels knowing he is unbeatable smacks of bullying.

That being said... I did like the hero's duel in Mary Balogh's More than a Mistress (he has been in many duels and has deloped in every single one) His injury in that duel sets off his relationship with the heroine, who becomes his nurse. I also like the early Horatio Hornblower novel in which he gets in a duel.

RichMissTallant · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 148 Location: Washington, DC

Yuri · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 256

Duels work for me, although I prefer that they not kill their opponent. I think more than that gentlemen who practice fencing appeal to me. It was the sport of its day and implies a certain level of physicality which is appealing. It also allows us a glimpse into the male world, where most romances are generally set very much in the woman's world of the Regency with the exception of a few scenes at gentleman's clubs.

This question also reminded me of Heyer's The Masqueraders where both brother and sister are expert in the art, and conversations are as likely to happen in the fencing masters studio as a ball.

Trish B · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Mid-Atlantic, USA

Gaelen Foley's The Duke has a memorable duel scene. A scheduled duel kicks off Laura Kinsale's Flowers From the Storm.

msaggie · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 632

Elaine S · Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 660 Location: Rural England

Barbara Metzger's "The Duel" is a comedy of errors based on a duel. As always with this writer, it's cleverly plotted and written with great dialogue.

Jane G · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 276 Location: Washington, DC

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn features a duel pretty heavily... Simon, the hero, refuses to marry the heroine (he has his reasons), but he "compromises" her and is driven to a duel, and he has no intention of actually participating beyond showing up. It's not a major part of the book, but it's a bit of a turning point.
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Elizabeth Rolls · Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 1027 Location: Australia

Jo Beverley opens Devilish with a fencing duel and Rothgar kills his opponent. This is part of the plot so I won't go into whys and wherefore. Didn't have a problem with it personally although I suppose some might feel Bey over-reacted to an insult to his sister-in-law. Given the era - Georgian - I found it entirely believable and Bey did at least give the idiot a chance to retract. I'm bloodthirsty enough to have figured the idiot deserved it, for stupidity if nothing else Wink

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The only potential duel that I've indulged in was broken up by the heroine. Not what I planned originally. It was one of those cases where a character just takes over Confused

Elizabeth