Or was it the more prosaic machination of office politics that led to the book's fall, and rise at a rival house?

She is of a rival house and is sworn to chastity.

The customer then threatened to go to the rival house, only to be told, "You can go but you won't get anything better."

To eradicate a rival house in Menzoberranzan was a perfectly acceptable practice among the drow.

"The house has gone savagely down market," said a former executive of Harper who now works at a rival house.

Publishers love to talk about their successful books and the problems of rival houses.

The game concerns the war of rival houses (the Rose and the Eagle), each striving to take over the other's land.

In only a few days could this minor son of a rival house have gained a following?

Of course, besides there being two other candidates from rival houses, this pushes Jurt very close to the succession too.

"It isn't going to help, that's for sure," said the publisher of a rival house.