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Title: Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs ISBN: 0-441-00916-6 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: March, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.38 (21 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good and yet lacking something
Comment: This is the first of Patricia Briggs books that I've read and I must say I'm rather impressed. This slim (by fantasy standards) novel packs in more characterization that most of the current giant series.
I enjoyed the storyline and felt for the central characters. There's only a couple of points where I felt let down. At one stage a character dies and I didn't feel a strong enough connection with him to care. This is surprising in a book which generally worked hard on characterization.
The other point where I felt let down was at the end of the book. It seemed somehow incomplete. A lot of time had been spent building up detailed characters even introducing them near the end of the book and then not really doing anything with them.
Now I have no problems with the idea of writing book series, indeed I'd love to read a sequel to this book. But if a book is being written with that intention in mind, I'd like to know about it from the outset. Put something on the cover. "Book One of.." etc.
All in all though I'm impressed and I'll be keeping an eye out for other books by this author.
Rating: 4
Summary: Bones beneath the keep
Comment: Dragon Bones is a nice, light little fantasy. It's short, relatively self-contained (a sequel just came out, but this book does stand by itself nicely) book that goes down smooth and easy, though it doesn't really have much body. I enjoyed it and it has a really nice climax (though the ending is a bit of a cheat). It just didn't really seem to mean much.
The first thing I'll address is the ending, because it's really the only thing that's wrong with an otherwise very interesting plot. The climax was exciting, with Ward having to make a decision that really builds his character. I was beginning to wonder how Briggs was going to end the book, and thought that maybe it would be a typical cliffhanger, making the reader wait until the next book to find out what happens. But then I found out I was wrong, and I was so pleased. I love it when characters have to make hard decisions. The bad thing is, though, subsequent events make it so that the decision ultimately doesn't mean anything, and it's robbed of most of its drama. Sure, the fact that he had to make the decision is character-building, and I'm glad Briggs didn't take the decision out of his hands, like sometimes happens. The problem is that Ward is saved from the consequences of his actions, and I was a bit sorry to see that.
Otherwise, this is a very good novel. It won't take very long to read, as it's very light. It's not very filling, though. There's plenty of action, which is nice. Swords flash, arrows fly, and the bad guys die. It's quite an exciting book, once it gets going. It just doesn't seem to have a lot of substance. It's a snack, almost. It's well-written, with very good prose and an air-tight plot. You definitely won't go wrong by picking this up and spending an afternoon with it.
The characterizations are very well done, with only Kariarn being the two-dimensional villain. A few figures at the beginning of the book start out looking like stereotypical bad guys too, but they develop a depth to them when Briggs writes from their point of view (the book is mostly in first person from Ward's point of view, but there are sections of the book written from others' point of view that were told to Ward 'after the fact'). Ward's cousins, Beckram and Erdrick, start out as typical tormentors of both Ward and his sister. Garranon and his brother Landislaw are the men who come to take Ward away to the insane asylum after Ward won't produce Landislaw's slave. However, we find out that Garranon is the enforced lover of the king who just wants freedom for his people. Landislaw disappears from the story, so he doesn't get much characterization, but the others are very well-rounded by events. We find out that they are just doing what they have to do in order to get by in a crazy world under a cruel and sadistic king. It's nice to see characters get this kind of treatment, rather than becoming complete stereotypes.
Ward, the main character, is very interesting as well. He's played a role for so much of his life that he doesn't know where the real Ward is anymore. He's always fantasized about being his ancestor (the one who killed the dragon, though he doesn't find that out until this book), a great hero in all of the stories. When he sets out to prove himself, that's what he sees himself becoming. Ward has to learn through what happens in this novel to be his own person and a good leader. He is devastated when he finds out that his ancestor killed the dragon, and that his ancestor is the one who brought the curse down on his family that has made it what it is today. He has to work through all of that, and it makes for a very interesting character arc. He's a very good storyteller, and I'm glad Briggs decided to write this book in first person. It adds a sense of immediacy to the actions, and makes some of the choices he makes that much more intriguing.
The other characters fulfill their roles well, though there really isn't a lot to them. Tosten, Ward's formerly suicidal brother, isn't very interesting. He sulks when he thinks that Ward likes Oreg better than him (not knowing what Oreg really is). He does what he needs to do, but doesn't really distinguish himself. Oreg is a child and most of the time acts like one. The rest of them are fairly nondescript. They're certainly not badly done, they're just there.
The book is well worth a read, though. I did really enjoy it. I will definitely look up the sequel and see if it's as good. If you're in the mood for light fantasy, you could do worse than picking up Dragon Bones.
*Note: Despite the review blurbs from 'Romantic Times' and 'Romantic Science Fiction & Fantasy,' this book isn't a romance at all. So don't let the fact that you can't stand romance novels drive you away. You're safe.
Rating: 5
Summary: Short, but full of meat
Comment: Most fantasy novels today have become drawn out, worn out series, with too many trivial events and excess detail. Writers in the genre seem to forget that all good things NEED to come to an end at some point and preferably before the readers stop caring about the characters or story. Ms. Briggs has a story to tell and she does just that without wasting her readers' time and I find it nice to read a story where the author doesn't waste the reader's time. I'm saying, this is a short book. Some say too short, but I would disagree. She covers everything she really needed to cover, hints at a few answers, and has a sequel. If you want more, buy the next book. I found it to be a highly addictive read that was difficult to put down. She's better than Robert Jordan and better than Terry Goodkind because she knows when to stop, something I wish more fantasy writers would learn.
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Title: Devlin's Luck (Sword of Change, Book 1) by PATRICIA BRAY ISBN: 0553584758 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 30 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Devlin's Honor (Sword of Change, Book 2) by Patricia Bray ISBN: 0553584766 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs ISBN: 0441008135 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 27 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Hidden Warrior (Tamir Trilogy, Book 2) by Lynn Flewelling ISBN: 0553583425 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1) by Lynn Flewelling ISBN: 0553577239 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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