Bones of the Dragon (Dragonships of Vindras) (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: dragon goddess, sacred torque, ogre ships, Owl Mother, Chief of Chiefs, Kai Priestess (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this barely disguised Viking pastiche, the dragonships have real dragons and the gods fight side by side with their heroes. Named Chief of Chiefs of the sea-raiding Vindrasi, Skylan Ivorson discovers that his victory over the last chief came through another's treachery, his betrothed is in love with his best friend and his gods may be dead. Impetuously, he plunges ahead on a quest to recover the sacred Vektan Torque, but betrayal leaves the voyagers in chains. Despite some clumsy alterations to Norse myth and history, Weis and Hickman (Dragons of the Highlord Skies) have created a believably human story out of their mix of saga and sorcery, and the problems of ruling after the glee of seizing the crown make Skylan a more honest and sympathetic hero than the typical, overly successful fantasy protagonist. (Jan.)
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Review

"The authors of the Dragonlance series again demonstrate their talent for vivid world-crafting and strong characterization in a novel that will appeal to fans of epic fantasy."--Library Journal on Forging the Dark Sword, from the Darksword series

 

"Another smash hit."--Kirkus on The Hand of Chaos, from the Death Gate Cycle

 

"Bestselling authors Weis and Hickman have made another admirable addition to the history, lore, and ways of Krynn."--Publishers Weekly on Dragons of a Vanished Moon, from the Dragonlance Saga

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Product Details Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Tor Books (January 6, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 076531973X ISBN-13: 978-0765319739 Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #38 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hickman, Tracy #50 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Weis, Margaret

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Tracy Hickman

Margaret Weis

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dragon goddess, sacred torque, ogre ships, other dragonships, ogre warriors, ogre guards, silver axe, five bones

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Owl Mother, Chief of Chiefs, Kai Priestess, Bone Priestess, Dragon Kahg, Vektan Torque, Dragon Isles, Skylan Ivorson, Chief's Hall, Ugly Ones, Great Hall, Hall of Vektia, Kai Moot, Blood Dancer, War Chief, Gods of Raj, Skvlan Ivorson, Sun Goddess, Hall of Vindrash, Realm of Stone, Torval's Rock, Sea Goddess, Clan Chiefs, Blessed Vindrash, Norgaard Ivorson

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	44% buy Dragons of the Hourglass Mage: The Lost Chronicles, Volume Three 3.5 out of 5 stars (30) $17.13
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	7% buy Dragons of the Highlord Skies (Dragon Lance: The Lost Chronicles, Vol. 2) 4.3 out of 5 stars (33) $7.99
	5% buy The Pirate King: Transitions, Book II 3.5 out of 5 stars (48) $7.99

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (6) 3 star:  (3) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.8 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 14 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to a new world, January 20, 2009 By  Andrew Gray "Beezer Review" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    Bones of the Dragon by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the first novel in a new six book series titled Dragonships. I scoured the internet for the names of the names of the other books, but was unable to find any information. Fans of the fantasy genre will no doubt recognize Weis and Hickman from their Dragonlance Chronicles fame. However, this duo has collaborated on many wonderful series such as; The Deathgate Cycle, Sovereign Stone Trilogy, and The Darksword Trilogy. This series marks another foray into the genre. Here are my thoughts on this novel. This book actually has a couple main plots woven together to create a larger story. Some of the plot lines include; the gods of the Vindrasi are no longer answering prayers and seem to have disappeared, the theft of a holy relic of the Vindrasi people and what they have to do to get it back, there are also a couple separate political sub plots as well, an of course there is the requisite love interest storyline as well. In all, the plot of this book is well laid out with just enough action to keep things going. Ms Weis and Mr. Hickman do a good job of introducing the reader to a new world and how it works. There were a few things I would have liked more information of, but in the interest of word count I can understand why they were either omitted or edited. My one complaint about the plot of this book is that it felt entirely too much like plots from their previous books. For instance, the disappearance of the gods (i.e see the Dragonlance Chronicles plot), a missing holy relic (i.e. Discs from Dragonlance) and a couple other instances. Now, I understand this is its own book, but comparisons are going to be drawn between the two regardless. I just wish there was more done to separate the two stories. Looking at this book purely by itself, it was an enjoyable read. The characters in this book are both endearing and frustrating. There are several characters who play prominent roles in this book, and will most likely continue to play those roles in future novels, characters such as; Skylan, Garn, Aylaen, Treia, Kahg, and Wulfe. The most endearing of those characters is by far Wulfe. He is a character I instantly connected with and wanted to know much more about, he also has the tinge of mystery tied in as well. Garn was another character I enjoyed. Fiercely loyal, almost to a fault. Oddly enough, I did not care for the main character much at all. Skylan just seems to be to nice of a fit. What I mean is that he is very young, but already the war Chief of his tribe and his actions are very inconsistent. Several times during the book characters make a point of explaining how reckless Skylan is. However, he seems to act in two different manners. One is as a young man not familiar with things, brash and reckless. But other times, he seems to act like a wizened elder. The dialogue for the characters was well done and for the most part I felt that each character spoke with a unique voice. There was also a substantial amount of character development for the main characters which was nice to see. Skylan was the only character was not able to connect with on some level, the rest of the characters were well done and complimented the story very well. A couple criticisms about this novel: 1 - As I said above, I wish pieces of the plot did not have the feeling of `been there done that'. A couple plot elements just seemed too much like elements in other books by these two authors. In fact when I first read about the gods I inwardly groaned. I understand the adage don't fix what is not broke, but I am left to wonder if it could have been done a different way. 2 - The inconsistent actions by Skylan. To me, he really seemed like two separate characters by how he acted. He does have some nice character progression, but there is something about him that just didn't work for me. Actually, now that I think about it, I have a lot of the same feelings for him as I did for Sturm Brightblade. Some things I liked about this novel: 1 - The uniqueness of the setting. I loved the Scandinavian/ Nordic feel of this novel. The rugged terrain, how people survive, etc. The world worked really well. I would have liked to learn a little more about it to start with, but this being the first of six books we will most likely learn more later. 2 - Wulfe. I really can't say enough good things about this character. I really enjoyed his plight, his story, and his actions. This is what a character should be. Although, he does have the tendency to steal every scene he is in. But I was completely okay with that. 3 - As readers have seen time and time again, when Ms. Weis and Mr. Hickman get together, their prose, storylines, and characters can create a certain magic. That is again the case with his book. I have always enjoyed the even flow of the prose these two authors produce and this book is no different. Starting a new series is always taking a chance, however when authors have such a good track record as these two there was little doubt I would not be entertained. This is a solid fantasy novel and has tings in it that will please almost all fans of the genre. Readers looking to dabble in the genre could very easily pick this book up and not be lost at all. If you enjoyed the Dragonlance novels I firmly believe you will enjoy this one as well. In fact, if you didn't enjoy the Dragonlance books, I would still suggest giving this one a read because while there are similarities there are enough differences as well. When all is said and done, I am glad I picked this one up and will eagerly be looking forward to the next installment. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Dragonships the next Weis and Hickman Masterpiece, April 4, 2009 By  Jeremy Corlis "Savvy Bookworm" (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I recently finished this book, I purchased it a couple months ago, but started reading it two days ago. I finished it yesterday. To sum it up... amazing. Although I am not a big fan of the protagonist, Skylan, there is great deal of background information. There is also an interesting mix of characters, story lines, and cliffhanging moments. One thing I liked about early Dragonlance works is that learning about Krynn was engaging. Raistlin is still my favorite Dragonlance guy hopefully Wulfe has the same effect. Learning about this new world and all the intricacies of the pantheon was interesting. Other than the main character and his crappy behavior and immature antics the only sad point is that I have to wait for the next book. :( I hope it comes out soon. It's been a while since I read a book that hooked me the way this one did. After Wizards' antics with with the Hourglass mage book, I doubt I will read another of their books so its nice to know that Weis and Hickman are branching out to something else. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Good Vikings, mediocre dragons, February 25, 2009 By  Theoden Humphrey "Dusty" (Oregon, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Three stars is just right here: this one was right in the middle, for me. I am a fan of Weis and Hickman, though not a fanatic, so I was excited about a book that had both vikings and dragons. Yet it took me a bit longer than usual to finish the book, and despite the exciting plot elements -- which abound -- it felt like it dragged at times. I read some of the critical reviews of this book here, and I was trying to think of problems I saw, flaws I could pinpoint, but I couldn't do it. But I also can't rave about the book, because there is something missing, some intangible element that would make this a great book, which it isn't. The basic theme is an interesting one: what would you do if your gods abandoned you? Perhaps even -- died? The story is played out in a character several reviewers had trouble with: Skylan Ivorson. I had trouble with him, too, but only for the reason I was supposed to: Skylan is an idiot. He is a beautiful young man with flowing golden locks and piercing blue eyes; he is the son of the chief of his tribe of the Vindras people, and their war chief, as he is the greatest warrior. Skylan has been blessed by the gods, and he knows it. So throughout the first half of the book, Skylan assumes he can do anything, have anything he wants, and his patron deity, Torval, will help him to get it, since he honors Torval with every conquest, every victory (all of which -- coincidentally, of course -- honor Skylan as well). So Skylan, who is one of the point of view characters (and a very well-written one, since he is a fool but not a bad guy and that is how his narrative voice sounds), has very little patience with people who want to do things differently, who want to think instead of charge ahead, who want to negotiate instead of fight. He has especially little patience for the woman he loves, because she keeps being coy -- because she is actually in love with his best friend, Garn, the smart one; an open secret which everyone in the village has figured out. Except Skylan. So when ogres invade, telling the Vindrasi that their gods have lost a war in heaven and died, Skylan wants to kill them all, and eventually he gets his wish -- though that, of course, is the question: do the Vindrasi succeed in driving off the ogres because their gods are not dead, but supporting them in their struggle? Or is it the greater fighting ability of the Vindrasi, combined with the might of the dragon who takes their side? We are not sure. This is really only the beginning of the story; the Chief of Chiefs of the Vindrasi is an atheist, and (coincidentally, I'm sure) an incredible scumbag who betrays his people for the sake of his cowardice; he is dealt with in a very surprising way, and it leads to a whole new plot line that I wasn't expecting. I suppose if I had an issue with this book it was there: I didn't really like the direction Skylan went, or the choices he makes. But that can't be a criticism of the book, since I wasn't supposed to like either one. I did really enjoy the magical creatures in the book, the druids and the Fey and the giants, especially -- though I didn't care for the dragons, which was certainly a problem, as they are rather important to a book called "Bones of the Dragon," first in the Dragonships series. They seemed too pat, too easy, almost too mythical; their origin story and their reasons for helping the Vindrasi are less interesting than if they had simply been left as a question mark, their motives and history mysterious. I would also criticize the women in the book, who are shallow and silly and evil, except that I liked the Owl Woman character enormously, and the girl Aylaen, whom Skylan loves, is great, except for the way she and Garn deal with their love triangle problem, and for the way she acts at the end of the book. I liked the book, but not really enough to want to read an entire series on the same story line. Especially not one that delves deeper into the dragons' story. In all honesty, after all the years I've been reading fantasy, I think dragons are pretty well played out. The most interesting dragon story I've read recently has been Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, and the most interesting thing about it is how the dragons are taken out of a traditional fantasy setting and plopped into the Napoleonic Wars. But Eragon? Yech. This book is far better than Paolini's, but still not good enough to make me want to read three more just like it.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars A decent fantasy The latest series by the great duo of Weis and Hickman is set in a Nordic themed fantastic world combining longships and raiding tribal warriors with dragons and mystical fae... Read more Published 2 months ago by George L. Dziuk III 2.0 out of 5 stars Decently written, unlikeable main character, slow plot I've really enjoyed some of Weis and Hickman's previous work- particularly the Death Gate Cycle, loved all of those- so I thought I would give this one a try. Read more Published 4 months ago by Nancy Cravey 5.0 out of 5 stars bones of the dragon good book thought it was part of dragonlance series, it is not! It is a good book though Published 4 months ago by Joshua B. Miller 4.0 out of 5 stars Back to Form! I had been disappointed at the Dragonlance novels that Weis and Hickman had been turning out lately. It seemed like they stretched 100 pages of action into 400. Read more Published 6 months ago by BK in SD 5.0 out of 5 stars Bones of the Dragon I found the book intriguing and slightly different than the others I've read by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Read more Published 6 months ago by G. Charland 5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read! I love all of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and this is another great addition. Published 7 months ago by Ladros 3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad ! A little slow in starting. It gets better as it goes! Like most,it gets hard to put down towards the end! I liked it! Published 8 months ago by Alphonce D 4.0 out of 5 stars Bones, bones, them bones The newest Weis and Hickman series, Dragonships, starts with a bang! (or is that a whimper?) The Vindrasi had once been a mighty people. Read more Published 8 months ago by Tim Lasiuta 4.0 out of 5 stars Best new world from Weis & Hickman for a long time... I have been reading Dragonlance and other Weis&Hickman books since 1984. Although I have enjoyed most of them, I didn't particularly care for the Death Gate Series. Read more Published 8 months ago by Jill Tank 5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Consistent and Prolific Writing Team I know.... Like most Weis and Hickman fans, I started with Dragonlance (and the Legends trilogy to be more specific). Read more Published 8 months ago by LPF Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076531973X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765319739
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #38 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hickman, Tracy
  #50 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Weis, Margaret

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to a new world, January 20, 2009

By	Andrew Gray "Beezer Review" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Bones of the Dragon by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the first novel in a new six book series titled Dragonships. I scoured the internet for the names of the names of the other books, but was unable to find any information. Fans of the fantasy genre will no doubt recognize Weis and Hickman from their Dragonlance Chronicles fame. However, this duo has collaborated on many wonderful series such as; The Deathgate Cycle, Sovereign Stone Trilogy, and The Darksword Trilogy. This series marks another foray into the genre. Here are my thoughts on this novel.

This book actually has a couple main plots woven together to create a larger story. Some of the plot lines include; the gods of the Vindrasi are no longer answering prayers and seem to have disappeared, the theft of a holy relic of the Vindrasi people and what they have to do to get it back, there are also a couple separate political sub plots as well, an of course there is the requisite love interest storyline as well. In all, the plot of this book is well laid out with just enough action to keep things going. Ms Weis and Mr. Hickman do a good job of introducing the reader to a new world and how it works. There were a few things I would have liked more information of, but in the interest of word count I can understand why they were either omitted or edited. My one complaint about the plot of this book is that it felt entirely too much like plots from their previous books. For instance, the disappearance of the gods (i.e see the Dragonlance Chronicles plot), a missing holy relic (i.e. Discs from Dragonlance) and a couple other instances. Now, I understand this is its own book, but comparisons are going to be drawn between the two regardless. I just wish there was more done to separate the two stories. Looking at this book purely by itself, it was an enjoyable read.

The characters in this book are both endearing and frustrating. There are several characters who play prominent roles in this book, and will most likely continue to play those roles in future novels, characters such as; Skylan, Garn, Aylaen, Treia, Kahg, and Wulfe. The most endearing of those characters is by far Wulfe. He is a character I instantly connected with and wanted to know much more about, he also has the tinge of mystery tied in as well. Garn was another character I enjoyed. Fiercely loyal, almost to a fault. Oddly enough, I did not care for the main character much at all. Skylan just seems to be to nice of a fit. What I mean is that he is very young, but already the war Chief of his tribe and his actions are very inconsistent. Several times during the book characters make a point of explaining how reckless Skylan is. However, he seems to act in two different manners. One is as a young man not familiar with things, brash and reckless. But other times, he seems to act like a wizened elder. The dialogue for the characters was well done and for the most part I felt that each character spoke with a unique voice. There was also a substantial amount of character development for the main characters which was nice to see. Skylan was the only character was not able to connect with on some level, the rest of the characters were well done and complimented the story very well.

A couple criticisms about this novel:

1 - As I said above, I wish pieces of the plot did not have the feeling of `been there done that'. A couple plot elements just seemed too much like elements in other books by these two authors. In fact when I first read about the gods I inwardly groaned. I understand the adage don't fix what is not broke, but I am left to wonder if it could have been done a different way.

2 - The inconsistent actions by Skylan. To me, he really seemed like two separate characters by how he acted. He does have some nice character progression, but there is something about him that just didn't work for me. Actually, now that I think about it, I have a lot of the same feelings for him as I did for Sturm Brightblade.

Some things I liked about this novel:

1 - The uniqueness of the setting. I loved the Scandinavian/ Nordic feel of this novel. The rugged terrain, how people survive, etc. The world worked really well. I would have liked to learn a little more about it to start with, but this being the first of six books we will most likely learn more later.

2 - Wulfe. I really can't say enough good things about this character. I really enjoyed his plight, his story, and his actions. This is what a character should be. Although, he does have the tendency to steal every scene he is in. But I was completely okay with that.

3 - As readers have seen time and time again, when Ms. Weis and Mr. Hickman get together, their prose, storylines, and characters can create a certain magic. That is again the case with his book. I have always enjoyed the even flow of the prose these two authors produce and this book is no different.

Starting a new series is always taking a chance, however when authors have such a good track record as these two there was little doubt I would not be entertained. This is a solid fantasy novel and has tings in it that will please almost all fans of the genre. Readers looking to dabble in the genre could very easily pick this book up and not be lost at all. If you enjoyed the Dragonlance novels I firmly believe you will enjoy this one as well. In fact, if you didn't enjoy the Dragonlance books, I would still suggest giving this one a read because while there are similarities there are enough differences as well. When all is said and done, I am glad I picked this one up and will eagerly be looking forward to the next installment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dragonships the next Weis and Hickman Masterpiece, April 4, 2009

By	Jeremy Corlis "Savvy Bookworm" (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently finished this book, I purchased it a couple months ago, but started reading it two days ago. I finished it yesterday. To sum it up... amazing.

Although I am not a big fan of the protagonist, Skylan, there is great deal of background information. There is also an interesting mix of characters, story lines, and cliffhanging moments.
One thing I liked about early Dragonlance works is that learning about Krynn was engaging. Raistlin is still my favorite Dragonlance guy hopefully Wulfe has the same effect. Learning about this new world and all the intricacies of the pantheon was interesting.

Other than the main character and his crappy behavior and immature antics the only sad point is that I have to wait for the next book. :( I hope it comes out soon. It's been a while since I read a book that hooked me the way this one did.

After Wizards' antics with with the Hourglass mage book, I doubt I will read another of their books so its nice to know that Weis and Hickman are branching out to something else.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Vikings, mediocre dragons, February 25, 2009

By	Theoden Humphrey "Dusty" (Oregon, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Three stars is just right here: this one was right in the middle, for me. I am a fan of Weis and Hickman, though not a fanatic, so I was excited about a book that had both vikings and dragons. Yet it took me a bit longer than usual to finish the book, and despite the exciting plot elements -- which abound -- it felt like it dragged at times. I read some of the critical reviews of this book here, and I was trying to think of problems I saw, flaws I could pinpoint, but I couldn't do it. But I also can't rave about the book, because there is something missing, some intangible element that would make this a great book, which it isn't.

The basic theme is an interesting one: what would you do if your gods abandoned you? Perhaps even -- died? The story is played out in a character several reviewers had trouble with: Skylan Ivorson. I had trouble with him, too, but only for the reason I was supposed to: Skylan is an idiot. He is a beautiful young man with flowing golden locks and piercing blue eyes; he is the son of the chief of his tribe of the Vindras people, and their war chief, as he is the greatest warrior. Skylan has been blessed by the gods, and he knows it. So throughout the first half of the book, Skylan assumes he can do anything, have anything he wants, and his patron deity, Torval, will help him to get it, since he honors Torval with every conquest, every victory (all of which -- coincidentally, of course -- honor Skylan as well). So Skylan, who is one of the point of view characters (and a very well-written one, since he is a fool but not a bad guy and that is how his narrative voice sounds), has very little patience with people who want to do things differently, who want to think instead of charge ahead, who want to negotiate instead of fight. He has especially little patience for the woman he loves, because she keeps being coy -- because she is actually in love with his best friend, Garn, the smart one; an open secret which everyone in the village has figured out. Except Skylan.

So when ogres invade, telling the Vindrasi that their gods have lost a war in heaven and died, Skylan wants to kill them all, and eventually he gets his wish -- though that, of course, is the question: do the Vindrasi succeed in driving off the ogres because their gods are not dead, but supporting them in their struggle? Or is it the greater fighting ability of the Vindrasi, combined with the might of the dragon who takes their side? We are not sure.

This is really only the beginning of the story; the Chief of Chiefs of the Vindrasi is an atheist, and (coincidentally, I'm sure) an incredible scumbag who betrays his people for the sake of his cowardice; he is dealt with in a very surprising way, and it leads to a whole new plot line that I wasn't expecting. I suppose if I had an issue with this book it was there: I didn't really like the direction Skylan went, or the choices he makes. But that can't be a criticism of the book, since I wasn't supposed to like either one. I did really enjoy the magical creatures in the book, the druids and the Fey and the giants, especially -- though I didn't care for the dragons, which was certainly a problem, as they are rather important to a book called "Bones of the Dragon," first in the Dragonships series. They seemed too pat, too easy, almost too mythical; their origin story and their reasons for helping the Vindrasi are less interesting than if they had simply been left as a question mark, their motives and history mysterious. I would also criticize the women in the book, who are shallow and silly and evil, except that I liked the Owl Woman character enormously, and the girl Aylaen, whom Skylan loves, is great, except for the way she and Garn deal with their love triangle problem, and for the way she acts at the end of the book.

I liked the book, but not really enough to want to read an entire series on the same story line. Especially not one that delves deeper into the dragons' story. In all honesty, after all the years I've been reading fantasy, I think dragons are pretty well played out. The most interesting dragon story I've read recently has been Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, and the most interesting thing about it is how the dragons are taken out of a traditional fantasy setting and plopped into the Napoleonic Wars. But Eragon? Yech. This book is far better than Paolini's, but still not good enough to make me want to read three more just like it.