Customer Reviews

The Book of Water (Dragon Quartet, Vol. Two)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Book of Water, the second in the series begun with the Book of Earth, has some wonderfully unexpected surprises. Take all your notions of typical fantasy books--now, turn them all upside-down. I was not as impressed by the first book; it did seem to follow the standard formulas somewhat, and it didn't seem too daring. But the sequel makes it clear that the solid certainties of the Book of Earth were meant to lull readers into a false sense of security. I thought I knew where the series was headed--boy, was I wrong! Several questions were answered, but many more mysteries have cropped up, not least of which is the nature of the main characters--the dragons themselves. At this point, I am a committed reader of the series, eagerly awaiting the next book. Reccommended

Since I read this book a year ago I have read at least a hundred other stories, yet this book still sticks in my mind as a wonderful tale. While the leading man introduced with this book leaves me cold, as lacking some of the lovable qualities of Erde, I love the new dragon Water. Ms. Kellogg's vision of a future earth is unique and provides a wonderful setting for this poignant story. Believable characters and a plot that keeps you guessing, this is a book *worthy of having a sequel printed sometime this century*. Ahem. :) I can't wait to see the rest of the Quartet.

When I got this from the library I didn't expect much, I hadn't read the 1st in the quartet and I didn't know if it was going to be one of those confusing fantasy stories or a good one that would keep me hooked for hours. Little did I know that it was an AWESOME book that kept me reading until past midnight!! I couldn't put it down, I love the whole plot, story, and everything! The characters are loveable, the dragons are cool, its a great story you must read.

'In the Beginning, four mighty dragons raised of elemental energies were put to work creating the World. They were called Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. No one of them had power greater than another, and no one of them is powerful alone. When the work was completed and the World set in motion , the four went to ground, expecting to sleep out this World's particular history and not rise again until World's End.' -from the beginning of The Book of Earth by Marjorie B. Kellogg

This is a fantastic series of dragon novels that let's you follow the Dragon's and their Guides adventures one at a time. I can't wait until The Book of Fire and The Book of Air are finished. Hopefully very soon! Enjoy you're reading and have fun! : )

The Book of Water, the second novel in the Dragon Quartet, is an exceedingly different novel than its predecessor The Book of Water. This is largely explained by the fact that the setting has changed from the Germanies of 913 to an African country in the year 2013. Admittedly, I was deeply rooted into the Middle Ages account of the first book and very much in harmony with young Erde and the Dragon Earth. So, so much seemed to happen in that novel. The Book of Water is exact same number of pages, but very little seemed to happen this time around. The new Dragon Guide we meet here is also very difficult to like, and that above all else diminished the impact of this novel for me personally. Erde went about everything with complete sincerity, but this new Guide, despite Erde's (not to mention two dragons') influences upon him, does not seem to have a sincere bone in his body.

When the world was created, four dragons (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air) were created to do the work, after which point they went to ground, to sleep until this world they had created ended. Now, the dragons are reawakening, answering a summons they do not yet understand and remembering only bits and pieces of their own history. Each of the four books in the series gives us a newly reawakened dragon and his/her Dragon Guide. Water is the older sister of Earth, and her special dragon ability is shape-shifting. Earth and Erde have responded to a summons and jumped from 913 to 2013 to join forces with Water and her guide. N'doch is Erde's exact opposite; there is always a culture clash when a baron's daughter from 913 meets up with a street-smart dreamer from an environmentally abused earth of 2013, but N'doch can never seem to get his head together. In the first several chapters (and this becomes increasingly annoying to the reader), he thinks his introduction to Erde and the two dragons is some kind of Candid Camera setup, and he oftentimes has the remarkable ability to forget, despite the proximity of his new companions, that dragons actually exist - and not just during those times that Water has shape-shifted herself into the image of a human. Each time you think he finally sees the light, he returns to the same selfish person interested only in his own future and dreams, never fully accepting his responsibilities as a dragon guide.

Very little actually happens here, and the action of the second half of the novel is just a little too far "out there" for my tastes. Erde was in constant danger and surrounded by incredibly important acts and events in the first novel, but our main characters here just seem to bumble around, oftentimes with no real sense of purpose, and hide on a few occasions. Without the steadying influence of Erde and Earth, this novel might have developed into a true free-or-all. The author made things a little worse than they could have been by choosing to present N'doch's story from a third person present tense. This seems an entirely unnecessary and sometimes clumsy way to distinguish between the remarkably different perspectives of N'doch and Erde. Thank goodness for Erde's dreams, I must add, as they retain for the reader a strong link to the events still going on in her own time of 913 - that is where the true action and suspense in this series lies - at least so far.

I have been extreamly impressed with this whole series so far. The main characters, N'doch & Erde are very believable & well writen. The author, Marjorie B. Kellogg makes you belive her dragons are real. The Book of Water has a good plot & leaves you with an air of mystery at the end. At the first of the book I was a little unsure because it didn't start exactly where the last one left off, but I was not dissapointed. Also, like every one else who has read this book, I can't wait for the next to come out.

I am not exactly an expert on writing, but I have read my fair share of Fiction. I found the book to have a great storyline, that kept me reading well past the time I entended to go to bed, but found the parts told by N'Doch (which were told in present tense) slightly hard to read. I am usually open to all kinds of writing styles, but I found those parts a little disappointing, especially with the parts told by Erde being 3rd person.

Unlike many other people who read the book, and found N'Doch's Character disappointing, I didn't. One of the things that I enjoied most about the Dragon Quartet books was that Kellogg keeps it real, like with Rainar in The Book of Earth, N'Doch's character is more of what we actually find in life.

Overall I enjoied the book, and cannot wait to read the next in the series.

when compared to The Book of Earth and The Book of Fire (1st & 3rd in the series). I think she moved a bit out of her own element and too far into a cultural theme she wasn't entirely at ease with, based on her constant use of colloquialisms and what seemed to be a rather thin plot line. The Book of Fire, though, makes this one worth wading through in order to get further along in the series. Any idea on when The Book of Air should be coming out?

I found this series in 1994 and have not stopped searching for the rest of the series hopefully the next book will come out before the mellenium. If you like dragons and dont mind childish boys then this is a book for you. Its funny and somewhat realistic of what the future could be. If you like this one then i might suggest you read anne logston....

It was quite a "thriller". I can't wait for Fire and Air to come out!! When will that be any way?! It's been over two years already!! I mean, come on, it does not take that long to write a book like that!!!!!