Customer Reviews

The Dragon Delasangre

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Reading earlier reviews, it seems that the people who want 'dark' and 'edgy' fiction do not like this book. They feel it is boring and there's no action. That's fair enough; it's not fast-moving and the focus is not on the 'bad guys'. I haven't read much Anne Rice (I can't stand her), so I don't know if it's like her. It's not like Laurell K. Hamilton either.

I like this book. It has a very sci-fi feel, despite not being a sci-fi. The dragons are *not* human, and they aren't really based on myths either (and really, in fantasy, it doesn't matter if creatures are or are not based on myths. Someone may have a preference, but it doesn't make or break a book). They have different interests, and this book is dedicated to exploring a young dragon who was raised partly among humans--it reads like a book where an alien was raised among humans. Few fantasys now days take a serious look at what it may be to not be human. They give their non-humans too much humanity. Troop doesn't do this with his dragons, and yet he creates an interesting main character.

The plot is very basic. A shapeshifting dragon who goes about his life, catches scent of a female, then goes on a quest for a mate and tries to find his self between his dragon nature and some of his human-ish morals and thoughts. If you want swashbuckling and fights and magic and fire and action, this probably isn't the book for you. If you want an exploration of a non-human character and culture, and writing that is definately above average, then it is for you.

I hope I clairified what type of book this is. The "This book sucks!" comments were getting on my nerves, espcially because it's rare for me to find a new author that I like, and I could give you a list a mile long on some books that really were bad and cliche that I've read. This book is a gem. It's not flashy, but it's solidly made and interesting.

... and this book is one of them.

I see people trying to compare this work to that of Anne Rice and I am offended... aside from the derivative style of the title, I see nothing in common. Even Rice's throwaway victim characters are better developed than the lead in this story; a plain vanilla playboy who systematically throws away any trace of humanity out of what appears to be no more than laziness.

I am a rabid dragon fan; and even more, a bit of a morph art fan. So, if anyone could understand this book and give it an honest chance, it would be me.

First off, we start with one of the worst possible mistakes a writer can make - creating a character who is smarter and more experienced than the writer himself. In this case it results in a protagonist who is at best a bore, and at worst simply too dumb to believe.

He alternates between moments of almost decent human-ness and stupid dragon-ness in the flick of an eye... he moons over the delights of a human girl, then in the next instant bites her head off to keep her from learning his secret without even trying to hide himself and prevent it... then moons over her some more, then feeds her to his Father. Yeah, so human.

The dragonish half of the equation is even worse; I could at least respect his father - a true predator, unashamed of what he was and devoted to his offspring.

I find the entire concept of a dragon who eats humans because he PREFERS them to be ludicrous in this day and age... aside from the obvious moral dilemma revolving around the concept of a sentient creature treating another sentient creature as prey, the hundreds of different toxins a human being carries around as a result of exposure to his artificial environment would make him distasteful to any carnivore... that whole "taste of human flesh" thing is arrogant anthrocentric BS.

Everything else reads like some adolescent boy's masturbation fantasy... the dragon courtship ritual is a cliche' right out of some 50s B-movie... Fight another male to the death, feed off it's carcass, then ravage the not-unwilling female and she's yours for life.

Good lord, I thought this kind of drivel died out with the Duke.

The human sex is weak at best, and the dragon sex, while slightly more detailed, is described in too much detail to be mere allusion, and not nearly enough detail or creatively rendered enough to be the least bit interesting.

The entire story alternates between him mooning over someone or making the dumbest choices possible... like allowing his stupid cow of a dragoness wife to wear the murdered girl's necklace to an interview with her brother, when anyone with half a brain would have disposed of the trinket in the sea, and any real predator would have killed off the brother long before he could become an actual threat.

Throughout the story we hear the dragon couple talk of love... though I can see no honest foundation for it other than time and parenthood. These two have nothing in common except species, and quite honestly, I think neither of them is capable of love.

The ending is very well telegraphed; by the time he meets his dragon mate's family (the first quarter of the book) everything is in place, and I already know what will eventually happen. Why I kept reading I don't know; I guess it must have been sheer stubbornness. I was rewarded for that in some small measure with the climax. The last 30 pages of the story are in fact decent collegiate level creative writing, but it all depends on stupid artificial constructs from earlier on, and even then here and there we see uncharacteristic behavior and artifice inserted to make the ending come out the way he needs. I really hoped for more.

Peter Delasangre is not our protagonist here; most who read this will come to feel for the dead sister's brother much more than him, and that only because he is the only one who isn't scum.

Delasangre is not any kind of good at all... yet, he is not evil enough or smart enough for you to respect and despise him at the same time... he doesn't even stick to his own rules, and throughout the book shows absolutely no moral fiber whatsoever, be it good or evil. He doesn't qualify as a hero, he dooesn't qualify as a villain, in fact, he doesn't even get past the casting call.

His father repeatedly tells him "We are what we are."

He is neither... what he is or what he is not... because the writer is too busy masturbating his mind to decide what that should be.

The Dragon Delasangre is one of those rare novels wherein the protagonist is essentially unlikeable, yet the writing is good enough to keep you reading to the end. Basically a variation on a vampire story, Mr. Troop spins an engaging yarn about a creature caught between two worlds - that of his draconic ancestry, and his human upbringing. Unfortunately, where Anne Rice manages to make the reader care for her blood-thirsty monsters, Mr. Troop's attempts to humanize his main character by inserting moments of remorse and conscience smack of insincerity due to their unlasting affect on the character. Peter Delasangre kills humans (his kind's preferred food) again and again, usually without even a pang of regret, then bemoans the tragedies in his own life such as his loneliness and the loss of loved ones. While it is made clear that Peter could survive on rare steaks instead of human flesh, we are expected to believe that his acts are necessary simply because humans have always been the preferred food for dragons. While Mr. Troop undoubtedly intends that we understand that Dragons are not human - the main theme of the book - the obvious humanity of the character combined with his blood-thirsty ways, leaves the reader in the unenviable position of disliking the viewpoint character and not caring what tragedies befall him.
It's like expecting the reader to care about a remorseless mass-murderer because he's depressed over being lonely. This novel is worth reading, but don't expect to come away from it with a warm fuzzy feeling. I'll probably read the sequel just because Mr. Troop is a talented writer, and because I'm curious to see if he can develop the character of Peter into something more sympathetic and likeable.

I admit that I'm not the biggest book fan in the world, but if you combine my love and fascination with dragons with the recommendation of this book by a friend, I couldn't resist. This, being the first book I've really sought interest in, fulfilled my expectations.

To start off, however, it seems from a couple reviews that some readers fail to understand the concept behind the dragons. So I take it they're not familiar with anthros (those of you who have visited VCL (Vixen-Controlled Library) and Furnation will know what I mean). The dragons featured in this story are of anthropic breed, meaning they possess all of human traits and almost all of dragons. However, anthropic breeds can't breathe fire. So really, this absence isn't a flaw to the story if you give it a bit of thought.

It may be a bit of a tough chew to those who never sought a love for dragons before, but once you learn to like the creatures, you'll never go back.

As some may probably read in the editorial review, the story focuses around dragons and how they live, love, and feed (mostly upon drifters and unpopular, unwealthy) individuals). Some can be passionate or aggressive. While they may walk among us as humans (they're changelings, too), anyone who discovers their secrets is never seen again. The creatures are portrayed in a way that's beautiful and emotional, but also disturbing and misanthropic. The sex squences are definitely erotic, and the shapeshifting and self-healing abilities are effectively and intelligently used...

However, I can't recommend this book to readers under the age majority (17, at least), due to the violence, sexual content, and a few f-words here and there (only from Santos, once he appears). Thankfully, though, the harsh cursing is non-existent in scenes purely focused on the dragons, and those completely outnumber the foul-mouthed bits.

All negative reviewers criticize me if you will, but all who can understand and appreciate the novel's concept will be rewarded by a truly fascinating, engrossing journey that will unleash all the draconic and misanthropic emotions within.

Also, prepare for "Dragon Moon", Alan's next book, which hits April 1st!

Reading this book is like reading a teenagers fantasy. It's all about longing for a girl, finding the girl, getting the girl, having sex with the girl, eating helpless human victims AND proving your manliness buy weilding money, power and big guns. It all got to be a bit too much for me. How many times do I really want to read about Dragons having sex? Not many. I kept wondering if people are really turned on by this type of thing or was I just missing something.

Ultimately, I don't know and the story is so lightweight that bigger issues don't matter. This is the equivelant of a blokbuster summer movie. One cool idea (shape-shifting dragons living amongst us) made to be not as interesting as you thought because of the been-there-done-that feel of the story. There are similarities in feel to Anne Rices' work, but this is a copy of her formula and doesn't take it anywhere that it hasn't been already.

That said. This is well written in the sense that I was made to like Dela Sangre eventhough he's basically an oversexed, self centered bore who'd rip open my gut and eat me alive. For to have ANY like for a guy with those traits not only says something about me but the ability of the writer as well.

There are dragons among us; dangerous, powerful beings that take human form, but can never truly fit in. That's the premise of "The Dragon Delasangre," and it's quite a good idea.

But here's an idea of how bad this book is: I have something of an obsession with dragons, and I would *not* read it a second time.

Troop tries to be Anne Rice, and falls flat on his face. Perhaps this is because Ms. Rice actually uses vampire myths for her tortured predators. Troop discards all dragon legendry, attempts to create his own, and fails miserably.

So what we have are big green (yes, green; invariably green) flying lizards which *happen* to be able to shape-shift like Chinese dragons, but bear no other resemblance. Their mating habits are altogether too human to be truly alien, but at the same time too alien to be human (or even believable). They prey on humans not out of necessity, but out of convenience. Their "human" identities are always both devastatingly attractive and independently wealthy. And of course, they are Not Evil, But Just Misunderstood.

The protagonist (hero, or even antihero, does not fit), Peter Delasangre, starts out as a seemingly honorable example of a more-or-less amoral race. But he quickly becomes much like Troop has led us to expect of dragons, and ends up despicable even by the standards of his deplorable kind. If this transformation were more gradual, or if the story meant to explain it were more than a gory soap opera, it might have been understandable. Instead, it just prevents Delasangre from being in any way a sympathetic character.

All in all, I have no idea how anyone could rate this higher than Anne McCaffrey's earlier work. If you want to read about dragons, almost *anything* is better than "The Dragon Delasangre."

Peter Delasangre belongs to a family of shape-shifting dragons who live off the coast of Miami. Since the staple diet of dragons consists mostly of humans, Peter and his family often take on the form of their prey to lure their victims to their untimely deaths. After a young, pretty waitress ends up as Peter's dinner, it comes as a rather a shock to him that her family has managed to trace her disappearance back to Peter--and they're out for blood. Bad timing, especially since Peter has just found--and married--the love of his life, a beautiful lady dragon by the name of Elizabeth. Troop builds a fascinating world of dragon culture in which to set his tale. Dragon weddings, it turns out, are not that much different from human ones, in that they involve dowries, marriage vows, in-laws, etc. Unfortunately, the fantasy world plays only a supporting role, while a cast of truly despicable protagonists take center stage. Peter and his dragon bride are cruel, self-centered, and just unlikable in general, while the antagonists (the characters the reader is not supposed to sympathize with) turn out to be devoted, dedicated, law-abiding citizens you can't help but cheer for. This leaves the reviewer to beg the question: "Where's St. George when you really need him?"

I picked up "The Dragon DelaSangre" from the suggestion of a friend, and after doing a little bit of research (and unfortunately spoiling the ending by looking at the back cover of the second book,) I decided that it may be worth the read. Needless to say, I was very impressed. Dragons have always interested me, and a story about one living in a modern day world sounded interesting. Having not read any of the other authors' works that are the basis for the main criticism for DelaSangre (the fact that it's basically another author's work, except with Dragons,) I knew that I would be in for something new and different. And different it is.

The story tells of the life of Peter DelaSangre ("of the blood," for the spanish-illiterate, namely myself) through his life before and during his first true mate. It's presented in first person, which has its own qualities and flaws. For one, while you're presented with the view of something that is obviously not human, you spend most of the time following him as he masquerades as one, through his race's power of shape-shifting. Of course, you need to take into account that he lives in a very human-run world, and the story justifies his choice of form well enough, as Peter easily spends more than half of the book out of his natural dragon form. While overall the presentation of his thoughts and experiences is good, you still can't shake the thought that sometimes, things get a little slated or vague, which hampers the reader's immersion of such an impressive beast living in a fictional representation of the real world.

DelaSangre is quick, no denying that, but the pace at which the action (especially in the later scenes) is still thorough enough for the reader to not feel lost. I really liked how Troop takes insignificant parts of the beginning, and ends up having them be the basis for the rest of the story. This leads up to the climax of the story, which is both heart-wrenching and brilliant in both its execution and presentation. While the book ends on an exceptionally sour note, it leaves ample room for expansion through the second, third, and fourth (which I'm just finishing) novels.

What I hadn't really liked about the book is the lack of characterization for some of the more important characters. The parents of Peter's mate are utterly blank, save for a brief description of the father. While they are explained in better detail in the second book, an unsuspecting reader would likely not find this to be a very solid point in the book. The worst has to be the little sister, who plays a major role in the second book. She is utterly devoid of characterization, and is presented in a way that makes you think "what the heck?" when you read the second book.

What "DelaSangre" does well if pretty much everything else. The story is engaging, and emotion-inducing (a rarity for me,) and I enjoyed much of it. While the middle part is a bit shaky, the latter part of the book more than makes up for it, and lays the ground for its continuation. While this book is most definitely not for everybody, it's still a good read, and I would recommend it to those looking for something really, truly different.

Peter DelaSangre is a wealthy Miami-based business tycoon who lives with his aged father on a nine acre island off the Key Biscayne, but debut novelist, Alan Troop wastes little time tipping us off to the fact that there's something very different about these two wealthy recluses. They are dragons, "of the blood," and their history among mankind is decidedly colorful and definitely less than charitable. And while Troop deals fairly well with the nuts and bolts of maintaining such a monstrous secret, it's best not to think about the fact that the waters off south Florida are probably scanned with more military FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared Radar) technology then any other section of our border. That minor techno-point aside, I was thoroughly engaged from the first page.

The book's great plot rub is that Peter's late mother was enamored of human beings, and insisted, over her husband's objections, that her son be educated in human schools. Consequently, despite his significantly higher roost on the food chain, our scaley protagonist (a graduate of the University of Miami) rather likes humans. This doesn't keep him from eating them, of course, but the complications of having one clawed foot in each world is fertile ground for a moving novel about accepting one's self for what or whom one is. This is also a coming-of-age story in the best tradition; and, not surprisingly, the drama of lust, love, and survival translate well from our reality to that of your average deeply conflicted dragon.

The Dragon DelaSangre is a very thoughtful and rewarding read.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a fun read and kept me turning the pages. Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it a great, fun read? Yes. I liked the way Troop gave the dragons their own hidden culture. These are different dragons. They live for a few hundred years instead of thousands. They are not so big that they dominate everything. They can be killed. They are not your typical dragon of fantasy literature. I also liked they way Peter Delasangre was given feelings for the humans he has to kill. He seems a monster trapped in a world without escape. "We are what we are."