The Dragon King Saga [Paperback]

Stephen Lawhead (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Dragon King Saga | Publication Date: September 1, 2002

The three volumes that comprise this compelling saga begin with In the Hall of the Dragon King, and follow the fortunes of Quentin, who as a young temple acolyte, seeks to overthrow the evil loosed by Necromancer Nimrood and to save Mensandor, the realm of the Dragon King. In the second volume, The Warlords of Nin, Quentin once again holds the king’s destiny in his hands as the Wolf Star grows greater and the power of the Nin increases, spreading its black terror. In The Sword and the Flame, the final volume, Quentin reigns as Dragon King and faces an insidious attack of evil—from within himself—when Nimrood holds his son hostage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fantasy with thunder and chase, with peril and breathtaking escapes.” -- FANTASY NEWSLETTER

“An impressive use of the tried–and–true formula of adventure sagas: romance, derring–do, a dreadful enemy, and virtue triumphant.” -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

From the Publisher

The three volumes that comprise this compelling saga follow the fortunes of Quentin, who as a young temple acolyte, seeks to overthrow the evil loosed by Necromancer Nimrood and to save Mensandor, the realm of the Dragon King. In the second volume, The Warlords of Nin, Quentin once again holds the king’s destiny in his hands as the Wolf Star grows greater and the power of the Nin increases, spreading its black terror. In The Sword and the Flame, the final volume, Quentin reigns as Dragon King and faces an insidious attack of evil—from within himself—when Nimrood holds his son hostage.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1018 pages
• Publisher: Lion UK (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745940323
• ISBN-13: 978-0745940328
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,399,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lawhead "Lite" - not deep, but enjoyable, January 18, 2003

By 

Godly Gadfly - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Dragon King Saga (Paperback)

If you are expecting something like Lawhead's profound and satisfying "Pendragon Cycle" when reading the "Dragon King" trilogy, prepare to be disappointed. This is the Lawhead "Lite" version, because it lacks the depth of description, character and emotion present in many of Lawhead's other works. Undoubtedly, this is more entertainment than the literary fiction of those offerings. But it would be unfair to criticize Lawhead too harshly for this, because this series was born in the infancy of his career as a writer. Readers familiar with the more polished and developed Lawhead as evident in his later work would do the man an injustice by measuring his first work by the incredibly high standard of his more mature efforts. As a series geared towards the level of teens rather than adults, and where the reader is not under the false expectation that it contains the majesty and depth of the "Pendragon Cycle", this is still a great read.

This first volume in the series! "In the Hall of the Dragon King" introduces us to young Quentin, who undertakes an important mission to rescue the Dragon King Eskevar from the traitorous Prince Jaspin and the evil necromancer Nimrood. The king can be rescued from the corrupt wizard only after Quentin and his friends make a perilous journey to the dreaded Karsh, the desolate home of Nimrood. In volume two of the series "The Warlords of Nin" Quentin has matured into a young adult, and must defend the royal castle and the kingdom over against the deadly Nin the Destroyer, with his four warlords, and thousands of soldiers. Victory is only possible when Quentin is armed with the enchanted sword Zhaligheer, but first Quentin must make a dangerous journey to search for a rare and fabled substance needed to make the sword. In "The Sword and the Flame", the third title in the series, the adult Quentin has assumed the throne and is busy building a temple dedicated to the Most High. But the evil necromancer Nimrood re!turns and collaborates with the defenders of the old gods against Quentin. The flame of the sword goes out, and the faith of the king and the hopes of the kingdom appear to be extinguished with it.

The strength of the series is the constant battle between good and evil, the powers of light and darkness. Quentin and his companions fight for freedom, justice and righteousness. Lawhead plainly intends this conflict to portray spiritual warfare. Quentin's enemies find their support in the pagan religions who worship the old gods, and employ the powers of sorcery, the occult and the dark arts. In contrast, victory of Quentin's kingdom is possible only with the help of the Most High God. The Christian symbolism is clearly evident: the conflict between the powers of good and evil is a picture of the great spiritual battle of the ages between God and Satan. Readers familiar with the battle images of Ephesians 6 will find the connections obvious. Quentin in particular plays a M!essianic role, by achieving deliverance as the Priest King, fulfilling prophecy in a manner much like Jesus Christ. Yet in contrast to these Messianic overtones of Quentin's role in an epic struggle, Lawhead also humanizes Quentin to the point where he is like us, a soldier in the battle rather than the Deliverer. Lawhead makes profound observations about personal faith, by showing that in the battle Quentin must learn to trust in the Most High. The Most High will be faithful in preserving the Kingdom, but his soldiers must be faithful in trusting and obeying him.

It is this depth of spiritual vision that makes Lawhead's prose all the more compelling and enjoyable. It is in the first place a story filled with medieval vistas and conflict - courageous knights in shining armour, flashing swords, evil wizards, deadly battles, heroic quests, and ancient chivalry. But especially the central place of the Most High God makes Lawhead's "Dragon King" trilogy so powerful and who!lesome - a picture of spiritual warfare, kings and kingdoms, prophets, dreams and visions, and above all faith in the Most High. It's not as deep and profound as his "Pendragon Cycle", but Lawhead "Lite" is still a very enjoyable read.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, solid series of Lawhead's early writing., November 15, 2004

By 

Blood Revenant (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dragon King Saga (Paperback)

I don't think I can add much beyond the in-depth review below, except to say that when I read the series some time ago, it captured my imagination enough for me to rate it a solid "I like it" #4 on the scale. I thought some of the spiritual concepts were a bit understated for a Christian Fantasy, but many prefer that. An event that I particularly remember was the search for the precious metal to fashion the sword, and also the sword's creation. The sword and its use in one certain battle still comes to memory. I wouldn't overlook this series if you are a Fantasy fan. It's worth the read.

5.0 out of 5 stars My teen kids loved this book, July 23, 2011

By 

Darrin B. Roush "Diverse Reader" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dragon King Saga (Paperback)

I ordered this for my teen son and daughter because they have liked other Lawhead books and I have read some of his books myself. They are quality stories and entertaining as well. My kids liked this story very much, and being a trilogy, it kept them very busy of for a couple of months :-)