Customer Reviews

Dragon Society

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Arlian, Lord Obsidion is a member of the Dragon Society, that group of essentially immortal humans blessed and cursed with the wound of the dragons' venom. Yet he has learned the secret of that blessing--they are given their long life to serve as the breeding ground for future generations of dragons. In seeking vengence for the dragons' destruction of his family and his own enslavement, Arlian has killed the man whose bargain kept the dragons from attacking humans. Now, all the deals are off.

Arlian is torn between his compulsion to destroy the dragons, and the certainty that this destruction will only come at the cost of thousands of human lives. Worse, the very group he most depends on for aid, the Dragon Society sworn to oppose dragons in all areas, is torn by the knowledge that he brings. If dragons are to be eradicated from the earth, that means that the Dragon Society must give up their own lives--or live to breed new dragons. Yet unless Arlian is successful, the dragons will resume the enslavement of the human race.

Author Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a compelling fantasy world. His dragons are cruel, yet also intelligent communicating beings who care deeply for their prospective children and who fear the genocide that Arlian threatens to bring upon them. THE DRAGON SOCIETY consists largely with Arlian's moral dilemna rather than with adventure although there are certainly moments of classic sword and sorcery.

I would have preferred to see less time spent on retelling of the back story from DRAGON WEATHER and more time spent on developing Arlian's character in this novel. His thirst for revenge seems watered down rather than burning with passion. Too, I found Arlian's unquestioned certainty that the only solution was complete genocide of all dragons disturbing. A man might make such a decision and even be right, but Arlian never questions his goals even as he learns that the dragons are not beasts as is commonly believed, but as intelligent as humans.

While not as compelling as the first book in the series I thought this was an excellent book. It continues right where Weather left off, Arlian's quest for vengence against the Dragons that made him a Dragonheart and that killed his family and town. He also settles his debt with the surviving members of the Dragon Society that he swore vengence on, just not in the way you would think.

Several new plot twists are introduced in this book and I think they fit in nicely and keep the series flowing well. There were no slow spots in the book that I saw and found it hard to put down. My only complaint I guess, was that Arlian would keep realizing something (an idea, a different viewpoint, a sloution, etc.) after it was plain to everyone else or the reader and sometimes he would not think of a consequence of his actions for a long time and be suprised when he does think of it or is faced with it. His indecisiveness did annoy me at times but not too much. Maybe he just isn't the brightest in the world....lol

Anyways, I can't wait to read the third book. Highly recommended.

_The Dragon Society_ is Lawrence Watt-Evans' sequel to his 1999 novel _Dragon Weather_. It is the second novel in a trilogy, and it must be said that it is one of those middle books that exhibit classical "middle book" problems. To wit, the intriguing fantasy aspects have mostly already been introduced in book 1, and the rousing conclusion is reserved for book 3. So what is there to do in book 2? Our hero learns stuff, of course, and there are a number of important plot developments, and a fairly exciting concluding set piece. So it's still enjoyable -- but it's a middle book. And it doesn't stand alone -- _Dragon Weather_ could be read by itself, but _The Dragon Society_ cannot: it both depends on _Dragon Weather_ for background, and ends with the plot very clearly unresolved.

The first book introduced Arlian, a boy whose village is destroyed in the opening chapter by dragons. Miraculously (he thinks) he survives, even after swallowing the poisonous dragon venom, mixed with his dying grandfather's blood. Eventually he learns that he has become a "dragonheart" -- immune to most diseases, especially charismatic, and destined to live about a thousand years. He finds some fellow dragonhearts, and joins their society, but remains committed to vengeance against the dragons, and against those humans who have brutally mistreated he and some of his friends.

_The Dragon Society_ mainly concerns Arlian's efforts to persuade his fellow dragonhearts to join him in killing all the dragons. But his actions have roused the interest of the long-sleeping dragons, and they threaten to attack the cities of man if he makes any further moves against them. Also, the Dragon Society is by no means united behind him -- many find his actions dangerous, and indeed some feel that their interests lie with dragons instead of humans. And, too, a couple of humans who have learned the secret of the dragonhearts begin to covet a source of dragon venom so that they too might live a thousand years. And there is widespread skepticism about Arlian's ability to kill dragons, especially full grown ones. Finally, Arlian himself continues to debate his own motives, particularly his obsession with revenge.

The book is rather talky, both in explaining backstory, and in Arlian's examination of his internal feelings and motives. In general there is less action, and less sense of adventure, than in the first book -- definitely the novel could have done with some fleshing out of details. The closing sequence is pretty rousing, however, and the book does do a solid job of further explaining the place of dragons in this world, and of setting the stage for the closing volume. Watt-Evans is an engaging writer always, so it reads nicely enough. On the whole, it's a serviceable middle book, but it's only a middle book. I recommend most of Watt-Evans' books without reservation, and I feel that the story of Arlian will be a rewarding story when completely told -- but I do confess some disappointment with this book.

Arlian comes back from Desolation after participating in the events leading to the demise of Lords Enziet and Drisheen, pondering ways to fulfill his vow of ridding the world of the dragon plague. Immediately we are thrust back into the political machinations of the upper-crusty society of Manfort. Too much time is spent with Arlian thinking "but oh...the dragons...they are evil and must be stopped!". 90% of the novel takes place within the confines of Manfort, where the previous book gave us a more complete picture of Arlian's world.

That said, I got a real feel for the characters, Black and Toribor in particular. Arlian is a tad one-dimensional in his quest. He is MUCH too misunderstood, too martyr-like in his quest to be interesting. Thankfully, the other characters in the novel are significant enough to shoulder the weight of the narrative.

As another poster mention, this definately feels like "the middle book". While there is a definate ending to the book, its not particularly satisfying. The dragons are fleshed out a bit further as a major threat, but we don't see much of them. When one finally does make an appearance, it doesn't feel like the revelation it should be.

But I have faith in Watt-Evans. His "Book of Silence" series with Garth the Overman is my favorite fantasy series of all time and I have high hopes for his latest. I'm sure whatever he comes up with next, it will have made The Dragon Society a worthwhile read.

I'm the first person to admit I'm a mark for LWE's work, but this series is outstanding. LWE is certainly not the most eloquent writer, but he doesn't have to be because he ALWAYS has a great story to tell, and this one is no different.

The dialogue is fantastic, and the reader is generally left with a sense of impression and understanding about the characters. Each character in Dragon Weather and Dragon Society has a unique role to play for our "hero", and throughout the course of the book, LWE continually provides you with snippets as to each character's motivation. Good stuff from a highly underrated writer.

While most Watt-Evans books I have read have been of a rather light-hearted nature, this recent "Obsidian Chronicles" series about dragons has been an attempt at more serious, thought-provoking storylines.

This volume took on such weighty subjects as vengence, betrayal, genocide, and slavery. It does so at length, weighing in at about 460 pages. The problem is, much of this is fluff, and if you really narrow down the actual storyline, not that much is happening. I found it exhausting as the author constantly reassesed the entire situation at length with each new occurance, while the audience could certainly assess the implications without explanation. For every 2 pages of action, it seemed we got 3 pages of how the main character felt about it. It is like explaining a joke after telling it, it sort of ruined it. My only other complaint is that the 'seven-dwarves' style descriptive character names (like Belly, Stammer, Black, Sweet, Hasty, Kitten) sort of made me feel like I was reading a children's book.

But, while the 'tell, don't show' attitude of this book was certainly exasperating at times, there were also moments of really nicely done, nail-biting suspence. The conclusive confrontation, for one, was very satisfying. It's a mixed bag, but I would say that, if you have enjoyed previous works by this author, you would probably enjoy this one.

Due to the Anne McCaffery books Dragons that used to been "evil" have become good. LWE brings back the old dragons that made them wonderful beasts again. When I first read Dragon Weather I loved it and I thought for sure the next won't be as good it turns out I was wrong I am deeply in love with Arlian and I love the discription getting more involved with the feelings of the main charticter which doesn't happen in many books of this stature. I also love the fact that he doesn't suger coat anything giving the charticters a more realistic feel.

I am an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, and have been for years. Needless to say, I have read my share and more of dragon stories, and if there is a common characterization of dragons I usually recognize it within the first chapter. One of the reasons I like this incarnation of the old dragon theme is that Watt-Evans has done something new and truly imaginative. I also particularly like the way that all the elements in the narrative work together to create not just a vivid world, but one that is internally consistent and reasonable unto itself.
This particular book is the middle of a trilogy, but it is quite as good- and just as full of interesting surprises- as its cohorts. If you have not read the fist book (Dragon Weather), I highly recommend starting there. This is not the kind of series where one can begin in the middle and get the full impact of the story. However, perhaps because of that, I found that once I started I was inexorably drawn through all three books in rapid succession. So if, like me, you sometimes find yourself staying up much too late when you are reading a good book... consider yourself warned.

_Dragon Society_ picks up where _Dragon Weather_ left off. Though, as the title suggests, most of the plot revolves around Arlian's place within the society and the politics that ensue. The first book had more action, but this one more firmly develops the characters and prepares you for third book that will inevitably come - _Dragon War_ perhaps?

I'll be up front - I really enjoy Lawrence Watt-Evans' writing style. The first book I read of his was The Misenchanted Sword - which I fondly recall reading practically in one sitting in a beach chair by the river at my grandparents' cottage when I was about 15. Ever since I've devoured the entire Ethshar series and, more recently, the two volumes of this series.

Dragon Society is an intriguing read - but definitely the "middle act" of a series. While it advances the story line in substantive ways, it leaves you eager for a resolution which you probably won't see for a few years. In this book, the focus is clearly on Arlian's relationship with members of the Dragon Society, and the positioning for what appears to be imminent war between the Dragons and the Humans. Most intriguing is the development of the relationship with Lord Toribor, which works to make Arlian more than a single-minded killing machine.

I think the author's strength is clearly in thinking out the "rules" of his fantasy world. The behavior of the Dragons' is intriguing, as is the manner in which he describes Arlian's growing understanding of the nature of those beasts. It will be interesting to see if we come to understand more of the Dragon's thought process (if there indeed is one) in the next volume. Overall, an entertaining, if brief, read which makes me eager to finish the series.