Customer Reviews

Dragon Weather

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lawrence Watt-Evans seems to be below the radar among fantasy writers these days. I can't imagine why -- his post-Ethshar novels ("Dragon Weather" and "Touched by the Gods") have each been gripping reworkings of tried-and-true fantasy themes.

In the case of "Dragon Weather," it's the old young-man-grows-up-and-avenges-wrongs formula, but Watt-Evans manages to breathe his own fresh life into it. Especially refreshing (well, maybe that's not the right word) is the casual brutality he brings into it -- diseased and maimed people fill the pages, much as one would actually expect in a barbaric pre-technological world.

Sure, some of the plot points are seen kind of early, but Watt-Evans even manages to bring them around in a refreshing way, even going so far as to pull a triple-cross on the reader at one point.

The ending suggests a sequel to the point that "To Be Continued" might as well have appeared beneath the last few lines. We can but hope.

Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a great multi-level sci-fi read. With spectacular character development he shows us a world with falable heroes and villains that are both cruelly evil yet sometimes right. The author undauntingly asks the question of greater good versus justice. Then is polite enough not to answer for us. Instead he throws in a very interesting plot twist(One I found better than a certain Oscar naominated movie). Although, The book was a little ponderous towards middle the climax was well worth the wait. A very solid read.

It's been a long time since I enjoyed reading a fantasy novel this much. While a long time fan of this author, I think this is one of his best efforts since the publication of the Overman series. This book in the classic "person wronged and getting even" genre like the "Count of Monte Cristo". In fact, the main character, Arlian, follows a very similar path, from a boyhood cut short by being sold into slavery, to his eventual escape and plan to revenge himself on those who did this to him by posing as a Lord and getting wealthy from a hidden stash. I could hardly put it down. It's a definite must read for anyone who has admired Lawrence Watt-Evans' books as long as I have, and for anyone who wants to try him out for the first time. An excellent work of fantasy.

I read a lot of fantasy; it's my favorite genre, and has been for 20+ years. Lots of books are good, but most have a little flaw here or there -- a character does something stupid, a lame plot twist, some boring description. DRAGON WEATHER was perfect.

The characters were fun, interesting and believable. The story moved along at a good pace, never confusing and never dull. Even when I thought something might have been a coincidence, nope, there was always a good (if surprising) reason for what happened. The language was easy to read and elegant.

Best of all was the ending. I won't give anything away, but it's the best ending I've ever read. Perfectly logical and a total surprise.

Highly recommended.

As the title says, this is basically a retelling of Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ with some variation and dragons thrown in. Does this mean it's a bad book? Nope...still enjoyable. I've been a fan of Lawrence's works since his first Ethshar book and The Cyborg and the Sorcerer. Lawrence is a master of character driven (as opposed to plot driven) fantasy. Dragon Weather reads just like his Ethshar books: it is light, fast moving, and you want to turn the page to find out what happens next. Some may cringe at me calling it "light fantasy," but that's what it is. There is nothing deep here except the development of the main character Arlian and all the situations he finds himself in (and gets out of). I have yet to find a book of his that has not entertained me. I look forward to the two concluding volumes (Dragon Society & Dragon Venom), as well has his new Ethshar books.

This book wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly good either. "Dragon Weather" is the tale of Arlian, a boy who is the lone survivor when his village is destroyed by dragons. Looters find him, only to sell him to a mining company where he works as a slave for seven years before he escapes. He vows revenge against both the looters who sold him and the dragons who wrecked his village.

A lot of the book is pure fantasy fluff. There are sword duels, magical illusions, and evil villains. There is also some disturbing, even horrifying, torture and maiming, although I admit that I wasn't strongly effected by it because I never really became emotionally involved in the story. The characters just didn't seem real to me.

For example, Arlian escapes the mines where he lived as slave on meager rations and never saw sunlight or breathed fresh air. Yet he is described as both big and strong, and doesn't seem to have suffered much during his time as a slave. His first encounter after escaping the mines is with a brothel full of warm and willing prostitutes, who let him sample their wares for free and then aid his escape. He hasn't even had a meal or a bath yet, but the author plunks him into the arms of willing woman already? This was ludicrous, and left me feeling like I was trapped in teenage-boy fantasyland. Believe it or not, things just go uphill for Arlian after that, as he becomes extremely wealthy and influential, makes a loyal and lasting friend, and becomes pretty darn good at wielding a sword too! I was also a little put-off by the "Alien" rip-off at the end, but at least the book was a quick and easy read and well-paced.

This book was originaly bought for me by a friend back in 2000 when the book was originally released, well in 2003 I finnaly got around to reading it... someone needs to slap me. This is by far the most engrossing, page-turning, palm sweating, must-read-more fantasy book I have ever read.

When I first started reading this book I found myself thinking one thing: I've heard this story a thousand times before, but Lawrence Watt-Evens made it SO much more. He takes the whole, family lost, friends lost, must-get-revenge story to a astonishing new level. One of the most amazing things is he does this with a very realistic world (well theres dragons but they're done very well).

Its hard to really prove this is a worth-while read without revealing too much of the story-line, but this book (trilogy really) has quickly become my most recommended read

So, in conclusion... READ THIS BOOK

It's really hard to find good one-book fantasy, in my opinion, but Dragon Weather is certainly one of my favorites. I could hardly put it down. I really enjoyed Watt-Evans's style, and only fault him on one count - in the beginning portion of the book, he really hits you over the head with his foreshadowing, and I worried the suspense wouldn't hold my attention, but boy, did it! I was nearing the end and saw no possible good way for this book to end without several sequels, but then he ties it all amazingly! Very satisfying, it was!

Update: Two sequels have since been produced, which are very good also. This book can still stand very well on its own.

Genuine human moments; tense, realistic action scenes and a logical but completely surprising ending make this one of the best books I have read in the last couple of years.

I'm not usually much of a fantasy reader, and the cover of this book almost made me set it down. But the author came highly recommended, so I took it to the counter and bought it.

I couldn't be happier that I did. This is an intelligent, well-written novel that also tells an exciting story. I recommend it highly, and will search out the author's other works.

Unlike most people, I read this before I even knew what fantasy was. I however was immediately entranced by the alternative use of amethysts and obsidian and even now, looking back, I really do appreciate the ingenious creation of dragons and such. I really, really, really liked the book. I can't remember any of the characters names, but twelve years later (and I don't read it that often--last was 2005?) I can still outline the entire plot and explain how the characters were interconnected. How many books can you say that about?

Lawrence Watt-Evans did a wonderful thing when he wrote the Obsidian Chronicles, and Dragon Weather is an excellent introduction to fantasy.