Dragonmaster (Storm of Wings) [Paperback]

Chris Bunch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Storm of Wings | Publication Date: August 2, 2005

Young Hal Kailas is a runaway and a pauper, living hand-to-mouth in a kingdom where peace is by no means certain. But Hal has a dream. In his even younger days, he had the awesome experience of bonding with a young dragon-and the memory of the beast's great strength and power consumes his every thought. When war finally comes, the most daring and ruthless of men ride these fearsome dragons-monstrous weapons of war that are rulers of the sky. Few men are strong enough to bend a dragon's will, but Hal has reason to think he may be one of them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following his Dragonmaster Trilogy (Last Battle, etc.), Bunch continues the story of Hal Kailis in this first installment of his latest series, which entertainingly injects a medieval, authoritarian fantasy world with air warfare. Hal, at a young age already a veteran vagabond, graduates from the thrill of an impromptu ride aboard a dragon and employment with a small dragon-ride air circus, to conscription with an army that's enlivened by sorcery. Bunch lays out the customary lengthy war scenes, and when the army assembles large groups of dragons, Hal is ready to ride. Though he hails from a common family, he rises quickly through the ranks with his natural talents. The author successfully weaves early twentieth century-style warfare into this fantasy world-with the slightest leap of imagination, the reader associates these screeching, twisting dragons with the fighter planes of the first world war. As pilot, Hal lacks only the dangling flaps of a goggled helmet. In this endless war, dragons battle, riders fall and Hal becomes a flying ace. Military SF and fantasy fans will relish the action-packed plot and Hal's derring-do.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

A vast and intricate tapestry woven by a writer who knows both history and war. (David Drake, author of the Lord of the Isles series)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Roc Trade; 1ST edition (August 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460308
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460301
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,600,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally a good read, August 28, 2005

By 

Jenny L. Friedrich "Jentired" (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonmaster (Storm of Wings) (Paperback)

This should be the book you take to the beach or read for pure entertainment. Better than some stupid inane romance novel. I was given this book to read while recovering from extensive surgury. Thank God because even though I am a chick, I love a good battle. I can hardly wait to read the other books in this series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic sword and sorcery, August 3, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonmaster (Storm of Wings) (Paperback)

On his way home Hal Kailas saw the lord's son Nanpean torture a baby dragon; he punches the boy and takes the kit back to his mother. Hal's family is in danger of losing their tavern for Hal's actions so he leaves the village of Caerly in the Kingdom of Deraine. He becomes a vagabond, wandering from job to the job, never finding anything that interested him until he becomes the goferr for a traveling troupe that sells dragon rides.

Hal knows he wants to do something with dragons on his own. However, the Queen of Roche uses a land dispute to go to war with Deraine and Sagene. Hal t is conscripted and rises to the occasion to become a leader of men. When his troops are massacred, Hal enlists to be trained to fight on dragons in a new unit. His exploits and daring earn him the hearts and admiration of the populace but the war costs him that what he treasures most. When he is injured, instead of mustering out like the king expects him to, Hal volunteers to lead a new dragon unit as their Dragonmaster.

This book is filled with plenty of action and will appeal to readers who love military fantasy. The use of dragons and magicians to aid in the war effort is so much a part of the storyline that readers will find themselves believing that such things are really possible in wartime. As the hero matures, he and the audience observe the toll of war as humans and dragons die at an alarming rate. Chris Bunch is a talented storyteller who entertains his audience with a fantastic sword and sorcery epic.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe ok for YA, but disappointing, April 23, 2009

By 

Paul E. Heroy "Paul Heroy" (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonmaster: Dragonmaster Trilogy, Book One (Dragon Master Trilogy 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'd read some of Bunch's work before - mainly, his trilogy Seer King / Demon King / Warrior King - and it was pretty good, so I expected this to be at least on a similar level. Unfortunately, it's not. Maybe if you have only read children's books before taking this on, it would be a good read, but if you've read very much quality fantasy at all, this is a very trite read. As others have noted, characterization is thin, and the prose is competent but very pedestrian. It almost feels like an outline that with a little more imagination and flair would have been a pretty fun read. I actually didn't even expect this to be anything but a light and fun read going in, but it's not even that - it's just limp, and I had to force myself to finish. It's easy reading though, so at least it went fairly quickly.