A Dragon's Ascension (Band of Four Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ed Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Band of Four Novels | Publication Date: February 17, 2003

A Dragon's Ascension - A Band of Four novel

Aglirta is known as the Kingless Land. Once a prosperous and peaceful river valley, it has fallen into lawlessness, and its feuding baronies are engaged in a constant state of war. But the land is kingless no more, for the Sleeping King of legend, King Kelgrael, has been reawakened by the efforts of the valiant Band of Four:
- Hawkril, a bold and brave warrior gifted with great strength and fortitude
- Craer, the crafty and clever thief
- Sarasper, the learned and wise healer and last but not least
- Lady Embra Silvertree, the mystical Lady of Jewels, a powerful sorceress

Yet peace has not returned. In The Kingless Land, high magic and wizard kings stood in the way, while in The Vacant Throne, civil wars and backstabbing barons resisted the restoration of order.

Now, a powerful warlord comes to the front to take control through military might, while the diabolic minions of the Serpent move into position for a climactic battle that will scar the Band of Four forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The creator of the Dungeons & Dragons based Forgotten Realms series (Elminster, etc.) offers conventional heroic fantasy fare in this third and probably final volume in the Band of Four series. The warrior Hawkril, the thief Craer, the healer-wizard Sarasper and the sorceress Lady Embra Silvertree continue to entertain as well-drawn, if sometimes slightly tongue-in-cheek, archetypes. They have their work cut out for them when they discover that giving the kingless land of Aglirta a "Risen King" has not quashed ambitious barons who desire the throne for themselves, enemies who want vengeance on the Four personally, or the scheming, literally scaly priests who wish to bring back the Serpent and rule or ruin the world. As the stakes rise, the Four rapidly lose their sense of humor and the action becomes genuinely gripping, as well as fast and bloody. The cast of characters at the back is essential to avoid confusion, even if one has read the two previous books, The Kingless Land (2000) and The Vacant Throne (2001). After the fall of Flowfoam Castle and the confrontation between the Dragon and the Serpent, not everybody the reader has come to care for is left standing, while the role of the shape-changing Koglaur as deus ex machina remains a puzzle. Game-oriented fantasy fans and new converts to the genre through the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring should be satisfied, but those hoping to find another Terry Pratchett would do best to seek elsewhere. (Mar.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The title of the third volume of the Band of Four saga refers to the advance and near-triumph of the servants of the Serpent. In addition to those, the formerly kingless land of Aglirta now faces usurpation and tyranny at the hands of a powerful warlord, whose challenge divides resistance to the minions of the Serpent at the worst possible time. Enter the Band of Four--Hawkril the warrior, Craer the thief, Sarasper the healer, and Lady Embra Silvertree the sorceress--to oppose Serpent and warlord, highly if not unexpectedly successfully. Yet the end of this book leaves room for further volumes by Greenwood, whose previous work has included plenty of game-related fiction. The originality and wit he displayed in that work is even more evident in this saga, and indeed there is little that is generic about any aspect of either this book or the series of which it is a part. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (February 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765341441
• ISBN-13: 978-0765341440
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,463,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms setting, is the best-selling author of hundreds of novels, game products, and articles. His most recent novel for Wizards of the Coast is The City of Splendors, a collaboration with Elaine Cunningham. He is also the author of the Band of Four novels published by Tor Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Band of 4, April 17, 2002

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Dragon's Ascension (Band of Four, Book 3) (Hardcover)

The king of Aglirta has returned to his century-old slumber, but the country is torn by civil war. Magicians, barons, and mercenaries vie for the thrown in complete disregard for their vows to the true king, his regent, Baron Blackgult, or for the four over-Dukes he had set to retain the peace. With the continuing efforts of the snake priests and a few mad mages thrown into the stew, things look rough indeed for the Band of Four and for the future of Aglirta.

All of Author Ed Greenwood's Band of Four novels are filled with nonstop action and A DRAGON'S ASCENSION is no exception. When Embra loses her magical stone, even Hawkril's massive sword and Craer's quick daggers seem like weak hope for the future of the nation. And unfortunately for the kingdom, the many plotters seem unwilling to kill each other off. Instead, the Four and the Regent must face each in turn, with fewer and fewer resources at every turn.

Greenwood seems to have turned up the emotional complexity of his writing a notch, allowing the reader to feel more involved in the story and less like he is watching someone else's fantasy roll-playing game. The story stakes are also higher. The emergence of the Serpent represents a disaster for the entire world.

A DRAGON'S ASCENSION is fast and compelling reading with murder and battle on almost every page. It may not be a literary masterpiece but it's a fun read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dragon!! What dragon?!?, August 25, 2003

By 

Melekal (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dragon's Ascension (Band of Four Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just got done reading this book. The only reason I got this far is because of Ed Greenwoods previous books being fairly well written. I will never do that again. This on just follows the same lines as all the rest. It started out with promise but the further you get in the series the more it seems to insult your intelligence. The main characters mainly go through every one just fighting an endless host of people with swords and magic. Through pure luck they continually win and if they get beat someone comes along and saves them at the last minute.

There is really no plot development and it gets way too mind numbing. I made the mistake of reading the next two out of boredom and kept hoping that something would happen. IT NEVER DID!!! Even if you love Ed Greenwood please avoid this series. I made the mistake of giving him three books to make it better and it never went anywhere. And one last thing to note. It's called A Dragon's Ascension. The only dragon even in there is there for one or two chapters and then promptly dies. How can you title the book from just that tenth of the entire thing?

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Adventure!, May 8, 2004

By 

Alek Kaknevicius (Jupiter, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dragon's Ascension (Band of Four Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Overall, I give this book four out of five stars. A Dragon's Ascension is a great fantasy that will keep you reading until the very end. However, if you are the type of person who doesn't like action and battles, then this book is not for you. There is more fighting in this book than there are events that lead towards a resolution of a plot. One more important fact that needs to be addressed is that this book belongs to a series called "The Band of Four Novels." Like all series, each book relies on information or events that occur in the previous book. I strongly suggest reading the series in order to get the full grasp of the characters and the understanding of the epic journey of the Band of Four.
As you may have guessed the book begins with a group called the Band Of Four roaming the forests of Aglirta. They consist of Embra the sorceress, Hawkril the warrior, Craer the thief, and Sarasper the healer. They are the watchers of the land each contributing their own unique skills for one main purpose, which is keeping the kingdom of Aglirta together.
In this book of the series, the kingdom does not have a king and the significance of the empty throne creates rivalry amongst the barons and warlords to posses the power that can be found in the throne's magic. Possessing the power means a chance rule Aglirta. The Band of Four has been destined to keep order and keep the throne safe from unwanted rulers.
Embra the sorceress is the smartest and most cunning of the Band of Four. She has the ability to use magic against foes and gives the Band of Four an incredible advantage in their battles. In one battle when archers surprised them, she slows down time and gives the rest of the band time to retaliate in a timelier manner. Hawkril the warrior is my favorite character. He lives up to the profile of a warrior. He is noble, he excels in sword fighting, and he never gives up no matter how bleak the situation. Craer the thief is the comic relief of the four. He is full one liners during battles that are memorable. He collects and uses knives skillfully from a far range. Last is Sarasper the healer. He is a healer because he uses magic to fix wounds and cure ailments. He is also a unique warrior who transforms his body shape into a giant wolf spider and only then engages himself into the battles.
As with any epic adventure series, there are the memorable evil characters that disrupt the order of world. The Dragon's Ascension has many really unforgettable antagonists. Starting with Jhavarr Bowdragon, a vengeful wizard who kills first before asking questions, to the hungry land baron Bloodbane who successfully manages to convince others to follow him. Add in serpents, warriors, sorcerers and a lot of deception and you will be entertained with the battles and adventures that are nonstop in this book.
One more thing...this book has nothing to do with dragons.