Dragonworld [Paperback]

Byron Reav Preiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 1983

Somewhere beyond the northern mists lies a land where dreams live and dragons are real. This is the tale of the twilight of the dragons, of two nations plunged into war by a tragic misunderstanding, of a shy dreamer's incredible voyage of peace to a long-forgotten land where nightmares are born. A magnificient creation, a sweeping epic of high fantasy set in a richly imagined world, vividly brought to life with over eighty pages of stunning illustrations by Joseph Zucker.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dragonworld goes far beyond the flashy pyrotechnics of contemporary fantasy and fantasy illustration. Joe Zucker is a superlative and original illustrator, and he reveals a rare and astonishing gift for infusing a richness of character into his pictures, which do justice to Byron Preiss's and Michael Reaves's compelling story".

-- Maurice Sendak --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Byron Preiss is the author of THE ULTIMATE DRAGON and THE WHITE HOUSE MOUSE. Michael Reeves is also a successful science fiction writer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books; New edition edition (November 18, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553234269
• ISBN-13: 978-0553234268
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,455,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Old-Style Fantasy, April 18, 2000

By 

Top Dragon (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dragonworld (Paperback)

I first read this novel about 15 years ago and always wondered why it was never reprinted. It is a well-told tale, enjoyable to read, and in a style reminiscent of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. The characters interact well together and there is excellent depth to them. It is not predictable nor does it fit into the tight little cliched fantasy that is so prevalent today. If you want a solid fantasy read, this is the one for you.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative fantasy tale, June 30, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragonworld (Mass Market Paperback)

Despite the generic fantasy title, this is an unusual and thoughtful fantasy story full of realistic characters and interesting cultures. Preiss and Reaves have a great sense of atmosphere and description; it's only too bad that this hasn't been made into a movie.

Amsel is a Fandoran, a member of a hard-working, small-statured race in a fairly bleak land. He is also a loner, a dreamer, and a scientist who studies just about everything. But his life is thrown into turmoil when a boy is found dead, apparently having fallen from Amsel's hang-glider. The boy's father and the inhabitants of the town assume that Amsel is in league with the Simbalese, a wealthy people who look down on the Fandorans. Amsel ends up running for his life to Simbala, in the hopes that he can avert a war. But in Simbala, a similar death has taken place.

It also jeopardizes the position of Hawkwind, a miner raised to royalty by the previous Monarch, and his Rayan lover Ceria. The bratty Princess Evirae, an arrogant royal with clawlike nails and really big hair, takes the opportunity to attack Hawkwind and try to gain the throne for herself. But as the Fandorans and Simbalese clash, a new foe comes from a frosty wasteland -- the colddrakes, nastier cousins to the dragons and led by a huge, intelligent colddrake called the Darkling. Recognizing that the colddrakes will destroy both sides, Amsel sets out to the legendary Glowing Caverns, to find the only thing that can stop the destruction.

It's a fairly straightforward plot, but is made less simple by the character interactions. The Fandorans and Simbalese don't just clash with each other, but with people in their own ranks. Such characters as Jondalrun and Prince Kiorte make mistakes and misjudge people; while readers may not agree with their viewpoints, they will at least understand them. And the villains are thankfully three-dimensional: The Darkling is doing his best for his kind, in the hopes that they won't die out, while Princess Evirae is not so much evil as bratty, scheming and manipulative. When thwarted, she acts like a child. It also shows the dangers of ignorance and jumping to conclusions without proof, as both sides do with circumstantial evidence that leads them to war.

And while almost every dragon idea has been exhausted, Preiss and Reaves manage to make them unusually original. The dragons in this are nearly extinct, but a wise, noble, and somewhat crabby race. The colddrakes are a separate but related species -- sort of like lions and tigers -- who are subservient to the wishes of the dragons. This concept is intriguingly fresh. The portrayals of the different cultures are also good: The simple down-to-earth lives of the Fandorans, the more elaborate and technological lives of the Simbalese, and the gypsy-like Rayans. Preiss and Reaves produce a lot of tiny differences between them, in memorable scenes such as the "voting" of the various Simbalese leaders, the aborted coronation, and a poignant glimpse of a long-dead dragon locked in a glacier. Young adults can read this; there is no profanity or graphic violence, and some hints of intimacy but nothing too obvious.

The writing and descriptions are pretty spare; the dialogue is quite realistic, although sometimes it lapses a bit into the formal prose of most fantasy novels. My main problem is that often the book jumps around too much; several times in one chapter, the focus will shift between several different places. It makes it hard to follow. On a quality level, the paper is thick and smooth, very solid-feeling. The illustrations (which ibook has thankfully retained) are soft-edged pencil drawings that accurately portray people and things in the books. The dragon/colddrake pictures are especially good.

For an unusual, well-characterized tale about dragons, nerdy little heroes, and epic battles, this is the book to get.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For all those dragon lovers out there this is a must read., October 16, 2001

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dragonworld (Paperback)

Very solid fantasy which rapidly draws the reader into the fully realised world that Preiss and Reaves have created for this wonderful novel about dragons, mystical Pearls, political intrigue, and the attempt at justice for the murders of three children. This novel came highly recommended, and I've a story brewing in my head about dragons and humans. The relationship between these two races has always been of chief interest to me in fantasy literature and one of my chief pleasures from this book was the stately and regal relationship the dragons had with the humans and how myth had obscured the memories and must be reinstated. The political world in this book is crucial in this regard.

The comparison to Tolkien is not unjust, although DRAGONWORLD lies much more closer to THE HOBBIT than THE LORD OF THE RINGS. There simply will never be another LR. We do not get a conflict on the cosmic level here that is the central plot of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. If Frodo fails, the entire world is ensnared in the Darkness of Sauron. If the characters in this novel fail, the cold drakes will prevail. Although this is an assumption, it is a very reasonable one: in as highly detailed a world that Preiss and Reaves create, there most be other societies and cultures present in this particular sphere, and it is hinted at by the one of the characters.

DRAGONWORLD deals with two nations plunged in war when their efforts should be concentrated upon their common foe. The authors guide the reader through these predominant terrains: the farmlands and villages of Fandora, the forests and battlefields of Simbala, and the cold land of the Drakes and their lairs. There also is a good scene of the crossing of the Fandoran troops over the Strait of Balomar, a very dangerous episode where one of the characters get to show their metal and grow in character development.

One of Preiss's and Reave's greatest strengths are creating fully developed characters who, without fail, draw you into the book. Another great facet about this book is there are really no true villains in the work. The worst character is Mesor, who cares only about his personal ambition thru Evirae. Evirae, the best candidate for the central villain, comes off as a foolish young woman who comes across not really as wholly evil but as wholly childish. Her ambition for ruling prevents her from being fully human, and generally the reader does not conceptualise her as formidable evil but a spoiled brat who's playing with a very real, hot fire who needs punished. The Darkling, the chief of the coldrakes, is not truly a villain, for in his mind he is acting in his races' best interest. Your sympathies are stretched to what would be a breaking point in writers who were unable to maintain the realism these characters demand, but Preiss and Reave's pull it off beautifully.

Another great element in this book is how each side most come to terms with people on their own side. Throughout the book, Fandorans are at conflict with Fandorans, and Simbalese in conflict with Simbalese. This book deals with a big pet peeve of mine. Because Amsel has a scientific mind and he can do things which are seemingly at odds with the natural world yet in actuality is only taking advantage of the natural laws, the Fandorans call him a sorcerer and a Simbalese spy. This is partially Amsel's fault for isolating himself, and his character is being developed in this fashion throughout the novel. Those who react in ignorance and do not listen can cause much harm, as this novel aptly illustrates.

The political complexities and the ingenuity stands in sharp contrast with the simple way of life of the Fandorans, and both have much to offer to one another. Preiss's and Reave's usage of the political world in this book is crucial as it supplies much of the tension in the book from the Simbalese end. Hawkwind, the Monarch of Simbala, most constantly deal with the fact that he was a miner who defeated the Kuln* and that he is a commoner who has risen to power by Ephirion's hand, the former monarch. Much of the novel is Hawkwind trying to manage the war effort as well as dealing with these attempted overthrows, and with the help of Ceria, his lover and a Rayan (who is also looked down upon by the Royal Family in particular and Simbala in general), he makes a fascinating monarch indeed, and a fully competent one at that. Because of their skills as writers, Preiss and Reaves have you cheering and hoping and then turning those hopes on their ear and bringing you into another character's situation and hoping they will make it through safe.

As for my own favorite scene, there is a beautiful commentary on art where the soldiers of Fandora must use iron sculptures for weapons. The owner does not want to allow the soldiers to take them. I won't spoil the scene for you. It's a wonderful comment on art and the power and beauty it holds.

Another favorite scene of mine is the voting process in which the Royal Family must decide on how they will react to the invasion of the Fandoran Troops. Great scene, so watch out for it.

As for the ending, it is rather good and keeps you turning the page and the book ends setting up the sequel, which, as far as I know, Preiss and Reaves have not delivered. Le Guin has just this year published an anthology of novellas about Earth-sea (TALES FROM EARTH-SEA) and a new novel (THE OTHER WIND) in that particular series, so never rule out the possibility of letting these excellent writers revealing more of this world to us in the future.

*Kuln: Cave demons that are sadly unexploited, as they sound very interesting and could have made for wonderful characters as villains.