Drakon [Mass Market Paperback]

S.M. Stirling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Gwendolen Ingolfsson, hurled into a parallel Earth filled with billions of unaltered, antique humans when the molehole experiment she was working on malfunctioned, is very clear where her duty lies. As a member of the Draka, genetically engineered to dominate crude, unmodified humans, her task is to build a molehole device in this universe and establish a bridgehead for the Race to come through. It had been some time since the Draka last had such an opportunity for conquest...As for Detective-Lieutenant Henry Carmaggio, he'd seen plenty of blood, both in Cambodia and in twenty years of police work. But he'd never seen anything like this. Something was loose in his city, something inhuman that walked among us, killing with the easy precision of a leopard in a flock of sheep. And unless he could track it down it would kill and kill again - until the whole world was its hunting ground.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Something inhuman and lethal is loose in detective Henry Carmaggio's city. It's a monster, all right -- a member of a master race from a parallel Earth, and unless Henry can track it down, it's going to bring its friends.

From Booklist

It is four centuries after the ending of Stirling's previous novel of the Draka Domination, The Stone Dogs (1990). An accident with an experimental stardrive flings a genetically tailored Draka warrior, Gwendolyn Ingolfsson, across universes and time into contemporary New York City. Kenneth Lafarge, a secret agent for those who fled the Draka, comes to Earth in pursuit of her. Caught in the cross fire are New York cop Henry Carmaggio and his lover, investment counselor Jennifer Feinbaum. The Draka's plan is, very simply, to open an interdimensional gate and bring in a Draka army to conquer Earth. Defeating this cheerfully bloodthirsty scheme involves nonstop action and Stirling's usual wealth of technical detail, wry wit, and superlatively drawn female characters, not the least of them the appalling Ms. Ingolfsson. Roland Green

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671877119
• ISBN-13: 978-0671877118
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft -- I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A+, best of the Draka books, November 3, 2004

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drakon (Mass Market Paperback)

______________________________________________

Reread, and it's as good as ever: A+, best of the Draka books, and makes my personal Top 20 Ever list. Still Stirling's best book, imo. Compulsively readable, and highly recommended.

Gwen Ingolffson, the titular Drakon, is dumped alone into (almost, [1]) OTL in a failed wormhole experiment. A good Drakon superwoman, she makes First Contact with a mass-murder, and moves smoothly on towards World Domination. Gwen is SF's best female antihero, truly a lovely monster.

The ending is perfunctory [2], with a nice leadin to the planned sequel, _Unto Us a Child_. Which, unfortunately, was never finished: (I'd give you the URL, but Amazon would likely censor it. So Google. Hint: drakasequels.html)

DRAKON is the only standalone Draka book,the sexiest, and the least gory[3], so if you haven't tried the Drakaverse, this is the place to start.

[Pause to read a bunch of old Usenet Drakon discussions. The standout is Jo Walton's thoughtful review; Google Groups.]

Anyway, I can see the point of the various nitpicks, especially the one that sees DRAKON as a Draka fanfic, written by the author -- but none of them mattered, while I was reading or rereading the book. Drakon pushed all my right buttons, and, since this isn't a formal review, I don't have to analyze the book, nyah nyah. It's *terrific*, and I look forward to rereading it again sometime in the 2010's.

________________________

[1] The only argument I came across for this not being OTL, was a comment someone made that all the VN-era fighting was in Cambodia. Note, however, that both the NVA and Viet Cong are specifically mentioned. Did I miss another POD?

[2] --but includes a neat reference to Niven's "All the Myriad Ways".

[3] Even so, there are parts that are not for the squeamish.

Happy reading--

Peter D. Tillman

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice light follow up to the heavy Stone Dogs, February 22, 2006

By 

William A. Hensler (Holt, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drakon (Mass Market Paperback)

4 Stars

I like the Draka series of books. Yes, they are ruthless slavers who subject all of mankind to the whip and then genetically modify the human race out of existence.

However, any group of people who control the killing in the Middle East and Afghanistan can't be all bad. :)

I got "The Stone Dogs" as a free book at an army base years past. After this very alien book I decided to read the whole series of Draka stories.

Drakon is a nice follow up to Stone Dogs and the rest. Gwendolyn Ingolfsson, a first generation new human from the Drakon timeline, is accidentally transported to earth in a machine that sounds a lot like the machine used in "Terminator". A normal human, Kenneth Lafarge, is a secret agent who has a mission to stop Gwendolyn. Ken is part of a group of humans who fled the Sol solar system after the Draka won the final war. His job is to stop Gwendolyn from infecting our Earth's time line.

This book is fast paced and fun. It's a quick read. Kenneth Lafarge is aided in his quest by several New York police. For some reason this book felt like a cross between "Stone Dogs" and "Law and Order". That's not a bad thing. This reviewer likes both and it sort of works.

Gwendolyn Ingolfsson comes to Earth with nothing and quickly builds an empire. The point here is our present prison systems are smart for keeping convicts from the internet.

This novel isn't nothing like the Stone Dogs, Marching through Georgia, or the very depressing Under the Yoke. It's a fairly fast paced novel that's perfect for reading while on the beach improving your sun tan.

I gave this book four stars. It's not original. However, it's a fun forgettable read. It's "Law and Order" meets the Draka. It works well.

If you like the Draka you'll enjoy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good guys win? Come on!, November 12, 2002

By 

Mark M. Fox - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drakon (Mass Market Paperback)

Did Mr. Stirling's publisher told him that happy endings sell better than dark, brooding ones? Then the guy (or lady) should be fired. As far as complaints go, this was the only one I had when it came to Drakon. Gwendolyn is just too awesome to lose, too beyond the unaltered humanity's ability to handle.

Even though the plot is fairly predictable - the book reads like a combination of Predator II, Terminator, and Omen - the author implements enough elements from the original trilogy to keep the old fans interested and newbies intrigued. However, I still would have been disappointed with the ending if Stirling did not leave enough room in the end for the possibility of a sequel, and I have a feeling that it is going to be better than the original.