Customer Reviews

Fire Dragon, The

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While I have never entirely been clear as to the reasons behind separating this ongoing---to date eleven books---saga into three separate component series---Deverry, Westlands and the current Dragon Mage---as satisfying as the last two books of the latter have been, there is little question that "The Fire Dragon" elevates the story progression found in the two previous books, significantly ratcheting forward the tale's plot progression, and easily standing as one of the best books of the entire series. Many of the plot threads established in "The Red Wyvern" and "The Black Dragon" come to fruition in tragic as well as anticipatory ways, leaving one breathless for what I am told will be the concluding novel of this outstanding series that started with "Daggerspell" in 1986. And, perhaps, at no time has the author's prose seemed so sure of itself, boding for what I expect will be a stunning conclusion to the series.

As I have commented in earlier reviews of other books in this series, it is a shame that this complex and rich saga has not reached the attention of more readers. It is without doubt one of the finest epics of fantasy ever written, deserving the accolades to date heaped upon George R. R. Martin and Robert Jordan, let alone the popularity accorded less rewarding work, such as Terry Goodkind or Raymond Feist. Along with Patricia McKillip, Katherine Kerr remains, in the popular mind, one of the best and most underrated and least read authors writing fantasy today, and this is unfortunate, not only for the author but particularly for all those readers who are unaware of what gems this series represents. I can only hope that at some time in the future those who love fantasy will come to recognize this classic in the making, and that these books will be republished as a set in the form of which they are deserving. To see this book released only in mass market, and after the holidays, seems a travesty when one considers the quality of the work contained.

Once again, for whatever reason---I would like to suspect publisher indifference---this edition has been released without a complete list of characters, or in this case, incarnations. In a tale spanning several hundred years, with characters that shift and reappear upon the stage in various guises, it would have proven helpful to have been given a complete cast of characters. Even having read all the books, I find myself continuously having to refer back to the incomplete table of incarnations to fix the various characters and their manifold relationships in my mind, and this is compounded by the arbitrary absence of certain characters in the tables, such as here Nevyn (who, I suppose, by now we all know) and Aerynn, and the fact that the characters listed in the table for the Mid-1060's are incorrectly paired with their predecessors. In a tale as complex and chronologically complicated as this, with books separated in publication by at least a year and spanning almost two decades, it would have been helpful to provide a more complete list of characters and chronology of background events. Again, hopefully in the future, should this series be re-released, the publisher and author at that time will make the effort to provide their readers with a complete chronology and character list that a work such as this deserves.

I cannot recommend this work more highly. It deserves to be read and, to my mind, remains one of the finest works of epic fantasy fiction ever written.

For those who have complained that the plot threads of THE RED WYVERN and THE BLACK RAVEN were left dangling---it is time to stop. THE FIRE DRAGON draws together all the major threads of its companion volumes and ties them into a beautiful knot.

In the past, Prince Maryn's forces hold Dun Deverry, and the spring's campaign may well bring Deverry to peace. But the peace that Nevyn himself has schemed and sacrificed for may demand yet another price from those he loves, not only on the battlefield, but in the subtler intrigues of a newborn court. In the present, also, Rhodry, Dallandra and Evandar have survived a war won only by a terrible sacrifice, only to find that,once again, peace may demand an even higher cost than victory. Past and present resonate as the fates of characters both old and new converge, and even the compulsively careful reader may find a few surprises in store. Well worth the read.

I just visited Katherine Kerr's web site, and got some horrible news: Bantam has decided it will not publish the next two novels of the series in the United States. Even though ALL TEN books so far are still sellers, a rare event in serialized novels, the last few novels have not sold "enough".

Bantam will continue to publish the first 10 novels for as long as they sell. Let's hope Ms. Kerr's agent can find another U.S. publisher for the next two. The good news is that the next two books WILL come out in the United Kingdom, so loyal readers won't get left hanging.

Thank you, Ms. Kerr, for writing such great novels, and creating such memorable characters. I can't wait to see Jill again!

One final thought. I realize that life isn't fair, but I still feel the need to point out that Goodkind (eh), Feist (double eh) and Eddings (shame, shame) are all wildly succesful. There's a place for these authors (male, teenage; basically me 15 years ago), but I wish they wouldn't crowd out intelligent fantasy for more demanding readers.

And by that I don't mean this is the best so far, although it's great. I mean reading THE FIRE DRAGON didn't just keep me on the edge of my seat, it sent me back to read over all the rest--and, as readers of these books know, they just get better and better (and more nuanced and layered) with each read.

If you haven't read a Deverry book yet, start today with DAGGERSPELL. (If you know me and have any interest in fantasy at all, I have already bought you a copy; for the rest of the world, I will have to be satisfied with urging you to buy it yourself.) If you've read the books before, don't wait! This book's incredible and, I promise, it will send you scurrying back to every book in the series to pay closer attention to plots you *never knew were there*... plots I now *can't wait* for the next book to follow... esp. this 'falcon' book... we all know who that must be! Or I hope we do!

But I digress. My perspective? I was a little worried after A TIME OF OMENS and more recently that the books were losing a bit of their momentum--but I couldn't have been more wrong. The events of those books will take on new significance and now I'm ready to protest that two more books will not be enough! What can I say? I loved it. I feel like I'm discovering this series and the characters all over again, and I think everyone else should too! Happy reading!

I have been following this series for a very long time. And I have been waiting for this book since I finished the Black Raven. The Fire Dragon Does a great job of picking up where the Black Raven left off. I must admit that there were more than a few shocks while reading this latest volume. I wish that there were more epics out there that are as colorful and detailed as this one. Ms. Kerr has done a wonderful job of keeping her reader's interest. Bravo!

One slight little problem though. I have to wait for the next one...

This book brings back the spark of the first few books of the Deverry series. It includes the conclusion for Prince Maryn's way to the throne as well as some excitement in the present. The Maryn story has an extremely depressing end, yet not all endings can be happy. This was probably one of the more interesting looks into the Prince Maryn story. There is a dry period in the middle of the present story, but reading it through is rewarded with numerous surprises in the end. Loyal Deverry readers should prepare to be shocked repeatedly in the last 50 or so pages.

As a longtime fan of the Deverry series, I usually rush right out to buy each new volume the day it's released. This latest installment is in no way a disappointment; it still contains Kerr's wonderful use of dialogue and the intriguing mysticism of the dweomer.

One aspect of this book, however, is less than satisfying. The section set during the Civil Wars contains infinetely more developed characters than the section set in "the present;" Kerr seems far more engaged and in tune with Nevyn, Lilli, Bellyra and Maryn than she does with Dallandra, Niffa, Raena and Rhodry. This has been a problem throughout the Dragon Mage series. As a result, the second half of this book feels flat compared to the first, and its characters seem strangely unrealistic when placed against the tortured, complex, wonderfully human characters described during the Civil Wars. Despite the imagination that has gone into the Horsekin, the Guardians and the dragon, these elements of blatant unreality detract a lot from one of the series' main strengths.

However, one shouldn't complain too loudly about a novel that's just "very good" instead of "brilliant." Anything by Kerr is usually vastly superior to the majority of fantasy novels out there (many of which seem to have been written on autopilot by authors trying to make condo payments). Deverry fans will find no reason here to stop loving the series!

After reading the other customer's reviews I decided to put my thoughts in about the Deverry series. The plot in all her books is this, whatever a person does in life good or bad will come back to them in this life or the next (what comes around ,goes around).

Payback is a, shall I say harsh, if you mistreat someone in life as Maryn did to Bellyra, (Bellyra was totally in love with Maryn but he could not love her back the same way she loved him) you come back as Yraen, who was madly in love with Carramaena, Bellyra reborn, but Carra couldn't love Yraen (Maryn reborn) the same way he loved her. Do you see the cycle!? Carra got what she couldn't have as Bellyra, Maryn's (Yraen) love.

The reason the books jump around in time is because, as shown above, the complete story would be very confusing to tell in order. Each time line shows the struggle that each soul must go through in order to redeem themselves from their past wrongs and in the case that a soul was wronged in the past, whoever wronged them needs to and usually does make it up. Every soul gets what they want in one life time or another, sometimes things are just not meant to be.

The main story or theme is the tragedy and soon (once the cycle runs it course) the happiness or completeness of the souls of Brangwen and Galrion. The rest of the people are those souls that became entangled into Brangwen's life and rebirths and Galrion or Nevyn's life, most of the souls were deeply involved in the original tragedy of Brangwen and Galrion. In addition, to keep the story interesting and to keep you guessing, Kerr throws in things like Rhodry becoming Rori and thats just one example. But a fantasy book wouldn't be a fantasy book without battles, sieges, mystery and magic.

Kerr's Deverry series is better then great and I can not wait until the cycle is finally complete. *The series is a must read for fantasy book fans.* If you don't get the whole story after reading the books, the only advices I can give you is read all the books again and keep a chart of the soul's rebirths next to you.

Finally, in Kerr's usual braided, nonlinear storytelling style, we have not only some decisive events in the 'present', where Ebany's madness and Evandar's resolution of the Guardians' fate are coming to a head, but the conclusion of the Time of Troubles thread, providing the connection between the events of THE BLACK RAVEN and Maddyn the bard's final fate as shown in A TIME OF EXILE.

In the Time of Troubles (first third of the book), Maryn has finally taken the Holy City of Dun Deverry, and is putting the finishing touches on the defeat of the Boar clan to end the generations of civil wars that have raged among the various claimants for the high kingship. But despite Nevyn's best efforts, this man who's been shaped to be high king has a serious flaw: he's a womanizer who hasn't got sense enough to stay away from the wives, daughters, and sisters of some of his most loyal supporters; his current mistress, Nevyn's apprentice, sister of an influential tieryn, and betrothed to one of the silver daggers of Maryn's personal guard, is all three. Worse; Maryn's wife Bellyra truly loves him, and is too perceptive not to notice his affairs, but regardless of her feelings, she must stay with him for the kingdom's sake, being his claim on the Cerrmor side of the great conflict.

The curse tablet's spell on Maryn is still in effect, despite Nevyn's best efforts, but he's getting the nasty impression that he can see its subtle effects all around him, as Bellyra's distress is increased not only by her usual severe postpartum depression, but by another pregnancy only a few weeks after her last son's birth.

In the present, Evandar may have finally resolved not only the fate of his own people, the mysterious Guardians, but may provide the answers to some ancient riddles about the fall of the elven kingdoms of the West, as well as a chance for those great cities (the first love of his life) to be reborn. As part of one of his long-laid schemes, he's working on getting Ebany out of Bardek and back home to the Westlands, where his 'madness' can be cured. Rhodry, meanwhile, is working on keeping his oath to take Jahdo home to the northlands and catching the dark dweomermaster who kept taking the form of a raven and stirring up trouble among the Horsekin.

The ending of this book isn't the end of the series - there's one more volume to come - but Rhodry's final confrontation uses a very neat twist: something that a reader should have known for ages, but won't be expecting to see come into play. Very cool.

O.k. I will admitt I am a book worm I mean I read the whole series in 2 weeks but I loved it so much. This book was awsome it had so many twist and turns and it did have a great story even if some don't agree. Katherine makes you know the person her characterization is so good. Every person I can feel what they are feeling even if it takes a while to get to know some of them. In this book I found that She kept on doing it. I was not shure of the dragon in the beginning but it ended that I do like her but then that surprise came that was hinted in the begginning. You will have to read and see how many surprises show up. I say read this book NOW!!