Customer Reviews

Fortress Draconis (The DragonCrown War Cycle, Book 1)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Fortress Draconis is a sequel to the military fantasy novel, The Dark Glory War and is book one in the Dragoncrown War Cycle. This book, however, is epic in scope and much more character-driven then the previous book. It's a good start to the series, marred only by one of the main characters being an incredible bore.

The Dark Glory War was a very interesting set-up for this story. It ended on a final note that, if you wanted to stop reading, you could have. However, it did entice you to get the next book. This is that book, and it is a lot better than the previous one. First, Fortress Draconis is not simply military fantasy. It is much deeper than that, and the emphasis is not on violence, blood flowing, heads flying off, and battle tactics. These things are in the book, so it's still not for the squeamish. But Stackpole adds scope to the plot, making it have a much grander feel. I really appreciated that.

Secondly, he adds deeper characterization to the mix. The story has a number of viewpoint characters, so we learn details about more than just the narrator. Alexia, Will and Kerrigan are the main viewpoint characters, though we do see some sections from minor viewpoints as well. This was a great addition, as one of the problems with The Dark Glory War was the fact that Tarrant was the only person I felt I knew after reading that one. Stackpole also does a better job of characterizing the people of whom we don't see the viewpoints. I get the feeling that he didn't care as much about the characterization in the first book because of the type of book it was, but this time he seems to have worked a lot harder at it.

The only failure in this aspect of the novel is Kerrigan. He is the ultimate innocent, formed by his wizard mentors to be the most powerful wizard that has been seen in quite awhile. However, he has been sheltered and thus doesn't know very much about life. When we first meet him, he is felled to tears because he has a cut. I see what Stackpole is trying to do with this character, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me. He is boring, and the book screeches to a stop whenever he's the viewpoint character. He's arrogant, but he also whines a lot when things don't go his way. When his not knowing how to act results in a death, he whines some more. It's an understandable reaction, but the way Stackpole writes him, I felt more annoyance at him than sympathy for his situation. He does get a bit better as time goes on, and I can tell Stackpole has some big plans for him. Hopefully, this upward cycle will continue and he won't be as annoying in the next book.

Stackpole's plotting and writing are really nice as well. I liked the choices that he made. One of my complaints about the previous book was that Chytrine was actually made a character in the last section of the book and I felt she was too simply written. This time, Stackpole seems to have taken a lesson from Lord of the Rings. She is not on-screen at all, except as seen in the distance. In LotR, we never see Sauron, and I think that's a good thing. In this case, Chytrine becomes an ominous presence and not a character to roll your eyes at. I was very impressed. Instead, we see the "heroes" of the previous expedition to destroy her, and we see how they have been corrupted. If the reader is familiar with them from having read the previous book, there is a sense of tragedy in this as well, and it really works. The prose is not outstanding, but it services the plot well. There are no glowing passages, but there are also no clunkers reveling in their purpleness.

Thankfully, there is no need to have read the previous book, as most of the information a reader needs to understand what is going on is included in this book. Some of the revelations will mean more (such as Crow's secret, which I will not reveal even though other reviews have, which ruined it for me), but that's not a big thing.

The only other minor problem with this book is that it still feels a bit like a fantasy role-playing game set to novel form. The party of heroes is even a classic party from one of those games: a wizard, a thief, and three fighters. Healing is done by the wizard, so there's no need for a cleric. Thus you get the feeling you could follow along in your game if you wanted to. However, that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of reading this book. It manages to lift itself beyond the typical role-playing fiction by providing interesting characters (except Kerrigan, of course) and intriguing situations. If you don't mind a little blood spilt and some severed limbs, then you can't go wrong with this one.

Finally, after a year and half long wait; Stackpole gives us the sequel to classic epic fantasy, Dark Glory War. Fortress Draconis is very impressive military fantasy epic set 25 years after the events told in the first book.A young thief, Will is caught trying to steal a strange artifact and is saved by two mysterious warriors: One is Vorquelf called Resolute who is determined to free his land from the tyranny of the evil sorceress Chytrine and the other is shadowy human warrior called Kedyn's Crow.Will finds out he is center of a prophecy where he will defeat Chytrine and her terrifying forces. This epic novel has unforgettable characters like Princess Alexa who is obessed in freeing her own homeland from Chrytrine. Kerrigan Reese, the young wizard who is born with powers far above normal humans but is also naivete on the ways of the world. General Adrogans, who's pompous outward personality hides a brilliant military mind.Stackpole's skills in the world-building department shine in every page as he gives you guided tour of his wartorn world and the various races that live there like Vorquelf elves who battle their ouw prejudices against wing-people called Gyrkyme
who they share a tragic history with. The human nations who must rally together to battle Chytrine's menace. Stackpole also succeeds in his vivid and brutal descriptions of battles as you see our heroes fight the Chytrine's terrifying army of monsters like the dreaded Sullanciri, beings who were once human now are souless monsters created by Chytrine's twisted magic! Finally our heroes adventures will take them to fortress Draconis where they must stop Chytrine from getting a piece of dragoncrown in which she will use to control dragons! So pick up this book and travel will Will, Resolute, Crow and Princess Alexa as they battle for the lives against evil Chytrine and don't forget the surprise on the last page!

Fortress Draconis lives up to the promise of a great tale started in The Dark Glory War. It is a book that stands alone however, not requiring you have read the prequel to understand this storyline as it takes place 25 years after the original. I did read the Dark Glory War first, however it was a year or so ago, so after reading Fortress Draconis I read it again and enjoyed the foreshadowing present in the first book that I didn't catch the first time.

Michael Stackpole is one of my favorite authors now. I first ran into his work in the X-wing novels of the Star Wars universe, then moved on to his fantasy novels and work in Battletech because I enjoyed his writing so much.

If you haven't read anything by Mr. Stackpole, give this one a shot and you'll be hooked. If you enjoy Robert Jordan (as I do) give this book a read as the world here is just as rich and deep, with the action coming even more quickly and the plot twists being just as good.

"Fortress Draconis" is the first novel in The DragonCrown War Cycle series approximately one generation following "The Dark Glory War" prelude novel. It is a spectacular book filled with creative battles, detailed descriptions, and interesting characters.

One could understand the novel without having read the prelude, but the continuing characters have a history and the small details will be lost on those who don't invest the time. There is mystery on other individual fates from the prelude novel, hopefully to be resolved in the future novels. It is curious to note how countries and people change and/or remain the same over the 25-year difference.

I found the novel better than the predecessor in all things. It has imaginative magic and great encounters. Two youngsters, Kerrigan and Wilburforce, are interesting to follow as they mature with the events unfolding, likewise Alyx with her unusual background. General Androgans and Dranae are intriguing enigmas while Resolute and Kedyn's Crow form an awesome fighting duo with personal limitations.

I highly recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre and look forward to reading the future novels.

Thank you.

Being the first book in the Dragoncrown trilogy, Fortress Draconis takes place 25 years after the Dark Glory War. In the end of that book, we see nearly all of that generation's heroes perverted into the service of the evil queen of the north, Chytrine. The only one to escape was the previous novel's narrator, Tarrant Hawkins. Having been named a coward and a traitor, for being the only one to return, he now goes by the name of Kedyn's Crow (Kedyn is the God of Warriors in this world).

While there are several notable characters from DGW making significant contributions to this work, the focus is really on three new heroes for this age. Will, an orphan turned street thief, may just be the crux of the entire war against Chytrine, based on a prophecy from the prequel volume. Kerrigan is a young wizard who has been bred and trained to be better than any other human wizard in memory, yet his sheltered upbringing may be his own doom. Alexia, whom we saw in DGW as an infant barely being rescued from the invading forces, has grown into a true warrior princess, having been raised among the Gyrkyme, half-breeds of elves and giant birds.

This novel takes the reader to many of the same places as in DGW, allowing us to see the effects of time. While some places have improved in the previous quarter-century, others have decayed. Those characters who were of good character still are, while those whose might have been questionable have only grown worse. The armies of Chytrine have grown more powerful, mostly due to the larger number of Generals, the evil-perverted, magically-altered heroes of the previous age. Also, her technology has grown further. Whereas in the first novel, she had but one cannon, the first usage of gunpowder in this fantasy world, now there are musket-like weapons and cannons abounding, for both sides, but she manages to have innovations to counter the growing armories of the good. As before, there is the presence of magic, but it is not overwhelmingly done.

Again, Stackpole gives us some characters to love, some to hate. It is difficult that now some of those to hate were just the opposite in DGW. Again, we have a depressing ending, but one that can be seen coming from a great distance. But never fear, a provision was made earlier with the character Resolute in regards to a certain magical enchantment. Comeuppance will be delicious.

As far as fantasy novels that have been published recently, I rank this easily among the top of any author out there. You get all the elements you might want from a fantasy novel, and you get a LOT of it, with over 500 pages to satisfy you. Happy reading!

While I doubt that I'll be able to fully appreciate this book till after the other two have been released and the Draconcrown cycle completed I still say that this is Michael Stackpole's best work to date. It happens 25 years after the events of The Dark Glory War as stated in reviews above, the one above this one have some parts that are completely incorrect. While not getting answers to all the questions that book left and there were a ton of them those, you do get some more information to base wild assumptions off of. What happens to some of the characters while not completely unexpected does come as a shock. The first three hundred pages of the book appears to slowly set up the plot for the entire series and at times is a little slow going, but once all the story lines merge you find you have a book that you regret coming to the last page of. My only hope is that there won't be a near two year wait for the next like there was between DGW and this book. For humor it even has a little something in the about the author section with Mr Stackpoles answer to this request. "Yes I know write faster" At last he can't write fast enough because I wanted the next book the moment I put down Fortress Draconis. A great read, you're only disappointment will come when you find out that you can't immediately continue the story.

This book is the second in a very compelling series. I am a very picky reader and I tell you this is a GREAT book written by an ever better author. Michael Stackpole is one of the best authors I have ever read. Why every Sci Fi/ Fantasy fan in the world does not buy this and his other books, I will never understand. Not since Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time have I been so swept away by the story and characters of a novel. Not to mention, Michael has the courage to let his story go somewhere (WoT fans know what I mean). I tell you this, if you don't by this book and other Stackpole works, you are really missing out. Also, if you are a fan you will NOT be disappointed. This book is just as deep and compelling as his other novels.

I've been a fan of Mike Stackpole's since he released his first X-wing novel. I've since read all his subsequent Star Wars stories and comics, as well as his fantasy novels put out by Bantam and Harper. And it's no secret that I've been disappointed with his latest efforts (Dark Tide, I, Jedi, and Dark Glory War). I must say, however, that this book is a definite improvement, probably his best work since Once a Hero and Talion: Revenant. Also, this seems to be Mike's most massive novel yet.

Despite my displeasure with Dark Glory War, I've really been looking forward to this book, and was extremely pleased to open my copy and start reading. For the first fifty pages or so, the writing or editing seemed pretty sloppy, and I was mentally bracing myself for the negative review. But as the book went on, *something* changed, and the writing style improved vastly.

In terms of characters, Mike finally seems to be breaking out of his rut. Tarrant Hawkins, Corran Horn, Nolan...all of his heroes always seemed exactly the same. For the first time in years I didn't feel like I was reading the exact same character with a different name slapped on. In fact, we get several heroes in this book (at least one of them can only loosely be labelled "hero," though).

This book also kept things moving. The plot is fast moving, the characters mostly compelling. Granted, by the time you're ten pages into the book, you'll know who two of the main characters *really* are, and there's not really a whole lot of suspense, but the deftly fleshed-out characters and typically wonderful action sequences more than make up for that.

I really only have three problems with this book. The first is one common to the genre -- the bad guy is too one-dimensional. She's EEEVVVIIILLLL and must be stopped at all costs, but there's really no personality or development there. She's just this horrible evil force. The second is one common to the author -- the dialogue just doesn't sound real. Most of the conversations sound like a collection of speaches and one-liners somehow mashed into dialogue form. The third and final problem is more a matter of taste than a problem, per se -- I found that occasionally the book would bog down too much with the planning sessions and then spend too little time on the subsequent battles.

However, even with these gripes, this is Mike's best work in years, thoroughly enjoyable. I can't wait for Rage of Dragons! (Write faster!)

Fortress Draconis by Michael Stackpole is the first book in the Darkcrown War Cycle. This book is an epic tale on many levels. Now, I need to say a couple things before getting to the actual review. This book starts a trilogy titled The Darkcrown War Cycle. However, there was also a prequel written for this epic tale titled The Dark Glory War. You do not need to read this prequel prior to reading the trilogy, however, I read the prequel first and am very glad I did so. It adds so much more depth to this book, having that knowledge and understanding already in place. But, that is a choice for each individual reader. If t were me, I would read the prequel first.

The plot of this novel is rather simple at first look. There is an evil sorceress attempting to crush everyone in her path. Of course, along the way, a group of heroes band together to thwart her plan. This book has many traditional fantasy elements, yet they are woven together like a fine rug. They mess almost flawlessly to create a fantastic tale that I am confident will please even the most hardened fantasy fans. This book has large scale battles, character intrigue, magic, and some rather emotional moments. I realize that some of these things are fantasy genre clichés, yet as I was reading this book I felt like it was being written in a fresh new way. It did not feel like I had read it time and time again. That is what I think the true appeal of this book is. Taking pieces of something that has been done before and writing it in a new and interesting way. That by no means means that this book is a copy of other books. All I mean is that there are pieces of fantasy lore that can be found within these pages.

The characters in this book are most enjoyable to say the least. Will, Alyx, Kerrigan et. al, are all very well written. One of the things I enjoyed most about these characters is that they all have flaws, whether they be doubt and insecurities or flat out making mistakes. It makes the characters that much more real and easier to pull for. Also, the characters dialog, is very well done. When most of the characters are talking you have a distinct impression that each of them has their own speaking style. I enjoy books where the authors quite clearly put some effort into the dialog. Another thing I enjoy about these characters is that Mr. Stackpole doesn't `tell' you anything. He may hint at it and elude to it, but it is up to the reader to decipher and figure out the twists and turns. I dislike it when characters have those "ah ha" moments and reveal plot points, basically smacking the reader upside the head with them. You won't find that here.

I did have two small, minor, disappointments with this book. In the prequel, it seemed as though Mr. Stackpole stayed away from clichéd characters. Yet, in this novel there are actually quite a few. It's not really a bad thing, but I wish it could have been done a little differently. The other thing is there were a few instances where I would have liked a little more description of the scene or what was going on. Yet, there were also other times when I felt certain scenes dragged on and could have been written much shorter.

All in all though. I enjoyed this book. This is certainly a trilogy I will keep reading. The books are long, 700+ pages, but it is well worth it in my opinion. Fans of David Gemmell, G.R.R. Martin, Greg Keyes, R.A. Salvatore etc will find this book right with those bigger, more established names. If you are looking at giving a book a shot, try this one. I enjoyed it very much.

I was introduced to Michael Stackpole through his endeavors in the Star Wars Universe. After enjoying his XWing books and I, Jedi, I quickly gobbled up some of his fantasy works such as Hero Reborn, Once a Hero, Talion: Revenant and Eyes of Silver. In my opinion Michael Stackpole is an excellent writer who keeps the pages turning and who kept the lamp next to my bed lit late into the night as I kept reading, unable to put the story down.

With Dark Glory War, prelude to Fortress Draconis, we saw the rise and fall of a generation's heros through the eyes of a man destined to suffer no matter how much good he does.

In Fortress Draconis, 25 years have passed, and a full fledged war is being waged against the forces from the north and the people of the southlands. The next generation's heros emerge to, hopefully, complete the task started by their predecessors. Powerful magics meet new and powerful sciences, a multitude of races gather to battle an ever-present threat and a vague prophecy begins to unravel. And in the center of it all stands a man who is a bridge between the heros of the past and the heros of the present, who has no family and no nation to call home; a man who's honor compels him to fight, not only for the liberation of a land he's never set foot upon, but for the memory of who he once was.

If you like your fantasy deprived of the cookie-cutter format, then you'll like Michael Stackpole and his DragonCrown Saga.