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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not the best, April 3, 1999
By A Customer
In the Hall of the Dragon King I first read this book when I was about nine years old. At the time, I thought it was the best fantasy book I had ever read. I then promptly put the book down and never touched it again until recently. The story is about a boy named Quentin, who is sent on a mission by a wounded knight to give a message to the Queen. That of course sends him on all sorts of adventures, during which he finds the one true God and saves everyone. It is a very Christian book. My opinion has changed somewhat since I was nine. Next to other books Dragon King simply doesn't compare. The beginning, though it's supposed to be exciting, is slow. The characters take awhile to develop personality and the overall feel of the book makes me think that it had a really bad editor. There are lots of reasons why it is still a good book, though. The plot is very original, and once you get past the boring parts, it is very fun to read. The battle sequences are lovingly played out, the connection to God and Jesus is cleverly interwoven, and there are even some funny parts in there. Overall, for young readers it is a must, and older readers should read it too. Christopher C., (age, 14), Yokota, Japan
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dragon King Trilogy is on of my favorite series!, March 8, 2002
15-years-old acolyte, Quentin is wakened by a commotion in the temple of Ariel one night. A very badly wounded knight had stumbled in to the temple. His name is Ronsard(he is one of my favorite characters) and he has an extremely important message for his Queen Alinea. Ronsard asks if anyone could go and give the message for him. Quentin agrees to go but he can no longer return to the temple. The knight tells him to go to a hermit named Durwin and to give the message without stopping. So, mounted on Ronsard's horse Balder, Quentin rides to Durwin's house. He meets Durwin and also Durwin's friend, Theido. Theido and Quentin rides to Askelon where the Queen was, but they are caught by the crafty coward, Prince Jaspin. The Prince is the King's brother and he wants to have the crown. Quentin escapes and goes to the Queen. The message he gave was that King Eskevar had been captured by the evil necromancer, Nimrood. Then, the Queen, Durwin, and Quentin meets Theido. He had escaped and together they ride to save the King. Quentin learns of a new God, the Most High and he turns away from Ariel and the other gods to worship the true one God. Durwin teaches him more about God on the way. Can they rescue the King from Nimrood? Can they win the battle with Prince Jaspin's 100,000 men with their 10,000?
This is a wonderful Christian fantasy. The next one, "The Warlords of Nin" is my favorite in the Dragon King Trilogy.
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book of the Dragon King Trilogy, November 21, 2001
Stephen R. Lawhead's book, "In the Hall of the Dragon King" is a fantasy novel. The story is set during what seems like the Middle Ages where there are kings and queens, knights and lords, and battles against good and evil. Quentin is the main character of the story. In the beginning, he is a fifteen-year-old acolyte to the god Ariel but later becomes a follower of God. He is very headstrong, courageous, and kind. He is always helping others and makes many friends. Durwin the Holy Hermit is the one who teaches Quentin about God. Durwin is a hermit who lives in the woods, healing and helping the sick. He is very helpful and caring and loves to tell others about God. Toli is a Jher, a race of people who live in the woods. He leaves his tribe to be a servant of Quentin. He is not only a servant, but also Quentin's best friend. Toli is a quiet person with a crafty and quick mind. Prince Jaspin is the wicked brother of the Dragon King of Mesandor. He is crafty and mean but also a coward. He plots against the king with the help of Nimrood the Necromancer. Nimrood is an evil magician who calls on the dark side for his powers. He is evil, cruel, and a lunatic for power. Very late in the night, Quentin awakes suddenly. He hears the priests talking in the temple a goes to find out what happened. A morally wounded knight had stumbled into the temple where Quentin serves as an acolyte to the god Ariel. The knight says his name is Ronsard and that he has a most important message to deliver to Queen Alinea at the city of Askelon. Since because of his injury, he pleads for one of them to send to message. Quentin decides to deliver the message for him. But though that means he can never come back to them temple, he still insists he will go. So one of the priests named Biorkis, tells him to go and on the way ask help from a certain man named Durwin. Quentin leaves on the knight's horse Balder and sets off for Durwin's cottage. He arrives there and sees not only Durwin there, but also Durwin's friend Heidi. When they hear that Quentin has a message from Ronsard for the queen, they both suddenly get excited. Theido says he will go with Quentin to Askelon. They go to Escalon trying to slip there unnoticed but Prince Jaspin recognizes Theido. You see Theido is really a lord who was made an outlaw by Prince Jaspin! Prince Japan's henchmen catch Theido but Quentin escapes. Quentin takes his message to Queen Alinea. When he delivers the message and the queen reads it, she tells him that Nimrood the Necromancer is holding the Dragon King prisoner. Queen Alinea knows that if they don't free the king, Nimrood and his accomplice, Prince Jaspin, will kill him. The queen then frees Theido, and goes to Durwin's cottage with Quentin and her warder, Trenn. Then, the four of them flee to an ancient city called Dekra, but they find out that Prince Jaspin has put three Harriers on their trail. Harriers are barbarous and savage people who hunt down people and bring them back, dead or alive. Will they be able to make it to Dekra to obtain help to find the king? And even if they do, will they be able to free him from the evil clutches of Nimrood the Necromancer? Great trilogy, one of my favorites of fantasy novels. It's very exciting and suspenseful, while at the same time it has a Christian moral to it. My favorite part is in the beginning where Quentin tries to give the message to the Queen. Also love it when Quentin and his band try to free the king. Enjoyable for everyone, kids and adults alike though my opinion is it is best for teenagers. For other fantasy books like "In the Hall of the Dragon King", I recommend the Narnia Chronicles and the Lord of the Rings series. These books are also terrific!
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