Customer Reviews

Here Be Dragons

5 star:		(163)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the first book in the Wales trilogy (the others are Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning). Penman emerged long ago as one of the best historical novelists and continues to solidify her reputation with each new release. Her special genius lies in the bright and shining historical detail that she can weave into both plot and dialog (she's a very good student of history and at times is absolutely brilliant in conveying to us the workings of medieval minds).

There is no doubt that Penman's novels will stand as great reads for ages to come. Her plots are always complex (because the history of these times was quite convoluted). She does an excellent job of keeping it all straight for us as she leads us through the maze of characters. If you read the history of these times you quickly come to see what a great job she does in her design of the story.

There may be a bit too much time spent on the romance of Llewelyn and Joanna, but there does seem to be a calculated story line running that proves itself as the bond between the two weaves itself into the historical facts of the complex relationship between King John and Llewelyn. Penman's true genius is the broad historical scope that is painted on top of the shimmering details of brief moments. It truely does feel as if you are living the story yourself, and it is this bringing us readers in as witnesses that stands as Penman's contribution to the art of the historical novel.

If you prefer to read in chronological order:
1101-1154 When Christ And His Saints Slept (Vol 1 of Trilogy)
1156-1171 Time And Space (Vol 2 of Trilogy)
12th Cent Devil's Brood (Vol 3 of Trilogy)- not yet released
1192-1193 The Queen's Man
1193 Cruel As The Grave
1183-1232 Here Be Dragons (Vol 1 of Welsh Trilogy)
1231-1267 Falls The Shadow (Vol 2 of Welsh Trilogy)
1271-1283 The Reckoning (Vol 3 of Welsh Trilogy)
1459-1492 The Sunne In Splendour

I was first introduced to Sharon Kay Penman through her so-called Medieval mystery, The Queen's Man. Eleanor of Aquitane was so vivid and real, so drawn was I to that character, that I bought Here Be Dragons just to see more of this most regal of matriarchs. Before doing so I read reviews here on amazon.com that indicated that The Queen's Man was a far cry from her best work, that her best was to be found in the longer, historical work. I scoffed, thinking that these were disgruntled, spoiled readers who didn't know how to adapt to a change from their favorite author. Barely 50 pages into Here Be Dragons, I realized how horribly wrong I was. Every time I set the book down, whether it be to turn off the light to sleep, or finishing lunch at work, or getting off the train in the morning or evening, I felt ripped away, so very much out of place.

Knowing little about the history of the period, I allowed SKP to be my guide, stopping along the way to check facts, names and places, always impressed when I found her accuracy to be perfect. Would that all history read with such passion, such verve!

SKP writes emotion as accurately as she does history. I have experienced the loss of a loved one, myself come too close to death, and when John died, her telling of it kept me up, staring at the ceiling for nigh on thirty minutes, my own memories brought back, real and cold. That tears fell, I am not ashamed to admit. I cried for the death of the evil King John.

A shy romantic in life, I care little for romance in my fiction. Imagine my surprise when I found myself more interested in the relationship between Llewelyn and Joana than virtually anything else. History is stranger than fiction, true, and this was as unlikely a pair as could be imagined. Yet their love was strong, and true, and overcame Joana being torn in two between the father who showed her love when she was orphaned, and the husband who showed her heaven, as well as Joanna's own indiscretions. Since most who read or will read her work know the history, I'm not afraid to give up that little secret: Joanna committed adultery, and yet Llewelyn's love for her was so great that he forgave it. Perhaps not such a great thing in today's day, but a monument in 13th century Europe. Myself, I didn't know the history, and shed tears at the thought of Llewelyn and Joanna forever apart, shed them again when he took her back.

Rarely have I read a book more beautiful, with prose more even and yet evoking such emotion.

Everyone else on this page seems to have lauded this book quite aptly, but I just had to add my own opinion, so strongly did this work effect me. I grew up on knights and castles, Robin Hood and the Arthur legends, so when this book fell into my hands a few years ago it naturally captured my attention. It wasn't long before it captured my heart as well. I've always found Penman to be a good writer; her other works--"Sunne", "Saints," and "Queen's Man", however, are nothing compared to her Welsh trilogy. Somewhere, somehow, she hit true inspiration, and dammit, it shows. The prose are beautiful--that passage at the end of "Dragons" is so lovely!--her characters are fully realized and completely captivating. Yes, I fell in love with Llewelyn, too! It's like one of those old movie epics--but a GOOD one, for once! It's got everything: battles, politics, romance (!!), and above all, a fascinating, marvelously accurate window into a world so completely unlike our own, and yet people with characters we become so attached to, whether we like them or dislike them. Read it! You'll love it! Only one word of warning: enjoy the happy ending in "Dragons" because it does not get any happier. The trilogy gets even better as it progresses through "Falls the Shadow" and "The Reckoning" but trust me--stock up on kleenexes! You'll need them! This is an excellent series for anyone who has a passion for Plantagenets, history, and above all, romance.

It is always with trepidation that I dare to give an average rating to a book with so many five star reviews. In the case of Here Be Dragons, however, it must be done. The five star reviews are all understandable. I can appreciate where they are coming from, but I had a very different experience of the book. There were, in my humble opinion, two major flaws that kept me from enjoying the book as much as the 80 or so others who have reviewed it.

First, there is, I feel, a lack of focus. The novel opens with ten year old Llewellyn, a Welsh boy raised by a Norman lord. Llewellyn even has his own Obi-Wan type character, Morgan, whose function appears to be to ensure that Llewellyn grows up well-versed in his Welsh heritage. So, the novel appears to be a coming of age one, with Llewellyn seeking out his destiny, reconciling his Welsh heritage with his Norman upbringing. But, no, it's about Prince John Lackland and fight to survive against his brothers. But, no, wrong again - it's about young Joanna who must reconcile the conflicting goals of her father John and her husband Llewellyn. No, still wrong - it's about the Welsh' struggle to remain independent of England. Ultimately, the novel is more about Joanna than anything else but it comes off as a vignette approach to historical fiction - we follow one character for a few days, then jump ahead a couple months or years to another character.

Frankly, the apparent lack of focus wouldn't be all that troubling if it were not for Penman's attempt to lend authenticity to her dialogue by using stilted grammar. Overuse of the verb "to do", use of hackneyed words like "mayhap." "I do think John is mayhap angry, Jesu forfend." Every single time a character stuck the word "do" or "does" before a verb it was like a splash of cold water, jarring me out of medieval Wales and back into my 21st century living room. And every character does speak that way, and it do appear on every page. Writers who intend to draw their readers into their worlds should generally avoid stilted, pseudo-period language as it creates an unnecessary barrier between the modern reader and the historical characters. (The only writer I can think of who has successfully done it is James Clavell, and that's primarily because he threw caution to the wind and had fun making up ribald, 16th century European dialogue.)

With those two huge caveats, Here Be Dragons has some elements worth reading, including an interesting perspective on King John and wonderful lessons in a period of history most of us know very little about.

Sharon Kay Penman is a remarkably gifted writer. Her impeccable historical research, attention to detail and superb storytelling ability make her novels consistently excellent. "Here Be Dragons" is one of her best efforts. It is the second book in her Plantagenet series, which include "The Sunne In Splendour," "Falls The Shadow," and "The Reckoning." Each of these wonderful historical novels stands on its own, however, and while it is an extraordinary experience to read each book in order, one does not have to do so to appreciate the history, the characters or the period.

Ruthless, power hungry King John Platagenet ruled 13th century England with an iron fist. He was determined to bring Wales, a country divided, under his thumb and into his power. Charismatic Llewelyn Farr, Prince of Northern Wales fought to unite his country's nobility and provide a strong front against the English. He finally succeeded in securing a tentative truce with England by marrying King John's beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Initially wary of her new husband, her father's enemy, Joanna grew to love Llewelyn passionately over the years, but she was constantly torn between the politics of Wales and England, and her love for her husband and her father.

This is a complex saga of historic characters, politics, intrigues, betrayals, bloody battles and wars, romance, lust, power struggles, princesses held captive, revenge and forgiveness. Yet once begun, this extraordinary epic is almost impossible to put down. Ms. Penman portrays Wales, its people, culture and landscape vividly with glorious detail. It is fascinating to become involved with the characters and realize how linked they are by common ancestry. Not only is Welsh history tied to that of England's, but the royal families, Kings John's and Prince Llewelyn's, are linked by blood as are their descendants. Ms. Penman joins the histories and characters of these two countries to give the reader, not just a superb tale but a look at the bigger historical picture also.

This is truly one of the best historical novels I have ever read, and the four book series by Ms. Penman is absolutely outstanding. She paints an unforgettable picture of medieval England and Wales and the characters who made history. I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
JANA

. . . from the very beginning to the very end. Ms. Penman grabs hold of you and never lets go. Her writing is flawless, and both her description of Wales and her characterizations make her story come vividly alive, evoking 13th century England and Wales in all its horror and glory. It's impossible not to fall madly in love with Llewelyn, and Joanna is a heroine for all times. Ms. Penman even makes King John so passionately human that I found myself feeling sorry for him. I wanted the book to never end, but am thrilled that I have yet to read her next 2 books in this series. Ms. Penman has a truly remarkable talent for weaving history and fiction into a brilliant story. I can't recommend it highly enough.

'Here Be Dragons' was first recommended to me by an aunt on my 16th birthday. That Christmas I bought the book on a whim and have never looked back since. I've always been an avid reader, but no book has captured my imagination as much as 'Dragons'.
Like almost every other reviewer here, I fell in love with Llewelyn as well; he is probably the most endearing literary character I've come across, alongside Joanna, and surprisingly enough, King John. Sharon Penman's characterisations are exceptional, revealing both the character's strengths and weaknesses, and her depictions of 12-13th century Wales are breath-taking. What appealed to me most about this book as whole was the historical accuracy in dealing with the period (although missing out on Llewelyn's war with his uncles was a little disappointing).
I'm half-Welsh myself, and 'Dragons' brought the oft-forgotten Celtic country to life, and made me very proud to be able to say I have Welsh blood running in my veins. A must-read.

I read this book while working on my Master's degree on the military history of King John, from a university in Wales. What struck me the most was the devotion to the source material employed by Penman. I was often grinning at some of her passages or interpretations as I knew which source she was adhereing to and which she was disregarding. Overall I have to say that it was a pleasant read for me and in many instances I felt as though I was confering with a fellow collegue on her interpretations. The style of writing was fast and easy. I was often at odds with her characterisations but that was trivial. I might have made my characters more macho but I think that is my way of looking at the events and for the work here, it would probably been wrong as the majority of the story flows from the perspective of Joan, daughter of John and with of Llewlyn the Great. What makes this a great read is that the student of history can gain a great deal of insight from the work, while the entertainment factor simply makes it a fun read.

I have read thousands of books in my life and Here Be Dragons was- and is- a book you will never forget. It's the story of Joanna, daughter of King John, ignored and then used as a pawn by being married off to Llewelyn the Great of Wales. The writing is beautiful, so full of imagery you almost feel you are there, experiencing everything first hand.

Sharon Kay Penman has the ability to create such marvelous characterizations you cannot help but love Llewelyn and Joanna. This story is so romantic, and yet so incredibly tragic in it's truth; that the hero doen't always win, and good does not always triumph. Penman has written a magical novel, well researched in historical fact. The twists and turns will keep you turning pages and remaining awake to read long after your bedtime. And, best of all, you can continue the saga

with the next book. Just beware, again, that eventually you're going to cry and the only recourse will be to... read this book over again.

If The Sunne in Splendor is SKP's best work, this is definitely her second best. The dramatic love story between Llewelyn Fawr, the handsome Welsh Prince and Joanna, King John's illegitimate daughter keeps you reading from page 1 until the end!

A constant theme throughout this book, aside from the wondrous love story is enemies and allies. All of the royalty believe that they can end their feuds with other lords by marrying off their sisters and daughters to the enemy. Joanna is one of these victims, for she is sent to Wales against her will to marry Llewelyn, a man nearly twenty years her senior. All of the English (Norman-French) believe Welshmen to be savage and ill-tempered, and the Welsh have the same beliefs about the English. Yet somehow Joanna and Llewelyn begin to love each other, and although this love may not remain constant, it will prove to endure the greatest hardships.

This is the main storyline, but there is also the story of King John, whom history has labeled as one of the worst kings in English history. He plays a sympathetic role in this book, however, and like Joanna, readers may have mixed feelings about him.

I can't say enough. This is a wonderful book!!!