Customer Reviews

King of the Crags

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

 

 

King of Crags picks up right where The Adamantine Palace left off. The realms are in chaos, Zafir is speaker and the white dragon is still on the lose.

I quite enjoyed The Adamantine Palace. It was a great mix of action, dragon flights and political intrigue. The King of Crags maybe focuses a little too much on the dragon flights and the intrigue.

Stephen Deas is a great writer. His prose is clear and just fun to read, and he paints some amazing images of mountains and soaring dragons. But they're not terribly exciting.

Much of the book seems to be people arguing about going to war, rather than actually going to war. And while this (for the most part) is done quite well, it felt very drawn out.

About a third of way in, I got excited. The King of Crags had arrived. Then nothing. He's an old man who falls asleep through a meeting. The book would have been better named, The King of Furymouth, as the main character is obviously Jehal.

Jehal. Are we meant to feel sorry for him? I did a little. But he brings so much of his trouble on himself. I'd rather have read more about Kemir and Snow, but much of those chapters are very similar (almost too similar) to the Kemir and Snow chapters of book 1.

Reading back over this review, it sounds like I didn't like King of the Crags. So why give it 4 stars? Well I did like it. It was a fun, fast read and I enjoyed it.

The problem? King of Crags is very much a "middle-of-the-trilogy" kind of book. There's a lot going on but nothing really happens.

Stephen Deas is a great fantasy writer and one that I will definitely continue to follow. Here's looking forward to book 3.

Book II of Memory of Flames is much better than Book I in my opinion, though I enjoyed Book I very much. However, I had to adjust my understanding of past books I read and realize that the author is very different from others and the manner and style should not be a detriment but in fact a refreshing way to read stories.

Because there was a lengthy pause between purchasing Books I and II, I re-read Book I to familiarize myself with the characters and plot and discovered something I hadn't realized the first time around. Now, for those of you that may be having difficulty with these books due to PLOT(s), let me give you a major Aha! moment, think Lord of The Rings. Not because the story(s) is similar, but because of the different plot lines that traveled simultaneously parallel to each other and yet where very much a part of the story.

If you recall in LOTR, there where many characters that once they meet they all go their separate ways to achieve the same goal. And in the movie we watch how each goes about doing their tasks. In both books - Memory of Flames - the same occurs. We are introduced to characters from different "families" and go along in their ventures as they attempt to survive incidences that are either predestined or manipulated by others, to achieve a final "cause". We the reader are witnesses to each of their occurrences, and we have to appreciate what happens wether we like it or not. Now that that's put in perspective somewhat, I hope it helps you move through the books.

"King of Crags" is truly a remarkable tale full of intrigue and mystery. Don't get too wrapped up on the title, it's my belief that it's a set up for Book III though I could be wrong.

One last note, I really like how this author takes important characters and uses them to their maximum potential and leaves the reader agasht in how they are manipulated. It's brilliant that we as a reader can become so invested in a character and not realized their value in a plot or story line when something happens to them until much later. I love how this author used the reader to impose emotion in character importance where there was none, and yet our emotions continue to drive the story forward because we insist that vengeance must be served.

Book III is already out in Europe, but I'm holding out until 2012 because I want the cover that matches the other two books.

Personally I love the series Memory of The Flames!

This was really a depressing book and also rather confusing. The characters seemed to change sides so often that sometimes it was hard to keep track of them all. Also, the white dragon seemed to be left behind and was hardly mentioned at the end. I read the Adamantine Palace and was enough interested to want to find out what happened with the characters. However, this book was so bleak that if there is a sequel, I don't think I'll bother reading it.

If you enjoyed the first book you'll really enjoy this book. Stephen gives a lot more lore in this book and has our favorite dragon Snow in it! I personally think this book is a lot better than the first! It's really really good!

In the Realms, Prince Jehal has succeeded in achieving the first objective in his strategic plan. He has placed his lover Queen Zafir in charge of the hundreds of drugged brutally trained dragons and consequently their respective aristocratic riders. Everything came together except for that pesky white dragon who, if still alive, could destroy his plot to replace Zafir as the ruler of the realms; Jehal is unconcerned that if the freed beast attacks many will die.

Snow the White Dragon is planning to liberate her peers. The task will be difficult as they are drugged but just like she telepathically linked to her master Kailin, she knows she mentally will reach the intelligent part of the dragons. Whole Zafir distrusts Jehal and prepares to prevent his coup d'état, exiled Princess Jaslyn and Hyrkallen the dragonmaster lead a counterinsurgency.

The second Memory of Flames dark fantasy (see The Adamantine Palace) continues the brutal gruesome adventures in the bleak Deas Realms as this is no cozy. The story line is fast-paced with literal back-stabbing a normal acceptable way of life as alliances are temporary and fragile. Readers will appreciate soaring through the skies of the Realms as every free thinker has a deadly agenda with civilian (human and dragon) deaths an acceptable consequence.

Harriet Klausner

AN INTERESTING TAKE ON DRAGONS. IT WASN'T A PAGE TURNER FOR ME. IT'S WHAT I CALL A SOFT READ, ENTERTAING. A LITTLE TOO MUCH HUMAN POLITICAL STUFF FOR ME, TWISTS AND HUMAN INTRIQUE OK TO A POINT, TOO MUCH GETS TIRING. BEING A DRAGON JUNKIE, I READ PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING WITH THEM IN.