Customer Reviews

Krona: Dragons of Nistala

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When I edited this book for Twilight Times, I wrote: "I love this story. The dragons very quickly became real people to me. Smooka grew from a faintly ridiculous blunderer into a wonderful hero. This is one of the most imaginative, delightful books I've read in a long time. I think it is an award-winner."
The final version has changed somewhat, but this assessment still applies.
This book is most definitely fantasy. If you have never read fantasy, start with Krona. You will be transported into another world, where the laws of nature are quite different, the people are immensely different -- and the essence of what writing should be about is exactly the same. All fiction writing is about emotion. The emotion in Krona is deep and genuine. I've never had a tail or wings or great claws on my feet, but I had no trouble identifying with the emotions of the dragons, and therefore with them as people.
Many writers annoy me with explanations. When I read a story, I don't want to be lectured at. I want to become so immersed in the book that it becomes more real than my own life. The author intruding upon the stage destroys this illusion. Krona's world is more different from my life than almost anything I've read lately, and yet Bent Lorentzen avoids having a single word of explanation. The author is invisible, as he should be. After the first couple of paragraphs, the unbelievable becomes commonplace. The rules of this universe are unveiled in use, and through conversation. It helps that the hero himself is often puzzled and confused, so that we can learn with him.
While being entertained, you will face many deep questions that are relevant to us as humans, right here and now. This is what distinguishes literature from just writing. Krona is definitely literature, leading you to plumb the depths of existence, but in a way that will slip past your awareness. Not only does Lorentzen avoid lecturing about the facts of the story, he also avoids lecturing about the underlying philosophy. Even the characters avoid doing this to each other. And yet, after you have read the story, your thoughts will return to it for a long time.
I won't talk about the content of the book. Why spoil your journey to Nistala?
Dr Bob Rich
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