Customer Reviews

Legends of the Dragonrealm

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

 

 

Legends of the Dragonrealm is a fictional omnibus featuring the first 3 installments of the Dragonrealm series of books written by Richard A. Knaak. It features the novels Firedrake, Ice Dragon, and Wolfhelm. It centers primarily on the Dragonrealms, a fictional land governed by the Dragon Kings. It details the progression of 3 events across this land. It combines aspects of the warrior, the mage, and general fantasy to create something recognizable to fantasy fans, but completely unique and differentiated from other books in the genre.

Firedrake was an amazing story. It starts off running and does not stop until the very end. When the protagonist is targeted by powerful lords and kings, he must flee and thus begins the adventure. Non-stop action keeps you interested from beginning to end. A quick read for those who have the attention span needed. It combines a classic plot of a hero, villain, friends, and foes with solid character development and a bit of suspense, intrigue, and action. An opportunity for some is that not all characters were fully developed, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it provides just one more reason to read the second book. A curse, because it is a bit frustrating putting together a puzzle of a story without all the pieces. This was one of the fastest flowing storylines that I've been able to read in a while.

Ice Dragon does not leave one disappointed. Although the story doesn't move as quickly as Firedrake, the plot contains significantly more depth and detail. Ancient feuds, archaic magic, and nifty characters combine to make this a must read for any fans of fantasy or dragons. The only opportunity seen in this story is that, at points, the story seems to dry up. It's not until the different subplots are connected that true appreciation for the main plot is realized. Richard also adds some lore to the background of the Dragonrealms, which makes the land more alive, vibrant, and colorful. It also sets up the next book perfectly.

Wolfhelm was possibly my favorite of the three. Although it does not focus as much on dragons as its predecessors, it tells the story of another, possibly even more enigmatic character. Facing ancient enemies for the greater good is a motif seen throughout this novel. Personally, I am a big fan of background information. This story delivers on that and then some. Casting already-known characters in a new light by providing background information, allows Mr. Knaak to add dimension to his already well-known characters. Creating a sense of futility to the struggle and mixing in solid perseverance allows the reader to "feel" for the characters and their plight. It's a fantastic conclusion to the first three books. It adds a bit of closure when you really don't want it.

Although I wouldn't recommend it, a reader who only reads the first three will not find their time wasted. So far, after reading 5 of the set, I find myself eagerly anticipating more and would never consider just reading 3.

While I would never claim to write anything comparable to this set, it is worth mentioning the detail created around the settings. These stories move astonishingly fast. Because the stories move so quickly, details are often left out which describe scenery and the like. While setting development improves as the stories progress, some may find themselves a bit lost. If it is a requisite that the settings be amazingly detailed, then you might be disappointed. If not, then this is definitely a book for you.

Legends of the Dragonrealm by Richard A. Knaak is an omnibus containing the first three books of his original series, the Dragonrealm; Firedrake, Icedrake & Wolfhelm. I was first introduced to Richard A. Knaak through his early work on the Dragonlance books, specifically The Legend of Huma. I enjoyed his Dragonlance work so I looked forward to his Dragonrealm's creation.

In general my reaction to Legends of the Dragonrealm is mixed. My primary issue deals with what exactly is the Dragonrealm series. Is it epic fantasy or sword and sorcery serial? The omnibus attempts to straddle the two and I feel that this weakens the whole. The first two books, Firedrake and Icedrake are a continuous story that starts out in a familiar epic fantasy feel. A young man, Cabe Bedlam, with a mysterious past suddenly thrust into the role of savior all. Along the way he collects a romantic interest, befriends people in high places and becomes the most powerful magic user in generations. Predictable but enjoyable none the less.

The third book is a shock as it completely shifts focus, choosing to thrust a supporting character from the first two books, the Gryphon, into the limelight. The Gryphon embarks on a quest to solve his mysterious and forgotten past and ends up saving the world. This book drops any epic fantasy pretense and moves firmly into the realm of sword and sorcery. The Gryphon is a jack of all trades with a mysterious past and first and foremost a master of survival against all odds.

Aesthetically, these three books should not have been sold as an omnibus. It is a disjointed collection and the three books do not really fit together. The first two books are an obvious pair and the third is just sort of tacked on. However, that is the fault of the publisher, not the author. But it does highlight the style confusion of whether or not the book is epic fantasy or sword and sorcery.

The narrative works much better as a sword and sorcery serial. The first two books, Firedrake and Icedrake make a pretense at epic fantasy but do a poor job at it. Character development is threadbare and the romance is laughable. Action, plot and setting more than make up for the lack of character development. As shallow as the characters may seem, the plot is convoluted and full of surprised. The action is non-stop. The settings are varied and if not original, interesting.

The omnibus really picks up steam with Wolfhealm. At this point most of the epic fantasy pretense is dropped completely. The character development is minimal and there is an emphasis on adventure and plot. The plot is wildly convoluted with red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. There is action and magic in spades. Its a very successful sword and sorcery novel.

Overall, I think the weakness in this omnibus is due to Richard A. Knaak discovering his own style. The three books contained in the omnibus were among the first books Knaak had published. I think the first two books, Firedrake and Icedrake, represent and effort by Knaak to write his own epic fantasy. By Wolfheam, I think he had a change of heart and instead embraced sword and sorcery. It is obviously something he is better at. The omnibus finished strong and I hope that trend continues as I would like to read more in the Dragonrealm series.

I read these stories when they were originally published and devoured each of the drangonrealm books as it was released. I re-read them when this volume was released and they remain an exciting fun read. Richard Knaak has never let me down when I needed something epic to read. I was sad to see the original cover art by Larry Elmore not included anywhere, which would have really made this collectible to me.

This book feels like it was written by an amateur. A talented amateur, to be sure, but an amateur. Everything feels very crudely sketched, and not in an enjoyable "in medias res," learn-as-you-go sort of way, but in a "why didn't the author take the time to flesh out something that could have made this much more engaging" way. The character portraits are mostly cliches, lack sufficient background to really grab the reader, and frankly the whole plot is utterly banal. Evil dragons, long-lost child of a warlock must leave his job as a tavern scullion to save the world, beautiful sidekick/mentor, mysterious "great forces" at work, blah blah blah. There's nothing wrong with trying to reinvent the wheel - this is fantasy, after all, half the reason people read it is because they already have a familiar feel for what the rules are here - but the author fails miserably. He mentions in the foreword that he read maniacally growing up, and you can see the tropes from all those stories shining through. But the author adds nothing to make it his own. There are also inconsistencies and sloppy writing that I found frustrating. For example, this line dropped by a totally unnecessary character who is a pale, pale reflection of the Rider of Rohan that obviously inspired him; "A warlock, too! So that's what happened to the drakes! The Gryphon is going all out!" Really? "Going all out?" Not a very fantasy phrase, especially when the author belabors titles like "Lady" and "Lord" so much, trying to insert some kind of Arthurian vibe that never really works out. So not only is this book lacking depth, it's not even well-scrubbed in terms of language. There are a lot of little errors like that I've stumbled across, and they detract from the already not-so-engaging story. Everything has that sort of sketched-out feeling, like the author only wrote down the gist so he could keep writing the story that came pouring out of his mind, but he never came back to fill in all the nitty-gritty details that make the best fantasy so good. It's a framework, a pretty standard one, and there were times reading it when I felt embarrassed not only for the author, but for his editor - what kind of fantasy editor read this and gave it the thumbs up???

Other reviewers seem convinced that the non-stop action makes up for the faults I've described. I don't agree. The complete lack of detail and eye-rollingly familiar portraits of all the characters consistently manage to disappoint me at critical moments when I'm about to forgive the book its other faults and fall into the flow of the action. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to read.

In summary:

You shouldn't buy this book if you're an entry-level fantasy reader. It will turn you off to a genre that can be so much more than this predictable collection of half-conceived cliches.

You shouldn't buy this book if you're an experienced fantasy reader looking to add a worthy new series to your shelf. It's totally disappointing. Everything is familiar, nothing seems fresh, and reading it gives me none of the urgency to reach the next page that top-tier series produce. To me this book contains only pale imitations of characters and events from series like The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Forgotten Realms (i.e. Drizzt Do'Urden), The Belgariad, Gotrek & Felix, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and others. I highly recommend taking a look at any of those series before this; if you've already covered them all, keep looking, because this isn't worth your money, I promise.

The only scenario I can see it being worth your money to purchase this omnibus is if you're a fantasy fan desperately needing something new to read on your 12-hour plane ride. If you're not about to leave for the airport, then I suggest you forget about Legends of the Dragonrealm.