Customer Reviews

Mistress of Dragons

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Have you ever read a book you just wanted to finish to find out what happened, but weren't particularly interested in the characters? That's how I felt about Mistress of Dragons.

The plot was a sort of hackneyed: wonder-woman-meets-sleeping beauty, complete with lesbian amazons, a clueless prince, and an all-knowing dragon. The baddy is of the `I'm so eeevil variety.' My main problem with this book is it felt like a prequel, and the characters were not very likeable. The author writes the story with several well-developed relationships already in place. Yawn. I scarcely cared weather Melisande would be true to Belona, or whether the king would prove adulterous. There was not an iota of romantic suspense, (Which I sort of dig in these type of novels), and the ending was depressing and screams: Read the sequel!

Overall, I think this novel would work more for me, if the relationships between the main characters were new and we could experience them unfold with the characters, rather than so deeply entrenched. To surmount this, the author tries to tease us with a potential relationship between two main characters but this was so forced the outcome was easily predictable from the start. Feh.

This book left me feeling dismayed rather than entertained. Perhaps the sequel will be better...But, I'll wait until paperback.

Mistress of Dragons is the first novel in the The Dragonvarld series. Long ago, the world was ruled by the dragons. They were greedy, capricious and deadly, especially the younger ones. Then mankind appeared in the world and the dragons saw them as another prey. In fact, they savored the taste of human flesh.

But the Dragon Wars had exhausted the dragons and despoiled their world. The twelve dragon families formed a parliament to govern their own behavior and eventually the parliament outlawed predation on humans and proscribed any interference whatsoever in their affairs without prior parliamentary approval. Moreover, they limited contact with the humans to one dragon, Draconas, who wore human form.

The kingdom of Seth was isolated from the rest of Dragonvarld by high mountains. Three centuries in the past, a dragon had entered the kingdom and devoured both animals and humans. The kingdom was saved by the magic of the Mistress of Dragons, who asked only that the kingdom construct and maintain a monastery to provide a vigilant watch for intruding dragons.

In this novel, High Priestess Melisande of the Temple of the Watchful Eye performs her daily scan for intruders and discovers a dragon approaching the monastery. After alerting the garrison, she reports to the current Mistress of Dragons and is told to continue to observe the beast. She warns off the dragon and he claims that he only wants to talk to her mistress, but Melisande does not believe him. As he draws close, the Mistress releases the collective powers of the priestesses and the warriors attack with spear and arrow, thus driving away the beast with various wounds.

When the dragon Braun reports his reception to the Dragon Parliament, they consider once again taking action against Maristara, the dragon who rules Seth through the hierarchy of the Temple. And once again, nothing is decided. However, Draconas himself devises a plan and implements it with the aid of Braun.

In this story, Draconas begins to suspect that someone in parliament (or close to it) is aiding Maristara and keeping her informed of parliamentary actions. He starts to keep his plans secret from all except Braun and Anora, the Prime Minister. He subsequently encounters the conspirator in human form, but is not able to determine his true identity.

This story shows Draconas learning for himself that plans seldom survive contact with the enemy. Time after time he finds himself struggling to respond to the unexpected actions of his opponents (and his allies). This segment ends with him taking desperate action to save a few parts of his plan from total failure. It is time for a new and better plan.

The story is action packed and abounds with surprises and plot twists. However, the characterization is a little wooden. Moreover, the good guys seem to be hopelessly naive, but probably that conclusion just reflects my frustration with their foolish actions. The sequel may show a little more savvy from Draconas and Anora.

Recommended for Weis fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of slow reacting and very conservative dragons trying to respond to the fast moving pace of human society, with a few dragon traitors pulling the strings of the humans.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Dragons rule much of the world though they do so secretly with human props serving as monarchs and much of the enslaved race unaware of their existence. Perhaps the only exception is the isolated mountainous matriarchal nation of Seth where the Mistress of Dragons rules. The current Mistress is near death and her chosen replacement Melisande waits her turn to rule the nation and keep its people safe from dragons, last spotted two decades ago. Melisande will do her duty, but prefers her current lifestyle in the amazonian monastery living with her lover.

However, King Edward of Idlswylde turns to Draconas for help with a dragon causing death and destruction. Draconas advises the monarch that his only hope reside among the amazons in Seth and he will personally go there. However, Draconas, a dragon in human garb, has his own agenda using Edward as a pawn so he can complete his mission as a member of the ruling Parliament of Dragons to find the law breaking renegade. When Melisande and Draconas meet, the world will never be the same.

MISTRESS OF DRAGONS is an exciting opening tale that demonstrates Margaret Weis' abilities to make a world governed mostly by dragons seem real. The story line is fast-paced, loaded with action, and filled with strong charcaters of both genders. Several twists add to the fun of a soaring sword and sorcery fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

The town of Seth is protected from dragons by the Mistress of Dragons, a human who is viewed as a goddess. When a nearby kingdom is harrassed by a dragon, a mysterious dragon hunter appears and advises its king to go on a sojourn to request the aid of the Mistress of Dragons in Seth.

The unfolding of the story is slow and filled with events that the reader will find hard to believe, even in a fantasy. A follower of the Dragon Lance saga will be wondering how the co-author of those [mostly] glorious books could have written this weak story. The reader will find some humorous sections in the first third of the book but, even with these, he may find himself questioning whether he should bother finishing the book. The answer to that question is a qualified yes. The book does get better as it progresses. If the reader finishes the book, he will probably decide to go ahead and get the sequel. But, the book's beginning is such a disappointment, many readers will not get far enough along in the book to find out that it does get better.

Having read most of the Dragon Lance books written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and then having read books written separately by each of these authors, this reviewer can only conclude that it was something in the pairing of these two individuals that made so many of their books worth reading.

Being a fan of Margeret Weis, I was really looking forward to this book. I had just read Tracy Hickman's first Bronze Canticle book, and while I found it to be just ok, at least there were some original elements within it. I can not say the same for this book. There is nothing new or unique in this novel. The writing is not what I would expect from her, and the characters are not interesting. The main male lead seemed okay enough as we are introduced to a loving wife and dutiful son, but he grows unlikeable as he lusts after another woman. It is also unrealistic that a king would go off alone with a total stranger on a quest. The man female lead is a very bland priestess. The lesbian angle is interesting, though she seems to forget that she is gay for one chapter in order to advance a plot point. All in all, this is not a good Margares Weis book.

Margaret Weis became prominent with the original Dragonlance Chronicles many years ago. In fact, her name became so synonymous with dragons that I was always surprised when a series came out that didn't have them in it. She had moved away from that distinction until she and her writing partner Tracey Hickman came back to the Dragonlance saga. Now, it appears that she has given in to destiny and embraced dragons.

Weis' latest book, Mistress of Dragons, is the start of a new solo trilogy for her, and it contains many familiar elements to any fan of her books, namely dragons. Aside from that, though, the characterization and plot felt very comfortable for me, a fan of her previous work who hasn't read one of her books in a long while. "Familiar," in this case, isn't a bad thing. She's not re-writing the same plot over and over again. Instead, she breaks new ground, but with the style and panache that I remember from before. I really enjoyed Mistress of Dragons, and am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

For an "epic" fantasy, this is a surprisingly small book as far as characters go. There are only four main ones, with some secondary characters floating about. This makes Mistress of Dragons a very tight book, and I found that it flowed very nicely because of this. Draconas is the dragon-in-human-form who must figure out the plot while trying to stay on the right side of dragon law by not revealing himself to the humans. There is Melisande, the high priestess of the sisterhood and the woman designated to be the next Mistress when the old, current one dies. Bellona is the captain of the guard at the monastery and Melisande's lover and confidante. Finally, there's Edward, king of Idlyswylde and a man who just wants to do the right thing and protect his kingdom from a dragon. Because the cast of characters is so small, Weis is able to delve deeply into their characters, making them truly three-dimensional.

Draconas really cares for humanity, despite the aloofness that being a dragon brings. He finds himself wanting to guide and protect them, despite it being against the law. On the other hand, he can be ruthless when the situation requires it. Melisande is set in the ways of her society, and when that society breaks down, she is devastated. She's even more devastated when it looks like Ballona is trying to kill her. I found her a bit whiny at times, but overall she was a very strong character and it's not a surprise that she would whine a little bit given what happens to her. Bellona is very loyal and tough, but with a very soft side when it comes to somebody she cares about. She's not above killing people who used to be friends if she feels betrayed enough. Edward is a relatively simple man, trying to get a job done, but finding himself caught unawares in Draconas' plans. He's a pawn, he realizes he's a pawn, but he's willing to go along with it if it will save his kingdom, even though he doesn't know what is in store for him.

Weis weaves a tapestry around these characters that is almost beautiful, but is also dark and ugly underneath. A rape is very shortly but sharply described, devastating the character, and having harsh implications on later events. The implications of other events in the book are also much darker than what I am used to from Weis. I really enjoyed seeing the growth in her writing from previous books, with more mature subjects and a familiar yet expanded writing style. While there are a few predictable moments, events take a very startling turn toward the end and the finale is breathtaking. Weis even gives some of the predictable moments at the end of the book a very subtle twist, keeping you on your toes.

Any flaws in the book are very small and may be rectified in future books (though that doesn't quite forgive this one). I didn't feel like I really became part of the world that Weis created. We get a description of the society in Seth, but we don't see any of it except for the Sisterhood. The same goes for Idlyswylde, where we only see King Edward's court. We don't get a sense of the land at all. There is no map included, so we have to go completely by Weis' descriptions to get any sense of scale. At times, I felt a bit lost as they traveled from place to place.

Such flaws don't detract too much from the book, though. This is an enjoyable, epic fantasy that doesn't feel that epic. Instead, it feels like interesting events happening to characters you care about, as you watch them take on the hostile world around them. You watch as their worlds get turned upside down, as they give in to temptation and passions, and as they fight to keep their sanity as the world changes around them. Weis' first foray into fantasy without any helpers is a resounding success, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

David Roy

This book wasn't a bad book but it wasn't an oustanding book either. I enjoyed the story, the plot, the twists and turns. What I didn't enjoy was the characters. I wasn't drawn to a single one. Matter of fact, there was not one that I cared about what happened to them. That is a very important factor in a book. If you do not care about the characters, why would you care about what happens. I will get the second book though, only to hope that it will be written better. If not, I won't bother with the third.

I am a huge fan of (almost) anything Dragon, and so when I came across this book I knew I would have to read it. The plot is simple and the human characters moderately interesting, although I don't feel either rates the title of "epic fantasy."

The one saving grace of the story that will cause me to continue reading the series is the tiny glimpse of the history and culture of the Dragons the author gives. Hopefully in the remaining two books, the (rather dull) world of the humans will take a backseat and the world of the Dragons will be explored in depth and detail.

Mistress of Dragons is an interesting story with some likable heroes and and excellent villains. The heroes are the humans and their dragon allies, but the humans don't realize that dragons are their friends because the villians are a couple of dragons gone bad. Very bad. The good dragons concoct a plot which uses humans to conquer the bad dragons. Mistress ends with an unexpected plot twist.

This story is well-told except for that annoying conjunction ommission problem that bugs me. For example, on a few consecutive pages, we find these constructions:

"She closed her eyes, shut out the sight of them."
"Melisande raised her head slightly, cast him a furtive glance."
"She'd been planning to slip away, try to go back to her people."
"Draconas poked and prodded, found no other injuries."

That drives me insane (especially when it's done as often as Margaret Weis does it). But if that doesn't bug you, and you don't mind a rape scene and a lesbian love affair, you'll probably enjoy this book. I listened to it on audiobook and it was read well and the story is compelling enough that I've ordered the second one in audiobook format, too. I'm going to give it a chance, but I'm not so hooked that I can't drop it in the middle if it doesn't keep me entertained. --FanLit.net

I wasn't expecting more than light entertainment from something written by Margaret Weis, and I got...light entertainment. This is a pleasant, quick fantasy with a simple but involving plot that will keep you turning the pages until the story ends. None of the characters are particularly likeable or unlikeable, with the exception of Draconas, who was actually interesting. His inner conflict is unusual--he is a dragon and owes allegiance to the dragon government, which stops him from helping humans.
There is little information about any of the three societies, but there is enough to get by on. The writing is clean, and if not brilliant, certainly not painful. The tale was compelling enough that I will pick up the next book in the series at some point.
If you don't really like fantasy, don't bother reading this. You'll think it's stupid.
But, hey, it was nice for a dreary afternoon.