Customer Reviews

Never Deal with a Dragon (Shadownrun, Vol. 1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anymore. Never Deal with a Dragon is the most in depth Shadowrun novel ever published (to date). Breaking away from the Robert Frost form of script which involves writing with as few words as possible, Never Deal with a Dragon introduced the world of Shadowrun to fans and brought us a view point of the 6th World outside of the RPG source books. In terms of writing, this book reminds me of "The Count of Monte Cristo" or the "Unabridged Princess Bride" as each of these books uses a lot of descriptive narrative to explain the story and background. There are pages in this book which are dedicated to the psychological breakdown and thinking of characters. There are also pages in this novel used to depict a setting in the seedy world of Shadowrun.

As for the novel itself. The book consists of about 50 chapters which are divided into three parts of the story. Each section of a book is it's own separate story that eventually all ties together in the end. There is a good balance between characterization, setting, plot, and action in the novel. The book also dwells into the various forms of character classes that a person can create in the world of Shadowrun. Riggers, deckers, mages, and street samurai's are all painted in the novel and done quiet well. There is a chapter dedicated to how rigging works, and multiple chapters on magic and decking. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the dialogue. From Dodger's old English narrative, to Sam Verner's consistent pessimism, to seductive Sally Tsung, to the brash Orc Kham, sadistic Alice Crenshaw, and the stoic Ghost Who Walks. Each character is given their own existence, their own voice, and that is certainly one of Charrette's strengths as a writer. What overshadows this is the personality of the main character Sam Verner, who is not very likable.

That being said. The book can be slow and wordy for people who have never played Shadowrun before. There are certain parts of the books which can be monotonous, but other than that I recommend this book to gamers and classify it as one of the better Shadowrun novels written. To disagree with some of the other reviews in the realm of characterization. When compared to other Shadowrun novels, the characters in this novel are actually more thought out.

someone below said that this is built on William Gibson's cyberpunk world with a twist. If you're a sci-fi afficionado, that statement is misleading. Firstly, Gibson to my knowledge invented the cyberpunk genre (coined the term cyberspace, even), and since then, many have followed in his steps. It's not based on Gibson's world... it's written in his _genre_. The "Shadowrun" world is based on a role-playing game which has a MUCH different feel to it. Of course, that feel varies between authors, but Gibson's worlds tend to feel much harsher to me. There seems to be more warmth in most of the Shadowrun books I've read. Especially this series by Charette: my favorite Shadowrun books by far, and this is my favorite of the series. A very fun read.

This book is the least engaging of the three, but is still a good read. I find its place in the series to be satisfactory. Everything gets better as the series progresses. The best shadowrun series.

A young Corporation man who has a strange talent for shamanic magic is searching for his sister. Unknown to him there are others trying to keep him away from finding out the dark secret regarding her whereabouts. Enter the Shadowrunners. Street mercenary teams that use bionic technology, computer nets and magic who will do almost anything ...for a price. This book takes you to the future of Earth when magic and technology combine, Governments collapse, and the old legends of monsters and Gods return. You will not be sorry for reading this book. Its only the tip of the Shadowrun iceberg.

I enjoyed the plot concept for this novel. The mixture of magic and high technology was successfully merged. If you are a fan of shadowrun, or cyberpunk novels than this is a good choice for you.

On the down side. Charrette had a difficult time making me care at all about any of his characters. Sam Verner is whiney and self-indulgent. He spends far too much time wallowing in personal angst when he could be doing something interesting.

The plot was ok, if a bit shallow for the length of the book. I recommend it as a good 'mindless' read, but anyone past seventh grade reading level shouldn't expect too much.

I am a great fan of the Shadowrun univers and found the book Never Deal With a Dragon to be interesting. The plot line was difficult to follow at times and didn't begin to come to gether till the end. The thing that bothered me the most was Sam Verner's (protagonist) constent state of ambevolence. Though his ambevolence was understandable he would atamatically disagree with every situation, then acquiesce without argument. It made for a somewhat paper thin protagonist. Sam's group didn't have any realistic motavation to help him to achive his goals. The characters acted out of unreasonable philanthropy for the dark and dangerous setting of Shadowrun. Some of the redeeming values of the book (one inperticular) was it's interesting plot "Twist" involving magic. The overall story concept was also good. The novel was an OK read though with its flaws it does contain some high points.

This by far was an excellent experience. The shipment was actually sooner than anticipated and the condition was better than stated. I plan on continuing my purchases from this seller.

This was the first (and in my opinion the best) book I have read from the ShadowRun series. If you ever read William Gibson (if not, you should read his works), the universe should be familiar to you. It is the same world where corporations control the information but includes freelancer hackers, cybernerically beefed up street samurai, and returning mythical creatures such as elves and goblins. Highly recommended.

This book is a masterpiece in literature. The journey of the main character is one of growth. On this journey he is forced to do what he can with the tools given him by nature and by men. All the while pursuing what he knows in his heart is right. Not too unlike our own journeys in life, though a lot more fantastical with the magical abilities and cybernetically jacked-up individuals. Of such individuals, one sentence or rather phrase I will always remember in the description of Jason (one the cybernetically enhanced beings) was his hellbent aggressiveness. This book is just incredible and is a must read. I wish it were still in print, many people I know would like it.

I have read many science fiction/fantasy type books. I have hated many of them. I do not however, hate this. Some might say that there is to much description, and others would say that it is "odd" But take it from me, if your looking for something new and interesting, this is it. A bazar setting and rather unusual characters might put some people off, but the plot is VERY convoluted. When I first started this book, it seemed rather confusing, as there were so many sub-plots. But they all turned out to be conected, and the ending didn't seemed rushed or contrived. All in all, a good book, definitly worth the read.