10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If you liked the first, you'll like this one., February 26, 2000
Queen of Demons is a big pot full of ups and downs, very high points and points with no point.
In this second book in the epic saga of The Lord of the Isles, David Drake maintains the high quality of writing displayed in the first book. The characters and action sequences are all well thought out, and I was as impressed in this book as in the previous one at the author's grasp of whatever he happens to be writing about.
The characters, too, are all unique and interesting, most especially the siblings Cashel and Ilna. They are all well fleshed out and well rounded. Unfortunately, the author usually picks one point about a character and just sticks with it through the whole book. We don't need to be reminded every 5 pages that Ilna wants to redeem herself and that she doesn't lie, or that Cashel takes things at his own pace and believes in doing things right.
There was more variation in enemies and monsters in this book than the last one, although there was a lesser quantity of them. The scope of the magic and the consequences of the characters' actions are much larger here though. In this book, the author is definitely aiming more for the "epic" feel which he skimped on in the first volume.
In terms of structure, this book is almost too much like the first. The four main characters set out, get separated immediately, have their own adventure and meet their own friends, and then coincidentally (or not) all arrive at the same place and time to overcome the great evil of the story. This presents some of the best and worst points of the series.
It is good in that each volume is complete, has a definite story and closure so that you don't feel that you need to drudge through each of the previous volumes each time the next one comes out. Unfortunately, this is also a bit of a downside as this doesn't feel as much like an epic saga as a bunch of small, seldom related adventures.
In terms of plot, well, that is where this book skimped the most. Until halfway through the book, it didn't have one. Finally you learn what every character is trying to accomplish, but for the first half of the book it's very unclear. Sharina and Garric set out with specific goals in mind, and Ilna's story follows a pretty logical course, but Cashel's adventure, until 2/3 of the way through the book, are irrelevant, illogical, and unexplained. And he really needs Mellie back.
One of Drake's greatest strengths in this book is the secondary characters. All are strong, likeable, and unique. Unfortunately, he seems to be one of those authors who feels it necessary to get rid of them all at the end of every book, just leaving the core group of characters to get on with their adventures in the next one.
One last comment before I conclude -- I noticed in this book a lot of similarities, in creatures and plot devices, to work done by Robert E. Howard in his Conan and Kull stories. Also, one scene near the end sounded a lot like a certain moment in the movie Willow.
Overall, this book was an enjoyable, fast paced set of adventures for each character. Not quite picaresque, but close. The characters were a joy to read, the writing was strong and clear. Unfortunately, the plot was lacking and much of the action was irrelevant. If you enjoyed Lord of the Isles, you'll enjoy this, but it's not great. I liked it enough that I'll probably pick up #3 in paperback.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Queen of Demons, April 9, 2000
By A Customer
I must confess, I began my journey reading David Drake books while waiting for the next Terry Goodkind book to come out. I had read a few good reviews, and saw that Terry himself had complimented Drake for "The Lord of the Isles". As with the first of this series I found this book to be enjoyable, if not very good at times. Were I to try to put my finger the single most glaring problem with the book, it would have to be: The pace. Drake streches his readers interest out for an exhaustive amount of time between areas of plot which have put him on the shelf. After finishing the book, I found myself wanting to bookmark the great chapters from, well "the rest" of the chapters. As I could then in good conscience recommend my edited version to my friends. Drake seems to lead his readers with character and plot development, and abandon them midstream with reckless abandon. However, after saying all of this, it must be said that when this book is good, it is really good. Enough so that I am going to check out "Servant of the Dragon". If I had one last comment to the author I would tell him. "Don't be afraid of a little romance!" Even the toughest of the tough SF male reader likes to see a little love.
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