Customer Reviews

The Sleeping Dragon (Guardians of the Flame, Book 1)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Caveats first: This would rightfully be 3 1/2 stars in my estimation, but that's not an option here. Oh well...
Also, I'm a gamer too, so this book had some extra appeal to me, putting it at 4 stars solid.

That being out of the way, on with the review. I only found out about the Guardians of the Flame series within the past few years, so I'm a little late getting to the table on this.
Story summary: Group of gamers is transported to the world in which their game is set, and it's not just for fun anymore.

Doesn't sound too involving at first glance. But the way the story is told, that's what hit me. The people have a hard time separating themselves from their characters. There are mixed reactions about being in this new world among the main cast, and their reactions are acceptably realistic, bearing in mind that all theater requires the willing suspension of disbelief. There is the realization that things like dental care, emergency rooms and law enforcement aren't what we've come to take for granted, and that makes for an elevated sense of tension in many places.

Joel Rosenberg makes the suspension of disbelief easy for me. From James Finnegan, newly escaped from a life crippled by Muscalar Dystrophy, to Karl Cullinane, always lost and afraid of settling himself on any one thing, Joel gives a solid characterization for each person. There is no "Get Out Of Jail Free" effect, but rather a plausible progression and growth for the characters, requiring sacrifice and effort. Experience leads to good decisions, but experience can only be gained by bad decisions, and not every battle is won.

For non-gamers but fantasy fans, this story offers insight into the gamer mindset, and does a good job of explaining some of the whys and what fors.
For gamers, it can raise the question of why we create the people we portray.

In addition, I found it pretty entertaining, if more than a little dark. That suits me, but I wouldn't suggest this for anyone under the age of 14 (giving a PG-13 rating, am I? Interesting) or with a sensitive nature.

If you liked Glory Road (lot of Heinlein influence with Rosenberg), The Stand or role playing games, you will enjoy The Sleeping Dragon.

Originally, I received this book from my parents who bought it from a used bookstore on a whim. Offhand I thought it was a generic fantasy novel and thus was of no interest to me. It sat on a shelf for about four months before I gave it a read. I wish I hadn't waited so long. This immediately became one of my all time favorite books. The best way to review this book is to break it down into parts.

Story: The story begins with seven college students and a professor gathering to play a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Little do they know that the professor will magically teleport the seven students to the very world the game takes place in, and they will possess the bodies and minds of the characters they played as. Perhaps a bit cliché, but it is so well executed that it feels completely original.

Plot: The plot progresses at a steady pace taking some time to allow for intriguing character development, and feels all-round satisfying.

Characters: One of the greatest achievements of this novel is the characters. They act and talk like real people, and just like real people, have a fair share of flaws. Some of which they acquired from their game persona. Kudos to Joel Rosenberg.

Overall: This is a must read for any fan of fantasy novels, and should be at least given a chance by everyone else.

Side Note: I think the reason Joel uses the phrase sitting "tailor fashion" so much is because he wanted to be politically correct by not calling it "Indian style," and because most of the time there just isn't anything other than the ground for the characters to sit on.

As the author of Strike Hard (and an avid gamer), I found this to be one of the best fantasy-fiction books that I have ever read. Joel Rosenberg showed that he could easily blend two totally seperate worlds together into one story and have it flow with ease.

I have to admit that there are many things that "pushes" someone to take up writing. This book (and the whole Guardians of the Flame series) gave me the final push to start my own writing career.

Karl, Walter, Jason, James, Andrea, Doria, and Lou were easy to relate to, having spent my own share of weekends playing similar games. Their attention to their characters were great, and it was a detail that Mr. Rosenberg did not skimp on. Most people don't realize that when you are gaming, you really do care about a character that has been brought up from a total novice into something that is relatively formidable.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was that Mr. Rosenberg stuck with the harsh realities of gaming. He did not, at any time, make it seem as if the characters were immortal or supermen. Characters suffered, died, and agonized, just like real people. Most of the books in this genre that I read are afraid to take a step toward seriously harming a main character because they develop a fear that it will detract from the story. Mr. Rosenberg tackles this with dignity in that he demonstrates a willingness to "tell it like it is."

This book (as well as the series) is a wonderful example of fantasy at its finest.

This was the first book that I picked up in an omnibus form from the SciFi book club way back in the early 80's..it sat on a shelf for a few months until I picked it up and entered a fabulous world of my favorite fantasy: becoming my roleplaying character! This fascinating book has some of the most colorful characters of all fantasy: Ellegon the wise cracking Dragon; Ahria Bandylegs, formerly a victim of Cerebral Palsy, now a powerful Dwarven fighter; Walter Slovotskey a handsome, develishly clever thief, and Karl Cullinane, the warrior himself. Pick this book up for no other reason than to read the witty, often irreverant banter between characters and to find out the secret; that the flame burns deep inside us all, and we either choose to ignore it or to let it totally engulf us. My copy is dog eared and well worn, lovingly taped and retaped....let your's be too.....

I have read this book numerous times. I love everything about it . . . it changed the way I look at life . . . and gave me a hope that I have never had before.

While someone else here has read this book TWICE, I have read it at least TWENTY times. It is fairly short as fantasy novels go, but packs an immense punch. Rosenberg does not fool around; he does not provide his readers with needless information about the trees or birds of his fantasy world. "The Sleeping Dragon" is instead about character development and motivation. Rosenberg's characters are vivid, lively, and life-like. Every time I read "The Sleeping Dragon" (probably the best of the series) I enjoy it more and more. In no other series that I have read, have the characters occupied my mind and excited my imagination to such a degree. After ten years of reading the series, James/Ahira is real. Karl's relationship with Andy is real. Thank you, Joel Rosenberg for such a treat. By the way, I no longer have my copy, as a friend I loaned it to, let another friend borrow it.

This is the book that got me back into reading. It is a wonderful tale of a group of college role-players who are transported into the world and bodies of the very game they were playing. The story has many twists and unexpected surprises. I would recommend the entire trilogy. The stories that appear later on in the series are hit or miss for me, but the original three are the best.

I borrowed this book 12 years ago in high school. I loved the series so much I have been looking for it for several years. The story line could almost be a fantasy for role players every where...Imagine the your professor casting this spell at your next gaming night.

I thank Mr. Joel Rosenberg for having written this wonderous book. Out of the Guardians books, definitely my favourite!

It was just a regular night of gaming at the Student Union, with Doc Deighton, Karl Cullinane, Walter Slovotsky, Jason Parker, Lou Ricetti, Doria Perlstein, James Michael Finnegan and newcomer Andrea Andropolous.

Until Lotana opened the first box...

...and Ahira found himself on the hillside outside the town of Lundeyll.

Rosenberg transports us to the various places that the characters go, from the Student Union to Bremon and to the Tabernacle of the Healing Hand Society.

Along the way, we are treated to some wonderful glimpses inside the heads of the characters. For example, Karl will refuse to own people and James Michael will refuse to be helpless ever again.

This book is a magical place, where modern life collides with dragons, magic and very real danger.

Read it. You won't regret it.

Like so many others, I read The Sleeping Dragon for the first time in high school and I remember enjoying it but not being too terribly impressed. Sixteen years later, I picked it up at a used book sale and find myself having the same reaction - it is enjoyable, but not great literature.

The concept is an interesting one - take a group of college-aged fantasy gamers and put them into their gameworld. Also interesting is the idea that there would be a personality clash between the people from our world and the characters they inhabit. Unfortunately, Rosenberg doesn't provide the follow-through on those ideas, contrary to what the other reviewers experienced. Rather, Rosenberg wants to move the characters from point A to point B and the character development we encounter along the way is spelled out too explicitly; essentially, we are spoon-fed the internal and external character conflicts. Not that this is a terrible thing if we're simply looking for entertainment, but it is not the mark of a four or five star book. Jack Chalker creates similar situations to much, much more powerful effect.

Bottom line is that The Sleeping Dragon is pulp fantasy. It's got action, some humor, and a quest that holds the attention as long one doesn't think about it too much (the "Gate Between Worlds", we are told, is legendary and nobody's found it, but our heroes are able to look up its location in a library). It is also an astonishingly fast read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, but warn you not to expect anything more than that.