When Dragons Rage (The Dragoncrown War Cycle) [Kindle Edition]

Michael A. Stackpole (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Communing with dragons has a price in the second book of Stackpole's Tolkienesque epic trilogy (The Dark Glory War), and no one knows it more than the band of unlikely warriors determined to find the fragments (Truestones) of the DragonCrown. The Truestones would give the Vorquelf Empress Chytrine the potential power to crush the Southlands and eventual dominion over the world. Among those pledged to defeat Chytrine are Princess Alexia (Alyx) and her "husband" Crow (Tarrant Hawkins), whose gentle love story provides a nice subplot alongside the prerequisite battle scenes and magick lessons; Resolute, the loyal exiled Vorquelf; ex-teen thief Will Norrington, whose heroic efforts have been foretold in a prophecy to be the ultimate key to Chytrine's destruction; and young Kerrigan Reese, a shy adept still learning how to harness his own talents. Especially intriguing are the dragons, dracomorphs, wizards and other odd creatures (including the Azure Spider from the last book), whose exploits, along with Will's heroic development, enliven the somewhat sedate pacing of this complex saga. Also of note are the scenery chewing antics of Chytrine's devoted servant sullanciri, as well as the more elegant musings of Princess Isaura, the conflicted daughter of the Aurolani Empress. It takes a while for the masks to come off in this installment and the dragons to fly, but once they do, the ride is worth the wait. Star Wars X-Wing series.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Chytrine, who will stop at nothing to become empress of the world, is on the move again. Her minions, living and dead, sweep down from the north, destroying everything in their path as they search for pieces of the DragonCrown, which will enable Chytrine to fulfill her evil desires. Opposing her is an intriguing company of friends: Will, the Norrington prophesied to save the world; fearless Princess Alexia; Crow, a warrior accused of treason; Kerrigan, a young and inexperienced sorcerer whose powers seem to know no limits; and Resolute, a Vorquelf with a powerful thirst for revenge. Dragons are also present throughout, but the true nature of their involvement is revealed, along with other surprises, only when the end is at hand. Kerrigan, innocent and a magical genius, is an especially fascinating character who facilitates a wonderful exploration of the nature of magic. There is plenty of terrific dragonlore, too, not to mention enough sex, love, bloody battles, and high adventure to keep reading lamps lit well into the wee hours. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 898 KB
• Print Length: 688 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (November 4, 2003)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FBJEOM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,058 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of over 40 novels, including I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron. He's won awards in the realms of podcasting, game designer, computer game design, screenwriting, editing, graphic novel writing and novel writing. He lives in Arizona and frequently travels the United States attending conventions and teaching writing workshops. His website is www.stormwolf.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, it's really THAT good., February 14, 2003

By 

K. Weld "Kaltros, Bandit King and General Nui... (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Dragons Rage (The Dragoncrown War Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

First off, the disclaimer: If you're biased about Michael's non-Star Wars or non-Battletech books, don't branch out with this one. It picks up in the middle of a three book (so far) series and you'd miss out on a lot.

Onwards. When Dragons Rage does a fantastic job of not only continuing an intense, high fantasy saga, but you get to see characters from Fortress Draconis grow, develop and learn. Nobody really hogs the limelight, with the possible exception of Will, but as THE Norrington, what else would one expect? (What'd I say? Read the first book first)
So if you don't like story lines where many things happen at once, you might want to pass on this. There's a lot happening, even though Michael does a magnificent job of working us back into a scene we left behind a chapter or two ago.

The action picks up in this book, taking us from battle to battle, confrontation to mystery and back into battle, very smoothly. Nothing feels forced, and the characterizations are very well done. Nobody speaks with somebody else's voice.

Final note: By the end of the book, I was reading and turning pages as quickly as I could, anxious to find out what happened next... and dreading that final page. When I got to it... well, Michael warned us with his Author's Bio. "...has gone into hiding for fear of being lynched because of the ending of this book."
I don't blame him a bit. "Cliffhanger" is a good word for it.

When Dragons Rage is definitely a page-turner, and the characters are all compelling. The writing style is solid and the plot line... overwhelming at times. Truly a grand saga, and well worth the read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Stackpole masterpiece, December 17, 2002

By 

G. Swift "97jedi" (Southwestern Missouri) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Dragons Rage (The Dragoncrown War Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

First, I think that the title is a bit misleading, given that there are no actual dragon appearances until the latter 20% or so of the book, and considering the length of the book, this makes for little dragon rage.

Picking up nearly immediately after the end of Fortress Draconis (FD), Stackpole spends the first few chapters refreshing the reader's memory of what transpired in the previous book. As with FD, the story is told via focusing on a different character each chapter. As with FD, we see things from the viewpoint of Will the thief and prophesied savior, Alexia the warrior princess, Kerrigan the wizard and Adrogans the general. We also are introduced to several new players, including Isaura, the adopted daughter of the southlands' scourge, Chytrine, and one of the two sons of the despicable King Scrainwood. Hawkins, the narrator of Dark Glory War (DGW) and the pariah of the South, and Resolute are again relegated to supporting roles.

This novel comprises another fantastic effort of prose. The classic Stackpole action and suspense and political maneuvering is a major factor. Some of the history and philosophy of the world is also addressed, which I found rewarding. There is also a pair of love stories that crop up, and they are very well done without seeming to be tacked on as in some other fantasy novels. Will, in particular, is VERY well written, especially as regards his acceptance of his foretold path and, basically, his growth as a person and a leader of men.

Again in this series, the ending leaves something of a foul taste in the mouth. While neither FD nor this book are as stunning as the end of DGW, the lack of closure is frustrating in light of needing to wait a year for any resolution. Many of the things that in other reviews are listed as surprises really should not be considering the foreshadowing throughout both FD and this book. And I think that the seemingly tragic occurrence near the end might be easily resolved when one considers the Norrington Prophecy (in the front of the book). So, while I have a few complaints, this book is a must-read, not only for those who have started the series, but for any readers of the highest quality epic fantasy available.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent battles and character development [no spoilers], June 9, 2004

By 

Oscar "DaRK KNighT" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Dragons Rage (The DragonCrown War Cycle, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

"When Dragons Rage" is the second novel in The DragonCrown War Cycle series approximately one generation following "The Dark Glory War" prelude novel. It is an impressive book filled with creative battles, detailed descriptions, and interesting characters.

The progressions of Kerrigan and Wilburforce throughout the book are remarkable, especially the combat improvements by the two youngsters. The camaraderie between Resolute and Kedyn's Crow isn't as dominate as in the prior volume but is complimented with a romantic relationship delivering less fighting, which I find slightly disappointing. Given the audacious origin of General Androgans, he is one of my favorite characters, implementing impressive strategies and tactics.

Characters and countries overwhelmed me by the end of the novel and a glossary would have been worthwhile along with a more detailed map of the significant terrains.

I highly recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre and look forward to reading the final novel.

Thank you.