Customer Reviews

When Dragons Rage (The Dragoncrown War Cycle)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

"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.

This is an amazing series, with "When Dragons Rage" being an excellent addition. I would strongly recommend reading the series from the beginning. "The Dark Glory War" sets up the next three books extremely well. The action is creative, the characters real and the details of war enough to make one stop and reflect.

The DragonCrown War Cycle series is absolutely one of the best series I have ever

read. The characters are so filled out and vividly drawn that I was mourning the

fact that I did not have another wonderful series to follow this one. If you get

the chance, reward yourself, settle back and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

When Dragons Rage by Michael Stackpole is the second book in the Dragoncrown War Cycle. The first book is titled Fortress Draconis (The DragonCrown War Cycle, Book 1). However, there is also a prelude to this trilogy, that novel is titled The Dark Glory War (A Prelude to the DragonCrown War Cycle). I was fortunate enough to start with the prelude before starting with the trilogy. I would highly suggest, if you are a new reader to this series, starting hat way as well. I will caution though, the prelude is a first person perspective. Usually, I do not like first person books; however, that one was an exception. I quite enjoyed it. At any rate, if you have not read the first book in this trilogy you really need to do that before embarking on this novel. There are events that occur in this book that would simply make no sense if you do not have that previous book under your belt.

The plot of this one carries over right where the first book ended. There is a large scale war as people are fighting for the shards from the dragon crown. On the surface, this seems like a rather straight forward plot line, with little imagination. However, what seems shallow and linear, quickly becomes deep and engaging. Throughout the novel, the reader begins to understand that there is more to the war than the dragon crown fragments. Also during the course of the story there are political sub plots, several actually. As well as the expansion of certain characters pasts and their development. I can't say more on that because it would be a spoiler, sorry for being vague. There are also large scale battles that are described with just enough detail to give the reader a picture of what's going on, but not enough so that the reader can not apply their own imagination to it. The plot is solid and well thought out, however, there was a point during the middle of the book where it was obvious that Mr. Stackpole was setting things up for the end. The book came to a slow plodding, almost forced, pace. This lasted for approximately seventy five pages. It reminded me of an intermission at a play actually. Once that intermission was over, it was full steam ahead again and the story flowed wonderfully. All the events in this book, and the previous one, set up for what promises to be a great conclusion to this trilogy.

The characters in this book are mostly the same ones from the previous book which allows Mr. Stackpole to skip many explanations about them and just go right onto the story and character development. Favorites characters make a return, Will, Kerrigan, Resolute, Alyx etc they are all here. One complaint I have about the characters is that while the ones from the first book are here and largely remain the same, there is also the addition of quite a few characters. While it's nice to have diversity in the characters, I felt, at times, that there were simply too many characters to follow in this book. This is especially true when the group splits up into multiple parts. As a reader it was often difficult for me to know who was where, and just what they were doing. There is, however, a great deal of character development crammed into this novel. One thing I liked is that Mr. Stackpole did not wait until the last one hundred to two hundred pages to use for character development. He spread it out very nicely throughout the entire book. This allows for the reader to comprehend what is going on instead of being left wondering what just happened. Kerrigan certainly showed a great deal of character development. Will did as well, although I am not completely sure I like the development of his character. The character I really enjoyed reading about in the first book has almost completely changed. It just felt odd to me. Crow's development is quite good as are several of the other characters, but I won't go into them all as I simply don't want to bore you. If you are a fan of solid characters and good character development I am reasonably sure you will enjoy this novel.

The only criticisms I can offer this novel were mentioned above. I felt there were too many characters for me to really follow. When there are that many characters the author is forced to write about each of them, thereby taking away from the rest of the characters. I had a hard time `getting into' the characters because I was constantly reading about a different one. Secondly, the slow plodding nature of the middle section of the book. It seemed to me that some of it was mere filler. That is just my opinion though.

I do enjoy Mr. Stackpole's prose and descriptive nature. He gives just enough to start the picture and lets the reader finish it off. I also like his explanation of magic and the thought processes he uses with Kerrigan. It makes the magic feel much more alive. Also, the plot is well thought out and I am thinking the plot of the third book should be fantastic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's definitely a solid addition to the trilogy, but more importantly a solid addition to the fantasy genre. I believe most fantasy fans will find this book, and trilogy, entertaining. There seems to be something for everyone here, large scale battles, political subterfuge, magic battles, monsters, etc. The list goes on and on. I can easily see myself recommending this series to many people. I am looking forward to reading the conclusion t this story.

If you are looking for Raging Dragons, this isn't the book for you. While dragons do make a cameo appearance at the end of the novel, they do not rage. However, don't let that stop you from reading this wonderful book, the second in the series. If you have not read, "Fortress Draconis", please do so before reading this book or you'll be totally lost. There is a "prequel" to this story call "Dark, Glory War", which I have not read, and have not felt that I'm missing anything by not reading it. Start with Fortress Draconis and move on from there.

The author is clearly improving as a writer with this novel. His story moves along at great pace and there's hardly a dull moment. He is obviously not writing a Jordanesque series that will last for all time without coming to an end, so that is very good. What would take Jordan four books to write, Stackpole takes care of in four chapters. It's a fun read, goes by quick and is a perfect light read if you are interested in a good fantasy story full of swords, sorcery and those omnipresent bad "orc" like characters that are so easy to kill but seem to be endless in numbers!! The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good, all the women are beautiful and the action doesn't stop.

While I enjoyed the novel, I was a little annoyed at some frequently used plot contrivances, such as the "Innocent, Ignorant, Beautiful Girl who Lives with the Bad People but Doesn't Know They Are Bad", as well as what will prove to be a trick ending designed to annoy some people. There's also a rather awkward and unnecessary "May-December" romance, which does not make a whole lot of sense except that the girl may be looking for a father figure. Outside of that, great book, enjoy it.

Michael Stackpole has done a splendid job of not writing a filler in a trilogy. This book has stunning plot twists, great action when needed, and breaks for breathing and thought when needed. The story moves along realistically yet with all the elements you'd expect from a good fantasy epic. Stackpole has also devoted energy to developing the characters further despite all the action going on. Well done.

Excellent novel. This is the 3rd novel in the serious (including the prequel). It has some interesting developments which I will not ruin for any readers. In my opinion, this is best series written by Mr. Stackpole. He has not let up on the pace and detail which is good.

This series is fantastic. Stackpole's characters are, as always, human (even those that aren't biologically). This book informs readers of what happened after DGW, specifically related to Crow and to Leigh Norrington. Will's character shift is welcome; Alexia becomes a character with more depth and her love interest (while not surprising) is sincere. Kerrigan.... well let's just say that Stackpole does a masterful job of showing his power and naivete all in the same scenes. Again, very consistent character work.

*spoilers below*
As has been noted, there are very few all out melee battles in this book. The main characters have plausible political and social problems as well as battle strategies to devise. The hit and fade attacks by Resolute, Crow, and Will are nicely done as added action scenes and further story development. Stackpole's plotline flows naturally and logically from point to point; nothing in this novel seems contrived or forced; the end of the book is well thought out, although there's an easy clause out of Will's death. I'm torn between wanting Stackpole to bring such an intereseting character back with said clause or leave him dead because its use might cheapen the plot. But besides that, it's nice to know that Rym Ramoch and Bok are more than they seem.

This book is consistenly engaging (to be read: will keep you up late to finish it) and is highly recommended. But read Dark Glory War and Fortress Draconis first so you understand what you're reading.