4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good novel, but a bit too sluggish, January 8, 2004
This review is from: The White Dragon (In Fire Forged, Part 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have been telling people for years to read In Legend Born, a book I quite enjoyed. I had given up on any sequels so I was pleased when this book came out. The White Dragon is a good diversion and an interesting story but not among the best or very good fantasy literature out there.
It does a good job introducing some new characters and telling us more about characters we met in the first novel but didn't get to know. There is one major new character, a boy that becomes central to Tansen's life and perhaps all of Sileria. We also get to know more about Elelar's husband. The problem the book runs into is just rehashing old stuff about the main characters Tansen and Mirabar. There is a tedious and entirely too long drawn out recounting of Tansen's decision to kill Armian. There are a few pages on this at the beginning of many chapters and it is a drain on the enjoyment of the book. Given how many years passed since In Legend Born, I was expecting a much cripser book.
Resnick is a good writer and has created a very interesting world but she pulls back on exploring it and the people in it with the depth of a Hobb or even a Haydon. I would still recommend this book. It is a decent effort but not a page-turner like In Legend Born.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just remember-white dragons have NOTHING to do with this book, April 1, 2007
This review is from: The White Dragon (In Fire Forged, Part 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have often wondered why most fantasy series come in trilogies. The answer is, of course, that the publishing companies, bookstores and authors want your money! So in this case, what was supposed to be a duology with the really cool titles of "In Legend Born" followed by "In Fire Forged" turned into a trilogy. So what is really the second book was split into two books because otherwise it would have been over a thousand pages (which is not so long for epic fantasy actually) and now we have to pay more (the author claims it was not her intention to squeeze her poor readers and because she is a great writer I will believe her and blame this on the crappy booksellers) for a book with the completely lame title of "The White Dragon". This title by the way has nothing to do with the events of this novel. Nothing at all.
Anyway, so this book starts out differently. We b begin with a clan of the sea-bound sea folk, who are bound never to set foot on land until the last Dragonish (something like a shark I think but I can't help picturing really large versions of the fish in Chinese restaurant fish tanks) is dead. Our third person narrator is a 14 or 15 year old boy named Zarien, who is about to have his first Dragonfish hunt, which will make him officially a man. Unfortunately, he gets killed by one of these fish, only to be brought back to life by one of the nine goddess of the sea, the only one without a consort. She tells him to go find her mate-the sea king and King of the sea born people-on land. Naturally he's appalled, because not only is this a little sacrilegious (the sea goddess wants a land man?) but if he sets foot on land he will shunned by everyone he knows forever. He resists, the goddess threatens him with returning to being dead, and he agrees.
So where does one start to look on land for the sea king? Well Zarien, being one cool kid, thinks, it must be the firebringer, our old pal Josarian from "In Legend Born" ( there is a flaw in this reasoning, Josarian is Dar, the Volcano Goddess's consort and she is really jealous) only, as we know, the firebringer is dead, eaten by the white dragon. So who's the next best contestant-well, Tansen!
Naturally Tansen doesn't believe this but pretty soon he's being followed everywhere by this kid, and it's an weird mirroring of his own meeting and bonding with his blood father, who he killed at the 15 to protect the country from the Waterlords.
But that's not the only thing going on. We have the Valdani actually leaving the country-for good on hopes after some "convincing" by an assassin, a new blood feud sworn by Tansen against the Waterlords, which means civil war since some of the country loves them (who knows why?) Meanwhile Mirabar is getting visions of a new leader while feuding with Tansen, and alternating flirting with him, about his refusal to kill Elelar for betraying Josarian in order to get the Valdani to leave (this is the feuding part, not the flirting) and Najdan, Mirabar assassin's guardian/father figure, who betrayed Kiloran to be by her side muses about matchmaking and how Tansen should go out and gather sheep (as a bride price for Mirabar but he just sort of says "maybe you should think about sheep" when they're planning life or death strategy, clearly leaving everyone going, "WTF? ). Also Cheylan the other demon eyes Guardian revels his true nature, Baran, Kiloran's worst Waterlord enemy, who hates him beyond all reason and is just a wee-bit insane, shows up and acts, well, insane (yet charming) and Tansen and Kiloran fight over who's side he'll take in the civil war, Tansen and some of his men have one hilarious fight in the mud at a Waterlords house, and Elelar's half Valdani husband, Ronall runs around the country getting very drunk indeed. Also we get flashbacks into Tansen's past, into the terrible dark days with his blood father, and the night he killed him. And Dar stars throwing tantrums in the forms of earthquakes, strange lights and clouds of Gas, and visions seen by all at the most sacred guardian stronghold....visions with a voice that say "He is coming!"
As the experienced ruthless Waterlords fight the peaceful guardians, who may be powerful but have no clue on how to fight, and Tansen desperately tries to hold together his Blood brothers rebellion to save the country from a worse slavery than the Valdani ever had it under, while attempting to do something with Zarien, and come to some resolution with Mirabar...well things happen. And those things are in this book. And you will just never guess how things turn out.
Read the damm book. Five stars. The sequel to this, which finishes of the two part "In Fire Forged" is "The Destroyer Goddess" just buy it now to save yourself time. Once you get to the end you'll need to start the next book right away.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow, but has strengths, June 12, 2006
This review is from: The White Dragon (In Fire Forged, Part 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Resnick's follow up to In Legend Born continues the struggle for freedom of the island of Sileria.
Having dispensed with foriegn occupiers in the first volume, the rebels are now facing the more formidable opposition of the island's native Waterlord sorcerers, led by the talented and ruthless Kiloran. Being more powerful, it seems the Waterlords require two volumes to defeat.
Most of the characters from the first book are back. The principal new addition is Zarien, a boy from the sea-born people who violates his clan's taboos by going on land to search for a ruler for his people at the command of his goddess.
What I like about this book is the way she has built up the Silerian culture, which is fully realized , not just a few noblemen and a bunch of peasants. There are complex relations between rural and urban, as well as the classes in each group. She also does character well, with a wide variety of characters from different backgrounds who help create the society's feeling of believability.
The main problem in this book is that, as often in the middle volume of trilogies, there is a shortage of action. To see this, one need look no further than the title. In fact, there is no white dragon in this book. The cover art shows the confrontation of Kiloran's white dragon with Josarian the Firebringer, which was a climactic event of In Legend Born.
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