Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible epic - Dynamic, powerful and dreamlike , June 4, 2000
I guess I should keep this short. I don't have time to write the in depth review the book deserves. From the first page I was captivated, entranced, enchanted. By the time I'd finished the first two chapters I'd gotten a good look at the main characters, their traits and quirks and individual personalities - and with every page I read, the people and their interactions grew more complex and interesting. The thing I loved best about this novel was the people - they were real. They lived and breathed and brought the story to life. The romance between Rohan and Sioned was both poignant and amusing in the beginning, but as the story went on it acquired depth, as they suffered and were made stronger by the pain, by staying together. The extensive cast of supporting characters was engaging and ominous by turns, and the narrative throughout most of the story flowed easily. But apart from all that, perhaps the most important thing about the novel is that the people changed. They were three-dimensional, alive - there are certain stretches of narrative where I still have to pause, because I'll realize that my breathing has stopped and I'm suffering with the characters in the book. The author takes you so deep into the characters' minds that you will live the story with them, feel their pain and burn with their passions - an incredible experience. When I finally reached the end, I found myself gripping the book, willing it to become just a litle longer ...Well, that was longer than I thought it would be. I encourage anyone who has any interest in people to read the book, because that was what it was about - people. Thanx for reading this, and enjoy the book!
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Short Response to the Criticism, June 27, 1999
Of all the many books I have read (with perhaps the exception of _A Game of Thrones_ by George R.R. Martin), _Dragon Prince_ captivated me the most. In my opinion it is the best of Melanie's books, and one of the most intricate. The characters are _not_ one-dimensional (as some have declared so loudly) and the world she creates is extremely detailed. I never actually intended to write a review of this book, because I feel that there are plenty of representative reviews here. But I have to take unction with one or two reviewers who claim Roelstra was a wimpy, one-dimensional villain. I thought Roelstra was one of the best crafted villains I've seen in quite a while. He is not obvious; his plotting is done quite deviously. And to anyone who claims he wasn't wicked enough (don't read further if you don't want the plot spoiled!), I think that a person willing to hold back dranath to ensure the deaths of his enemies (as well as untold innocents), or someone who has no problem permanently laying waste to the land to slow down an army is a pretty villainous person. I also ask those who rate books with one star to give detailed reasons for their decision. In most cases, it seemed these reviewers probably hadn't read the book.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 STARS, May 19, 2002
Had this been the very first epic fantasy that I had ever read, I would likely be telling you the following, if you had not already been inundated with it: "this kicks ass, buy this book, best I've ever read, etc". That's probably what someone would tell you - if it were the only fantasy that they'd ever read. However, this is not my case. As I glance from my monitor to my immediate left, I would estimate 200 fantasy novels stare back at me. I'm not a fantasy "beast" - I'm only 18, in college, etc. But my fair bit of experience qualifies me to point out a few things to a potential reader - because really, you don't want to trust someone for whom this was their first."Dragon Prince" has a ton going for it. The characters act like real people might for the most part (unlike Terry Goodkind, where everything is meant to enrage or appall us), and the magic system of Sunrunners is about as original as it can be considering the voluminous amount of stuff that has preceded it. Political stuff is here too, and just at the right quantity and complication (though I do wish there were less passing mentions of unnecesarry and never-to-be-seen-again nobles and such. On the flip side, there is the occasional cheese-convo, for example Rohan trying to come to grips with his power in the last stages of the book, in a conversation with his brother Chay. Rohan's been the strongest personality up until this point, and then just starts whining about what he's going to do, he's not fit to rule, yadda yadda, and you can't help but roll your eyes at the contrivance of it all. Furthermore, I was a bit confused as to the size of the world. It really didn't seem to make intuitive sense. Battles in a "war" that involved nearly the entire world had mentions of soldiers in the "hundreds", never mention was ever made of a thousand people, for example. Rohan's battle against Roelstra at the end was about 600 on 900 respectively. Such figures irk me, because in a world where kingdoms are important and are ruled by lords, etc., and travel across this world takes quite a while, the popluation seems to be unrealistically low. Nitpicking perhaps, but these are points where reality and fantasy do have to be somewhat parallel, or so I would argue. All in all though - still an enjoyable read. It's not the best (though I have not proceeded to the next 5 books), that honor I would bestow upon Mr. Robert Jordan. Although his series is excrutiatingly long, you have to admit: you want to know how that puppy ends perhaps more than any ending to any story in any form ever. This series was fun, but let's say I could never find a copy of any subsequent book in the series. I would be disappointed for a few moments, but I get over it. The Wheel of Time in that situation - it would bother me for a long long time. For me, that is the mark of truly great and involving fantasy.
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