There Will Be Dragons (Hardcover)

by John Ringo (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Ringo provides a textbook example of how a novel in the military SF subgenre should be written. . . . For those who have read everything David Drake has written or who may have wished that Tom Clancy, Larry Bond or Harold Coyle would write SF, Ringo provides what's needed. . . . Crackerjack storytelling."

Product Description
A utopian future world in which there is no disease, poverty, war, or ill-timed death is turned upside down when the council that controls the Net quarrels and goes to war, leaving desperate survivors battling across an apocalyptic landscape to seek refuge in such places as Raven's Mill.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743471644
• ISBN-13: 978-0743471640
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #692,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting blending of futurescience fiction with fantasy, November 21, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Humanity lives in a veritable Garden of Eden with disease and death conquered. Mankind lives almost like Gods in a Utopian Olympus controlled by the computer "Mother", who monitors and calculates probable outcomes. Mother realizes that there is a 99.9999915% chance that the humans will go to war as the council, who oversees her, is squabbling and there is a 17.347% probability they will wipe out the species. However, Mother is not programmed to warn humanity or any other intelligent speices (machine or animal).

The war causes massive destruction with no corner of the globe immune. In isolated Raven's Mill, smith and self proclaimed historian Edmund Talbot sees refugees seeking asylum while warlords assault anyone. Elves visit him to help save mankind, but it may be too late. Enemies from Edmund's past and new foes realize that to conquer, they must eliminate Edmund first. He is the key for the 82.653% survival of the species; that is if he is not distracted by the fact that his daughter is out there as a perfect pawn to destroy him. Mother knows that without Edmund the survival odds are reversed.

THERE WILL BE DRAGONS is an exciting blending of future science fiction with some fantasy elements into a delightful action-packed tale. The story line never slows down from the moment Mother computes the odds in a mundane ho hum manner. The cast seems genuine whether they are "perfect" human, elf, other mythological creature, or man working the land. Still it is John Ringo's world that makes Paradise obtained and Paradise Lost seem credible that makes this fab tale so much fun. Fans will anxiously await sequels to ascertain whether humanity finds Paradise Regained.

Harriet Klausner

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD START, January 5, 2004

By	Phillip B. Spotts "cintibookworm" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

THERE WILL BE DRAGONS is the first episode in a new series by John Ringo. To be honest I really didn't want to like this book. I am so angry with Ringo for what he has done, or better yet not done, to the MARCH and the Posleen series, that is take a wonderful story and drive it straight to hell!

As much as I wanted to trash it I can't. It is a truly good story with exciting, vibrant characters, great storyline (not very original, see EARTH ABIDES, THE STAND, ALAS BABYLON, etc.) but when your dealing with a high tech civilization being reduced to pre-industrial revolution levels it's a darn good one. Although the basic storyline isn't original the way he gets there is.

Do I RECOMMENDED it? Yes, it's too well written not to. I enjoyed it, but I'm still afraid that about two books into the series good ol' Mr. Ringo is going to get bored again and leave us hanging with either no follow-up, or even worst a pathetic thrown together ending like that crud in HELL'S FAIRE. But, where there's life there's hope...

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply amazing, November 11, 2003

By	Shawn Hougo (Belle Plaine, MN United States) - See all my reviews

My idea of Television is reading multiple books at the same time. Its just like being a regular viewer of television. You read a few chapters, put that book down and pick up the next.
I was planning to do this yesterday. I had the whole day to myself and looked forward to the books I was enjoying. Until I picked up There Will Be Dragons.
I couldn't put it down. Of course I finished it yesterday and now I'm upset because I can't have more.
By the way; that only happened one other time this year. The name of that book was "A hymn before battle."
John Ringo is one hell of an author.

The cover of There Will Be Dragons would make one believe that it was a fantasy story. That is not the case. It is purely Sci-Fi in its finest form. The story is set in the 40th century(?) where people have advanced to the point in which they can change their form to be anything from the most beautiful human imaginable to a unicorn.
The book begins with society being nearly euphoric. Then because of political infighting, control of the energy which sustains that euphoria is subverted and all of society reverts to a preindustrialized level.
The plot builds quickly and the momentum never stops. I dare you to pick this book up. You can't put it down.