- Mass Market Paperback: 341 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey; First THUS edition (Dec 12 1985)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345315723
- ISBN-13: 978-0345315724
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.7 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #580,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
'This is literary alchemy of a high order, and it confirms Hambly's place as one of the best new fantasists.' Locus 'When the author is Barbara Hambly, prepare for something special.' Locus
Product Description
It was said to be impossible to slay a dragon but Lord John Aversin earned himself the name of Dragonsbane and had become the subject of legend. Fired by the tale's romance, young Gareth travelled across the Winterland to persuade Aversin to rid the Deep of Ylferdun of the Black Dragon, Morkeleb.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your usual heros,
By
Ce commentaire est de: Dragonsbane (Mass Market Paperback)
I love this book because it is a about a woman who wants to be a witch and is not very good at it. And her true love who is a lord who doesn't want to be one and the only living person who has fought and killed a dragon, which he really wishes he hadn't done. It's funny and heart wrench and poignant and lovely. You're missing the best if you haven't read this.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not That Great A Book,
Ce commentaire est de: Dragonsbane (Mass Market Paperback)
When I had read the title, backflap and seen the cover, I had expected the book to be about the dragon. Not true. The dragon doesn't appear in a really significant scene until chapter ten, which is when the real story begins. The action was slow and the language dull and lackluster. Barbara Hambly spent too much time on the minute details of things that I didn't particularly find interesting. While the book does have a dragon that appears ans talks to Jenny from time to time, the actual story is about the relationships of the people, Jenny, John and Gareth primarilly, but includes some others, not of such importance to be a main character, yet important enough to have a significant role. There was too much focus on the character Mab, and the ending was very cliche, much like a good portion of the book. I probably would have liked it better if it had had more about Jenny's relationship with Morkeleb, but it didn't. For all it's worked up to be, this is not a book about dragons, nor does it have many satisfactory action sequences. The first chapter was engaging, however, as were certain other parts of the book, namely the scenes with the dragon. Other than that, it was a rather dull read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of Hambley's best,
By
Ce commentaire est de: Dragonsbane (Mass Market Paperback)
This book introduces us to Lord John Aversin, one of Hambley's most endearing characters. John is a northern "barbarian", who is in actuality quite smart and bookish. He'd rather be learning about engineering feats of the distant past or applying some new theory of farming instead of fighting bandits or the mysterious Ice Riders. But he was born the son of the old Lord, and inherited after his death. He has a strong sense of duty to both his people and the Realm, which has fogotten him and his people since they pulled their garrisons out and sent them back south to the capital more than 100 years ago. He is married to Jenny Waynest, a mage of limited powers whose loyalties are slpit between John and their sons, and her power, which she is still trying to increase.Into this situation strides Gar, an aristocratic idealist who is as out of place in the royal seat as John is as a bloodthirsty warrior. He is looking for John, because Aversin is the only living Dragonsbane, that is, he killed a dragon several years ago that was threatening his people. Another dragon has appeared down south, and is threatening the capital. Gar persuades John and Jenny to go south to face the monster, in return for the garrsions to be sent north again and the Realm to take interest in the north once again. John, who'd rather study dragons than slay them, reluctantly agrees to go. Here we start on a high adventure, which in typical Hambley fashion, quickly becomes a web of political intrigue, dark magics, and hidden intents. Gar turns out to be the royal heir to the throne, the king is enslaved to a witch of tremendous but mysterious power, and the confrontation with the dragon turns out to be more than anyone bargained for. This is a great tale, one that will keep you turning the pages long into the night. The characters are so normal, and human, that you can't help but identify with them. This is not your typical hero slays dragon quest, nor is it a typical mighty mages contest. What it is, is a simple human story, about what is important in life, and why we do the things we do. I highly recommend this book. Unfortunately, the sequels do not do this story justice, and you really aren't missing much if you skip them.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
