Secret of the Dragon [Mass Market Paperback]

This review is more a brief capsule than a true review. I just finished the book and felt that a little more should be said. First of all, the opening book in the series did not do much for me. I would suspect that most of us who read it did not have any vested interest in Skylan, the central character. I will say this book is a 180 degree turnaround and contains much more engrossing scenes and better twists. Character development also takes enormous leaps forward. Overall, I would say it is starting to look much like the Death Gate Cycle series from these same authors, a slow beginning with "who cares" characters which is suddenly taking off. If you made it through the first book, this one will get you excited about the series. It definitely looks more like their works of old than their more recent material.

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman continue their "Bones of the Dragon" series in an excellent entry, "Secret of the Dragon." Like the first book, Tor/Forge gives readers a kickass cover that screams BUY ME! (So I did).

The second is much improved over the first. With an increased familiarity with Skylan, the plot of Dragon is far more interesting and twisted. We have the power of the old gods led by Torval challenged by those led by Aelon. When 'gods' fade, others take their place and the Gods of Raj step up to the altar. Not willing to take their loss of worship easily, they search for the Five Bones of the Vektia Dragons. The Sinorians and the land of ogres are known holders of two, but three are missing.

Meanwhile back on the 'earth', Skylan Ivorson (crew and Bone Goddess Treia) are betrayed by Raegar into the hands of Lord Acronis via the slave trade. Raegar, over time, discovers that Acronis is not whom he thought, and he realizes that he needs the help of the gods and Dragon King Kahg!

This is a fantastic series that is a little off the beaten path, but experienced guides Weis and Hickman, the paths become something else. Dragonships is one of those series (6 books) that will become legendary as their previous works. Reading this, part of me wants to join the crew...

And here is Book Two in the Dragonships of Vindras series by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. I've sort of been wondering how well this series is doing for them. The authors have been awfully silent about it and any news as to when to expect a third book has been kept behind closed doors. I know they each have other books and projects they are working on, but I still can't help being a bit curious...mhh....

I also want to mention that I tear into this book quite a bit, but still gave it a 3 out of 5 stars...so please don't think that I have a low-level of respect for this novel or for the talent of the authors. That wouldn't be the truth and I'm simply trying to be honest with my criticism.

Anyway, let's get to the dirty. Secret of the Dragon. More Dragons, more Ogres and more annoying characters than in the last book even. Do I mean this in a bad way? Well...not completely. You see, in the first volume Bones of the Dragon, the only character that actually kept you sane when you were reading was Skylan's best friend, Garn. Everybody else was just...just too one-dimensional. Well, let's just say that Garn was not a major character in this most recent volume and so all that is left to us are the characters we didn't really like in the first place. This makes starting the book a bit of a challenge. Do I really want to read an entire book about selfish, obnoxious and immature Skylan Iverson without his friend Garn, the only person that brought any sense into these people's minds? It's a toss-up, because either Skylan will change - because he has no choice - or he'll completely fail and so will the book because he doesn't change at all.

I stuck with it. Don't ask me how I conjured the strength to, but I did stick with it. And I am glad to report that, yes, the authors were actually able to accomplish something about these characters that I had thought were completely lost. Honestly, I believed that they had created characters that were absolutely non-salvageable from page one of book one. I hate sounding harsh, but I do this to emphasize the fact that somehow, through either pure talent or very good planning, they were capable of taking a character like Skylan and actually make you think, "Alright, I might care about this guy," by the end of the second book. That, my friends, is saying something even if there isn't much more to say.

Here are a couple more flaws (in my opinion) before I get to the strong points:

1. I hate the villains. I know, that's what you're supposed to think, right? Well, I think that depends on why you hate them. Think of all your favorite villains...you love the fact that you hate what they do. You think of them and even though you want them to lose, you really think that they are pretty awesome. The Joker. Maleficent. Khan. Darth Vader, etc...These villains, in this book, are just there to fill in the space. They're what I call the 'Page Flippers', the ones that have no other purpose than to be despised and introduce the next challenge. You're happy to get rid of them so you don't need to read about them anymore. Sorry if I'm offending anybody, but that all I have to say about it.

2. The story is a bit clishe...or at least it's a bit too popular lately. Can a story about slaves and Gladiators trying to escape or overpower their captors become a bit too predictable? Anyone? Wait, let me think.... How many stories have gladiators in them? Lots. How many stories have dragons in them? Lots, right? Does combining the two make it more exciting, or original? (You reluctantly say...) No. It doesn't.

Some of the good:

1. As I mentioned before, the character's have been salvaged. If you disliked the first book because of the characters alone, you will be greatly surprised by this one. If you liked the characters in the first book, then you will love them now. I categorize myself with the first group, and I need to be honest and fair when I say that the authors did a terrific job at turning the ugly into the good. Props on that.

2. It's well written. It's not poetic and nothing is described to the point that you see it exactly the way the author sees it, but it works very well. It leaves lots to your imagination while still leading you along the path of the story. I like that. I like that a lot, actually. I feel like I'm given freedom to walk the world they have created and left to my own musings. Of course, the main details are given, but most of what surrounds those are for you to fill in the blanks, and that is pretty cool.

Conclusion:

I miss The Deathgate Cycle, but there's nothing I can do about that. Trying to find a hint of that in these books, however, was a mistake. Don't try to quench that hunger for Haplo and his dog through Skylan. It'll never happen. Taken separately though, the Dragonships of Vindras are already showing a lot more promise than when only the first book was out. So, if you're a fan of Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman, give it a go. You've never read their work before, follow my suggestion from an earlier review and read The Deathgate Cycle instead.

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