Customer Reviews

Dragons Winter

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found Dragon's Winter beautiful but often hard to follow. The names and the places were hard to keep track of, although they were perfectly workable as feeling real and not fake. It was hard to tell which were the important ones to remember and which the ones just peppered in for the story. What killed the book for me was the amount of gore and the savagery, and the killing off of the most sympa characters, however, Lynn's skill with characterization and description is still there. I read her trilogy of northern something books some years ago and they were strange and different and good. This is not like them. I think this book would appeal to those who like their fantasy on the strong and unsweet side.

Some might compare Lynn's bitter fantasy element with that of Sheri S. Tepper, but I would not. Those who like Tepper may or may not like this book. I think Tepper's work is more ultimately transcendental and heartening. Lynn does such a good job of creating unique and real characters though.

This book was AWESOME!! I laughed at every page that was funny and cried at all the hurt! This book was so realistic that I could not put it down! I felt like each character that entered into the book and I fell in love with them all. If you are looking for a book that takes into a magical world in a tight and heart-aching conflict, leaving you thirsting for more, this is the book for you!! Be BRAVE and READ!!

Elizabeth Lynn succeeds on three levels in this wonderful novel. First, the world she evokes is tangible in its detail, neither contrived nor a cookie-cutter medieval setting. The dragons receive an unusual take on their role in society, one which incorporates other magical beings as well.

Second, the characters are compelling and interesting all, from the brothers around whom the story revolves, to the other changelings Wolf, Hawk, and Bear, to the soldiers, merchants, and even despicable henchmen. A large cast of characters is rendered so that one can distinguish between them, a trait not shared by all fantasy novels.

Finally, Lynn plots and paces the novel well, revealing the world she so carefully created without bogging the story down with lots of exposition and description. Most of the details about the world are presented appropriately from the characters' perspectives, and not forced upon the reader.

I thought this was a pretty good book. I did dislike the massive amount of gore and the fact that the best character died, but it's a good story that you want to follow. What disappoints me is, I have heard nothing of a sequel of any sort. The book just leaves you hanging, wondering what happens next. Are there any more dragon changelings or is he the last one? Where'd the story go...?

I read quiet a few fantasy books. Most of them are good and entertain me. However Dragon's Winter is the first fantasy book that ever caused me to stay up till the wee hours of the morning reading. Not many books of other genres do that either, but this is a special one. One thing that makes this such a great book is the breaking of convention. As another reviewer before wrote "why did my favorite character die?" Yes, I asked the same question. Killing a favorite character is unusual-another example of breaking with tradition. I was swept away by the majestic detailing of the landscape and the various creatures. Their is no way to predict what is coming next as you read this book, as is often the case, so you are compelled to keep turning the pages. As I said in my title-Sleep Stealer!!

The concept of this story is very interesting and keeps you reading to find out what will happen. Unfortunately the story is also filled with an overkill of violence. A good portion of this book is dedicated to introducing characters just so the author can viciously kill them off latter in the book to show how evil the evil characters are.

Overall I found the premises behind the story (a dragon changeling) very interesting but, after such a build up, the ending came as a let down.

i have not been so enthralled with fantasy since i read susan cooper when i was 11... this book whisks you away to a land so realistically created, i almost expected to see dragons sculpt themselves from the air around me... lynn has done a wonderful job developing her characters into people you care about... the dragon king is suberbly mastered, but shem and wolf stole the story! i don't want to say what happens in the book, but it is a definite must read for someone picky about their fantasy and wanting a novel with well developed characters, and masterfully written.. the only thing i did not like about this novel was the battle scene as i thought it was over very quickly and seemed haphazardly written... overall, i am eagerly awaiting the sequel!

This is such an awesome book! I hated it how Wolf umm ya know. Im not gonna wreck the book. But Wolf is an awesome character! so's Hawk. And Karadur. Well I recommend u get this book if u want some awesome fantasy stuff. well CYA!

The whole tenet of this book is that envy doesn't pay, in the end it will eat you up. Twin brothers were born,Karadur with the dragon blood and Tenjiro without. Tenjiro wants what he can't have and turns to evil sorcery to obtain it. Ms. Lynn writes a good fantasy but is a little heavy handed with her violence. I can't really say that the "hero", Karadur the Dragon, is any better than his brother as he mindlessly kills his friends with his dragon anger. The ending is less than fulfilling also.

For years I have been wondering when Elizabeth Lynn would start writing again. Her prose style is the best in her genre. She manages to say more with a few words than other writers can say in pages. Her characters stay with you after the story is done. I hope there is more to come.