Customer Reviews

DRAKON

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this book based on the interesting 1st page and book back. I had not read anything by this writter let alone the 1st 3 Draka books. This book gave me all the back ground I needed to know and though i bought it for a plane trip read from Korea i read it before the day for my trip came. I through it arcoss the room on next to the last page out of anger on who won but eventualy i picked it back up finished the read and was pleased. Later i discovered the original 3 books and read them I LOVE these books. Dark or not this sicko likes the Draka. I pass these books on to everyone i think will read them and all of them have enjoyed it. Took 3 months to get one of them back, guy read it 3 times. Service to the State...

Did Mr. Stirling's publisher told him that happy endings sell better than dark, brooding ones? Then the guy (or lady) should be fired. As far as complaints go, this was the only one I had when it came to Drakon. Gwendolyn is just too awesome to lose, too beyond the unaltered humanity's ability to handle.

Even though the plot is fairly predictable - the book reads like a combination of Predator II, Terminator, and Omen - the author implements enough elements from the original trilogy to keep the old fans interested and newbies intrigued. However, I still would have been disappointed with the ending if Stirling did not leave enough room in the end for the possibility of a sequel, and I have a feeling that it is going to be better than the original.

Part four in Stirling's nightmarish alternative history epic of the Domination of the Draka, "Drakon" reads more like a thriller (and bears a suspicious resemblance to a certain James Cameron movie. You know the one I mean) than a military sf novel, but this was a nice surprise. The least brutal out of the four novels, it still contains plenty of violence, but it lacks the all-pervasive oppressive atmosphere of the previous books, mainly because the action is set not on the Domination's timeline, but in 'our' (well, almost) New York of the late '90s. More engaging than both "Marching Through Georgia" and "Under the Yoke", not quite as splendid as the monumental "The Stone Dogs", "Drakon" is a fast and highly entertaining read. Oh, and I agree with the reviewer who said that Nicole Kidman would be the perfect choice to play Gwen Ingolfsson if ever this was turned into a major motion picture (and it should!).

Stirling left me depressed but captivated with his first three Draka novels. Rarely has anyone in the alternative history field created so thoroughly consistent and awful a society as that of the Domination. In Drakon, he explores some of their vulnerabilities while continuing to elaborate on their incredible powers and evolutionary track, manifested in the traditional parallel universe/wormhole framework. His Gwen Ingolfsson is a fascinating monster, combination of Ilse Koch, Nicole Kidman (who could play her in a film version quite well, not that any studio would ever touch this series), Ripley from the Alien movies, and the momma Alien herself, with a little of the Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster and a dram of Dr. Strangelove and Michael Milken thrown in for good measure. A very highly developed and repulsively fascinating character, and I thought Stirling did a good job with the human and cyber-human characters as well. He does not let you wonder where he stands, but does make you think about what it means to be human, what freedom is, the price of order, comfort, intellect, gardening, and the like. And he tweaks a few relatively recent human celebrities for fun along the way as toadies of the Draka (I will not identify them; if you can't figure it out, you've been deaf and blind for the last twenty years.) I have become a real fan of Stirling's, for this series and his Island in the Sea of Time trilogy as well. Which means I am deeply disturbed, of course.

To really enjoy and understand this blockbuster of an alternate history/military sci-fi novel, one MUST have read, or be familiar with Stirling's three previous "Draka" novels...one of the most innovative series in the genre!!! The story is set in a different time line than the trilogy, but drops out of hyperspace (sic) with a sonic boom. It concerns a warrior female of the Draka, who is accidentally shifted from her time to present day North America. She looks upon modern men as little more than servants, created to do her bidding. When confronted by modern man's stubborness, all Hell breaks loose. You MUST read this book. To reveal more would be a disservice to all who
intend to do so. Get it!! Devour it!!

After loving the former Domination novels, I found this one disappointing, an obvious answer to the question "Just how would a Draka do in today's society?" While that question is good for discussion, it made a poor book. It read entirely too much like the script for Predator II and too little like Marching Through Georgia.

A bit of turn from his earlier Draka series, this is a great book so long as you don't really ponder the plot too deeply. Gwen is just too much the superwoman to be believed and the plot is simply turgid. After awhile, it really starts to drag a bit. Nice beach reading, though

This was a fast-paced and intense book. You either loved it or hated it.

My only complaint was that the author obviously never held a Glock...which he tried to talk intelligently about. He described it as having only a metal firing pin, everything else being plastic...uh, last I looked at mine, the slide, barrell, and some other parts were metal.

A cop would definitely known better (his character) when he thought about the weapon.

Despite the lack of firearms knowledge, the book was rather well written. I never read the other books in the series and had little problem at all following this novel.

Drakon is deffinatly a different novel from the three making up The Domination. Generic dimestore sci-fi on it's own, but its connection to The Domination and its steady pace will keep you reading. Drakon is a much faster read than the other books without the abundance of slow moving chapters but at the same time does not hold the same rich characters and moods. A good quick read if there's nothing else in the house.

As this series of books have progressed I have become more and more interested in the characters especially the ingolfssons and their bodyguards/warrior breed apemen. I am always left wanting more. Can't wait for the next one. Come on SM it's been awhile now.