Book Description
The Fortress of Glass is the first in the Crown of the Isles trilogy, which will conclude the epic Lord of the Isles series. A true trilogy, the action extends over the whole three-book arc. The Fortress of Glass begins the story of how the new kingdom of the Isles is finally brought into being by the group of heroes and heroines who have been central to all the books in the series. The group includes Prince Garric, heir to the throne of the Isles, his consort Liane, his sister Sharina, her herculean sweetheart Cashel, his sister Ilna, with her adopted child Merota and piratical Chalcus.
On giant triremes filled with soldiers and diplomats, they journey to the small kingdoms of the Isles to confirm the succession of Garric and to subdue, if necessary, any local rulers too fond of their own kingship to pledge fealty to Garric. All this is being done in a time when the powers of magic in the Isles have flooded to a thousand-year peak, and even local magicians can perform powerful spells normally beyond their control. Fantastic forces from all angles try to keep them apart and unable to continue the reunification of the Isles. So separately and together, they must fight their way back to the same time and place to combat the mysterious and supernatural menace of The Green Woman in her Fortress of Glass.
Customer Reviews:
More.......2006-11-04
The movement from the 'Lord of the Isles' series to 'The Crown of the Isles' was smooth with the only problem being the series appears to have been put on hold with this publication. The characters and the plots are only becomming more involved and deeper with each book. I want More.
Fortress of Glass by Dave Duncan.......2006-08-11
As a long time fan of Mr Duncan's work, I looked forward to this new volume which continues his Lord of the Isles trilogy.
The new adventures of the original group continues with verve and vigour, with all the twists and turns and clever plotting we have come to expect, whilst the characters mature and develop in new and unexpected ways.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next in the series.
Continuation of a series.......2006-07-18
As has been mentioned in previous reviews this book is part of a series. The cover mentions that it is part 1 of The Crown of the Isles but does not mention that is is part of a series. I have not read the previous books but while this one might technically stand alone the frequent allusions to previous books are rather annoying when you have not read the books.
I am setting this book aside and starting the series from the beginning. Hopefully the series will be worthwhile and I will return to this one later!
Amazon requires a number of stars to be selected. I put 4 because that is the current average. I did not read much of the book so I don't have a fair opinion on its quality as part of a series. As a stand alone book, I did not like it but that does not seem to be a fair test to me.
Fortress Of Glass.......2006-07-10
Excellent reading. I have followed the Crown Of Stars series and this is just as good. I reccomend this book.
The Beginning of the End for Garric, Sharina, Ilna, Cashel & Co........2006-05-31
A couple of years ago, I'd been given a copy of Terry Brooks' newest book for Christmas, and my mother asked me if I liked the author's work. I answered, honestly, that I'd liked him better when he'd been writing novels, instead of trilogies.
And so it is with "The Fortress of Glass". I've enjoyed all of the books in "The Lord of the Isles" series -- admitttedly, some more than others -- but now Mr. Drake has decided to end the series with a trilogy. So where previous volumes have ended with the main action of the book largely resolved, this one ends with the characters still very much in a dangerous and complicated situation which will not be resolved until the next book comes out. Sometime next year, one presumes.
This in and of itself would not be so bad, except that "Fortress" is also a surprisingly weak offering in many ways. While all of the "Lord of the Isles" have had a certain formulaic quality to them, with -- for example -- the heroes always being split up and sent off only to reunite for the story's climax, this time there is an unpleasant repetition of events in "Mistress of the Catacombs", with Garric being sent off on a quest that takes him away from ruling the Isles in a time of crisis. And I'm probably going to have Sharina fans howling for my blood, but seeing her take his place just isn't very interesting -- she doesn't *do* anything. Then too, the two characters who are killed off in the book's climax were also killed in "Master of the Cauldron" (although that time they were brought back, which will probably not happen this time ...) which seriously diminishes the impact of that scene.
Given this weakness, maybe it's a good thing that Mr. Drake has decided to bring this series to an end ...
Customer Reviews:
A Disappointment.......2007-05-11
With a strong beginning, the story promises to be enticing, well written and solid. As the story progress though, both characters, although well defined in the first few chapters, slowly begin to disintegrate and the reader is left with too much meaningless dialog which both weakens and undermines the once strong characters. It's also a little hard to believe that a warrior as powerful and savvy as Lord Hector could be duped in the manner he was (did not want to reveal the story line here for new readers). There are solid secondary characters, such as Isobel and her Aunt, but in the end, it all becomes too convoluted and busy and the core of the once promising story, is all but lost. I couldn't help but think what Julie Garwood could have done to improve this once promising story!
Crags, Mors, Sea mists, Scottish Lords and their Ladies..........2005-12-28
Any good story is best told by the author, and not retold by the reviewer. The best that I can do is highlight some of the elements that make LORD OF THE ISLES a five-star read.
#1 - The story takes place in the 14th Century -- an era in which fans of historical fiction do not often get to read about... a fantastic time in Scottish history. This is a time when the kingship of Scotland was coming to the Stewarts, and Ms. Scott explains how that came to be. Fascinating stuff, considering there were older Celtic families still in the mix.
#2 - Her prose is that of a classic story-teller, and one that can be appreciated by fans of literature. The standard "romance" formula does not apply here, and that is really quite nice, considering that many people are very frustrated with the new "standardized" romance books.
#3 - Rich in history, but not so overdone that it bogs the story down. The characters' personalities come through and are well defined without long amounts of dialog or narrative. Pacing is perfect.
#4 - Excellent plots, mixing historical facts and events with the internal turmoil of the characters. Life is, for all of us, something to be experienced in good times and bad... consistency and change... and we grow from those experiences. The same is true of the characters and events in LORD OF THE ISLES - and it comes across quite well.
Let me boil this down... LORD OF THE ISLES is an easy, enjoyable read, but it also suspenseful, intriguing and exciting. It's a book you'll be glad you picked up.
www.catherinescott.net
A good historical romance.......2005-07-31
LORD OF THE ISLES by Amanda Scott
July 30, 2005
Amazon rating 4/5
LORD OF THE ISLES by Amanda Scott is a historical romance set in Scotland in the late 1300's. Lord Hector Reganoch, Lord of Lochbuie, finds himself out in a thunderstorm and goes to the home of Lord Macleod and his many daughters, seeking shelter. He meets the lovely Mariota, the second oldest daughter, and he falls in love with her. Unfortunately, when he asks to take her as his wife, Macleod tells Reganoch that he cannot allow this. Because of superstition, his oldest daughter must marry first.
Christina is not as fair as the lovely Mariota, and has not had many men attracted to her as Mariota has, but she would make a good wife. She is eighteen years old and is ready to start a family of her own. She already takes care of her father and her sisters, with the help of Lady Euphemia, her father's sister. But all this does nothing to impress Hector. He insists on marrying Mariota.
So, Macleod and the rest of the family (excluding Mariota, who has shown no interest in the man) help create a deception, and Hector ends up marrying Christina, while drunk. The two share the wedding bed that night, and by morning, Hector knows he cannot annul this marriage that he was tricked into. He still yearns for the beautiful Mariota, but does not know what to do now that he's legally married to the older sister.
Christina had fallen in love with Hector on first sight, but she feels that he will never love her, since he loves Mariota. But what Christina does not know is that Hector is slowly getting to know Christina and Mariota, and is realizing that there is a lot more to a marriage than staring at a very beautiful face. And while Christina is not as beautiful as her sister, he sees qualities in her that are deeper than mere beauty, and finds that he is falling in love with his wife.
Mariota in the meantime is now set on annulling her sister's marriage so she can marry Hector, a man she had no interest in until he married Christina. Obviously, she wants what she can't have. This is one crazy woman, as the reader will find out.
While it took me a while to get into the story, once the story was set up the novel started to pick up. The book was a lot of fun, and the author did a good job creating such diverse characters such as the various Macleod sisters. One thing I enjoy about historical romances is the backdrop, and the beauty of Scotland stands out. I would definitely read more of this series (I think this is a series). THE LORD OF THE ISLES is recommended to fans of historical romances with a bit of humor in them.
Well paced .......2005-07-30
Having read Highland Princess, I of course was eager to consume Scott's next tale in her new series. Though it has nothing to do with Sir Walter Scott's famous poem of this title.
Here we have the story of Hector MacLean (twin brother to Lachlan of the previous tale) and his bride by trickery Christina MacLeod. Hector, while pursuing the affairs of the Lord of the Isles, takes shelter during a storm with the MacLeods. MacLeod has seven daughters, the second being the beautiful Mariota who immediately catches Hector's eye. Soon he is asking her father for her in marriage. He, however, has other ideas. First, he thinks his stunning daugher could aim far higher to profit the family and second, he is superstitious and believes his eldest daughter, Christina should marry first. So he appears to agree with Hector to marry Mariota, but deviously manages to hand him his eldest.
Christina, for her part, has nursed a yearning for Hector since first seeing him months ago. She is honestly reluctant to aid the deception, but puts up little real fight to her father's bullying exercise of authority.
Once Hector awakens the next morning, after falling into the bridal bed drunk, he is livid and all set to annul the marriage.
The story moves at a fair pace and keeps one interested to follow the developing attraction and relationship between the pair. A strong political plot underlies it and holds well.
Both main characters are well drawn and we get cameo appearances from Lachlan and Mairi. Christina's sister, Mariota, is revealed as a selfish shrew with a nasty turn of mind.
A good, solid read, strong in romance and adventure
Loved the History and Romance.......2005-06-02
Amanda Scott did an excellent job in blending history and romance in this novel I enjoyed both very much. I loved Christine as a heroine she was not the typical spoiled brat that you read in other romances. There were times where you wish she would slap the hell out of some characters and stop being so nice but that was part of her character of being an adult and being in control of her feelings. At the beginning I disliked Hector because while married to Christine he still flirted with Mariotta and wished he had married her instead and I very much disliked that when he made love to Christine he was insensitive to what she was feeling he kept on going while she was pushing on him since she was a virgin she wasn't quite enjoying it. Than I began to like him when his character changed towards Christine and he began to love her for who she was. Mariotta was total brat and the Amanda Scott did a good job in making the reader really dislike her. I loved this story and can't wait for her next one in the series which is about Christine's sister Isobelle.
Book Description
For the first time in a thousand years, the Kingdom of the Isles has a government and a real ruler: Prince Garric of Haft. But the enemies joining against him intend to destroy not only the kingdom but humankind as well. Reptilian and insect monsters from out of the ages march on the kingdom. Unchecked, their ravening slaughter will sweep over the Isles like a flood of lava. Watching it all from the blackness of a tomb walled off in time and space, the Mistress waits . . ...And her fangs drip poison!
Download Description
After taking a year off to write other books, Drake is back with the fourth volume in the epic fantasy series. The manuscript is due by the end of January, along with a title.
Customer Reviews:
Play it again Garric.......2007-05-15
I have reached the point of giving up with this series. It started well, and promised much, with interesting touches. I liked the backdrop of Sumerian magick, the use of Greek poets and the diverse context of the Isles. However this book is just too formulaic, let's see - Cashel goes on a magickal journey accompanied by a magickal companion (insert sprite/demon ring/talkng ape/etc) and is found desirable by whichever woman he rescues; Ilna feels guilty for her actions but still uses her magick whenever needed; etc etc. The talent is obviously there, but the plot needs to be changed and given more direction.
Losing Headway.......2005-07-25
I read this book with rather a great deal of frustration. It's the fourth volume in David Drake's Lord Of The Isles fantasy series, and it pretty much reads like a rehash of the second or third. I'm not quite sure what was meant to happen here or why it took so many pages to maintain a soothing and bland state of stasis.
Drake has come up with an interesting setting. Most fantasies involve quasi-medieval pseudo-European worlds, but this one is more heavily weighted toward the Mediterranean/Fertile Crescent Bronze Age end of the spectrum. You don't see mighty kings spending tons of gold to field armies of thousands of armored knights. Here, the rulers are lucky to scrape up a few spare silver coins to put one or two triremes out to sea, crewed by a few guys with daggers. Plus we're not dealing with a single large landmass, but rather a bunch of scattered islands, making it rather easier for dissidents and wannabes to defy their new overlord, daring him to come after them.
Also, the magic seen here is typically not epic, flashy, and dramatic. There aren't too many wizards rolling fireballs across the battlefields or calling down dragons. And using spells can be time-consuming and arduous.
But if you've been reading the series so far, you know this. Unfortunately, in this present volume you won't really learn much of anything new. Plot contrivances will scatter our principals. Garric will continue to struggle to master the unruly leaders of the various islands and will have to face various plots and traitors and malcontents. Sharina will be beautiful and meet interesting people. Ilna will remain cold and practical and disdainful. Cashel will, naturally, topple into an alternate reality and will beat the tar out of all obstacles and through sheer phlegmatic force of will emerge on the other side. And everyone will link up together fortuitously in the nick of time a few pages before the end of the book.
In some ways, this just seems like Gus Van Sant's ill-advised shot-by-shot remake of the movie "Psycho". Yeah, it was an interesting intellectual exercise, I suppose, but it was literally done before and done better, and nothing new was brought to the table. It's the same thing with this book--we've already seen all of this in the previous volumes, and nothing really changes for the characters. For this many pages, I would've liked to have seen some significant developments and a sense that we're building up to something major, rather than getting sucked into an open-ended Jordanesque epic saga that could go on for twenty more installments. This is a case where less definitely would've been more.
YUUUUUCK!.......2002-11-24
What else is there to say? Why don't they let me choose a negative number of stars for my rating?
Cruising on Auto-Pilot; a Walkthrough.......2002-10-08
When i read the previous volume in the "Isles" series (Serant of the Dragon, q.v.), i greatly enjoyed it, but something about it bothered me.
Now, having read this volume, and considering the matter, i have finally put my finger on it, i think -- these books read like using a "walkthru" cheatsheet to go through one of the old InfoCom computer text games -- "Zork", possibly, or the brilliant InfoCom version of "Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
Which is to say that each character goes through a series of adventures which contain numerous decision-points and always choose the right way to go when they have a choice; secondary characters, though interesting and sympathetic (or not), are introduced, hang around until they fulfill their sole programmed function, and then exit, usually fatally.
What suspense there is comes primarily from narrative technique; rotating among four story threads that SEEM divergent but will come together by the end, cutting away from a given thread -- just as it looks as if Things Might Be Bad For Our Hero(ine) -- to resolve the cliffhanger left in another thread in the last chapter.
That said, it's really the characters i read these for -- Garric (and his ancestor, King Carus, who shares his head) and Cashel, Ilna and Sharina and so on, all of whom are interesting in their own right, and eminently suited for the sorts of challenges that Drake's plots throw at them.
Mechanical as the storyline might be, i enjoyed the ride, and i intend to be there for the next volume, also.
I mean, a roller coaster is locked to a track, mechanical and predictable and repetitious -- but we still ride the same coasters over and over and get the same thrills. Same for Drake and this series.
More of the same....but when the same is excellence..........2002-07-02
I must say that when I started to read some of the other reviews of this book, I was confused. People say that the books are falling into the Jordon trap, or they say he is getting too repetitive. I find this odd because I don't get that feeling at all. Firstly, the first 2 books tie up almost all loose ends and explain everything you need to know to enjoy further stories. If you read book 4 before you read book 3, you should not have any problem following along. This is most definitely not the way Jordon works...if you skip a book in the series, you are just lost. Also the one thing I really like about Drake, is his ability to have a small amount of characters and make you care about all of them. Books 3 and 4 are capsulated so they are almost independent stories. All loose ends are tied up in 3. All loose ends are tied up in 4. It's very satisfying to have endings. That again is unlike Jordon, who bases his fan base and sales on the fact that he ends his books in huge plot altering cliff hangers. I'm not saying that's bad, but it makes me want to pick up a new drake book knowing it's going to end with everything wrapped up, then a Jordon book that I know some stuff will be solved, and then open up twice as many threads. As for the repetitive aspect, it's really not. It's formulaic which is different. Basically Garric has to do some stuff for the kingdom, and Iina and Cashel go on their related adventures...it's just a fun yarn. Highly recommended.
Book Description
Garric or-Reise was born the son of an innkeeper in Barca's Hamlet on the Isle of Haft, but through valor and determination became first a prince and then the Regent and successor to the feeble Valence III, King of the Isles. But the Kingdom is weak, its rule barely extending past the island of Ornifal.The Isles need a strong king to bring unity, because danger is coming. Magic is stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Old Kingdom in a cataclysm of uncontrolled magic. Evil is growing in the spaces beyond the world, waiting to complete the destruction begun a millennium before. Only if the Isles are united into a strong New Kingdom can humanity survive.Garric has sworn to become a true Lord of the Isles. Standing with him are his sister, Sharina; his friend and Sharina's lover, the shepherd Cashel; and Cashel's sister, the weaver-witch Ilsa. They have been to Hell and back together in their quest.The four friends and the armies of the Kingdom have undertaken a Royal Progress to renew the bonds of fealty among the Isles. Now they come to Sandrakkan, which fought a long and bloody war with Haft less than a generation ago. On Sandrakkan, Wilduf's Countess, Balila, schemes with her court wizard to destroy the boy king from the hated isle of Haft. Strange evils lurk on demon-haunted Volita, and she will wake them all if necessary to make her husband the new King of the Isles.Rich with action, guile, and heroism in the face of dangers both physical and moral, Master of the Cauldron stands alone or as part of a ground-breaking fantasy epic.
Customer Reviews:
Another Comfortable Lord of the Isles.......2007-05-06
As a general fan of David Drake, his inspired character development, story pacing and plot surprises keep me going back for more. The Lord of the Isles series is one of the few of his I missed, and I have read them exclusively and now am on the fourth in the series, Mistress of the Catacombs. While the outcome is predictable(the heroes win), the way they go about it makes for fascinated and varied reading, so that I spend what little free time I have reading the series. Plaudits to David Drake for keeping me up late at night reading.
Havne't I read this before??.......2006-04-25
Drake has fallen into the same trap as Jordan and Goodkind.... "If I write it, they will read it." This book achieved nothing, and we learned precious little about the chracaters that we didn't know already. And on top of all that, we've read this plot before: Everyone together; Everyone separated; Everyone triumphs; Everyone back together again for final, apocalyptic, finale.
Fair.......2006-03-15
I'm sorry, but this is beginning to drag on a bit. There are moments to it, but as a series progresses so must the ideals and strengths/weaknesses of the characters. When they never learn from their mistakes, continually doing the same rote things time and again, I tend to lose interest.
True, there are great moments, but over all it just doesn't do it for me.
If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.
Still waiting...........2005-12-03
Each installment is the basically a variation of the same thing over and over. However, I the characters are so well written and the nuances are just different enough to keep me hungering for the next.
master of the cauldron.......2005-10-14
drake has continued his opera of the lord of the isles. i am again happy with the way he moves from player to player.
Book Description
In this detailed look at The Lord of the Rings, author Jared Lobdell examines J. R. R. Tolkien's methods and worldview by following the thread of three influences: the science of philology, Roman Catholic theology, and the Edwardian adventure story. Tolkien's knowledge of Germanic and Celtic languages helps explain his use of period linguistics as well as his skill at coining memorable names. The author explores the Christian/Catholic underpinnings of the Rings series, with emphasis on the question of whether the books are set before the Fall of Man. This fascinating look at Tolkien's creative process is a must-have for all Lord of the Rings and Tolkien fans.
Customer Reviews:
Short, but sweet.......2004-12-30
Most of the books that I've read about LotR that have come out sine the release of the films have been very long winded. None of them say anything original or substantial and tend to feel like a "dumbies guide". Mr. Lobdell's book isn't that long, but it really makes you think and touches on some interesting topics that other authors haven't (because they're too busy rehashing the same old things that every one else has been talking about).
I also really appriciate that Mr. Lobdell doesn't dumb down his language for his reader. When authors dumb down their language, I always have a feeling that they're talking down to me (which I don't appreciate). In this book, where a big word is meant, it's used, and it isn't substituted for a smaller, dumber word. As a result, I feel like I'm being "talked" to, instead of "talked" at.
A Loving Look At Middle Earth.......2004-09-28
This book was originally published ca 1980 as England and Always. I have not seen the original so I can't tell how much of this book is new material (beyond a chapter dealing with Peter Jackson's films). Lobdell has examined Tolkien's writings from several interesting and unusual perspectives. One of the most interesting deals with the influence of Edwardian adventure fiction (Haggard, etc.) on Tolkien. Another fascinating chapter deals with Middle Earth as a Christian world in a pre-Christian age. There is also a short fiction story in an Appendix which is meant to be a sort of parallel to Tolkien's own abandoned sequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the Shadow. I enjoyed this story, though of course Lobdell as a fiction writer cannot measure up to Tolkien. (But then, no one can!)
I am a long time Tolkien reader and addict (since the age of 12 in 1969.) Most of the time I do not care for Tolkien "criticism" and "literary analysis", which to me seems to suck out the magic, but Lobdell's work is different. The World of the Rings enhances Middle Earth and intensifies the love I feel for it.
Book Description
Return again to the world of the Isles in Servant of the Dragon, a world with hundred of warring kingdoms without a single overlord for many centuries. Now the sources of magic are reaching a thousand-year peak, and the present generation of sorcerers is the most powerful in the millennium. Follow the small band of heroes and heroines as they journey across these landscapes, these seas, to find their loves, their destinies and --for one--a crown.
Customer Reviews:
Wizard Servant of the Isles of the Demon-Drake Lords, oh my!.......2004-06-08
Oh no, another one? I thought the first two books were great, and it should have ended there. Stealing from Virgil and Assyria, while sticking time-warped 20th century kids in late medieval Italy, was brilliant. I love a good semi-historical yarn. Oh, you say those kids didn't time-travel from the present to their ages of yore? Could have fooled me. Who hid the blue jeans?
The third book, for which I had to wait, had only one or two memorable scenes, and no tent pole ideas as tall as the first two books. Methought Drake had used up his source material, so I was glad when I could say I had finished reading the trilogy.
The series doesn't need to "explore relationships more deeply" -- it just needs some new ideas. Someone should give Drake a sabbatical.
I wrote this review after seeing the fourth book and thinking of it as an interminable homework assignment. Drake actually has quite a few good tricks in this third book, I just couldn't recall any of them until I read a one-paragraph refresher.
Repition does not make perfect.......2002-12-09
To start, I have to say that the Lord of the Isles series has kept me company on many otherwise boring and lonely nights. I enjoy the characters and their abilities, and I have to admit Tenoctris' constant modesty over her abilities and lack of power gets a chuckle out of me, particularly as she always seems to have just enough ability to do what is needed. None of the main characters ever fail in Drakes world. Well, it is fantasy. However, the series' attempt to be just that, a series, while also trying make each book a standalone, simply isn't working. Halfway through Servant of the Dragon, the constant backfill and reminders of a character's particulars became very annoying as I found myself saying out loud "Yes, I know, I know!" And the structure of the plot is also repetitive, as many have indicated. The reader can use more insight into the characters' darker side, as we have with Ilna, easily my favorite character. Everyone else is just a little too perfect. I would love to see Ilna lose out to the dark side of her persona, perhaps due to her jealousy of Liane, or have the others wonder that Garric is talking to himself maybe just a little too much. Garric needs to stop being so accommodating to his ancestral spirit Carus, and Tenoctris' spells need to fail significantly and at the wrong time. Maybe Cashel needs to realize what a powerful wizard he really is, perhaps too powerful. The possibilities for storylines and conflict are great given the character's current development. I hope in the future Drake may stray from his formula.
That said, I read fantasy to be entertained, and I like the characters the author has created. Overall it works for me, especially on those boring rainy snowy nights and long subway rides.
best one in series.......2002-03-20
I was reading these series because I thought the only interesting character is Ilna the Weaver, and I was curious about what happened to her. I was very surprised when I read this book and found it to be by far the best one in the series. The plot was much better than the first two books. Prince Garric and Tenoctris are trying to close the bridge that opens Valles to the cosmos, letting in dangerous creatures. Same old same old there, nothing new and exciting. Sharina is taken through the bridge by a creature that serves the Dragon, turning Sharina herself into a servant of the dragon. However, the Dragon is not evil, he needs her help to recover his mummy that is being used to destroy the world. He sends Sharina through many worlds with her new friend, the birdman Dalar. Cashel goes in search of Sharina and ends up in the Underworld after killing the wizard he was supposed to ask for help. He is accompanied by the wizard's ring, which has a demon trapped in it. The demon Krias is a refreshing addition to the stories with his witty sense of humor. He reminds me strongly of the faerie Mellie that Cashel befriended in Lord of the Isles. Lastly, my favourite character Ilna has her best adventures yet, which make the book a good and interesting read. She is taking the child Merota, niece of Lord Tadia, with her on a ship to Erdin. On the way they are shipwrecked on Yole, risen from the sea again with an army of dead things. Ilna meets the best character Drake has yet introduced into the story yet, the sailor/pirate Chalcus. He actually loves Ilna, and he let's us see her softer side. His witty humour and dialogue add a lot to the story. I found myself breathlessly waiting to find out what would happen to him and Ilna next. It seems that Drake has finally figured out how to write romance. He did a very poor job with Mellie and Halphemos. I was sad about Halphemos' death, but Chalcus is much better than he ever was.
What happened??.......2001-02-17
After the first two books, this reader expected the characters and the plot to develop. Unfortunately, Servant of the Dragon reads like a shopping trip to the fantasy stacks at the local bookstore! Drake established some really promising characters and world building in his first two books in the series, then in this installment, the reader is forced into all sorts of confusing battles where the main characters are seperated are tossed about from world to world facing unrelated situations. I really enjoyed his first two books but Servant is almost unreadable.
Still good but failing fast.......2001-01-30
I usually love David Drake. His writing is great, his tactics fun and imaginative. This book is no different. However, he has written over 2000 pages in this series, and he needs a new direction (not a new world - characters bounce between them about every 15 minutes - which gets kind of annoying). The characters started out interesting, but they have yet to change or really DO anything. Ilna is whiny, Cashel sort of hits everything, etc. My biggest problem is the romance. Romance in fantasy is fine. Lack of romance in fantasy is fine. However, Drake made it (to me at least) very clear that certain people liked certain other people by the end of the first 100 pages in Lord of the Isles. And, despite those people switching worlds about as often as we turn the pages and even going to Hell for each other, nothing has happened. Given the sheer number of pages involved in all this, I have to give Drake the all-time Character Interaction Rut award. The series can be salvaged, but if he doesn't change people's behavior and relationships in the next one, I'm back to rereading my Belisarius books.
Average customer rating:
- Best insight on Tolkien's characters, places
- A misleading, illogical book.
- A good solid work
- An interesting insight to Tolkien's Middle Earth
- There has to be a better treatment of Middle Earth
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Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards: Exploring the Wonders and Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Michael N. Stanton
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312238266 |
Book Description
This will be the year of J.R.R. Tolkien when New Line 2001 Cinema releases the first part of a three part epic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings in December and the buzz has already begun among the hoards of Tolkien fans. Michael Stanton, a noted expert on science fiction and fantasy literature, has written an indispensible new guide to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings for readers and viewers alike. Stanton, who has been teaching Tolkien's epic for over 25 years at the University of Vermont, guides the reader through the thickets of characters and places Tolkien creates eschewing academic jargon and an overload of literary criticism to provide an understandable look at Tolkien's fantasyscape. He looks at characters, places, the various books of the epic, dreams, the notions of time and history, providing a rich and wonderful guide to Tolkien's world that no one will want to be without this year.
Customer Reviews:
Best insight on Tolkien's characters, places.......2005-07-08
Wonderful chapter by charter review of book giving insight on characters, then an understanding of different races and interactions. Michael Stanton loves the story as much as I do and presents the information as I would have loved to have been able to do. His enthusiasm shows through.
A misleading, illogical book........2004-12-05
The author claims "I wrote it to entertain and instruct myself" (i). It does not cover anything new, but is written in order to clarify. The author is an early fan from the pirated American edition, and unfortunately does not seem to have been able to get past the flaws of that edition.
He begins with a brief biographical sketch of Tolkien's life and admits the books came out of Tolkien's love of language. He calls Tolkien "flagrantly ordinary...dowdy" (6) and does not get much more complimentary as he goes on.
He points out that Hobbits came late in Middle-earth's development and that Elves were Firstborn quite literally. Ironically, the author does not support a literary criticism of the books, calling that technique "obnoxious" (10) then proceeds upon it himself. Tolkien, he claims, is "identifying Middle-earth with our Earth long ago" (10). He then does highly critical analysis of patterns he thinks he sees which have no fundimental bearing on the books at all. He claims each of the 'ages' gets better, i.e. the Third Age is better than the Second and the Second better than the First which is the direct opposite to what every reader of Tolkien knows to be true.
He then ridicules the 'conservative' aspects of teh book and quickly passes over the obvious Christian references with a brief outline of them before abruptly ending the chapter in embarassment.
Stanton then simply rewrites the books in his own words for several chapters. If we wanted that, we would have read the books or fan fiction. He continually hunts for a "basic pattern" (27) and every detail is analyzed as having deep symbolic meaning -- something Tolkien himself despised. He even calls the Black Riders "vampires" (28) which is ridiculous, considering the only thing they have in common is a tendancy to come out at night. So do burglers, owls and college students but we don't call them vampires. Stanton then ignores all prevalant theories of Tom Bombadil and sidesteps the question with a typical New Age 'nature spirit' idea.
He sees much of the book as mere "literary devices" (33). He then mistakingly traces Aragorn's lineage. He ignores Boromir's large part in the Council of Elrond and in assisting the Fellowship. He degrades the books to what the Inklings clearly despised and even claims "Tolkien again makes you feel danger in the highest degree" (41). That, in itself, is a contradiction because Lewis and Tolkien believed that writing and reading for the mere thrill of danger was not only the lowest form of literature but one to avoid like the plague.
Stanton completely misinterprets all actions as mere nature magic mother earth wicca stuff which is, frankly, nausiatingly opposed to Tolkien's view and is one of the reasons why the movies are so dasdardly. At that point, Stanton goes downhill from there. He idealizes Gandalf, and without any explantion, dismisses the profound character of Denethor as simply "madness brings him to dispair" (77). In other words -- he was a crazy old man that got depressed the more crazy he got. The more logical explanation is that he was depressed first and thus became crazy and of course the true Denethor was depressed and lost all hope which is an entirely different thing.
In Stanton's attempt to explain Aragorn's usurpation of the throne, the author uses a series of logical falacies: Appeal to Authority with a claim that it was fine because the leaders wanted it, and then the fact that the White Tree had grown when it could have grown for Faramir's kingship or Denethor's and it was merely a final ironical twist. Last time I checked, it didn't have a sign on it saying "I grew because of Aragorn".
He then examines the poems and tears them apart until they lose all meaning and beauty. Stanton then tries to spiritualize everything in the worst sense. He puts it in the same category as the wildly occult Earthsea tales which I am sure because of which, Tolkien is turning in his grave.
In conclusion, I would not only not take the time to read this book, but I would encourage others not to do so. It is especially bad to those trying to show the truth of Denethor.Just because someone put it in a book does not mean it is true. And in the case of Stanton's writings, I am not even sure how something so blatantly erroneous could have been published at all.
A good solid work.......2003-09-14
A concise well-written, well-organized critique. Stanton includes many tantalizing nuggets dug out of the rich ore of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) increasing the reader's wealth of understanding and appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. Stanton is a seasoned guide who knows the terrain well, pointing out sights along the way, and helping us through the fogs and mists but savvy enough to get out of the way to allow the reader to see the grand vista for himself, even prompting us to do more exploring on our own paths of discovery. He writes in a manner that will enlighten the first-time reader of LOTR and add dimension to the seasoned LOTR affecianado.
Stanton never grandstands or gets in the way of the subject. I've read several criticisms on LOTR, and this is one of the best. Stanton looks at LOTR without the dated cultural bias and skewed pop criticism that mars so many other critiques and reviews of Tolkien's epic fantasy. The author is not presumptuous, or pompous, or arrogant, a tone that prevails in many other similar works. Stanton's book provides an excellent index, something that is lacking in many other criticisms of Tolkien's works, and a reasonable bibliography to broaden the perspectives of the more interested reader.
Hobbits, Elves and Wizards is a welcome addition to my library, and the one book that I recommend to all my friends who want a crisp, smooth overview and sympathetic interpretative criticism of The Lord of the Rings.
An interesting insight to Tolkien's Middle Earth.......2002-10-31
Hobbits, Elves and Wizards is a broad over-view of the Lord of the Rings. In it, Stanton goes over the trilogy, and analyses the patterns in Tolkien's writing, historical relevence, Tolkien's life, and his writing.
The book is divided into two parts, and each cover different things. The first half covers the trilogy itself. There are six chapters, one for each of the books in the Lord of the Rings. In each chapter, he points out similarities between scenes, how the characters are progressing, and the geography.
The second half covers the races of Middle Earth, Languges, and Good and Evil, and how they play a role in the story.
Overall, this is a fairly good read, if you are not a die-hard Tolkien fan. Stanton was a UVM (University of Vermont) professor, and taught LOTR for a long time. This is his reactions and conclusions from the books, presented in a book form. It reads like he's there talking in front of you.
But if you are familiar with the Lord of the Rings, this book will just be a reiteration of what you can get out of the books yourself.
The only gripes I had about the book are the signifagance of the Gray Havens, for I would have liked to know more, The Hobbit. This book does not cover it, but it would be good to see in included. Some of Stanton's conclusions are a little off. At one point in the trilogy, Gollum is fantasizing at taking over the world, while Stanton says that he is not ambitious. He could have explained that more.
Also, the hardcover edition was released before the Fellowship of the Ring movie was released. The paperback version has his own comments on the movie, but not in the hardcover.
Even for Tolkien or Lord of the Rings fans, this in a good read about the style and writings of Tolkien.
There has to be a better treatment of Middle Earth.......2002-04-23
Informative for the novice only. If you've read LOTR more than twice, pass on this, as you likely will learn little.
Average customer rating:
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Conrad's Charlie Marlow: A New Approach to "Heart of Darkness" and Lord Jim
Bernard J. Paris
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
General | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1403969892
Release Date: 2006-01-05 |
Book Description
Whereas Marlow has usually been discussed as a literary device who is of no special interest in himself, this study argues that Conrad portrays Marlow and his relationships with a psychological depth that is unsurpassed in literature. In "Youth," "Heart of Darkness," and Lord Jim, he is a continuously-evolving character whose thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are expressions of his personality and experience. Understanding Marlow's motivations newly illuminates the formal complexity and thematic richness of these works, for his inner conflicts profoundly affect the structure of his narrations, his interactions with his auditors, and the elusive meanings of his tales.
Product Description
The deeply resonant love story of Sir Lancelot and King Arthur's wife, Queen Guenevere, has had enduring appeal ever since it was invented in the 12th-century by the French writer Chrétien de Troyes. The protagonists became a model of ill-fated adulterers whose irresistible love led not only themselves but their entire world to perdition. The tale has been told and retold over the years in many languages and forms; the most provocative and elaborate version is in the immense suite of early-13th-century French narratives collectively called the Lancelot-Grail or Arthurian Vulgate Cycle. Related here is the whole wondrous, adventure-filled, mythic history of Arthur and his chivalric kingdom.
The anonymous author of the massive section devoted to Lancelot expanded the triangle Arthur-Guenevere-Lancelot into a rectangle, adding a figure named Galehaut, Lord of the Distant Isles, a powerful political and military foe to Arthur and a rival to Guenevere for the love of Lancelot. It is an extraordinary tale, this overlapping love story, which is recounted with an understanding of human desires and aspirations unprecedented in its depth and richness. For love of Lancelot, Galehaut surrenders his political ambitions, voluntarily submitting to the rule of Arthur; the same love leads him to facilitate the rapprochement of Lancelot and the Queen. The invincible Lord of the Distant Isles, who had seemed destined to conquer the world, becomes a paragon of love-inspired self-sacrifice.
Whether for political reasons or out of aversion to the homoerotic, later retellings of the Lancelot story, in whatever language, show little or no interest in Galehaut. This is especially true of Malory's great English treatment of the Arthurian legend in the 15th century, in which the "high prince" Galehaut appears but only peripherally and with no significant tie to Lancelot.
Lancelot and the Lord of the Distant Isles, or the Book of Galehaut Retold is a work of restoration. from the mass of diverse detail and labyrinthine complications of the medieval Lancelot-Grail Cycle, it abstracts the all-important double love-story and rescues from oblivion the first truly tragic figure in French literature.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful story, beautifully told........2007-09-11
I read this book the way I read as a child: completely absorbed, carrying the book from room to room, feeling outside of time and space, afraid to see the last pages coming. This part of the Arthurian story is not so familiar to most of us; I am grateful to the authors (eminent medieval scholars and translators) for having remedied that situation with so much grace and perceptiveness. Their version is lively, engaging, heartfelt and deeply moving, without ever being sentimental. I would think a very broad public would love this book.
Amazon.com
Queen of Demons is the middle volume of a mammoth heroic fantasy trilogy that begins with Lord of the Isles. After dealing with a variety of menaces in book one, shepherd-boy hero Garric is on course to unite his archipelago world against the remaining forces of chaos, evil, and unpleasantness, thus earning the title Lord of the Isles.
Again Garric's allies--including some interesting new helpers--are widely scattered in a tangle of linked story lines and headlong action, featuring many exhilarating fights against monsters, chimeras, phantoms, revenants, Hairy Men, Scaly Men, a cyclops, wicked wizards, and the book's two biggies: the unspeakable Beast that demands a diet of young girls and the title's evilly beautiful demon-spawned Queen. At regular intervals characters fall through another magic portal to find themselves in a new plane or dimension or hellworld, there to discover mislaid friends, deadly peril, or more likely both.
Drake keeps his narrative bowling along with plenty of color, occasional doses of practical politics, and no time at all for boredom. Arbitrary transitions and wild coincidences make it seem slightly tongue in cheek, soap-operatic entertainment with an endless series of hissable villains to be zapped, outwitted, or skewered with a trusty blade. At the very end, with Good seemingly triumphant, up pops another one:
The wizard stood on the back of the monster he had called to him. He raised his head, and the heavens echoed with his laughter.
More in book three.... --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
In the world of the Isles, the elemental forces of magic are rising to a thousand-year peak. A small bank of companions has set forth across a world in the process of transformation in search of their destinies. Now their epic adventure continues.
Customer Reviews:
be a little original.......2006-10-20
This book was terrible(i am being nice to give it even one star). I read the first and it was good so I read this one -what a disappointment.silly me I even continued on in the series and- it dose not(underline not) get better its all the same as if the author needed money and couldn't think of what to do so repeated the same thing in different circumstances. Boring everyone who's used to good fantacy and can see through it. My advice is don't read it and if you read it already don't continue it doesn't get better
Excellent Book.......2004-05-29
"Queen of Demons" is a very good sequel to the original. The plot has many twists and the characters are interesting and colorful. This book does bear a slight resemblence to the original in that the heros are trying to take down a powerful wizard, but there are very few similarities beyond that. Garric develops to become much more than an inkeepers sun and begins to restruchture the government. Cashel is sent on a series of adventures in different dimensions (Drake seems to like to send Cashel to different dimensions, as he does in the next two books). A whole host of different characters are intoduced, each very well developed. An all around great book.
Interesting, but no feeling.......2003-08-21
So many words, so little feeling. There are plenty of harrowing battles and many (definitely too many) changes in scenery; but it feels like so much hot air because the characters are flat, dull, and cliched. I couldn't put the first book down, however, I can't seem to finish "Queen of Demons." Skip this book, and try Ursula Le Guin's "Earth Sea" series if you want exciting plots AND characters you care about.
Just Can't Seem To Finish It.......2002-08-09
I'm amazed! I started reading these reader comments hoping to get some insight into where these books are headed. Apparently no other reader has figured it out either. Even the people who said they liked it seemed to hit the nail right on the head: There is NO character development in this book.
The characters are dull and uninteresting. After a book and a half and some 700+ pages I had to admit that I just didn't CARE what happened to these people.
This book, more so than the first, is impossible to finish because if you lose interest and set it down for a few days (weeks, months while you read something more interesting)then pick it up again, you're completely lost because there is absolutely nothing memorable about the characters or the plot.
Sure Drake "Juggles plot lines and brings them neatly together" because in this world NOTHING makes sense, there's no cause and effect, the characters don't learn from their adventures, so he can just WRITE them back together. The books end when Drake stops writing, not when he's resolved some conflict.
Okay, his writing is clear, his ideas are fresh, inventive and fairly exciting, but basic writing techniques like story arch and character development seem to be lost on the author. Considering these are covered at length in nearly every basic creative writing class, book or magazine, one wonders how he's managed to avoid exposure to any of the above, or why he chose to ignore these basic concepts. A one-night class would do him wonders!
But then he's managed to get paid to write at lest 4 of these. Do us all a favor. Don't buy this book and maybe he'll stop writing them.
Fantasy fan.......2002-03-28
For some reason this book seemd familiar too me even though it was my first time reading it. I soon dicovered that this book is identical to the first book of the series. Basically this book is the same string of events with differnt names attached. Then as i continued the series i found that each book was very similar. It seemed that by 50 pages in the book each character was seperated from the group in a different and dangerous world. I'll admit that drake seemed to improve as an author but his plot is really suffering. Although this book lacks originality it is still somewhat entertaining.
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