Book Description
Ward, ruler of Hurog, joins the rebels against the tyrannical High King Jakoven. But Jakoven has a secret weapon. One that requires dragon's blood. The very blood that courses through Ward's veins.
Download Description
Ward, ruler of Hurog, joins the rebels against the tyrannical High King Jakoven. But Jakoven has a secret weapon. One that requires dragon's blood. The very blood that courses through Ward's veins.
Customer Reviews:
effective storytelling [no spoilers].......2007-06-25
"Dragon Blood" completes "The Hurog Duology" roughly four years past "Dragon Bones" by continuing the effortless character and plot devices mingled with exciting adventures and a satisfying amount of practical magic. Regrettably the engaging series ends, nevertheless any subsequent adventures involving other individuals would be welcome.
Wardwick along with his allies have been rebuilding Hurog and during Ward's available time receives magical training from Oreg. Tisala, who appears briefly in the prior story as Haverness's daughter, supports the compliment of supplementary characters such as half-dragon Oreg and the now-likable Tosten. The ruthless King Jakoven and magician Jade Eyes are the ideal antagonists in the focused story filled with great characters.
There are disturbing insinuations and moments, which may be questionable for young readers. A detailed map of the significant terrains and comprehensive appendix would have been useful.
Thank you.
Worthy follow-up.......2006-12-05
"Dragon Blood" is the sequel to "Dragon Bones" and I would certainly recommend that you don't read this one before you've read the book before it - I would be incredibly confused if I had done that!
Probably my most helpful comment about this book is that if you liked "Dragon Bones" you'll like this one - they are similar books in terms of subject matter (following the same characters) and cover similar topics (fighting, wizardry, magic).
Patricia Briggs is excellent at writing stories with depth. Politics plays a significant role here as well as the fantasy staples of battles, wizardry, confusion etc. There's a love story in this book which is well written, gentle and not at all cheesy. Ward of Hurog the main character is tortured and Briggs writes excellently how he feels following this experience - his shame and his fear that the memories will affect him when he comes up against these opponents in future.
If you've come to these books through "Moon Called" you'll find them very different but still with the mark of Briggs' excellent writing skills.
good read.......2006-08-27
It is a very good story. Although the author dwells a little too much on the suffering of the characters, the book makes for a good read.
Excellent Characters, Easy Read...........2006-04-18
Excellent blend of heros and heroines. Book is a very easy read; should finish it in a day or two. It did end rather abruptly however.....
Mind-Candy.......2006-03-10
I notice I tend to just not review books I don't enjoy. I now look for Patricia Briggs. She is an excellent story-teller. I have to say mind-candy but this is chocolate. I don't have any strong desire to re-read her books. But I do wish to see more of her characters. I read fantasy to relax/escape - I don't want things to be too realistic. These stories have real sensible people and events that are horrendous as well as fantastical but there is hope and triumph. I've started reading Game of Thrones four times now because friends say they like it but it is too dark and too depressing and the magic isn't... what is the point if no one ever triumphs if all the heroes are mired in despair? If I want death and despair I'll follow the news from Iraq (which I do anyway). I need heroes and heroines with sense and magic with logic and limits. I need lovely scenes to offset the horrendous - I want humour to offset the despair. Patricia Briggs delivers.
Book Description
A Spell Is Better than a Thousand Words
Every mystic library reserves a place for this single potent volume of arcane lore. It's packed with ways to customize sorcerer and wizard characters, including:
New feats, spells, and magic items.
New prestige classes, including the dragon disciple, fatespinner, and pale master.
Information about special organizations such as the Broken Wands and the Arcane Order.
Maps of a mages' guildhall and a home that a sorcerer and a wizard share.
Tome and Blood is indispensable to players and Dungeon Masters who want to add a new dimension to sorcerers and wizards.
To use this accessory, a Dungeon Master also needs the Player's Handbook, the
Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. A player needs only the Player's Handbook.
Customer Reviews:
cheese for the hero.......2003-11-28
Wizards must have for D&D
Pretty Good.......2003-10-09
well I got tome and blood for my birthday and I was looking through and I found some alright prestige classes. after a while I read a little bit farther in the prestige class section and found the Dragon Disiple. Since I am a sorcerer I was Amazed.It is literally the best Persige Class is the entire book. after thati look at the spells and I found the lesser acid orbs. they are like magic missle except a bit better.(at least i thin they are better. all in all i think this is a pretty good book.
A nice supplement.......2003-09-16
"Tome and Blood" is a fairly good supplement with a wide variety of useful feat, interesting prestige classes, and a couple of good spells. Some of the prestige classes, "The Acolyte of the Flesh" and the "Alienist" for example, would be hard pressed to be useful for a player character but would be nice NPC's.
I was slightly disappointed at the variety of schools, lots of innovation for necromancy, but the other schools, particularly illusion seemed to get short handed.
Also, compared to some of the d20 licensee products like Fantasy Flight Games's "Spells and Spellcraft" or Malhavoc Press's "Eldritch Might" series, this was pretty expensive for the amount of information given.
Great Metamagic, Good Spells, OK PrCs.......2003-04-08
This is probably the guidebook I use most, since I play a spellcaster in my current 3e campaign. I recommend this book if for no other reasons than to upgrade the type of feats you can draw on as a Wizard or Sorcerer and open up a number of new avenues your mage can explore. I really appreciate the metamagic feats, particularly energy admixture and substitution, which give a battle mage new tools to take on the numerous meanies with resistance to specific energies, and scult spell, which allows you to move beyond the circular blast of a standard fireball and into some very exciting alternatives. Among the new spells, the Orb and Lesser Orb spells are a solid choice for low- to mid-level offensive attacks. I had some difficulty with the PrCs, which struck me as being of limited value. Without a DM who tailors his campaign to the inclusion of the elements needed to tap the capabilities offered, many of them would be counterproductive for a player to take. However, if you have a DM who will work with you, there's some very interesting campaign arcs that can be explored.
Overall, a solid extension of magic options for the D&D system.
What a ripoff!.......2002-12-09
This book is good only for explaining the metamagic feats more realistically.
Beyond that, it's practically useless.
I bought it because the books I bought for the druid and bard classes were so helpful, and I thought I'd get more help with my wizard/sorcerer characters.
I should be so lucky.
The book lacks many new spells that I think are particularly useful to lower-level players.
The main reasons one would buy this book is for a more clear definition between a sorcerer and a wizard, and because it explains the metamagic feats in a more useful way than the players handbook does.
Customer Reviews:
Best box of minis they have come out with so far........2007-10-10
The blood war set has overall the coolest looking d&d miniatures than all the others. Some of the rares arn't all too interesting but the rares such as the Horned Devil or the Owlbear make buying a few of these boxes worth it.
Gimme minis!.......2007-08-27
Minis. Once you start buying them, like the proverbial Pokemon, you "gotta get 'em all!" I'm hooked on them because they are great to look at (generally) and really enhance gameplay.
Give in, already.
Great Mini pack!.......2007-08-12
I've become very sold on the idea of using these plastic mini's. This particular set is of excellent quality. You can check out the full list online.
Average customer rating:
- Great reading
- great trilagy
- Phenomenal
- Great for teens
- Into the Pit
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The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volumes 1-3: Boxed Set: Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood, and A Sending of Dragons (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons / Searching for Dragons / Calling on Dragons / Talking to Dragons
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The Dragon's Boy: A Tale of Young King Arthur
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The Young Merlin Trilogy: Passager, Hobby, and Merlin
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Here There Be Dragons
-
Book of Enchantments
ASIN: 0152057676 |
Book Description
The adventures of young dragon master Jakkin Stewart are brilliantly chronicled in this epic fantasy--from his apprenticeship in Dragon's Blood, to his breathtaking escape with his beloved Akki in Heart's Blood, and straight through to their harrowing discovery in the third volume, A Sending of Dragons. Revered by devoted fans for more than twenty years, these first three volumes of Jane Yolen's fierce and fiery dragon tales are published together for the first time--in a handsome boxed set that's sure to win over legions of new admirers.
Customer Reviews:
Great reading.......2007-09-06
This trilogy was a really great read. I am hoping that the 4th book will show up soon. I was really involved with the story and the characters. You will enjoy these books!
great trilagy .......2007-07-10
it was a childhood favorit and still is good for a weekend of reading. Only problem was it ended to soon.
Phenomenal.......2007-03-26
Does anyone else remember the Storybreak show that used to come on after Saturday morning cartoons in the '80's? Every week, a different book would be turned into a half-hour animated special. It was a wonderful program, and my favorite was Dragon's Blood, the first book in Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Chronicles. So I got the books and discovered that they were vastly different from the cartoon. As much as I loved the cartoon, the books were far, far better. Amazing characters (oh, how I wanted to marry Jakkin when I was a teen!), including the dragons, an incredible world, and stories that made me gasp and cry and laugh. These are phenomenal books for all ages, something that can be read over and over. The writing is flawless and the books are simply perfect.
Great for teens.......2007-01-28
When I was a teen I would have rated this a 5. I'm older now, and my tastes have changed. Still a favorite, but not nearly as good as I remember. I still recommend it, but not as highly.
Into the Pit.......2005-09-22
Jane Yolen gave the old dragon legends a facelift in the Pit Dragon Trilogy, a trio of sci-fantasy novels set on a faraway prison planet. There's nothing fantastical or pretty about the world she creates here -- it's gritty, dusty, raw and very dangerous.
The action takes place on the planet of Austar IV, a miserable desert planet inhabited by drug-filled weeds, slave "bonders" and their masters, giant dragons, and deadly temperatures. The only real recreation is gambling on dragons who fight in the Pits.
In "Dragon's Blood," orphaned bonder Jakkin dreams of freedom, and has a secret plan to fill his bag with gold and free himself -- steal a new dragon hatchling and quietly raise it to fight in the pits. He finds an uncounted hatchling and spirits it away to the hills. But he soon learns that someone knows his secret -- the pretty Akki, an independent girl who is hiding an odd secret of her own. But even her help may not be enough to free Jakkin from slavery.
By "Heart's Blood," Jakkin has raised enough gold from Heart's Blood, and is now a free man and a dragon trainer. In theory, that is all he wants. But then he learns that Akki is in trouble, and becomes determined to save her, even though Heart's Blood has just hatched five babies. To help Akki, Jakkin will risk his life in the midst of bloodthirsty freedom fighters...
"A Sending of Dragons" is the bittersweet third volume of this trilogy. Jakkin and Akka have been physically transformed, so that they can communicate with the dragons. Now they are on the run from ordinary humans, and end up running into a lost tribe of degenerate humans, who also are bonded with their dragons... dangerously.
There aren't a lot of original dragon stories -- most are clones of Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Jane Yolen scratched all that, and creates an almost entirely new kind of dragon -- they're actually not the mythical creatures, but a type of alien lizards.
She also crafts an intricate political system, with terrorists and shady senators, and a dusty desert world where everyone is descended from prisoners (it resembles Australia in many ways). Akki and Jakkin are brought to life in their sensitivity and strength, and Yolen's writing brings the dragons to life. They seem almost like real creatures, animal but close to human beings.
With a fourth volume tentatively scheduled for 2006, it's about time to revisit the Pit Dragon Trilogy. For outstanding stories about dragons and the humans who train them, these books are among the best.
Average customer rating:
- A Booming Sensation
- Blood Sight
- Niq's (On Time) school project
- Heart's Blood
- Hearts Blood
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Heart's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Two (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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A Sending of Dragons: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume Three (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
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Here There Be Dragons
ASIN: 015205118X |
Book Description
Jakkin risks everything--his freedom, his dragon, even his life--to rescue his beloved in this stirring sequel to Dragon's Blood.
Customer Reviews:
A Booming Sensation.......2007-01-27
As Jakkin and Hearts Blood become one of the most feared dragon fighters, something unexpected happens. A nuclear bomb goes off! Now the police are after him and his new girlfriend Akki. They have only one choice, trust in his Dragon and head for the hills. When reading Hearts Blood I was always in a sense of awe. Reading this book really shows how well Jane Yolen can write.
When Jane Yolen wrote Hearts Blood, she must have been in a perfect writing zone for the whole time. It seemed as though Jane's excellent writing skills were mirrored by her creative imagination. For example, the image of a feral dragon loaming the skies, made Jakkin's knees felt a tingling sensation, which was like being stabbed by a thousand needles in the leg.
The suspense of Hearts Blood is an exact image of the high quality writing used. When Hearts Blood tried to stop the police from reaching Jakkin and Akki, the pages seemed to be turning ever faster. However, when you found out Hearts Blood saved their life by sacrificing hers, you would almost have a tear come to your eye.
As the final page was turned, I was overcome by a sense of sadness, only to be overcome by a sense of happiness. This was because I knew there was a third book in the series A
Sending of Dragons. This certainly will have the same quality of this magnificent book.
Blood Sight.......2006-10-17
This book is the second book in the seris The Pit Dragon Chronicles.
Even thought i didn't read the first book, i found this book to be a pretty good book.It has a nice blend of Action, Adventure, and the occasional romance. This book shows the overall emotion, comprehension and the pure thrill of Dragons.Jakkin owns his own dragon named Hearts blood which fights in the Rokk.
Anyway this book is about the main character Jakkin, a stout fellow, who receives a note from Akki. Golden gave him the note, and knows where she might be. So Jakkin begins he search for her a the Rokk a major city in Austar. He fights with his dragon at the two pit matches. After she wins both, he goes bar to bar looking for Akki, and the rebel that Golden was going to send to Jakkin. A man comes and dies beside Jakkin in an ally, but not before leaving him a message. He goes to the nearest bar and tells the bartender his troubles. The bartender keeps him after, and the rebel cell comes in. Number 1, number 2, number 3 (Really akki), number 4 and number 5. They don't use names... Jakkin and Akki take a case to the pits, which is really and bomb. They leave before the pits come down.The wardens chase jakkin and akki because they suspect them of the crime. Also i will give away the ending. The dragon dies, and Jakkin and Akki get some power called "Dragon sight".
~Dragon force the band sucks~
~GO CHILDREN OF BODEM!~
Niq's (On Time) school project.......2006-01-11
Jane Yolen's "Heart's Blood" is an incredible read. Although I have not finished the book, it shows great promise towards the end of the book.
Jakkin (the main character) is an ex-bonder that won his freedom from a dragon that he stole. Heart's Blood (Jakkin's dragon) is a female "mute" dragon. She does not roar when wounded or in any pain. She has won 22 out of 24 fights. One of the greatest parts of this book and the other is the connection between them. They don't speak or use words but they send pictures or images to each other with colors showing their feelings. Then when Heart's Blood is in the pit fighting, the communication is phenomenal. I would recommend this book to anyone that read.
The book also has a background story that is very exciting. Jakkin has a childhood love that ran away from him to pursue her dreams. Akki (Jakkin's childhood love) has join the rebel's and from some reason needs Jakkin and his dragon's help. The story leads to Jakkin having to e captured by rebels to save Akki. Every page since the 1st story will have you hooked on Jakkin's life.
The overall view of this book is a very good one. I'm not one to e called a reader or even come close to liking reading. But this book and "Dragon's Blood" are amazing with the details. You can't set the book down because you yourself have a bet placed on the next pit fight that Jakkin is entering and you have to know if he wins. You will love this book as much as I do if you read it.
Heart's Blood.......2005-02-09
This is one of the best books I have ever read. This is the second book in a trilogy written by Jane Yolen called "The Pit Dragon Trilogy". I read the first book "Dragons Blood" which is also excellent. The book is very interesting and her descriptions of what is going on makes you feel like you are actually there. The author makes you feel so close to the people and the dragons and gives the dragons almost human traits. The main dragon in the book is Heart's Blood and when you read about her you almost wish you could have a baby dragon. The main character in the book is a boy named Jakkin and he has raised the dragon from an egg. They can read each others minds and have a very strong bond. The book has alot of things that keep you interested and on the edge of your seat. This book starts off a little slower than the first book but once you get into the story you can't put it down. Jakkin starts out as a master dragon trainer which is what he has always wanted. But when the girl that he loves, Akki gets into trouble he realizes that he has to give up everything to help her. He gets involved in a world that he knows nothing about and that is when the story gets exciting. This is a book that when it ends you feel like you are going to miss the characters. I can't wait to start the third book!
Hearts Blood.......2004-05-24
I think Jane Yolen out did herself and hit a homerun, with Hearts Blood, an extraordinary book. In this vivid storyline, a boy named Jakkin risks his life, his dragon Hearts Blood's life, and his dragons hatchlings life, to save his love Akki. The risk was being involved with the rebels who are against the republic and the republic send people down to the colony to keep everything in order but then the rebels exploded the side of the Major dragon pit called in the city of Rokk. The people from the republic think Akki and Jakkin did it so they flee. Will the republic find them or not, what will happen to Jakkin and Akki? read Hearts Blood to find out. I've read the whole series, and many of her other books such as; Devils Arithmetic, The rest of the Pit Dragon trilogy, Merlin, and Armageddon Summer. Her word choice was great because she uses words that you wouldn't normally know the meaning to, but when she uses them you do; such as, "Myriad of colors", and she is very imaginative in the ways she described the dragons.
I highly recommend this book to all young adults.
Book Description
Inject religious occult overtones into your modern campaign and bring the Blood War to life. Blood and Relics provides modular support to make any modern campaign a little darker and a little more mysterious:
Occult Characters
7 advanced classes suitable for gothic modern campaigns: Believer, Cultist, Dark Warrior, Grave Robber, Monitor, Relic Seeker, and Witch. A feat based ritual system that adds an element of the supernatural to your Modern game without the flashy power of the traditional d20 magic system.
Secret Societies
7 secret societies and cults ready for use each with its own prestige class: Frater Torquemada, The Doctrine, Isayeret Omega, Knights Templar, Salem Seven, Seers of Fatima, and Teutonic Knights.
Campaign Guide
A ready to use campaign guide, including: a secret history of the world, new items, and new creatures.
Book Description
Dumery of Shiphaven was a lad with a love of wizardry -- and no magic at all. He dreamed of apprenticing himself to a great wizard, but because he had not even a touch of the talent, it was a dream he could never fulfill. He would never apprentice himself to a great wizard, nor even a meager one; no matter how he loved magic and the magical arts, he would never work with wizards or wizardry.
That's what Dumery was beginning to think, anyway -- until he spied a great wizard humbling himself before a man selling dragon's blood, the precious stuff that made difficult spells work. If Dumery couldn't be a wizard, he could still become a dragon-hunter -- and have all those condescending wizards crawling to him.
And so Dumery set off on a quest -- a quest in search of dragons and dragon-hunters, and ultimately the secret that lay beneath all the wizardry in Ethshar. Before he reached its end, he would uncover the terrible mystery of the dragon-hunters -- and scheme a scheme that would change the face of Ethsharitic magic forever.
Download Description
A quest -- a quest in search of dragons and dragon-hunters, and ultimately the secret that lies beneath all the wizardry in Ethshar. Before it reaches its end, it would uncover the terrible mystery of the dragon-hunters -- and give rise to a scheme that would change the face of Ethsharitic magic forever.
Customer Reviews:
Read It!.......2007-08-08
Let's see: This is an Ethshar series book and is therefore an excellent read. That may sound like a bold statement, but it is a fact. Before you run out and buy it I recommend that you start at the beginning with the first book "The miss enchanted sword", that way you will understand what is going on. Get the whole series and enjoy many hours wasting time reading about a world of total fantasy.
Note: This applies to every book in the series, I have read them all.
Hardcover please!.......2007-01-16
All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful. Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.
Interesting and enjoyable low key fantasy.......2006-07-05
Eventually I will get around to all of Lawrence Watt-Evans's Ethshar novels -- these are uniformly enjoyable commonsensical light fantasy, somewhat in the mode of L. Sprague De Camp, set in a fantasy world distinguished by having multiple, mostly quite different, magical systems.
Dumery of Shiphaven is a 12 year old boy, the son of a wealthy shipowner. It is time for him to choose a trade. He has no interest in the shipping business, and anyway his oldest brother will get the business. Dumery, at any rate, is interested in something else -- he wants to be a wizard. His father agrees to let him try -- but every wizard Dumery meets agrees that he has not a shred of magical talent. Dumery is frustrated and offended -- but then he happens to see a wizard negotiating with a seller of dragon's blood, which is an important ingredient is many spells. He realizes that if he can't be a wizard, he might get a measure of revenge by becoming a dragon's blood seller.
So Dumery tracks down the dragon hunter. Who, it turns out, has no interest in hiring an apprentice. Dumery decides not to give up. He decides to follow the dragon hunter to his home, and to insist on an apprenticeship. Thus, he ends up paying his way on a boat up the river, shoveling cow dung. His parents miss him, of course, and they hire a witch's apprentice to track him.
Both Dumery and the young witch end up following the dragon hunter to his home. The witch learns some secrets about witches and warlocks which (no pun intended!) seem a setup for a further book. Dumery, meanwhile, learns that the dragon hunter isn't quite what he seems. Also, that he still hasn't any wish for an apprentice. Dumery remains stubborn, and almost despite himself -- certainly not through any particular virtue of his own -- stumbles on a secret involving dragons, one in particular, that might just make his fortune.
It's an odd, interesting, book. There aren't exactly any heroes, nor really any villains. Dumery is certainly the central character, and he is in many ways quite an unpleasant young man. He is a thief, he's irresponsible, he's spoiled -- he's not by any means evil, but he's not good. The witch's apprentice is fairly appealing, but in the end a pretty minor character. The other characters are ordinary people, some of whom do pretty bad things -- but mostly through ignorance. The book is enjoyable reading throughout -- Watt-Evans is a very engaging writer. And the eventual solution is both logical (indeed, I thought of it much earlier ...) and in a way heroic.
Highly recommended!.......2002-12-19
Now that Dumery has reached his 12th birthday, it is time for him to be apprenticed. He's the third son of a wealthy merchant, which means that he inherits...nothing. He has only really been interested in one thing, wizardry, so he offers himself as an apprentice to every magic-user in Ethshar. When they all tell him that he is completely dead to magic, and as such untrainable, he feels crushed. But when he sees the most powerful wizard in Ethshar humbling himself before a man who sells dragon's blood (necessary for so many spells), he decides that he can apprentice himself to the dragon hunter, and force the wizards to humble themselves before him. Oh, but Dumery finds that even this is much harder than he imagined.
I must admit that I consider myself a devoted Watt-Evans fan! I have enjoyed all of his books that I have been able to lay my hands on, this one included. Indeed, Mr. Watt-Evans' world is fantastic and yet realistic, with normal seeming people, going about their business in a manner totally consistent with their world. At least with the stories I have read, his heroes are relatively normal young men, looking for their future in a world of high magic. I highly recommend this book for any fan of fantasy literature!
High fantasy, low Wattage.......2002-08-06
I read this book, along with all the other Ethshar fantasies, when they first appeared back in the eighties. I must say I always enjoyed the way Watt-Evans approached magic; he could make it at once fantastic and logical.His scenes of magic at work are indisputably fun. Watt-Evans is kind of old school, he has devised a magical world, rules for that world, puts his plots into that context, and relentlessly follows things to their logical conclusion. The thing is, nothing much happens in Watt-Evans' stories. There are no larger-than-life heroes, no derring-do, no hair-breadth escapes, no great truths revealed, and no surprises. As one reviewer of his work pointed out, his characters are pedestrian, which I think is exactly Wat-Evans' point. Just because there is magic in Ethshar doesn't mean people or their institutions will be any different. Folks are still interested in profit and comfort, governments and religions just want to perpetuate themselves, parents still want to control their kids'lives, etc.This adds an element of realism to his work that is lacking in Tolkien-wannabe fantasies. Watt-Evans has managed to create a very magical world, and then his plots render it mundane. As strange as this sounds, I would always scoop up an Ethshar novel as soon as it hit the shelves, devour it in a day or two, and look forward to the next. Yet, I never felt really satisfied after finishing. Kind of like eating Chinese food.
Customer Reviews:
One of the great Planescape Products.......2007-10-06
Any Planescape Product that has Colin McComb or Monte Cook is worth a read and at least 3 stars. I know I own at least one copy of all the game materal printed in this campain setting. This is a really useful Supplanmant for running the bloodwar. However I would recommend getting Faces of Evil the Fiends. It is a slightly better book. When I run a blood war Campain I use both books.
Great Resource Spectacular Module.......1999-09-21
This is a great Planescape Resource. Bah to those who say the Blood War is stupid, It is one of the most nesessary things on the Planes. This adventure/accessory Sheds the dark on the Blood War. Complete with Fiendish Spells and Magical Items, its incredibly useful. The three adventures are incredibly detailed, providing spectacular and campaign shattering consequences! Recommended!
Average customer rating:
- Dragon's Blood ... A Must Read!
- Dragon's Blood
- Thy Beauty
- Dragon's Blood
- Avoid. Avoid. AVOID!
|
Dragon's Blood: The Pit Dragon Chronicles, Volume One (Pit Dragon Chronicles)
Jane Yolen
Manufacturer: Magic Carpet Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Yolen, Jane | ( Y ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0152051260 |
Book Description
Dragons are trained to fight to the death, and two determined teens help free them in this spellbinding saga.
Training a dragon to be a fighting champion is the only way to freedom for fifteen-year-old Jakkin.
Customer Reviews:
Dragon's Blood ... A Must Read!.......2007-03-26
"I will fill my own bag" was a quote made several times by the main character, Jakkin Stewart. His "bag" was a pouch he kept hanging around his neck (like all the slaves) and it contained gold coins. Fifteen-year old Jakkin Stewart is a bond servant in Master Sarkkhan's dragon barns. Jakkin decided his only hope to earn his freedom is to steal a dragon to secretly train as a fighter. In the end--Jakkin did earn his freedom.
The author,Jane Yolen, was born in New York City on February 11, 1939 and raised in California, New York, and Connecticut. Her father was a teacher in history. She received her bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1976. She has three children: Heidi Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Stemple she also has several grandchildren. She was married to a computer scientist David Stemple from 1962 until his death from cancer on March 22, 2006.
The emotional impact the book had on me was it kept me in suspense throughout each chapter. If you enjoy stories about dragon adventures, this is a must read for you. It was full of action and suspense.
Dragon's Blood.......2007-01-22
Jakkin is a fifteen year old bonder (essentially a slave) whose father was a dragon trainer who was killed by a savage dragon in the wilderness when he was only a child. Jakkin's only hope for freedom is raising a prize dragon and gathering enough money to buy his independence. After a recent hatching, Jakkin steals an uncounted dragon from her mother and takes her to the desert and trains her into a pit fighter from a small oasis in the hills.
This book is extremely well written. It has intense description throughout the entire book. Yolen shows great imagination in every sentence and she used the dragons to a great extent to increase the entertainment taken from the book.
In her description of the planet Austar IV, Yolen left nothing out. How she explained the history of the place was superb.When Jakkin first took the dragon after hatching, she described how he snuck her out into the hills with great detail, down to the removal of his footprints from the shifting sands. Her description of characters is just as vivid, she describes Likkarn down to his blister weed stained eyes.
When you read Dragon's Blood, you can tell how imaginative Yolen truly is. How she had told how humans first came to inhabit the planet was obviously only her own. Her development of characters was great, even her dialogue was deep.
When Yolen chose to write a book revolving around dragons, she made a good choice. She has obviously done her research on the subject. She uses every bit of her knowledge to create a lifelike environment (or, at least as lifelike as dragons can be). The entire pit fighting dragons create an atmosphere that brings the book together, but it also throws you off for the next books.
This is an overall great book, and although this book was written for children, I think it is more suited for adult or young agult readers. Yolen's writing style is great, and I think almost anyone would enjoy her and her writing.
Thy Beauty .......2006-12-15
Dragon's Blood is written by Jane Yolen. The book takes place in the future on a planet called Austar IV. Jakkin, the main character, is a bonder which is basically a slave who tries to fill his bag with gold and become a master by filling their bag. Jakkin has friends and is well supplied with food and a bed. But that's not all that Jakkin wants. His dream is to have his own dragon. He knows the dragons that he takes care of by heart but those dragons are not his. Then one day he steals a hurt Hatchling and tries to train it. Life goes on and Jakkin's dragon gets older and bigger and is almost ready for the pits, a place where dragons play a fighting game. But what Jakkin was most worried about was keeping his dragon out of sight. Can Jakkin keep his dragon out of sight or will somebody find his dragon and do something bad to it?
I think Jane Yolen wrote this book because she wanted to tell everybody that big secrets are sometimes hard to keep away from people and sometimes you just have to give them away so you can live with out being worried all the time.
I think this book is filled with friends, enemies and secrets. It is one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. If you like dragons and secrets [that are extremely big] this is the book for you!
Dragon's Blood.......2006-07-25
Jakkin is really into dragon's so he decides to steal one for himself. He realizes that raising a dragon is a lot harder than he thought. But he sticks to it and his dragon becomes great, to him anyways. He takes him to the pits where he meets the last person he wanted to meet at the time. Jane Yolen's Dragon's Blood would be great for teenager readers of either gender that are interested in fantasy books. I read this book because I thought the cover looked interesting. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I'm glad I did with this one!
Jakkin is a slave boy that works on a dragon farm. He loves dragons and wants one of his own. He decides to steal one from his master, Master Sarkkhan. He takes the hatchling into the desert to an oasis. Every night, before Dark After, he goes to the oasis and feeds his little hatchling. As the dragon grows, Jakkin starts to teach him about being a fighter. His friend, Akki, is the only one that knows about his dragon. She brings him books about training dragons and Jakkin teachs what he learns from them to his dragon. Akki helps him more and more and the other boys start teasing him about her. The dragon is soon bigger than Jakkin himself. The dragon is starting to become the rich red color that only the greatest fighters have and the color that Jakkin had been hoping it would be. A year goes by and the dragon is now bigger than the other dragons its age. Jakkin really want shis dragon to go to the pits and Akki surprises him with a registration form. Akki gets one of her friends to take Jakkin and his dragon to the pits.
Jakkin is just like any other of the bonder boys on the outside, but on the inside he is so much different. He actually loves the dragons and cares for them not just because he as to, but because he likes to. He is shy towards the girls, but acts normal around everyone else.
The setting is on the planet of Austar IV. Master Sarkkhan's farm is in the middle of the desert. The way they dress makes me think of Africa. It is mostly desert around them, but there are some mountains in the distance. There are some trees, which is unusual for the desert.
The theme of the story was that the dragons were in the center of everything. When Blood Brother was killed by Likkarn, everyone was sad and Master Sarkkhan was mad at Likkarn because he could have just stunned the best cock dragon he owned instead of killing him. Through out the whole book, Jakkin goes out every chance he can to visit his dragon and his life revolves around the dragon. Jakkin grew up with the dragons. His father used to train dragons, but was killed when he was trying to train a feral, wild, dragon. Then Jakkin went into slavery at Master Sarkkhan's farm and has worked with dragons ever since.
The story is told by a narrator, but is focused mainly on Jakkin's life. It is an adventure and fantasy story. Jane Yolen uses lots of description in this book. Every little thing is described in great detail. There is lots of dialogue in this book, but what the characters talk about is always interesting. The setting to this story is very important. If there as in oasis in the desert that no one knew about, then Jakkin wouldn't have had a place to raise his dragon.
I don't think Dragon's Blood had any weakness really. I would have liked Akki to stay with Jakkin, but when she went away, it made the story more interesting. Other than that, I think the book was fine the way it was.
I enjoy the book very much. It was very interesting. Jakkin was a great main character and really feel like I got to know him. I would certainly recommend this book. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the Pit Dragon Chronicles!
Avoid. Avoid. AVOID!.......2006-06-09
I think Jane Yolen made a serious misstep in writing this book. She aimed it for kids, but the world she created would have been perfectly suited for something more adult.
Austar IV is an ugly place filled with criminals set on doing ugly things to themselves and the dragons that they fight in arenas. Most of the descriptions the author paints for us makes you want to wince. Weeds that smoke and burn, hot desert with freezing nights cold enough to kill, dragon scales and tongues that cut and scrape, blood that eats though human flesh like acid.
The character names are annoying to say the least. Jakkin and Akki and any number others characters with multiple K's in their name. It isn't explained until near the end the reason why this is the case, and by the time it came down to it, I had a headache.
Again, I think this would have been a lot better as an adult book because then the author could have elaborated on her dusty dirty world and the sad people that inhabit it. Instead we are given half references to prostitutes and drug addiction that could have been put into a decent plot, but was just left hanging there.
The ending was pretty bad as well. The man Jakkin looks up too pretty much ties up all of the loose ends in the plot with a grandiose explanation. He reminded me of a James Bond villain, explaining his motives right at the end so that the viewer doesn't miss anything. Basically, the end was for a kid's book while the entire plot up until that point was good for adults.
This book was a disappointment after seeing so many good reviews.
Average customer rating:
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Tiger's Blood: The Tiger's Apprentice, Book Two (The Tiger's Apprentice)
Laurence Yep
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0060010185
Release Date: 2006-05-09 |
Book Description
Ever since Tom became the apprentice to Mr. Hu, the Guardian of the phoenix egg, his life has been a whirlwind. Now Mr. Hu is weak after saving Tom's life in battle, and the two must flee with their motley crew of friends to the dragon kingdom, far below the ocean's surface. While Tom waits for Mr. Hu to recover, he realizes that even the dragons cannot promise safety. And as an unstoppable evil advances, Tom must find the strength within to protect the egg by himself.
Books:
- Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
- Exile's Return (Conclave of Shadows, Book 3)
- Fantastic Four Omnibus, Vol. 1
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- First Course in Continuum Mechanics (3rd Edition)
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- Gypsies: The Hidden Americans
- Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
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Books Index
Books Home
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Dragon Bones (The Hurog Duology, Book 1)
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When Demons Walk
