Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, Book 1)

Book Description

Preeminent storytellers Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have redefined epic fantasy. Since the publication of their Dragonlance series, millions of readers have enjoyed their imaginative world-building, rich characterization, and intricate storylines. Now these bestsellingauthors bring their talents to one of the most innovative fantasy creations ever in Dragon Wing, the first volume in The Death Gate Cycle.

Customer Reviews:

Warning - Addicting.......2007-07-09

What an awesome start to a great series of books! I read the Cycle when I was a teen and loved it and now in my....Early 20's ;) I wonder how I waited so long before picking it up again. From this first book, 'Dragon Wing' through the seventh I was hooked and still am!

The epitome of fantasy ilk.......2007-06-23

I told myself I wouldn't go back and read this kind of ilk after reading other much better books, but I couldn't help myself since I've pretty much exhausted the fantasy genre. Anyway, it was a mistake. The genre isn't even completely fantasy - it's some kind of weird mixture of science fiction, fantasy and psuedo - philosophy/parody.

The premise is that the world is divided into realms one on top of one another. All ready a tad eye rolling. Not a good setting to say the least. The authors had to invent some new floating rock called coralite. Anyway, this book is basically two viewpoints: Hugh the Hand and Limbeck Bolttightner (stupid name). The first fifty pages weren't bad. Not great, but highly readable.

Then everything goes to hell when the view shifts over to the dwarf. First of all, what's the point of calling dwarves gegs? The author even refers to them as dwarves first. Maybe to make them seem more juvenile then they all ready are. But, anyway, Limbeck's story is basically some kind of weird dwarven version of 1984. Basically, he's an enlightened dwarf among a race of childlike dwarves and he's determined to make remove their ignorance. Basically, all the dwarves worship the elves or the people who live on top them. Meanwhile, they all do work for this like super machine called "the kicksey winsey" How suitable is that? Kicksey winsey. All the dwarves have their roles and do their work unquestioningly. Then quite suitably, you have this revolutionary organization called WUPP (shudder) who is going about writing pamphlets and making speeches run by Limbeck's bossy wife named Jarre.

Hugh the Hand's story arc is a tad better with him escorting some simple boy prince who isn't really so simple. Unfortunately, he had to be named "Bane." Prince Bane!

Then there's the Sartan missionary named Haplo who is supposed to be sent back for vengeance for being shunned. But then he's accompanied by a loyal dog who licks his face and barks at strangers. Am I the only one sensing some kind of contradiction in tones here?

I'm not looking for any great masterpiece here but all the characters are cardboard cutouts and two dimensional at best. You got the mercenary Hugh who'll do anything for money. The clumsy chamberlain named Alfred who falls down every other page.

Essentially, the names are bordering on ridiculous: Hugh the Hand, Boltightner, Magicka, Sinistrad, and Prince Bane. All ready not good signs. Seriously, if you 've read better books, please skip this ilk. If you're determined to read Hickman and Weiss, read Chronicles which is a tad better.

Seriously, if you think this is the 'best fantasy' you've ever read, you really need to be trying OTHER books by OTHER authors. This book is fluff at best. The tones are so mixed up sometimes you're not sure if it's a comedy or what not. I'm not sure if the dwarven part is supposed to be comedy relief or if it's a serious rendition of 1984. But the tone is so silly you can hardly take it seriously at all. Kicksey winsey!

Part of one of the greatest series of fantasy books every written.......2007-04-12

Long ago, the all-powerful Sartan broke the earth into five worlds - Air, Fire, Earth and Water, and the Labyrinth (a temporary prison for their equally-powerful enemy, the Patryns). But, something, somewhere went wrong. The Labyrinth turned into a murderous, self-aware, killer. And now, the first of the Patryns have escaped the Labyrinth, and they are looking for revenge.

Haplo, one of the escaped Patryns is sent through the Death Gate (which connects the five worlds) to Arianus, the World of Air, to foment chaos and prepare the world for conquest by the Patryns. Arianus is a world of islands floating in the sky, of dragons and elven airships, of empires and wizards, and of a marvelous machine that seems to accomplish...nothing. And where are the Sartan? Something has gone terribly wrong.

This is an excellent book, part of one of the greatest series of fantasy books every written. I first read this book when it came out in 1990, and every few years I read it again - it's that good! I love books that include elves, dwarves and wizards, but this series takes that genre and moves it in a direction you might have never expected. I love the fascinating worlds that the authors created, and also the interesting characters and institutions that fill them.

Overall, I think that this is one of the greatest series of fantasy books, if not the greatest. I highly recommend this book, and the other six that make up the series. Believe me, they are well worth your time!

Brilliant book, series.......2007-03-17

For a fan of high-fantasy, the Death Gate cycle is a must read. Dragon Wing, the first book of seven, is probably the best written in the series; the prose is tighter and plot twists are set up more cleverly than in later books in the series. However, each book in the series is imaginative and a delight to read. The premise is that a war between two races of warring gods, the wise Sartan and the brutal Patryns, ended in a Sartan victory and the sundering of the world into its four elemental parts. The Patryns, who have long been trapped in a separate prison world called the Labyrinth, have just begun to break free. You follow their first scout, Haplo, as he explores the four worlds in preparation for a new Patryn offensive to conquer the lesser races and the Sartan.

While not especially literary, the character development, political intrigue, and imaginativeness of the four worlds is gripping. The cheesy "4 elements" theme is completely revived by Weiss and Hickman's clever implementation. For instance, the World of Air in Dragon Wing is made up of floating islands of lighter-than-air coral. Dwarves enslaved by Elven masters operate a gigantic machine in a perpetual storm that provides the only water source, reducing humans to raiders only recently united under a strong monarchy. However, the elves have their own problem in the form of a strange rebellion that threatens to undermine their empire if a truce can be reached with the humans.

My main criticism with Dragon Wing in particular is that two of the central characters, Haplo and Hugh, have personalities that are almost indistinguishable in the beginning, which can make things a bit repetitive. But if you enjoy creative, well-written fantasy, it would be hard to do better than this one-time best-selling (but now obscure) fantasy series.

Solid work from fantasy pioneers.......2007-02-16

I will say that when I started reading this series, I was hoping for something much like Weis & Hickman's previous series: Dragonlance. What I found out was that I didn't know what I wanted to begin with. This book was very much different from that great old saga, but every bit as good. I thought the authors did a great job of transitioning the character of Haplo. Nothing was sudden, it was a gradual change of attitude and ideology over the course of the entire series from hate and vengance, to understanding and compassion (even though the hard determined edge never left). The other characters were fairly good, even though Bane was incredibly annoying, and Zinfab was a deliberate play on Fizban, who was the god Paladin in disguise during the Dragonlance series. I never really understood, and don't think that it was explained in any way, why Zinfab always made references to pop culture from the late 1900s, but that is only a minor gripe. The story was really good, and extemely intricate. Wies and Hickman obviously put a lot of work into creating the settings, and explaining why they were the way that they were with stunning originality. This book was pretty good, but the series as a whole was great. I consider myself somewhere between a casual fantasy reader, and a hardcore fantasy reader, and I thought these books were worth every penny, and every minute spent reading.

Average customer rating:

Ed scores with another winner
Good solid fantasy (B-)
Excellent!
Almost a masterpiece
Why do they let Greenwood keep doing it?

Death of the Dragon (The Cormyr Saga)
Ed Greenwood , and Troy Denning
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786918632
Release Date: 2001-05-01

Book Description

Azoun IV, in the twilight of his years, is still a shining hero to most of his subjects, and to all but the eldest, the only king they've ever known. He's led them capably out of dark doom before.

Yet Cormyr has never faced so many mighty and mysterious foes at once. Demonic ghazneths, ancient curses, weird trees of foul magic, goblins and their kin on the rise in the northern wilderlands, a blight upon the land, rebellious mutterings, dying war wizards...and a dragon the likes of which no living eyes on Faerun have ever seen.

The Purple Throne doesn't seem so unassailable now. It could well shatter under the weight of a gigantic dragon--or the secrets and follies of the last of the Obarskyrs.

Customer Reviews:

Ed scores with another winner.......2007-01-09

My copy of this book is in Hardcover and with any of Ed Greenwood's work you cant put it down.

I hear rumors of Elminister will "die" sometime this year; however, depresssing that is it is also a relief. Ed then will be able to continue righting more fine books like this and maybe open up more knowledge of the 7 sisters.

Good solid fantasy (B-).......2005-07-21

This is a good book, the previous books in the series where better, but this one ends the series well. It probably would have been great if they would have kept Ed Greenwood away from the writting!

OVERALL SCORE: (B-)
READABILITY: (B-), PLOT: (C-), CHARATERS: (B), DIALOGUE: (C-), SETTING: (A+), ACTION/COMBAT: (B-), MONSTERS/ANTAGONISTS: (B), ROMANCE: (B-), SEX: (n/a),
AGE LEVEL: (PG)

Excellent!.......2003-06-30

The most realistic look at war and rulership that can be found in any Forgotten Realms book. If you're looking for lighthearted fare where all the good guys live, look elsewhere.

If you're looking for an excellent story with characters you can care about, look here.

I've read entire stories where an author has failed to do what Greenwood and Denning manage to do in only a few sentences: Make an individual character, even a short lived one, come alive. And that makes their ends all the more tragic. The soldiers dying in the field aren't generic redshirted security officers being beamed down to die like fodder. They're good hearted, often humorous lads, who you hate to see go.

So good. One of the best FR books I've read. A must read.

Almost a masterpiece.......2003-06-20

Though it's presumably the third book in the Cormyr Saga, Death of the Dragon is more the continuation of events that begin in Beyond the High Road. I didn't much like that story, but taken in whole the pair of novels is excellent. These two books should really be one, and probably would be if they weren't so long. A lot of things that didn't make much sense in High Road are cleared up, for example- what made the ghazneths and what exactly is their purpose other than wreaking wanton carnage and destruction. You also learn what exactly happened to Vangerdahast, which was a bit perplexing at the end of High Road. There's a lot of orc-killing in Death of the Dragon (hard to do Forgotten Realms without at least some of that!) and visceral battle. While the plot isn't precisely ingenious, it is exciting and generally fun to follow.

As a matter of fact, Death of the Dragon is great reading- I couldn't put it down... at least for the first 375 pages. I seriously urge readers to STOP there! It is odd, really, since I've found that usually fantasy novels either stay strong all the way through or start weak and end strong. In Death of the Dragon, it starts strong, stays strong, and concludes with a whimper- the ending is probably the lamest conclusion I have EVER read in a novel. It's a real pity, because the rest of it is so great. I'm baffled as to why Greenwood and Denning chose to drag it on for 12 more pages of what amounts to useless drivel that breaks the breakneck pace of the plot and is sopping with ridiculous sentimentality. For a second it looked as if they were trying to end on a happier note, but they didn't succeed in that- and I don't think this would be a good idea anyway.

If you've already read High Road, definitely read Death of the Dragon. It would be a shame to suffer through that novel and not get to this rewarding read. At this point, I see two ways the Cormyr Saga can be resolved- either another book with a well-written finale, or a truncation of the last 12 pages of this one. Since Death of the Dragon was so good for the better part, I would recommend the latter.

Why do they let Greenwood keep doing it?.......2003-03-06

I liked this book, and enjoyed reading it. Which is saying a lot considering Ed Greenwood came anywhere near it, and you can see his handywork all over it. Greenwood has a tendancy for trying to cram too many characters in one scene, and for writting extremely poor dialoge, his battles become repetitive after awhile. However I'm straying from my point here, this was a very good read and I enjoyed it. It was a good finale to Beyond the High Road and it makes me want to read more and more of the Forgotten Realms (I'm a Dragonlance reader who is branching out after reading anything and everything with Drizzt Do'Urden in it.)

I would like to add one more thing. After reading Spellfire and Crown of Fire (I never finished Hand of Fire or whatever it was because I was so disgusted), I was afraid to spend my money on any book with Ed Greenwood on the cover. I know many people who won't touch a book that has his name on it. I would encourage those people to take a chance on this one...while Greenwood keeps it from being a great book (his style is so obvious you can tell where he mucked it up)...it is still a book worth reading as it will begin to reshape a very important Kingdom in the Forgotten Realms.

Average customer rating:

Excellent classic dungeon crawl adventure!

Good mid-level adventure against DEMONS...

A classic dungeon adventure
The Dungeon of Death: A Dungeon Crawl Adventure (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Forgotten Realms)
Jason Carl
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786916222
Release Date: 2000-05-01

Book Description

A deadly dungeon crawl set in the heart of one of the most dangerous and mysterious locales in the Forgotten Realms(r) setting. For the first time, D&D(r) players will have access to one of the most mysterious locales from the First Edition Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The Dungeon of Death features an elaborate array of tricks, traps, and monsters-sure to challenge any party. The adventure is for mid-level (5th-9th) characters, which are in high demand by loyal D&D players.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent classic dungeon crawl adventure!.......2000-07-21

This is truely an excellent adventure, in the classic AD&D style dungeon crawl format. Deep and involved it provides extensive backround and good ways to use this dungeon in your campaign. It will take some skilled PCs to get through this adventure, as many traps and a curse lay in thier way. This will try the skills of even some of the best gamers around. If you get this module, be careful not to take it easy on your players because they will complain a lot about some of the nasty little quirks of this module. A must have for all the worlds devious DMs.

Good mid-level adventure against DEMONS..........2000-06-20

I just finished running this adventure and I have to say that my players and I were both pretty satisfied. The traps were good, especially the "Indiana Jones"-style staircase to nowhere with the 8ft iron ball...it had a very good trigger and gave the characters a chance to do something rather than just stop a flying arrow with their face or fall...My lead character missed a dexterity check I made him roll, and tripped. The other three characters had to then make a Dex check with a +4 to the roll to leap over him...they all made it! Luckily for them he was a dwarf! Anyway, the idea of the Shadow Curse was good, except that I changed it to subtract one HIT POINT per hour from character max, rather than subtracting one from the character's prime requisite attribute. That was a bad choice for two reasons: 1) the characters would never have completed this dungeon in 18 hours or less, and certainly would be in no shape to fight the nabassu Tanar'ri at the end if they had come close and 2) I would rather not take adventure time by changing the characters attributes every game hour! Imagine the adjusting it would do to THACO charts and things of that nature. Just too much character adjustment for me. Subtracting a max hit point every hour seemed to work out well, though. By the end, my characters were struggling at just over half their normal hit points, which I believe proved to be a much more realistic and convenient expression of the Curse. But, all properly run modules by good DMs are never run completely as the author intended, because AD&D will always be the consumate "house-rules" game. I recommend the adventure. One of the better ones put out lately.

A classic dungeon adventure.......2000-05-05

You might not want to tell your players the name of this dungeon first--it seems to make them very nervous. The traps in particular are very well-done, and I thought the curse on the complex is a great idea to make things more difficult for the players. This should be a lot of fun to play without being too deadly for the players.

Glades Of Death (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

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Glades Of Death (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Patrick Lawinger , Jeff Harkness , and Gary Schotter
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588467910

Death on Black Dragon River (Inspector Wang Mystery)

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A Glimpse Inside

Death on Black Dragon River (Inspector Wang Mystery)
Christopher West
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Series | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0425167836

Customer Reviews:

A Glimpse Inside.......2000-06-17

This series is very enjoyable. The mysteries are good, but the view of the culture in modern day China is even more compelling. Inspector Wang and his new bride travel back to the Inspector's home town to honor his father and he stumbles onto a murder. I am looking forward to new books in this series.

DRAGON WING Volume 1 The Death Gate Cycle

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DRAGON WING Volume 1 The Death Gate Cycle
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000KDS4FK

The Death Ray (Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Novel)

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Stay dead this time.
Rest in Peace
Great Job, Lain!
Cliff-hanger, anyone?

The Death Ray (Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Novel)
T. H. Lain
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786930306
Release Date: 2003-12-01

Book Description

This title chronicles the latest adventure of various iconic characters from the Dungeons & Dragons core rulebooks. This series of novels is designed to bring readers closer to the feeling of actually playing a D&D adventure. This tenth title in the novel line features the iconic characters of the fighter and the wizards, both of whom appeared in the kickoff title for the line, The Savage Caves.

Customer Reviews:

Stay dead this time. .......2006-10-21

I have to say I have read a few of Lain's books and I generally walked always feeling they were rather cookie cutterish. While this one wasn't that action packed, it was fast paced and the ending was spot on. I enjoy it when the hero loses. I mean really loses; not that watch-me-come-back-in-a-later-chapter-better-for-my-lessons-learned crud most stories have and for that fact, this book was powerfully refreshing.

Rest in Peace.......2004-01-26

The series ends on a peculiar note in a novel that is much better than the abysmal Return of the Damned.

Regdar and Naull return as we come full circle and see the two iconic characters from book one as somewhat more mature adventurers. A short, entertaining, straightforward city adventure with few surprises is surprisingly engrossing. While the plot is simplistic, it manages to be better than average at emotionally engaging the reader as the author(Athans in this case) does not shy away from making hard choices.

A few problems prevented a 4 star rating. The Duke, who knows Regdar well, and was betrayed last book by Regdar makes Regdar the Lord Constable and tasks him with investigating crimes. Regdar previously has been as dumb as a rock, solving all his problems by running straight into them and fighting. He would not ever be named to such a post. Naull makes some inexplicable choices, and casts some spells that we have never seen her use, or mention. The love interest plot between Naull and the Duke's daughter is slightly developed, then the Duke's daughter is swept offstage until the epilogue. The villain was only ok, he got some decent exposition, and motivation for his crimes but he really needed more development.

The ending though, after the final battle was quite satisfying. It is probably not what a reader would want, but it is the logical result of the happenings in the plot.

The series is over, and it ends on a relatively high note here. As more books were bad than good, this is a good place to end it.

Great Job, Lain!.......2003-12-30

While I have not purchased these books, I have borrowed a few and they were very good! But, I'm sure you know that if you're here! My review is really for a question! I would like to know if these books will be combined in on novel...maybe a hardback...maybe not! but, I would like to purchase an ensemble of the books combined! If anyone would have info on this, feel free to e-mail me or just post a review! Thanks

Cliff-hanger, anyone?.......2003-11-30

Argh!

Okay, before I dissolve into abject frustration, I'll begin with saying that this book was leagues above 'Return of the Damned.' The writing style returns to Lain's previous decent level, and the plot is a bit more involved. There is no mystery here - you are in on the bad guy's every thought and plan, but the villainy is quite well orchestrated: Bad Wizard uses Shield Golem to kill off young rivals to the soon-to-marry Duke's daughter.

But when the Duke's daughter decides that our intrepid Regdar is more to her liking than any other possible suitor, and the Duke grants a title to Regdar to make him a potential suitor (as he's currently a commoner without that title). Enter Naull, Regdar's girlfriend, and somewhat jealous of this unfolding situation, and huzzah - the set up for plot is complete.

Indeed, it unfolds quite well, with Lain's typical one-liners and cute humour all about. As usual, however, you can measure the half-life of a non-Iconic character with a pocket ruler. And the villain is a bit dim near the end in his choice of confrontations. But, this is D&D fiction, not grand literature, and it was enjoyable.

The ending, however, brings me back to that 'Argh!' I mentioned. Consider yourself warned that you'll likely find the ending extremely frustrating. Not in a badly-written way - oh no, it wasn't a cop-out ending, or a rushed ending. I'm quite sure Lain wrote this on purpose. But gosh, I could have screamed when I got there.

Very well done. And that 'Argh!' is also the sound of someone who is certainly going to buy the next one, just to see what happens next.

'Nathan

Touch of Death (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition : Ravenloft, Ra3)

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An adventure at desert.

Touch of Death (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition : Ravenloft, Ra3)
Bruce Nesmith
Manufacturer: TSR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156076144X

Customer Reviews:

An adventure at desert........2000-06-14

For this adventure the mists of Ravenloft steer you to the burning desert wastes of Har'Akir, Ravenloft's Egyptian realm. You have a big problem all the time: Has the dread mummy Anhktepot risen to walk the land again, or is something else terrorising the village of Muhar? Everything at a place where the fear don't leave you alone...

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Dragon Death - Dragonsword Vol. III

Dragon Death (Dragonsword)
Gael Baudino
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451451473

Customer Reviews:

Dragon Death - Dragonsword Vol. III.......1997-06-08

Dragon Death is the third in the series by Gael Baudino, known as Dragonsword. The series in itself is on of the most powerfull, most moving series of books I've ever read. Layer upon layer of magic, love, hate, treachery, light, and dark fill the books page after page ending in the stunning conclusion found in Dragon Death.

Alouzon Dragonmaster, once Suzanne Helling; an ex-liberal hippy from the '60's, finds herself trapped in Los Angeles but not in her body of Suzanne. Alouzon is still the same as she was in Gryylth. Fighting past hounds of phosphor and a sinister Specter, Alouzon desperately tries to reach her friends and comrades who are trapped in Vaylle due to the cunning mechianisms of Helwych, a sorcerer who's soul is lost to the Specter.

Join Alouzon and her campanions as they travel the pathways between two worlds to save the kingdoms of Gryylth, Corrin, and Vaylle, and the peoples of a world started by Solomon Braithwaite, the first Dragonmaster. See the power of love and redemption as Alouzon finds the Grail and peace in her Divinity over this young world.

Average customer rating:

Interesting atmosphere

Nearly Great

Disappointing

Suspenseful -- Great Story!

Just Short of Wholly Satisfying
Chasing the Dragon
Domenic Stansberry
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Big Boom

The Confession (Hard Case Crime)

The Last Days of Il Duce

Smoked Smoked

The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel (Joe Pike Novels)

ASIN: 0312324677
Release Date: 2004-09-09

Amazon.com

Dante Mancuso has had just about enough of working for "the company," a covert security operation that's sent him to foreign hotspots and left his conscience raging with regrets. So when a seductively distant young contact called "Anita Blonde" assigns him, in Domenic Stansberry's Chasing the Dragon, to return to his hometown of San Francisco, where his estranged father has died in his sleep and where he can help destroy a heroin-smuggling ring, Dante imagines it as an escape. Even though it means reconfronting suspicions he'd brought on himself seven years ago, when as an SFPD homicide cop he'd pushed too hard to probe a customs inspector's death. And even though it will reacquaint him with Marilyn Visconti, the wild-haired Italian who had ditched Dante's cousin to be with him, only to then flee mysteriously.

Edgar-nominated author Stansberry (The Last Days of Il Duce, The Confession) locates this novel's heart and the majority of its action in North Beach, San Francisco's traditionally Italian district of 19th-century rowhouses, "drunks caterwauling in the midnight streets," and "old Calabrese ... all dressed in black, hunched over like crows on the wire." But finding his plot's principal thrust is not quite so easy. Dragon wants to be, at once, an emotionally charged account of Dante's struggle to recalibrate his life (by reconnecting with family and friends, and finally closing the customs inspector case) and a thriller centered around a "sting" meant to trap two drug dealers linked to one of Chinatown's most nefarious old clans. While the latter thread provides some late-chapter fireworks, it's the former that keeps this story enthralling, being nourished by Dante's response to the losses of both his father and uncle, his evolving partnership with a henpecked Chinese-American homicide detective, and his tormented encounters with the contrasting Misses Visconti and Blonde. Long-secreted photographs, a duplicitous pol, and a lawyer with a lust for lamé skirts all contribute intrigue to Stansberry's tale--enough so, that Dante's relative shallowness goes almost unnoticed. Fortunately, this protagonist will have the chance to sprout more dimensions: Chasing the Dragon is the first installment of a new series. --J. Kingston Pierce

Book Description

A complicated, shadowy man in disgrace, Dante Mancuso leads a double life. Lately, though, the line he walks has become razor thin. Dante works for The Company, a nebulous security organization operating just this side of the law. Dante wants out, but it's a hard life to leave behind-rich with its own seductions, its own dark attractions. His latest assignment sends him back to his old North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. First rendezvous? His estranged father's funeral in the dying heart of Little Italy. Here Dante picks up the strands of his old life and soon finds himself playing an even more elaborate game, a game that involves not just his duplicitous family, but also his ex-fianceacute;e and his former colleagues in the San Francisco Police Department. Adept as he is, Dante can not play this game forever, pursued by the laconic Frank Ying, a Chinese detective anxious to know the secrets Dante hides. Caught between the sinister imperatives of The Company and the ghosts of his own past, Dante treads a harrowing path to a confrontation more lethal-and more surprising-than he could have imagined.With Chasing the Dragon, Domenic Stansberry-the acclaimed writer of modern noir-introduces a new hardboiled series set in San Francisco. In this, the series opener, Stansberry tells a story written in clear homage to the masters of the genre, yet with an original, breathtaking voice all his own.Domenic Stansberry's recent novels include the Edgar Award and Hammett Prize finalist The Last Days of Il Duce, Manifesto for the Dead, and The Confession. He lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay area.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting atmosphere.......2007-03-21

This was my first Domenic Stansberry book. Being from the San Francisco Bay area, I thought he deftly captured the essence of the street life and the old italian neigborhoods. Loads of authentic atmosphere! The story moved quickly, and I read it in a few long sittings, unable to put it down. I'll probably read more of his work, but he's worth giving a try.
IMHO
J.Jenkins

Nearly Great.......2005-06-18

Interesting characters who all inhabit and are comfortable in the gray area, great descriptions of San Francisco past and present, keen insight into relationships between Chinese and Italians as neighborhoods commingled and histories and cultures intertwined.

This is a brutal book that brings to mind Pelecanos, though not quite as realistic or street wise. Also, not all of the plot lines are fully played out.

Still, an interestng read that asks questions and forces you to think. One note: the typos in the hardback are inexcusable and will hopefully be cleaned up in the paperback version.

Disappointing.......2005-04-10

The most interesting and best-developed character in this book was the city of San Francisco, the flavors and nuances of which the author captured beautifully. Unfortunately, I found the human characters flat and uninvolving. There is good dialogue and suspense, but also massive coincidences and dangling threads left at the end. I was sadly disappointed in this book.

Suspenseful -- Great Story!.......2005-02-20

Intricate and suspenseful, Chasing the Dragon is an absorbing, well thought-out mystery. Stansberry is an excellent storyteller, rotating perspectives throughout the book, giving the reader a look into the mindset of good guys and not-so-good guys. He paints a vivid picture of San Francisco with its Chinatown, its shipping docks and its old Italian neighborhoods. The main character, Dante, is one that the reader grows to respect despite the shady work he does and atrocities with which he's involved. We sympathize with him and his lost love, Marilyn, hoping for a reunion. We also hope that he gets to the bottom of the murders that have touched his family. Stansberry masterfully weaves together several lives and their stories while ultimately surprising the reader in the end. After the book was finished, I found myself still thinking about Dante and the rest, wondering if they will ever be the same.

Stansberry is a skilled writer. This book makes me want to read more of his work. From the onset, I was absorbed with the San Francisco scene and the possible underworld of that city-the criminals and the policemen that have to deal with them. I like novels that give me a good feel of a place-like I am right there with the characters. Stansberry does it well. This was definitely a good read. I highly recommend Chasing the Dragon.

Just Short of Wholly Satisfying.......2005-01-11

Chasing the Dragon is an enigma. Aspects of this book are very, very good. Other elements, however, leave much to be desired. At times, the latter almost (but not quite!) overshadow the former. What results is a story that will entertain, touch and excite you: a story in which "the good" predominates but one in which "the bad and the ugly" will also leave you scratching your head in puzzlement.

Dante Mancuso is an ex-San Francisco homicide detective now living in New Orleans where he does the occasional odd job for a shadowy intelligence/security agency called simply "the Company." One night Mancuso receives a phone call from his Uncle Salvatore informing him that his ailing father has died. The Company seizes on this personal tragedy to send Dante undercover in his old neighborhood, the North Beach area of San Francisco. While back home for the funeral Mancuso is to pick up the pieces of his old life, which means insinuating his way back into the family business of running a wharf-side warehouse. His aim is to set up a sting operation involving some shady local businessmen and a powerful Chinese family rumored to be involved in heroin smuggling.

But, as that famous novelist says, you can't go home again. In addition to rekindling the flame of a painful old romance, Dante is also haunted by the case that drove him off the police force and out of `Frisco in the first place - the disappearance of a Chinese businessman and his family and the murder of an important local politician. After his uncle is murdered, Mancuso begins to fear that there may be a sinister connection between those events from nearly a decade ago and his family's business.

In places, the plot of Chasing the Dragon is opaque at best and, at worst, downright murky. As compelling as the characters are their motivation is never clearly or persuasively set forth. What's more, the role of the Company and their purpose in orchestrating events as they do is left frustratingly obscure. Is this a private security firm or a government agency of some sort? Simple questions such as that are never adequately addressed.

That being said, one still has to give Stansberry very high marks for his brilliant and evocative use of local color. The author brings the streets of North Beach literally alive in the pages of this book. Vallejo and Fresno streets appear, as do Grant and Columbus avenues for example. Anyone familiar with that lovely old section of San Francisco - and even those that aren't - will feel the fog brush against their cheeks and their calves begin to tighten as he or she walks with the novel's characters up the steep stairways and sidewalks that are so much a part of that picturesque area.

The problems with this book notwithstanding, there's certainly enough promise in its pages to warrant the reader keeping his or her eyes out for the author's next offering in a projected series featuring Dante Mancuso. One hopes that there he will "accentuate the positive" and clear up some of the ambiguity that causes this book to fall just short of being wholly satisfying. (James Clar-MYSTERY NEWS)

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