John M. Ford
Paperback | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 3.8 | 1041 Users | 105 Reviews
Point Out Of Books The Dragon Waiting
| Title | : | The Dragon Waiting |
| Author | : | John M. Ford |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Fantasy Masterworks #29 |
| Pages | : | Pages: 368 pages |
| Published | : | May 9th 2002 by Gollancz (first published 1983) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Alternate History. Historical. Historical Fiction. Paranormal. Vampires |
Description Conducive To Books The Dragon Waiting
alt cover for ISBN 9780575073784 The Wars of the Roses have put Edward IV on the throne of England, Lorenzo de' Medici's court shines brilliantly, and Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza plots in Milan. But this is a changed world, and medieval Europe is dominated by the threat from the Byzantine Empire. Sforza, the Vampire Duke, marshals his forces for his long-planned attack on Florence, and Byzantium is on the march. A mercenary, the exiled heir to the Byzantine throne, a young woman physician forced to flee Florence, and a Welsh wizard, the nephew of Owain Gly Dwr, seem to have no common goals but together they wage an intrigue-filled campaign against the might of Byzantium, striving to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and make him Richard III.List Books Concering The Dragon Waiting
| Original Title: | The Dragon Waiting |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Richard III of England |
| Literary Awards: | World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1984) |
Rating Out Of Books The Dragon Waiting
Ratings: 3.8 From 1041 Users | 105 ReviewsPiece Out Of Books The Dragon Waiting
I stayed up until 2 AM to finish this, and it was worth it.At times The Dragon Waiting reminded me of The Lymond Chronicles, as it features very complicated spy machinations with few concessions to the reader unfamiliar with the period in question. There is no omniscient smartarse like Lymond for events to revolve around, though. Instead, magic and vampires! I found the pacing initially rather a challenge, as the four main characters are introduced separately at length then the plot accelerates very rapidly once theyre thrown together. Ford also used
This has never been my favorite John M. (Mike) Ford book, but someone on my friends list here just raved about it, and that put it on my re-read stack. I hadn't looked at it in many years.My complaint when I read it decades ago was that I just didn't want there to be vampires. On this reading, I can see why the vampires are important to the worldbuilding, and how fascinatingly different they are from most fictional vampires ... and I still don't want there to be vampires. It would work better
This is something of a genre crossing novel. It falls under sword & sorcery and Alternative History. If you know the history of 15th Century Western Europe (especially England) than you'll get a kick out of the story. I majored in History with a focus on European History.It was fun to see how the author changed many things but kept others. AH purists will take offense at how Ford breaks "the rules" , but I wasn't bothered by it. If you aren't very familiar with the late Middle Ages/Early
I found this one more of a struggle than I was anticipating. As a magical romp through an alternate 15th century with dragons, wizards, vampires and a sinister totalitarian Byzantine Empire pulling the strings, The Dragon Waiting has a lot going for it. JM Ford clearly had a lot of fun flipping and twisting historical events to fit his unique setting, and there's a lot of clever references for those who know their Medicis, Plantagenets and ancient dieties. Those aren't really my bag, so I found
Perhaps the best way to describe this book is to say that Ford writes with panache. His characters are witty, or darkly brooding, or make comments that are full of deep meaning or are elliptical yet foreboding. Naturally, the characters have style to match the dialogue. One main character is a beautiful young woman whose hair is entirely white: in the first chapter she kills a vampire with medical precision (the vampire is, as it happens, the Duke of Milan). Another is an ageless wizard with one
0 Comments