The Dragon Waiting
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.
It's been a while since I last acquired and read this book, but I decided to reread it again, and this time, to think a bit more critically on it, rather than just diving right into it and enjoying the ride.As I've said before, anyone who knows me well knows that I love history, especially High Medieval-Italian Renaissance history. There is something magical about that particular period of European history, and I find myself drawn to books that tackle that period again and again and again.
Rereading this book caused me to clarify some of my muddy thinking with respect to wish-fulfillment characters and stories and those that try to present the world as it should be, could be, might be with a little imagination and grace.The very far end of the spectrum is the so-called Mary Sue story, wherein the protagonist is the center of the universe just because the narrative voice tells us the protag is a special snowflake. Leading off down a different path is the idealized protagonist,
I'm not sure I'm actually smart enough to read this book, but I sure enjoyed it. I can't wait to read it again. And I'm going to have to read it again. This book is complex, intriguing, intimidating, and awfully well done. It's historical fiction. There are vampires. It reminded me of a Sharon Kay Penman book in its characters and a Dorothy Dunnett for the amount of confidence and faith the author has in the reader's intelligence. Do I really need to say anything else? There is a dragon. It's
This is a fascinating article. Consider my interest piqued.
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
John M. Ford
Paperback | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 3.8 | 1041 Users | 105 Reviews
Itemize Books Toward 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) |
Explanation During Books The Dragon Waiting
alt cover for ISBN 9780575073784The 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.
Declare 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 |
Rating Of Books The Dragon Waiting
Ratings: 3.8 From 1041 Users | 105 ReviewsColumn Of Books The Dragon Waiting
Wonderful! I loved the historical and literary references scattered and embroidered all over the text. It really makes you pay attention while reading! And I loved how the book made me go back and reread some paragraphs.This is not an easy fantasy reading and it is fantasy at its best.I will definitely read it one more time to pick up at least some of the zillion details that I missed while reading it for the first time :)It's been a while since I last acquired and read this book, but I decided to reread it again, and this time, to think a bit more critically on it, rather than just diving right into it and enjoying the ride.As I've said before, anyone who knows me well knows that I love history, especially High Medieval-Italian Renaissance history. There is something magical about that particular period of European history, and I find myself drawn to books that tackle that period again and again and again.
Rereading this book caused me to clarify some of my muddy thinking with respect to wish-fulfillment characters and stories and those that try to present the world as it should be, could be, might be with a little imagination and grace.The very far end of the spectrum is the so-called Mary Sue story, wherein the protagonist is the center of the universe just because the narrative voice tells us the protag is a special snowflake. Leading off down a different path is the idealized protagonist,
I'm not sure I'm actually smart enough to read this book, but I sure enjoyed it. I can't wait to read it again. And I'm going to have to read it again. This book is complex, intriguing, intimidating, and awfully well done. It's historical fiction. There are vampires. It reminded me of a Sharon Kay Penman book in its characters and a Dorothy Dunnett for the amount of confidence and faith the author has in the reader's intelligence. Do I really need to say anything else? There is a dragon. It's
This is a fascinating article. Consider my interest piqued.
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
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