Charles White (5)

THE DRAGON AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD_Charles White, Lulu, 2009, $19.72, pb, 317pp, 9780578024684_ At the beginning of Charles White’s deadpan, hilarious medieval Viking novel, The Dragon at the Edge of the World, Lief the Invincible is returning home to Greenland after an illustrious career “sacking abbeys, burning villages, and eviscerating bishops.” He’s looking forward to some peace, where he doesn’t have to worry about an “arrow out of the darkness that would pin his soup bowl show more to his heart (which was the way Snorri the Rude got it).” But there are two obstacles to his retirement. The first is his mother, nagging him to seek new adventures:_ “The unknown is always worse than the reality.” Quoth his mother._“Never stare too long at an empty glass of beer,” was the standard reply to such inanity, but of course he could not say that to his mother …_ And the second is that his younger brother Kevin (the artistic type, not so much with the pillaging) is missing at sea, and it’s Lief’s duty to go looking for him. Kevin, it turns out, has come ashore in a not-so-primitive North America inhabited by many Native American tribes. While Kevin’s crew are rudely dealt with (“They’re toast,” he’s told. “Literally.”), he himself is befriended by budding entrepreneur Baby-Walks-On-The-Ground (it’s a long story), and in short order Kevin, Baby, and Lief are dealing with the homicidal old madman King Wassabi of the Mohawks and his beautiful daughter, and the whole absurd plot becomes gloriously tangled up in a rather half-hearted quest to corner the China trade._ White has written the funniest historical novel I’ve read since Ferdinand Mount’s Jem (& Sam)—The Dragon at the Edge of the World belongs on the same shelf as John Barth’s immortal The Sot-Weed Factor. Enthusiastically recommended. -- Steve Donoghue show less

This is the story of three Vikings, one conniving opportunist, a handful of Native American tribes, a group of Asian pirates and the crazy adventures and conflicts in which they participate.

I really enjoyed this book. The story twisted in so many ways that I never really knew what to expect. I was never bored and the pace was excellent. There were a few spots where things seemed to change/happen abruptly - such as someone who had previously been elsewhere suddenly entering a conversation. I show more found it a little jarring, but it did not detract from the story at all.

As stated by the author in the Members Giveaway description of this book, it was written in a humorous manner. I saw the humor. I can understand why and how it would be funny. I just didn't find it so. I think this was more a problem with me and not the book - I read and enjoy Pratchett's Discworld books and yet I don't find them all that funny, either.

Overall, this was an excellent book and I'd earnestly recommend it to people with a better sense of humor than myself. show less

This is an enjoyable romp through precolonial Canada. It follows the adventures of some intrepid vikings, many Native Americans, and a shipload of Chinese pirates accompanied by a monk. The plot flows nicely although the ending seems a little rushed compared to the beginning. The characterisation is well done and you get a sense for each character, including the "bad guy."

White writes with wit and humour but not without a serious side. I would recommend this to anyone looking for some light show more summer reading. show less

When I began reading this book, I had such high hopes for a new historical fiction novel. Those hopes were soon to be dashed to pieces though, because there is little believable historical content in The Dragon at the Edge of the World. That said, the novel is worth reading for entertainment purposes, as the humorous situations and the likeable characters create an interesting, if, at times, almost unbelievable story.

While I noticed a few grammatical and typographical errors in this book, show more they did not majorly detract from the story, so I didn't note the exact location of these errors. The characters in this story are a hodge-podge of unlikely companions of different ethnic backgrounds and from different parts of the world working together and against one another in the name of survival. The end of this novel screams sequel...

Recommended for laughs, but not for those looking for serious historical fiction or credible fantasy. This eBook was provided to me free by the author in exchange for this review. This review has been simultaneously published on Amazon.com, Dragon Views and LibraryThing show less