The Glass Dragon

I have to admit: I thought I'd never finish this book. The storyline and cover drew me in long ago when I picked this up at a used bookstore, but while I love fantasy, I explore new fantasy authors more rarely than I'd like...this book, unfortunately, is a sample of the primary reason.

A unique and original plot goes a long way in making for a successful fantasy, and while somewhat predictable by the end, Radford's first installment of The Dragon Nimbus series held up to that standard. Unfortunately, her writing and her characterizations were so weak that that originality paled. Writing-wise, this is better written than many fantasies I've stumbled into, but it doesn't hold up to literary standards or to some of my favorite fantasy show more writers like Ursula K. Le Guin and Jacqueline Carey. It may not be clunky, but it isn't alive or particularly memorable either. The characters here, though, are far worse than passable.

The central woman in this book, Brevelan, is both the stereotypical damsel in distress And the stereotypical fantasy heroine, and, simply, it doesn't work. While I love the idea and the background of the Brevelan, she's completely helpless (to the point of giggling and fainting and speechlessness) around not one, but two, men--that's right, there's a romantic triangle here more suited to a grocery store romance than a fantasy. Yet, the author is constantly noting how strong the character is, and how independent. I'll agree: every strong person has their weak moments, and vice versa. However, a woman who's been independent and self-sufficient her entire life does nto simply swoon at the sight of an independent handsome man--or, at least, not repeatedly and to the point of comedy. I'm not someone who needs every female to be a feminist or even a strong character, but this character's supposed traits were so incredibly inconsistent that she just wasn't believable.

The male characters were slightly better drawn, but I'm tempted to say that that's because they were given less depth. The magician Jaylor had some of the same inconsistencies, to a lesser extent, and for an independent rogue, he was incredibly timid around his supposed love. The other male character also, for his background, seemed far too timid. Of course, both characters' timidness disappeared whenever Brevelan became the damsel in distress instead of the talented healer...

On the whole, the characters were just inconsistent, and the emotional/romantic portions of the book were more laughable than emotional. The plot and ideas here really are interesting, but they needed more time, depth, and conditioning, as well as more careful characterizations to make them really come to life.

Simply, I wouldn't recommend this. Perhaps the story can outshine the flaws for some readers, but for me, while I kept coming back to the book, I rarely made it more than five pages without becoming so distracted by the flaws as to, very simply, just not care what would happen next. And, much as this first installment isn't remotely resolved action-wise, I don't see myself ever seeking out the second installment. show less

7/10
A few too many overused fantasy elements, but still, there was enough originality to salvage this story.
Overused elements: the untried and not very promising magician, the power-hungry evil lord, the elderly bound-by-tradition mentor, the feckless prince
More original elements: 2 systems of magic, the loving and empathetic threesome (Darville, Brevelan, and Jaylor), the role of vegetarianism, the strange cat
There are still a lot of unexplained elements, including the whole political system, the backstory of the magical border, the role of the Stargods and Simurgh, and the cat! Overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more in this series.

This was a re-read for me; I bought this book (with its sequel) many years ago, though I hadn't picked up the third in the series. When I saw the omnibus, I thought I would get it, to sort of complete the set (which is what I read and reviewed).

I don't want to knock a first effort, but the novel does need some polishing. I like the idea of a glass dragon, though - or rather, a dragon that is almost invisible, but still material.

The story centres around Jaylor, a journeyman magician on his quest to try for mastery. However, though his magic is strong, it is unconventional, so he is looked down on by other magicians. The country is in danger, as the magical borders and the king's health, maintained by now scarce dragons, are failing. show more Baamin, the senior magician and king's advisor, is trying to keep the information quiet while getting his journeymen to look for the remaining dragons and the king's missing heir. Jaylor unwittingly stumbles into the middle of a plot to take over the kingdom, and finds allies to help him try to foil it.

Somehow, I struggled reading this, and maybe that's why I didn't get the last book in the series the first time around.

ETA: I'm thinking of moving this book off my shelves, but the illustration is so pretty. Kudos to cover artist John Howe

2.5 stars show less

Not a great novel, but an entertaining one.