![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png)
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0886774500.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Dragon Prince (1988)by Melanie Rawn
![]()
Best Fantasy Novels (263) Female Author (399) » 11 more Books Read in 2020 (2,781) Books Read in 2004 (31) 1980s (189) One Book, Many Authors (400) al.vick-series (3) No current Talk conversations about this book. Dragon Prince is the literary equivalent of spraying EZ-CHEEZ straight into your mouth. The good guys brandish their cloaks while the bad guys twirl their oily mustaches. The plot concerns a prince (Rohan) who has to maneuver through silly court politics in order to protect his kingdom from the tyrannical High Prince. And his girlfriend-with-magical-powers (Sioned) has to deal with a conflict of loyalties. And there's battles! And there's dragons! And despite various moments of violence -- rape, murder, incineration -- there's startlingly little dramatic tension. These books are a treat- written by not a trained writer but a trained historian, they combine several unique threads. The basic setting is a early Medieval/Dark Age autocracy, where the central protagonist- Rohan- dreams of transitioning into what we would describe as a constitutional monarchy defined by the rule of law. He is the scion of generations of warlords and kingdom builders, interestingly heir to all of their ruthlessness and ambition, but with it turned toward building a stable tomorrow not dependent on the justice of the strongest ruler around. Rawn, given her background, has a firm grasp of society and different cultures; the one major gripe I had reading these is her continent, in terms of travel distance, is just too small. The population sizes are correct for 5th-7th century cities, towns, and warfare- but the distances involved are just not there. Roelstra, the main villain of the piece, is definitely informed by the villains of older literature or perhaps romance, but is a wonderful fit here- he is a sociopath and "native" psychologist; deftly manipulating those around him without their being aware he is doing so. The magic system is also different. Sunrunners have the ability to instinctively weave light- sunlight, moonlight, and (spoiler) even starlight- and send their consciousness down it, to both observe distant items and communicate with other Sunrunners mind-to-mind. Training in a religious community, they have historically been strictly a-political, bound to silence regarding their communiques- and one is the romantic interest of Prince Rohan. And in this world, there be dragons. While the world is believable, this is a character-driven story. If characters with believable depth aren't something you enjoy, preferring riveting action, perhaps not the book for you. For myself, highly enjoyed. no reviews | add a review
Is contained inIs abridged in
Fantasy.
Fiction.
Literature.
Romance.
HTML:First in the bestselling Dragon Prince series, explore a lush epic fantasy world replete with winged beasts, power games of magical treachery, and a realm of princedoms hovering on the brink of war • “Marvelous!”—Anne McCaffrey When Rohan became the new prince of the Desert, ruler of the kingdom granted to his family for as long as the Long Sands spewed fire, he took the crown with two goals in mind. First and foremost, he sought to bring permanent peace to his world of divided princedoms. And, in a land where dragon-slaying was a proof of manhood, Rohan was the sole champion of the dragons, fighting desperately to preserve the last remaining lords of the sky and with them a secret which might be the salvation of his people.... Sioned, the Sunrunner witch who was fated by Fire to be Rohan’s bride, had mastered the magic of sunlight and moonglow, catching hints of a yet to be formed pattern which could irrevocably affect the destinies of Sunrunners and ordinary mortals alike. Yet caught in the machinations of the Lady of Goddess Keep, and of Prince Rohan and his sworn enemy, the treacherously cunning High Prince, could Sioned alter this crucial pattern to protect her lord from the menace of a war that threatened to set the land ablaze? No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
The story deals with the political intrigues and war between powerful nobles in a feudal-like world. It adds to the mix a strong romance component between the two main characters, Rohan and Sioned. It also has an interesting magic system (the sunrunners, gifted humans who can use light to communicate and cause some physical effects). Apart from that, the worldbuilding is somewhat generic. There is desert. There are dragons, but although they feature in the story often (as wild beasts) they do not really play a big part, maybe they will in the next books.
I enjoyed the story, but I felt that perhaps the main characters triumphed against all opposition too easily. Roelstra is an good antagonist, but I never felt that he would succeed in destroying the heroes of the story, with all the powerful sunrunners against him.
Then the story went to strange places, with all the weird business between Ianthe, Rohan and Sioned. Ianthe's actions and motivations never make much sense. It seems she only exists to get the plot and main characters where the author wanted them.
The writing is adequate but not great. I enjoyed the characters, but didn't completely love them, and the same goes for the book in general. Possibly I'll read the next book in the trilogy, which happens 14 years later. (