Dragon Prince

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 show more 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. show less

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.

such delicious trashy trope-y fantasy; I love it as much now as I did when I was 20, tho its flaws are much more apparent

Romantasy or Fantamance?

Dragon Prince, Melanie Rawn’s first novel, was ahead of the fantasy/romance genre curve in 1988. Rawn decorates an epic fantasy core story with romantic trappings, and it works, most of the time. The early medieval fantasy world of Dragon Prince comes to life in vibrant Sunrunner magical colors. The environments, especially the desert, are depicted in fine detail, capturing the reader with sensuous descriptions. The book has a few minor issues: recurring emotional imagery and a lack of depth to many of the secondary characters.

The main characters are vividly drawn, but the spotlight on them is a bit tight. Everyone seems a little dim compared to Rohan and Sioned, and I suppose that is the novel’s romance side show more coming to the fore. The reader may get too much inside the head of the characters at some points. A lot of the narrative is filled with the internal monologue and deeply felt emotions of the characters. This tends to give the plot a stuttery feel as conflicts arise, characters ponder, then swoon or glower at each other, then ponder some more, then something else happens.

The story is interesting, but not very complex. There is mostly one main thread of plot throughout, though there are many brief branches and callbacks. I think the story could have used a bit of pruning, especially since the general focus is so strong on the main characters. Any time a secondary character comes to the fore, it’s not very rewarding, as they tend to be more sketchy and predictable. The frequent callbacks and rehashing of characters’ feelings can be distracting, too. Although worded differently and often approached from different angles, some themes are visited repeatedly.

Despite these issues, the plotting of the princes and the romance of the main characters is engaging enough to keep the pages turning. Dragon Prince is not for everyone, as it has far more romance and politics than action and adventure. Though few, the action sequences are lively and stimulating. I’m looking forward to checking out some of Melanie Rawn’s other books set in the Dragon Prince world, as I have a feeling that the later novels may be even better. show less

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Though a bit predictable, this was an entertaining read. It was odd to see "Rohan" as the name of a person rather than a place, but once I got passed that, it was fluid enough. My greatest grief with this book, and herein lies the spoiler, is Rohan's persistent claim that he raped one of the villains daughters, Ianthe, when it was, in fact, the other way around.

Ianthe drugged and "seduced" him, making him believe that she was his wife, Sioned. This "seduction", my friends, is rape. When he came to and learned of the abuse Ianthe ordered for Sioned, he angrily forced himself on her. I still see this as part of her raping him. She crafted the entire situation, calculated his actions, she knew what he would do; he was show more drugged and she was in control. I cannot stress this point enough: SHE raped HIM. Yet the writing suggests otherwise since he was a little more coherent "the second time". The belief that women cannot rape men really needs to stop, and it needs to stop being passed off as "seduction". show less

I loved the grit and intrigue of this novel. Especially the freedom of life given to the characters and the sense of disrupted destiny that exists in real life.

It's the first of a fantasy trilogy from the 80s, although it can work very well as a standalone. I enjoyed it, although I had some reservations.

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 show more 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. show less