Dragonclaw

Forsyth's characters are well drawn and the stage is well set for a battle between good and evil in a land where the king has been tricked into banishing or executing the witches who had always been a force for good in his kingdom. Forsyth's mythical creatures are interesting and believable. I am not a fan of fantasy sci fi (though I admit my addiction to Marian Zimmer Bradley and Harry Potter), but I was nonetheless drawn into this classical tale of intrigue, deception, abusive power, and unlikely allies created by a common danger. Forsyth is, quite simply, a very good writer. Dragonclaw: Book One is not a stand-alone novel, however. The ending was as jarring as if it had ended in the middle of a sentence. In other words, it was no show more ending at all. I am unwilling to seek out the other books in this series (because I have so many books already waiting on my bookshelf), but I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves a good dragon tale. show less

(Re-reading)

The story starts just before Isabeau's sixteenth birthday and she is excited as she suspects that she is about to be tested for the One Power by her guardian, the wood witch Meghan - also known as Meghan of the Beasts for her ability to talk to animals. Isabeau's birth was at the height of the appearance of the red comet, which appears every eight years in the skies of Eileanan - which seems to be an island on a world that humans have crossed to but which was inhabited already by fairy creatures, some of whom look like variations of humans.

We learn that sixteen years ago the then respected witches of Eileanan were destroyed by Maya the Unknown, a sorceress who appeared from nowhere and married the Righ (king) and who has show more since persecuted any person or being with magic. Now, Meghan and her remaining fellow witches have decided that the simmering rebellion should move into action to overthrow Maya and return the rule of the country to the human royal family. As Meghan and Isabeau make their separate journeys through the lands, we meet through them other characters, both human and uihle-beast (fairy).

Dragonclaw refers to the mountain that dominates the landscape.

The story dragged a bit for me and some of the details didn't ring true. For instance, when Meghan's hidden valley is attacked by Maya's soldiers, she calls animals to aid in her defence and they are slaughtered mercilessly although later, Meghan refuses to wear furs to keep warm because they came from animals that were killed for their meat and hides. There is a torture scene of a young girl that goes as you'd expect (short of actual rape) until she manages to escape suddenly; I had completely wiped that from my memory, so it was an unpleasant surprise.

All the characters speak in Scottish brogue, and being a conscientious reader, the first time I read it I tried to hear them that way in my head but I found it really slowed me down (not to mention being irritating when concentrated like that) until I just read it straight.

'Do no' fraitch, Meghan, ye ken there's only the one pass into this valley and that's so well concealed ye'd have to ken where it is to find it. Besides, these mountains are a complete maze! Any Red Guard trying to find us would spend months backtracking out o' all the deadend valleys. And the lightning could have struck anywhere, how are they meant t'ken?'

I did think, though Maya's people were cast as the villains, that they have a cause; they were the original inhabitants of the planet but were pushed out of their traditional lands when the humans arrived and Maya herself acts as a pawn, hoping to win approbation. I wonder if the author will show us more of their viewpoint in future books.

The cover illustration by Neal Armstrong is gorgeous.

3 stars*** show less

This was a wonderful fantasy novel; it's very traditional swords and sorcery epic fantasy. This is the first of six books in the Witches of Eileanan series. Previous to reading this series I had read Forsyth’s Rhiannon’s Ride series (which I loved) and Bitter Greens (which I wasn’t able to finish). So I was pleasantly pleased when I enjoyed this book even more than the Rhiannon’s Ride series.

I loved all the interesting characters and world presented here. You switch viewpoint a lot but I was impressed with how quickly I became engaged in each characters story and the events surrounding them. This is a world where witches have been forced into hiding while a powerful sorceress takes over the throne of Eileanan.

There are magic, show more dragons, different types of fae and some interesting prophecies and traditions. There is a lot of adventure in here (which I love), some fascinating magic, and intrigue.

Overall I thought this was an amazing fantasy novel and a great start to this series. I loved everything about this book including the characters, the world, the writing style; it was all incredibly engrossing and engaging. If you haven’t read this fantasy series yet, and are a big traditional fantasy fan, I would highly recommend it! show less

I agree that this was well worked out and well written but I did so want to slap her for the accents, it jarred with my head. Now if they come across some other people, further on in the series, who have different accents I *may* forgive her but it really wasn't necessary. Annother, very minor annoyance, was the similarity between the names on the twins and their mother, a bit hard to follow occasionally.

I did like it though overall. Found it quite readable, although I wouldn't rush out to buy the rest of the series or make it part of my permanent collection it was an interesting read. Looking forward to the rest.

I received my signed copy of Dragonclaw: Book One of the Witches of Eileanan in a competition being run on author Kate Forsyth's website earlier this year.

I absolutely adored her novel Bitter Greens and thoroughly enjoyed The Wild Girl, and so came to Dragonclaw (the author's first published novel) with high expectations.

I knew before turning the first page that Dragonclaw is a YA fantasy novel, however in the very beginning when two witches are discussing the events of the land in front of an open fire, I found I had no idea what they were talking about and even wondered if I'd missed a book. I felt lost until I realised that the main character is feeling the same way, and the reader isn't supposed to have knowledge of the events being show more discussed. It was after this scene that I was able to let myself fall completely into the story.

Dragonclaw is a rich tale full of witches, magic and dragons, and it isn't long before our protagonists are on a significant quest. There is much backstory to learn and Kate does a great job of drip feeding it into the plot although I was hungry for more. It was clear midway through the book that their quest would take them beyond book one of this series in much the same way that readers of Eragon realise they're settling in for a great journey a few hundred pages in.

My favourite part of the book were the few scenes with the dragons; I found their characteristics and view of human life fascinating and I hope they appear again later in the series. In summary, I recommend Dragonclaw to readers who enjoy fantasy novels and quest-driven plots where good and evil must battle for control of the realm. show less

This series has tons of my favorite fantasy elements. It is set in a secondary world, it has dragons, fae of all types, some unique, many types of magic, politics, and just the right amount of romance. Instead of the tired medieval type setting with knights and helpless fair maidens, we get to enjoy a richly crafted Celtic type world with strong female characters and villains who actually have understandable motives. My only major complaint about this series is that Kate Forsyth writes dialog using the native dialect, which is annoying until you get used to it. Still, considering how well researched this series is, I understand why she wrote it the way she did.

My review here:
Full Review

Opening Sentence: "...Isabeau swung her pack over her shoulder and strode down the track, her eyes roaming over the ground as she searched for the first unfurling of leaf and flower through the muddy snow..."

Isabeau lives in a land where witchcraft has been forbidden. Abandoned at birth she has been brought up in an isolated valley by a powerful witch. She comes into her power on her 16th birthday and is sent off to save the world from the evil queen who is bent on destroying all magic except for her own.

This book was nominated for 1997 Aurealis Award for best fantasy - and I have read rave reviews about this series. I found it to be average at best - just didn't grab me. I felt like the author was reading a "How to write a fantasy show more novel" as she was writing this story - has all the elements in it - but no soul. I was quite horrified at the torture scene as it came right out of the blue and didn't need to be quite so graphic.

Dragonclaw is the first in the series - and it was so obvious - I loathe it when fantasy books finish in the middle of a story - so you are forced to go and get the next novel - and this seems to be a trend. it is not difficult to write a series where each book is a self contained story - so why do fantasy writers insist on treating their readers as idiots? show less