This book is one of those rarities that make my brain a little bit numb from emotion storm. There is nothing coherent, just a storm of love, hatred, questions, guesses, objections, suggestions, alterations, admiration, amusement, dissatisfaction... I want more, but I know that there is no more and there must be no more - for all good things must end by their own will or be twisted into the MacDonald's-like things by others. Such books and the worlds they create is more like a glimpse in the dark. They flash before your eyes, they leave you with images, with seeds of desire, and they gone... they don't need our imagination, they are free from us. ( )

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If you like your fantasy gritty and noir with a soupcon of technology, Michael Swanwick’s Iron Dragon’s Daughter might be the book for you. It is a coming-of-age story set initially in a factory that uses and abuses orphaned children to get into tight places and amuse lecherous overseers. A cybernetic dragon wants to escape the factory yard but needs a pilot. Our heroine, a changeling girl named Jane, makes an ideal candidate. Swanwick’s characters are complex and morally ambiguous. Nothing in their world is warm and cuddly for long. 4 stars. ( )

I read a bunch of the reviews here that said this book started out strong but collapsed at the end, so perhaps I was better prepared for the story to tae some non traditional directions.

That said I really enjoyed the setting characters and ideas in this book. I think the author, by using a magic laden reality, is able to much better express some of the ideas being explored and suspend some of the assumptions and pre-judgements that might have existed if the setting had been a magical girl in a mundane world (as opposed to visa-versa).

I just finished the book today and my head is still swimming with what actually happened and what I can take from the story that unfolded.

Normally I just jump straight into my next book, but this one has my head kind of spinning making it difficult to decide what to read next.

I'd recommend as a read for those who don't mind wandering off the garden path if they get to see some really cool wild flowers ;-) ( )

I started out liking this book. The story was intriguing and interesting. But somewhere along the way, Swanwick's literary magic took a few turns into the bizarre. A very dark novel that mixes elves and dwarves with politics and religion in a dark urban fantasy where machines are living breathing creatures including an iron dragon hell bent on destroying God (or the Goddess as portrayed in the novel). A heavy dose of nihilism mixed with alchemy and and magic could have made an excellent read. And does, for about 2/3rds of the story. But somewhere after Tiend (an evening of complete destruction and mayhem) the story loses steam. I found the ending to be disappointing and unsatisfying.



The Iron Dragon's Daughter was one of Swanwick's earlier works, so I'm going to be a bit forgiving here. I do like his writing style. The complexity of his writing may be off putting to some who like their fantasies and science fiction unencumbered by heavier language. I found that his words sung from the page, even if the plot at times seemed to veer into the bizarre.



I also enjoyed the development of the main character, Jane and her relationship to her iron dragon, Melanchthon. (Note: the name Melanchthon is also the name of the leader of the German reformation and a friend of Martin Luther, which should come as no surprise given what this character wanted to accomplish.) I just wish there more satisfying resolution between the two. ( )