King's Dragon

Can't remember what exactly inspired me to start a re-read of this series but I'm not sorry I did. It's a fantastic medieval European fantasy series (truly a great depiction of a medieval Europe -inspired setting) that feels so real; from the most desperate of war refugees to the daimones of the Upper Spheres to the working economy... Do yourself a favor and read this series if you haven't already.

Book One is an excellent opener that very smoothly introduces the reader to the excellent cast of characters, the various intrigues of the court and surrounding kingdoms, the religious traditions of Wendar & Varre, and how magic is accepted (or not) in the world.

Liath and Rosvita are probably my favorite characters throughout the entire show more series and it can be hard to go through Liath's experiences in this one (as Liath says, calling Hugh a pig is an insult to pigs) but I console myself by imagining, in another time, that Rosvita would be a professor and Liath would be her PhD candidate and they would produce amazing research in perfect, inquisitive harmony with each other. show less

Easy to forget one of the appeals of heroic fantasy was always the story of the olw-born orphan or apprentice or outcast who rises through many adventures and hardships and acquiring stalwart companions to defeat evil and save the day - it's the folkloric fairy-tale roots that are as intrinsic to the genre as the historical epic. Heroic deeds sone selflessly and at great cost seems to be out of fashion - and no wonder, it became perniciously riddled with lazy cliches - but the appeal is still there. Hence, this enjoyable first volume wherein a fostered boy and an orphaned and enslaved girl seperately begin their climb to dizzy heights and heroic deeds as a kingdom is beset from the outside by vicious raiders and the inside by a show more treacherous rebellion, both suspiciusly assisted with strange sorceries. Great worldbuilding - writers often overlook the importance of religion in people's lives in the medieval settings they're mirroring or adapting - and lots of intrigue and action and magic. the girl's enslavement is harrowing, both physically and psychologically traumatising, but it doesn't feel gratuitous or there purely for shock or wallowing in grimdark. There's lots of volumes of this ahead, I hope the quality holds. show less

Another reread -- I just loved this series the first time around and I think I'm approaching that 'time of life' when I'd rather reread something I enjoyed than spend time on things iffy. I still try new things, but I never used to have such a strong longing to revisit.
CoS--the whole series--is terrifically complex, parallel worlds and dimensions, suspicion, intolerance, ambition, it's all there and more plus very appealing characters, from Alain a young man of mysterious birth who turns out to probably be the son of the local count to Liathano, a beautiful young woman, also of mysterious birth, whose father was a sorcerer and who falls prey to the ambitions of a frater (priest in this world), a vulnerable king who has to decide between show more three legitimate children or his bastard son as his heir--and the bastard son himself, Sanglant, yet a third of mysterious birth, at least, as far as who his mother was, and the king prefers his bastard son who is a great warrior. There are others, as I said, complex! Some not human, or sort of? In this culture men and women have different roles, different sources of power, but some things don't change, like lust (not just for sex either, but power). On to book 2! **** show less

This story is set at a time when saints, elves and sorcerers still walked the land, the Church had a strong presence and visions and miracles were not unheard of, though magic was frowned upon. Life was uncertain, and freedom could not always be taken for granted.

King Henry rules the joint kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, and dreams of recreating the old southern Holy Dairyan Empire of Taillefer. However, his sister, the Lady Sabella, disputes his right to the throne of Varre, and the border raids in the north by the alien Eika race are getting worse. We journey with such people as Alain, Liath, Hanna and Rosvita who are freeborn common people who stumble, in most cases, onto the fringes of courtly life, and are well placed to observe the show more historic events occurring.

There is also a hint of dark forces moving to shatter the world, and a circle dedicated to light who will try to prevent them.

I really liked this story. It has a similar feel to one of my favourites, the epic Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, with its alien magic, elves who still interact with the world of humans, and commoners with integrity who come to the notice of the royal family. Alain, especially, reminds me of Simon, the hero of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

I found this a well written, compelling book. It really conveyed, to me, a sense of medieval Europe, when thrones were warmly contested and noble houses and the Church were tightly intertwined. Events kept moving, whether they occurred in a village or a court, in battle or in peace. And Elliott's depiction of insidious evil, which can wear a charming, friendly face is quite ... sinister.

I will definitely be continuing with this series. show less

Trigger warning: abuse, sexual assault

King’s Dragon is the first book in a completed epic fantasy series by noted fantasist Kate Elliott.

King’s Dragon focuses on two young people in the Kingdom of Wendar, a fantasy nation that seems to be based on medieval Germany. On the large scale, Wendar is facing a civil war, with the current king’s sister raising an army to contest his rule and place herself on the throne. At the same time, the kingdom is under attack from raiders that seem like a cross between orcs and Vikings.

However, it takes a while for our protagonists to become involved in events of international importance. Both Alain and Liath have their own problems. For his entire life, Alain’s been promised to a monastery, show more although he yearns to see the world. Just when it is time for to enter a cloistered life, the monastery is destroyed by raiders and his life is saved by a goddess, the Lady of Battles, in return for dedicating his life to her. Meanwhile, Liath and her father have been traveling her entire life, running from something her father won’t explain to her. When her father dies, Liath is arrested for his debts and sold as a slave an abusive man.

I had a lot of trouble getting through the beginning of King’s Dragon, and I nearly quit. I was already stressed due to other things happening in my life, and Liath’s situation was very difficult to read about. Her sections of the first two hundred pages of this book are the reason for the trigger warnings at the top. However, I just couldn’t let this book go, and when Liath’s friend Hanna began on a plan to save her, I felt like I was getting to the end of the worst of it. I was right. Thanks to Hanna, Liath does get out and begin to recover, although I think she’s showing signs of trauma and PTSD.

Liath is obviously the main female character in King’s Dragon, but she wasn’t the only female character. I like for the books I read to include more than one significant women, and thankfully this wasn’t a problem for King’s Dragon. I mean, this is Kate Elliott we’re talking about. Of course there’s going to be women doing things!

As I already mentioned, the world is inspired by medieval Germany. This makes it fairly close to the medieval European worlds you see in a lot of fantasy fiction, but it was well drawn and with just enough variations to keep me interested. The largest difference from actual history is the gender norms and religion. In this world, women are just as likely to inherit as men, and most of the high ranking Church leaders are women. Most of the army is still male, but there are women who fight. While I wouldn’t say that the world is egalitarian, it is a lot less patriarchal than the history it’s based off of.

A lot of the elements of King’s Dragon are fairly standard fantasy fare. There’s battles, political intrigue, hints of destiny and ancient myths come to life, orphans with magical powers, contenders for the throne, elves, ect. While some elements were familiar, Elliott still manages to bring them to brilliant life. I got to the very end and realized I was hooked. Kate Elliott’s got me stuck on a seven book long epic fantasy series, so you can expect to see more reviews of this series in the future.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. show less

I think most successful Fantasy novels written in the last 15 years have some twist or signature element that sets them apart from the others. This book, 20 years old, doesn't have a particular hook. Instead, it is a competent attempt at telling the typical Hero's Journey archetype with a couple of interesting wrinkles. Language and events from Christianity are borrowed and inserted into the Fantasy setting. For example, the characters talk about "pentekoste", an event at which tongues of flame appeared above the heads of believers and they became able to understand languages they don't speak. The book didn't have any commentary or strong opinion on the real things it was referencing except maybe to highlight how male-dominated show more Christianity is, and I found its straightforward borrowing of religious terms, stories, and characters to be distracting.

The characters were generally well-formed and worth investing in, but I found the story a little disappointing. This book reads very much as the first entry in a single multi-volume story, with a great deal of setup and background without very much payoff. I haven't decided yet whether I'll seek out the next book in this series.

Words I learned from this book:
Faience - A sort of Earthenware decorated with colorful glazes.
floralegia - From Latin, literally a gathering of flowers, in Medieval usage a compilation of excerpts from other writings.
soughing - To make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound. show less

A fun jump into a fantasy series. The author weaves together multiple stories and rich characters - a young man of uncertain parentage, a woman with the potential for great magical power, scheming siblings, dynastic uncertainty, a long war that suddenly takes an unexpected turn. This style of fantasy may be traditional, but it's just what I was in the mood for and the ending had me eager to start the next in the series.