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Dragonmaster #1
Dragonmaster
Hal Kailas, runaway pauper, dreams of boyhood, when he bonded with a young dragon. His thoughts are consumed with memories of the beast's great strength and power. When war finally comes, only most daring and ruthless of men ride dragons - monstrous weapons of war, rulers of the sky. Few men are strong enough to bend a dragon's will, but Hal believes he may be one of them.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Chris Bunch
91 books125 followersChristopher R. "Chris" Bunch was an American science fiction, fantasy and television writer, who wrote and co-wrote about thirty novels.
Born in Fresno, California, he collaborated with Allan Cole on a series of books involving a hero named Sten in a galactic empire. (Cole married Bunch's sister, Kathryn.) He served in Vietnam as a patrol leader. He also wrote for Rolling Stone and was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. He died in his hometown of Ilwaco, Washington, after a long battle with a lung ailment.
Born in Fresno, California, he collaborated with Allan Cole on a series of books involving a hero named Sten in a galactic empire. (Cole married Bunch's sister, Kathryn.) He served in Vietnam as a patrol leader. He also wrote for Rolling Stone and was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. He died in his hometown of Ilwaco, Washington, after a long battle with a lung ailment.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 8, 2017
This was a DNF at about 20%. I couldn't get past the poor quality of writing (imo). It read like a writing group submission rather than a novel backed by a publisher. The ideas behind the story were decent, but not compelling enough to suffer through the writing.
October 10, 2018
You know that feeling you get when you know the answer? That is such an awesome feeling. Today at the bookstore I work at, I overheard someone saying, "Gosh I wish I could find that one dragon series I read so long ago."
"Try me!" I said, sneaking up on him.
He jumped. "Oh...ummm...you probably won't know it. I've been looking for like 10 years, I've tried here, I've tried the library. Nobody knows what it is."
"But what if I'm that one person!" I say enthusiastically, straightening the book he just put back on the shelf.
"Well, it was like 12 or 13 years ago. It had dragons but they were mostly used as scouts and mounts, that sort of thing."
I immediately say, with practically no hesitation or screwing up my face or regarding the ceiling in case the answer is up there, "Maybe Dragonmaster by Chris Bunch?"
"Maybe? Where is it?"
It was conveniently in the next aisle over. "Here we go, take a look at that. Looks like it was published in 2002? Is that too recent?"
"Oh my god. I think she got it," he said, turning to his companion. "THIS IS TOTALLY IT. DUDE HIGH FIVE."
"Awesome! On my first try!" We giggled as we high fived each other. "You're lucky, I happen to have read it last summer."
"I remember loving the series. Did you like it?"
ummmmm...I mumbled, and shuffled off to do work. It was ALMOST worth reading this book just to answer that question. But it still gets one star.
"Try me!" I said, sneaking up on him.
He jumped. "Oh...ummm...you probably won't know it. I've been looking for like 10 years, I've tried here, I've tried the library. Nobody knows what it is."
"But what if I'm that one person!" I say enthusiastically, straightening the book he just put back on the shelf.
"Well, it was like 12 or 13 years ago. It had dragons but they were mostly used as scouts and mounts, that sort of thing."
I immediately say, with practically no hesitation or screwing up my face or regarding the ceiling in case the answer is up there, "Maybe Dragonmaster by Chris Bunch?"
"Maybe? Where is it?"
It was conveniently in the next aisle over. "Here we go, take a look at that. Looks like it was published in 2002? Is that too recent?"
"Oh my god. I think she got it," he said, turning to his companion. "THIS IS TOTALLY IT. DUDE HIGH FIVE."
"Awesome! On my first try!" We giggled as we high fived each other. "You're lucky, I happen to have read it last summer."
"I remember loving the series. Did you like it?"
ummmmm...I mumbled, and shuffled off to do work. It was ALMOST worth reading this book just to answer that question. But it still gets one star.
October 13, 2017
A nice good read for tough guys who like war and battles and killing with fast action but a very poor choice for those who want something a little bit more than that!
November 11, 2009
i wished the dragons would eat everyone in the book
June 26, 2011
I have abandoned this book to the sea of poor grammar and word choices from whence it came.
October 13, 2017
A really good story if you're interested in warfare. I think the focus is more on the war than the dragons. I enjoyed this a lot, it was action packed and kept me turning the pages.
May 18, 2017
This book achieved the impossible. It is a fantasy novel about dragon riders and sorcerers in a world engulfed by war...and it is one of the most boring books I've ever read.
I am including high-school assigned reading material when I say this too. At least Herman Melville knew how to use a comma appropriately.
Which really is a shame, because the dragons in here are at least unique. Normally fantasy novels make dragons majestic, wondrous beings with some level of sentience and are the center of the universe in the magical realm. Here, they're just giant flying beasts of burden long ago tamed by humanity. I like that angle. It's like the dragons are just big dumb cows with wings. They still shaped the world around them, but in the same way that horses shaped modern society.
But this one good nugget of originality is buried by all the hallmarks of a bland cliche fantasy novel with nary a voice to call its own. Boring main character from small town whose main flaw is "bad temper" and "foolhardiness" that is destined for greater things? Check. Long, sweeping sentences, littered with, unnecessary commas, drowning the writing? Check. Evil nobility and debt collectors so subtle that one of the noble's sons sets cats on fire? Check. Really unwieldy fantasy names? Check. Unexplained magic? Check. Female characters that are basically "I'm strong and capable, but hey let's have sex in this farm loft" level of writing? Check. Country at war with another country, with the other country having access to seemingly evil magicks? Double check. Extended metaphors between this fantasy world's war and a war that happened in real life? Check check check.
It got so boring that, since the book made the weird literary choice of writing out dialogue with Hal Kailas as "Hal said" and then "Kailas said" in the same paragraph, I started pretending that these were two separate characters. Y'know, just to make things more interesting. It didn't work. I shelved this thing and never looked back, thankful that at least this was a library copy and not something I spent actual money on.
I tried to give it the old college try at 200 pages so I can say I gave the book a fair chance. The problem is that the dragon genre is both very saturated and as filled with way better novels than this one so, in the end, this dull snoozefest of a novel fails to live up to the amazing art on its cover.
I am including high-school assigned reading material when I say this too. At least Herman Melville knew how to use a comma appropriately.
Which really is a shame, because the dragons in here are at least unique. Normally fantasy novels make dragons majestic, wondrous beings with some level of sentience and are the center of the universe in the magical realm. Here, they're just giant flying beasts of burden long ago tamed by humanity. I like that angle. It's like the dragons are just big dumb cows with wings. They still shaped the world around them, but in the same way that horses shaped modern society.
But this one good nugget of originality is buried by all the hallmarks of a bland cliche fantasy novel with nary a voice to call its own. Boring main character from small town whose main flaw is "bad temper" and "foolhardiness" that is destined for greater things? Check. Long, sweeping sentences, littered with, unnecessary commas, drowning the writing? Check. Evil nobility and debt collectors so subtle that one of the noble's sons sets cats on fire? Check. Really unwieldy fantasy names? Check. Unexplained magic? Check. Female characters that are basically "I'm strong and capable, but hey let's have sex in this farm loft" level of writing? Check. Country at war with another country, with the other country having access to seemingly evil magicks? Double check. Extended metaphors between this fantasy world's war and a war that happened in real life? Check check check.
It got so boring that, since the book made the weird literary choice of writing out dialogue with Hal Kailas as "Hal said" and then "Kailas said" in the same paragraph, I started pretending that these were two separate characters. Y'know, just to make things more interesting. It didn't work. I shelved this thing and never looked back, thankful that at least this was a library copy and not something I spent actual money on.
I tried to give it the old college try at 200 pages so I can say I gave the book a fair chance. The problem is that the dragon genre is both very saturated and as filled with way better novels than this one so, in the end, this dull snoozefest of a novel fails to live up to the amazing art on its cover.
September 2, 2007
Stupid name. But ended up being an odd pseudo retelling of the first world war from an aviators perspective.... but with dragons. And I've always had fun with books that are blankity blank... but with dragons. So I enjoyed it, though I wouldn't suggest it to anyone wasn't into the 'but with dragons' thing.
April 6, 2012
I picked up this book based on the cover, not the artistic one seen here but the darker more serious cover. I didn't read any reviews before hand so I had no expectations. I agree with what some reviewers say about the dialogue and it is some what of an acquired taste. I wouldn't say it's bad, just different, and the characters certainly are well formed because of that alone.
What impressed me the most was how the dragons are not the usual fairy tale or Hollywood junk as depicted so often - talking, wielding magic etc, but were more realistic. They were portrayed as animals as common as cows or horses though obviously more deadly as predators.
One quirky thing I noticed was that every scene had the main character, Hal Kailas, in it and after a while this became very obvious, but not to the detriment of the story.
Plot wise I thought it progressed very well, a boyhood to battle hardened war veteran. There were times when I felt Chris Bunch was losing enthusiasm for the story as it tended to ebb and flow around 3/4 of the way through, with extra padding that probably wasn't necessary. Despite this I thought it was a very good epic story. A highly recommended read.
What impressed me the most was how the dragons are not the usual fairy tale or Hollywood junk as depicted so often - talking, wielding magic etc, but were more realistic. They were portrayed as animals as common as cows or horses though obviously more deadly as predators.
One quirky thing I noticed was that every scene had the main character, Hal Kailas, in it and after a while this became very obvious, but not to the detriment of the story.
Plot wise I thought it progressed very well, a boyhood to battle hardened war veteran. There were times when I felt Chris Bunch was losing enthusiasm for the story as it tended to ebb and flow around 3/4 of the way through, with extra padding that probably wasn't necessary. Despite this I thought it was a very good epic story. A highly recommended read.
October 4, 2016
I have tried with this book but it was not for me. I do have to stress that this is a personal opinion so others may well enjoy it. The book I bought was the trilogy so perhaps that is why I found it rather slow.
October 28, 2010
The book Dragonmaster was a very interesting book that kept me reading all the way through toward the end. I finished the 400+ page book in two weeks where I immediately picked up the second book in the trilogy. The author, Chris Bunch, is a military veteran, who excels at writing history and war. The story itself is about a war between three countries; Deraine, Sagene, and Roche with Deraine and Sagene taking on the Roche together. The wars are prmarily medieval battles, but using Dragons and magic also. The main character is a Dragon flier and the book is progressed entirely through his point of view. I really enjoyed this book due to its detail and intense storytelling of battle scenes and visceral images. In my opinion Chris Bunch is a very good story teller and I am hard pressed to find a book that I can sit down with and be able to read all the way through and even finish in two weeks. It is also one of the few books I have seen with commentary from other authors saying how great this book is and how much they loved it. The cover and back of the book is just filled with comments on how much they loved this book and inside there is another two pages dedicated to how great this book is. I loved this book primarily due to the graphic and intense battle scenes and gripping story. It is well written and never sounds corny like a lot of other books do (to me anyways) As I said before I could not put this book down and am over half way through the second and can't wait to get to the third.
" It was nice, this high above the earth, Hal thought, as Storm arced around a towering cumulus cloud, and dove through a tunnel in the next one... The dragon seemed just as happy to be up here sporting about, no one else in the sky, instead of snarling after enemies as Hal was..."
I chose this text because it exemplifies the characteristics of war and how silly and meaningless it can sometimes be, and how even during a war you can enjoy the finer things and little things in life.It also gives dragons characteristics and makes them seem like a real animal. It also notes at how small and tiny people and the Earth really are from a higher perspective and also makes us wonder if our lives have any true meaning at all.
" It was nice, this high above the earth, Hal thought, as Storm arced around a towering cumulus cloud, and dove through a tunnel in the next one... The dragon seemed just as happy to be up here sporting about, no one else in the sky, instead of snarling after enemies as Hal was..."
I chose this text because it exemplifies the characteristics of war and how silly and meaningless it can sometimes be, and how even during a war you can enjoy the finer things and little things in life.It also gives dragons characteristics and makes them seem like a real animal. It also notes at how small and tiny people and the Earth really are from a higher perspective and also makes us wonder if our lives have any true meaning at all.
August 6, 2016
A really good military book with Dragons! What more can a girl ask for. The premise is simple. Two countries at war, a good old archers and swordsman fighting style until someone decides to use dragons and take the battle airborne.
The main character, Hal starts of as a country bumpkin that cannot stand any harm to come to animals. It follows his journey to apprentice dragon rider to a command in the army fighting on dragon back.
The characters are enjoyable and realistic with a great sense of military humour that had me laughing out loud in a few places. Mariah could be Corporal Nobbs ( from the Discworld) brother, that's all i'm saying.
I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of battles and the military in their fantasy.
The main character, Hal starts of as a country bumpkin that cannot stand any harm to come to animals. It follows his journey to apprentice dragon rider to a command in the army fighting on dragon back.
The characters are enjoyable and realistic with a great sense of military humour that had me laughing out loud in a few places. Mariah could be Corporal Nobbs ( from the Discworld) brother, that's all i'm saying.
I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of battles and the military in their fantasy.
August 2, 2009
The first thing about Dragonmaster by Chris Bunch that caught my eye (as it was supposed to) was the cover. I loved the dragon and barely spared a glance for the man at its side. I flipped the book over, read the summary, thought some and then bought it. The book sat for a while on my TBR pile, but when I finally picked it up I was...entertained. It certainly is not the best book dealing with a fantasy world filled with dragons, but it is a good read nonetheless.
Recommended.
Recommended.
May 3, 2014
Dragonmaster is a war story featuring non fire breathing dragons that are flown as aerial support. The story revolves around Hal Kailas who has a mind for war on dragon back.
The story has arguably one of the most disjointed beginnings I've ever read. It jumps from a ton of varied events quickly with little identification of the time period other than mentions in the chapter.
I'm just glad to be done reading this book.
The story has arguably one of the most disjointed beginnings I've ever read. It jumps from a ton of varied events quickly with little identification of the time period other than mentions in the chapter.
I'm just glad to be done reading this book.
June 13, 2010
It took me awhile to get into this one since I could never find time. Tody I curled up on the couch and with the rain in the background I finished i.
I really like the story and plot. Although predictable at times it was a good blend of Historical War fantasy and Dragons!
I am now looking for book 2
I really like the story and plot. Although predictable at times it was a good blend of Historical War fantasy and Dragons!
I am now looking for book 2
August 15, 2018
Reading some of these comments really surprised me XD this has pretty much been one of all time favourite reads and one of the few I can revisit often and still enjoy.
While I would agree that the third book was...not quite as good as the others and probably shouldn't exist...the rest of the adventure was grand XD
While I would agree that the third book was...not quite as good as the others and probably shouldn't exist...the rest of the adventure was grand XD
March 16, 2011
This is such a good read. Lots of action, lots of fun, serious when it needs to be and funny to counteract that and make it good. Hal is such a terrific "guy" character; not exactly complicated, but complex enough to be very interesting. I dig this.
February 2, 2009
I really like the gritty world and realistic fighting Bunch uses for this book. Even though there are dragons, and magic, fighting is still mostly done by the infantry. Anyone looking for a good fantasy war story, that has a unique take on the use of dragons, look no further.
February 8, 2011
A rollicking good military/adventure/dragon romp.
August 11, 2011
Excellent.. someone recommended it to me in the book shop.. with a smirk on his face!!!
October 24, 2012
Good book! it is a fast read. The beginning was slow but the book picked up in the middle and held you to the end.
August 5, 2013
Somewhat different story line from other dragon books but definitely entertaining reading..
April 8, 2014
Long story short: This is a tale about war. And in this war, some people are riding dragons. The end.
It was an okay read, but I wished for more magic and more from the dragons.
It was an okay read, but I wished for more magic and more from the dragons.
August 16, 2023
Irgendwann einmal in grauer Vorzeit, ich weiß schon gar nicht mehr, wie lang es her ist, fiel mir „Storm of Wings“ von Chris Bunch in die Hände, der erste Teil der Dragonmaster Trilogie, eine Fantasy-Reihe aus den frühen 2000ern. Mit Drachen kriegt mensch mich immer, egal wie wenig reizvoll die Prämisse erst einmal klingt. Was das angeht, bin ich wohl recht vorhersehbar, ahem. Dann bleibt nur die Frage, ob das Buch auch wirklich etwas taugt.
Hal Kailas ist der Sohn von armen Bergarbeitern irgendwo in Nirgendwo. Was seine Gegend neben Erzen jedoch auch hat, sind Drachen, die Kal schon von Kindheit an faszinieren. Er weiß: Sein Schicksal liegt nicht unter der Erde, sondern hoch in den Himmeln. Als Krieg über das Land hereinbricht, wird Hal eingezogen und schafft es irgendwie, die Infanterie zu überleben. Eine neue Waffe soll die Kriegstreiberei endgültig verändern, denn erstmals werden Drachen von Menschen geritten und in die Schlacht geführt. Hal ist fest entschlossen, einer von jenen Drachenreitern zu werden.
So weit so standardmäßig. Der Roman hat mit Sicherheit das Rad nicht neu erfunden, war nicht in allen Aspekten der schlechteste, hätte aber vieles auch besser machen können. Der Roman zeigt ganz gut, wie das Leben eines armen Schluckers aus sehr einfachen Verhältnissen in einer pseudo-mittelalterlichen Welt aussehen kann, vor allem, als Hal quasi von der Straße weg in die Armee eingezogen wird, während er sich noch von Job zu Job zu hangeln versucht. Gerade zu Beginn ist sein Leben ziemlich elend, plötzlich wird er in die brutale Realität des Krieges geworfen und sieht seine Kameraden wie die Fliegen sterben.
Das Ganze hätte sicher noch einen viel eindringlicheren Eindruck hinterlassen, wäre der gesamte Roman nicht so fürchterlich nüchtern erzählt. Vielleicht ist es einfach Hals Art, mit den Dingen so emotionslos umzugehen, seine Situation kann ihn durchaus abstumpfen. Aber gerade gegen Ende schwört er blutige Rache für den Tod eines Menschen, der ihm viel bedeutet hat, und nichts davon kommt auch beim Leser an. Alles ist so trocken und episodenhaft erzählt, gerade zu Anfang an springt der Roman von Szene zu Szene und verweilt selten länger bei den Charakteren, die in Hals Leben treten und es dann ebenso schnell wieder verlassen. Sie mögen damit vielleicht bei Hal einen Eindruck hinterlassen haben, nicht aber bei den Lesenden, die damit lediglich die Rolle der passiv Zuschauenden einnehmen können.
Hauptattraktion des Romans sind freilich die Drachen. Die Geschichte eines Jungen und seines Drachen ist keineswegs neu (ungefähr zur selben Zeit wie dieser Roman war auch Eragon erschienen), jedoch sind hier die Drachen nichts weiter als Pferde mit Flügen. Zu Anfang des Romans kann ich noch Hals Faszination für Drachen nachfühlen, diese tritt jedoch völlig in den Hintergrund, sobald Hals in die Armee eingezogen wird und auch später, als Hal dann tatsächlich die Ausbildung zum Drachenreiter beginnt. Drachen sind hier nichts weiter als ein Werkzeug, ein Mittel zum Zweck und es passiert im Grunde nichts weiter, als dass das Reiten neu erfunden wird. Hal gehört zu den ersten, die lernen, einen Drachen zu reiten, und ist somit einer der Pioniere auf diesem Gebiet. Ich hätte erwartet, dass wir deutlich mehr über die Drachen erfahren als nur Tiere, die zufällig Flügel haben und die zuvor noch nicht von Menschen geritten worden sind.
Drachen sind der Inbegriff von Fantasy! Sie sind mächtig und beeindruckend und furchterregend und niemand ist ihnen gewachsen. Immerhin sind sie die mittelalterliche Nuke; Aegon Targaryen hat mit nur drei Drachen (und ein paar lausigen Armeen) ganz Westeros eingenommen und unter sich vereint. Hier sind die Drachen einfach nur ein fancy Transportmittel und überhaupt nicht faszinierend. Alles ziemlich ernüchternd und enttäuschend.
Der erste Roman dreht sich ausschließlich um den Krieg zwischen zwei Nationen. Ebenjene bleiben nichts weiter als bedeutungslose Namen. Es hätte auch Horst gegen Peter antreten können, das wäre ebenso aussagekräftig gewesen. Es wird zwar angedeutet, dass die Drachen vielleicht vor etwas in ihrer ursprünglichen Heimat fliehen in die Region, aus der Hal stammt, aber der Roman hat mir einfach nicht genug Anreize gegeben, das weiter zu verfolgen. Erschwerend kommt auch der Dialekt hinzu, der stellenweise ausgeschrieben wird. Ich weiß nicht, ob es ein bestimmter englischer Dialekt ist, aber grundsätzlich ist es immer schwer, ausgeschriebenen Dialekt lesen zu müssen, mehr noch als Nicht-Muttersprachler*in.
Alles in allem bleibt der Roman weit hinter seinen Möglichkeiten zurück. Das Worldbuilding ist gerade einal mäßig und die Drachen sind gerade einmal müde Echsen, die nicht mit ihren Genrevertretern mithalten können.
Hal Kailas ist der Sohn von armen Bergarbeitern irgendwo in Nirgendwo. Was seine Gegend neben Erzen jedoch auch hat, sind Drachen, die Kal schon von Kindheit an faszinieren. Er weiß: Sein Schicksal liegt nicht unter der Erde, sondern hoch in den Himmeln. Als Krieg über das Land hereinbricht, wird Hal eingezogen und schafft es irgendwie, die Infanterie zu überleben. Eine neue Waffe soll die Kriegstreiberei endgültig verändern, denn erstmals werden Drachen von Menschen geritten und in die Schlacht geführt. Hal ist fest entschlossen, einer von jenen Drachenreitern zu werden.
So weit so standardmäßig. Der Roman hat mit Sicherheit das Rad nicht neu erfunden, war nicht in allen Aspekten der schlechteste, hätte aber vieles auch besser machen können. Der Roman zeigt ganz gut, wie das Leben eines armen Schluckers aus sehr einfachen Verhältnissen in einer pseudo-mittelalterlichen Welt aussehen kann, vor allem, als Hal quasi von der Straße weg in die Armee eingezogen wird, während er sich noch von Job zu Job zu hangeln versucht. Gerade zu Beginn ist sein Leben ziemlich elend, plötzlich wird er in die brutale Realität des Krieges geworfen und sieht seine Kameraden wie die Fliegen sterben.
Das Ganze hätte sicher noch einen viel eindringlicheren Eindruck hinterlassen, wäre der gesamte Roman nicht so fürchterlich nüchtern erzählt. Vielleicht ist es einfach Hals Art, mit den Dingen so emotionslos umzugehen, seine Situation kann ihn durchaus abstumpfen. Aber gerade gegen Ende schwört er blutige Rache für den Tod eines Menschen, der ihm viel bedeutet hat, und nichts davon kommt auch beim Leser an. Alles ist so trocken und episodenhaft erzählt, gerade zu Anfang an springt der Roman von Szene zu Szene und verweilt selten länger bei den Charakteren, die in Hals Leben treten und es dann ebenso schnell wieder verlassen. Sie mögen damit vielleicht bei Hal einen Eindruck hinterlassen haben, nicht aber bei den Lesenden, die damit lediglich die Rolle der passiv Zuschauenden einnehmen können.
Hauptattraktion des Romans sind freilich die Drachen. Die Geschichte eines Jungen und seines Drachen ist keineswegs neu (ungefähr zur selben Zeit wie dieser Roman war auch Eragon erschienen), jedoch sind hier die Drachen nichts weiter als Pferde mit Flügen. Zu Anfang des Romans kann ich noch Hals Faszination für Drachen nachfühlen, diese tritt jedoch völlig in den Hintergrund, sobald Hals in die Armee eingezogen wird und auch später, als Hal dann tatsächlich die Ausbildung zum Drachenreiter beginnt. Drachen sind hier nichts weiter als ein Werkzeug, ein Mittel zum Zweck und es passiert im Grunde nichts weiter, als dass das Reiten neu erfunden wird. Hal gehört zu den ersten, die lernen, einen Drachen zu reiten, und ist somit einer der Pioniere auf diesem Gebiet. Ich hätte erwartet, dass wir deutlich mehr über die Drachen erfahren als nur Tiere, die zufällig Flügel haben und die zuvor noch nicht von Menschen geritten worden sind.
Drachen sind der Inbegriff von Fantasy! Sie sind mächtig und beeindruckend und furchterregend und niemand ist ihnen gewachsen. Immerhin sind sie die mittelalterliche Nuke; Aegon Targaryen hat mit nur drei Drachen (und ein paar lausigen Armeen) ganz Westeros eingenommen und unter sich vereint. Hier sind die Drachen einfach nur ein fancy Transportmittel und überhaupt nicht faszinierend. Alles ziemlich ernüchternd und enttäuschend.
Der erste Roman dreht sich ausschließlich um den Krieg zwischen zwei Nationen. Ebenjene bleiben nichts weiter als bedeutungslose Namen. Es hätte auch Horst gegen Peter antreten können, das wäre ebenso aussagekräftig gewesen. Es wird zwar angedeutet, dass die Drachen vielleicht vor etwas in ihrer ursprünglichen Heimat fliehen in die Region, aus der Hal stammt, aber der Roman hat mir einfach nicht genug Anreize gegeben, das weiter zu verfolgen. Erschwerend kommt auch der Dialekt hinzu, der stellenweise ausgeschrieben wird. Ich weiß nicht, ob es ein bestimmter englischer Dialekt ist, aber grundsätzlich ist es immer schwer, ausgeschriebenen Dialekt lesen zu müssen, mehr noch als Nicht-Muttersprachler*in.
Alles in allem bleibt der Roman weit hinter seinen Möglichkeiten zurück. Das Worldbuilding ist gerade einal mäßig und die Drachen sind gerade einmal müde Echsen, die nicht mit ihren Genrevertretern mithalten können.
May 11, 2024
Dragonmaster, by Chris Bunch, follows Hal Kailas, a runaway that dreams of becoming a dragon rider and finds himself conscripted into a war. Thankfully, dragon riding is a relatively new invention for war, and Hal finds himself trained to become a dragon rider, where hopefully he can turn the tide of war. While this book made for okay military fantasy, the book felt like a misnomer, as dragons, while they make for an important plot point, don’t really add much more than that.
I liked the general plot progression of the book. I appreciated the author’s use of a time skip to give us the first ten years of the main characters life, starting from his life in his village, to being a nomad, finally to being in the military. The book moved along at a brisk pace too and doesn’t dwell long in any one scene or battle either. It was fun having the antagonist of the first chapter come back later on in the book. The novel was surprising with the author’s willingness to kill off what seemed like central characters, which I always enjoy. Finally, I liked Thom Lowess, a story teller and a bit of a chaotic figure and his appearances in the novel.
Dragons in the novel are interesting because they are essentially a brute animal, akin to a horse. There’s a small mystery as to the origin of dragons, as they appeared several hundred years ago, and having dragons be new for military operations was a fun twist to the novel. A key point in the novel is Hal’s innovations with dragon warfare.
That said, I think I went into the book with expectations that it would be more dragon focused. Specifically, there is no focus on training dragons, interacting dragons, or the dragons being characters. None of that is present. The dragons, besides their use for warfare, don’t really get a lot of focus or mention. Sure, a large portion of the novel is with the main character riding his dragon in battle or developing stratagems around dragons. But dragons themselves? I can’t tell you much about them. There are small scenes with Hal and his dragon I enjoyed, but they are few and far between.
In a lot of ways, I think the use of dragons and the evolutions of dragons greatly parallels the use of planes in World War 1, from being used at first for reconnaissance activities to much more than that. Honestly, you could replace dragons with planes and I think the book would honestly be very similar. Dragons are a technology being exploited in the book, and beyond that, they don’t do much more than that, which disappointed me. It’s left me wondering why this book was chosen to be a fantasy novel. Why not a modern setting? If you are looking for a book that does a much better job meshing dragons and warfare together, I’d recommend the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik.
One thing that irked me was the military strategies employed. Specifically, in the novel, Hal has a series of poor commanders that make really bad tactical decisions. This is a constant throughout the novel and it was annoying to both have Hal be the smartest person in the room as well as the sheer incompetence being a way to move the plot along. Military fantasy isn’t my bread and butter, but I feel like other books I’ve read haven’t showcased this level of tactical incompetence. More balance would have been appreciated.
Finally, character development left something to be desired. This isn’t an introspective book, and Hal doesn’t really change much as a character throughout the novel. I guess it felt more egregious with the minor antagonists. Why do we think Tregony is evil? Well, he tortured animals as a child of course! I wonder who the traitor could be? Good times.
While I am rating this book 3/5 stars, I think part of my disappointment was my from expectations given the book title, cover art, and the back description. In terms of terms of the military fantasy portion, while I liked the evolution of tactics, the military strategy felt somewhat lacking. Still, I honestly might get the sequel book and give it a shot. We’ll see if that happens.
I liked the general plot progression of the book. I appreciated the author’s use of a time skip to give us the first ten years of the main characters life, starting from his life in his village, to being a nomad, finally to being in the military. The book moved along at a brisk pace too and doesn’t dwell long in any one scene or battle either. It was fun having the antagonist of the first chapter come back later on in the book. The novel was surprising with the author’s willingness to kill off what seemed like central characters, which I always enjoy. Finally, I liked Thom Lowess, a story teller and a bit of a chaotic figure and his appearances in the novel.
Dragons in the novel are interesting because they are essentially a brute animal, akin to a horse. There’s a small mystery as to the origin of dragons, as they appeared several hundred years ago, and having dragons be new for military operations was a fun twist to the novel. A key point in the novel is Hal’s innovations with dragon warfare.
That said, I think I went into the book with expectations that it would be more dragon focused. Specifically, there is no focus on training dragons, interacting dragons, or the dragons being characters. None of that is present. The dragons, besides their use for warfare, don’t really get a lot of focus or mention. Sure, a large portion of the novel is with the main character riding his dragon in battle or developing stratagems around dragons. But dragons themselves? I can’t tell you much about them. There are small scenes with Hal and his dragon I enjoyed, but they are few and far between.
In a lot of ways, I think the use of dragons and the evolutions of dragons greatly parallels the use of planes in World War 1, from being used at first for reconnaissance activities to much more than that. Honestly, you could replace dragons with planes and I think the book would honestly be very similar. Dragons are a technology being exploited in the book, and beyond that, they don’t do much more than that, which disappointed me. It’s left me wondering why this book was chosen to be a fantasy novel. Why not a modern setting? If you are looking for a book that does a much better job meshing dragons and warfare together, I’d recommend the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik.
One thing that irked me was the military strategies employed. Specifically, in the novel, Hal has a series of poor commanders that make really bad tactical decisions. This is a constant throughout the novel and it was annoying to both have Hal be the smartest person in the room as well as the sheer incompetence being a way to move the plot along. Military fantasy isn’t my bread and butter, but I feel like other books I’ve read haven’t showcased this level of tactical incompetence. More balance would have been appreciated.
Finally, character development left something to be desired. This isn’t an introspective book, and Hal doesn’t really change much as a character throughout the novel. I guess it felt more egregious with the minor antagonists. Why do we think Tregony is evil? Well, he tortured animals as a child of course! I wonder who the traitor could be? Good times.
While I am rating this book 3/5 stars, I think part of my disappointment was my from expectations given the book title, cover art, and the back description. In terms of terms of the military fantasy portion, while I liked the evolution of tactics, the military strategy felt somewhat lacking. Still, I honestly might get the sequel book and give it a shot. We’ll see if that happens.
June 5, 2020
Okay, so basically, this book is the definition of "ok". It has a few good ideas sprinkled in with a load of generic ones, the characters are about 90% cliche and about 10% actually decent development, the battle scenes are at once descriptive and lush with military details but also slow and kinda disjointed - but I still found myself reading the darn thing. If it'd been bad, then I would have dropped it a long time ago. But I read it. I stuck with it, and I read the darn thing. Guess that's a good thing, right?
January 11, 2023
I lovvved it.
The author has an amazing way of writing that makes it feel like a movie in my head. I loved the storytelling, just beautiful. The intelligence of mixing mythical creatures and war is sometimes lost but in this book it feels important and real because the author understands what makes a war realistic.
And the character development, they feel real. Not like Marie Sues or perfect hero’s but real people in a story with both their flaws and attitudes.
I will be jumping right into the next book.
The author has an amazing way of writing that makes it feel like a movie in my head. I loved the storytelling, just beautiful. The intelligence of mixing mythical creatures and war is sometimes lost but in this book it feels important and real because the author understands what makes a war realistic.
And the character development, they feel real. Not like Marie Sues or perfect hero’s but real people in a story with both their flaws and attitudes.
I will be jumping right into the next book.
April 7, 2022
Excellent story. writing is a little rough at times in transitions. Like the characters and their development. I would read the next. I only rated 3 because there is really only one nugget of wisdom but it’s a good one….” Everyone dies. Soldiers die first.”
January 4, 2023
The Dragonmaster series has always been a old favorite of mine when it comes to militaristic sci-fi. The series follows the life of Hal. Beginning in the early years of his life as a nomad to leading the strongest group of dragonriders against the forces of evil and darkness.
Warring countries, magic to satisfy your sci-fi needs, and dragons!
Warring countries, magic to satisfy your sci-fi needs, and dragons!
September 7, 2018
I enjoy Hal Kalis and his journey to learn about dragons. I will read the rest of the series.
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