Daniel Abraham: The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin, #1) (2011)
English language
Published Sept. 8, 2011
Some of the best written characters I've ever read.
Truly blown away by how likeable and relatable even the bad guys and minor players are.
I am in, hook, line, sinker, and the whole dang rod.
3.5 stars out of 5, rounded up to 4.
Very interesting, promising, read.
I believe there is a dignity in consequences.
Starting a new book series is a challenge as you learn the characters, their motives and the world they operate in. The first few chapters of Dragon's Path were a bit uncomfortable but after returning for a character's POV a few times you saw how things fell in to place, connected with each other and then the story was a pleasure to read.
This could be viewed as a slow paced story, but trying to understand the political and military struggles or financial gambits the characters were involved with had me hooked and kept me going through the entire story.
I will definitely continue on with the series and hope to get deeper in to the plot, the characters and see if the dagger or the coin is what wins wars.
Riveting fantasy with good flow and solid conclusions they leave you wanting more.
Seems like good fantasy. Ends on a cliffhanger though. But since next books are already available, that's not that much of an issue. Love that there's points of view of characters of very different interests.
Loved it! And it's just the start!
This book snuck up on me.
It has the elements of a generic fantasy novel: a world reminiscent of medieval Europe, a cast of familiar archetypes, and a vague portent of doom. Even the cover art is nonspecific enough to adorn most other fantasy novels without seeming out of place.
As I read, though, I realized that the author was using these usual elements to do something unusual. The archetypal characters defied my expectations, sometimes shockingly. The typical fantasy militarism was muted, with fewer words given to battles than to their aftermaths. Even the ominous threat turned out to be both less and more dangerous than I expected.
The plot is driven by standard nation-state squabbles, but the characters are rarely the political actors. Instead, they're the people whose lives are upset by the changes sweeping their world. They must adapt, but they seldom turn to the violence that generally …
This book snuck up on me.
It has the elements of a generic fantasy novel: a world reminiscent of medieval Europe, a cast of familiar archetypes, and a vague portent of doom. Even the cover art is nonspecific enough to adorn most other fantasy novels without seeming out of place.
As I read, though, I realized that the author was using these usual elements to do something unusual. The archetypal characters defied my expectations, sometimes shockingly. The typical fantasy militarism was muted, with fewer words given to battles than to their aftermaths. Even the ominous threat turned out to be both less and more dangerous than I expected.
The plot is driven by standard nation-state squabbles, but the characters are rarely the political actors. Instead, they're the people whose lives are upset by the changes sweeping their world. They must adapt, but they seldom turn to the violence that generally solves such problems in fantasy novels.
The result is something rare: a refreshing new take on Tolkien-derived fantasy. I almost didn't pick it up in the first place, but in the end I couldn't put it down.
I'm feeling somewhat ambiguous about this book. I liked it, but the characters are bothering me. There are four main characters and they, along with the supporting characters, are not easy to like. Usually I need at least one character to identify with. In this book I found myself agreeing with parts of them, while strongly disagreeing with other parts. The most likeable character was Westen. Everybody else is deeply flawed, in my eyes. Geder's a mass-murderer, Cithrin's a drunk and Dawson is a racist and a royalist. I think I will grudingly read the second book, to see where this is going.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting. The book started a bit slow, but that could be since I was very busy with my work and the characters in the story were all spread out at first. However, things quickly sped up, connections were made, plots revealed, and WOW this is cool! I read the last 200 (electronic) pages in a flash.
Here's the deal: it's epic fantasy, but the cast is not too large. Also, there are some trope-breaking things there, the most obvious being the banker. Yes, that's right- one of the main characters is a young girl banker who loves her wine. This is one case were I was actually excited to have characters visit government offices to file paperwork. Even though that sounds boring in real life, the author really makes the characters shine.
Clearly the characters are the strongest point in this novel, but setting …
I wasn't sure what I was expecting. The book started a bit slow, but that could be since I was very busy with my work and the characters in the story were all spread out at first. However, things quickly sped up, connections were made, plots revealed, and WOW this is cool! I read the last 200 (electronic) pages in a flash.
Here's the deal: it's epic fantasy, but the cast is not too large. Also, there are some trope-breaking things there, the most obvious being the banker. Yes, that's right- one of the main characters is a young girl banker who loves her wine. This is one case were I was actually excited to have characters visit government offices to file paperwork. Even though that sounds boring in real life, the author really makes the characters shine.
Clearly the characters are the strongest point in this novel, but setting and plot are not far behind. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel and will be checking out more from this author! Fortunately, my copy included an ARC of Leviathan Wakes :)
