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Asmodeus: The Legend of Margret and the Dragon
…Here again, his natural figure crouched beside her in the dank darkness of the cave, watching her in silence as she slept, struggling with cravings which were new to him, both tender and violent, and which he could only really compare to hunger… (from ASMODEUS)
On the cusp of the Great War, an even more pitched battle is waged in the furthest corner of the Nordic highlands, the final chapter of a centuries-old rivalry, pitting a troubled bloodline of thieves, journeyman, and politicians against the last and greatest dragon of the hemisphere, Asmodeus.
Until now, the source of this antagonism has been a single gemstone, the fabled shamir, whose history traces to the coffers of King Solomon. The present clash, however, has been sparked by the emergence of an even more desirable, more
defiant, and more powerful force than that.
Inspired by the golden legend of St. Margaret, Brooks Hansen’s Asmodeus is a masterfully woven tapestry of history, myth, and fantasy, in the tradition of J.R.R.Tolkien, Bram Stoker, and C.S. Lewis. By turns a romance, an adventure,
and the darkest imaginable Gothic, his tale is also, as seen through the eyes of the maiden Margrét, an unflinching exploration of our divided nature — what makes us beasts, what makes us human, and what makes us divine.
“Hansen writes with a poet's eye for image, building a novel as one might build a cathedral, stone by stone, sentence by sentence…comparisons to Nabokov and Calvino are doubtless in order
— The New York Times Book Review
”…the most imaginative and talented novelist of his generation.”
—Hugh Nissenson, author of The Days of Awe
“Like Garcia Marquez, Borges, even Poe, Hansen creates a dangerous, enlightening new world…He is a true inventor of fiction, and a protean, generous one at that.”
—Village Voice Literary Supplement
On the cusp of the Great War, an even more pitched battle is waged in the furthest corner of the Nordic highlands, the final chapter of a centuries-old rivalry, pitting a troubled bloodline of thieves, journeyman, and politicians against the last and greatest dragon of the hemisphere, Asmodeus.
Until now, the source of this antagonism has been a single gemstone, the fabled shamir, whose history traces to the coffers of King Solomon. The present clash, however, has been sparked by the emergence of an even more desirable, more
defiant, and more powerful force than that.
Inspired by the golden legend of St. Margaret, Brooks Hansen’s Asmodeus is a masterfully woven tapestry of history, myth, and fantasy, in the tradition of J.R.R.Tolkien, Bram Stoker, and C.S. Lewis. By turns a romance, an adventure,
and the darkest imaginable Gothic, his tale is also, as seen through the eyes of the maiden Margrét, an unflinching exploration of our divided nature — what makes us beasts, what makes us human, and what makes us divine.
“Hansen writes with a poet's eye for image, building a novel as one might build a cathedral, stone by stone, sentence by sentence…comparisons to Nabokov and Calvino are doubtless in order
— The New York Times Book Review
”…the most imaginative and talented novelist of his generation.”
—Hugh Nissenson, author of The Days of Awe
“Like Garcia Marquez, Borges, even Poe, Hansen creates a dangerous, enlightening new world…He is a true inventor of fiction, and a protean, generous one at that.”
—Village Voice Literary Supplement
- GenresFantasy
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2016
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Brooks Hansen
17 books121 followersBrooks Hansen is an American novelist, screenwriter, and illustrator best known for his 1995 book The Chess Garden. He has also written one young adult's novel. He lives with his family in Carpinteria, California. He attended Harvard University and was the recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 5, 2017
I quite enjoyed this retelling of the Margrét and the dragon. Not exactly a feminist retelling, but Margrét does have agency. My only disappointment is that there were so, so many errors in the Kindle edition. I’ve never seen so many problems, missing words or suffixes, lay-lie errors, “soul” instead of “sole,” at least twice, etc. I occasionally see small mistakes in my reading, but I’ve never seen work this sloppy. I don’t know how that even happens, but it irritates me because Hansen is a fine writer.
I’ve read nearly everything Hansen has written, and if you've followed the trajectory of a writer's career, it's impossible not to read a book within a larger context. Margrét's story is not as ambitious as The Chess Garden or Perlman’s Ordeal, both of which are stunning, but all the light of Hansen's gift for storytelling and deep creative imagination shine through in this slim book.
I’ve read nearly everything Hansen has written, and if you've followed the trajectory of a writer's career, it's impossible not to read a book within a larger context. Margrét's story is not as ambitious as The Chess Garden or Perlman’s Ordeal, both of which are stunning, but all the light of Hansen's gift for storytelling and deep creative imagination shine through in this slim book.
February 5, 2017
Sadly, I had not heard of this author before. I say sadly because this was a brilliantly written day, epic fantasy read. It is compared to the likes of Tolkien, Martin, etc and rightfully so! Written with the same gorgeous style, a book that is so lovely you want to see it written upon scroll, like a piece of art, rather than in a traditional book.
Firstly, I adored the characters, in this book, especially the main characters, yes, including Asmodeus. Loving them all doesn't mean I actually liked or sided with them, just that the author created them with such beauty and detail, that I found it very easy to connect with each of them. I felt I could understand them, the story and what I could expect from each character, as a part of their personality.
This is where the second love comes in. I really liked the way the author threw in twists and turns, without breaking the characters' backgrounds and our expectations of them, but still throwing in brilliantly written and wholly unexpected turns. I always find this very important, as I am not a fan of throwing in turns just to do so and thereby breaking the characters created, as I always feel it drives a wedge in my trust of them.
Finally, the actual storyline was superb. It dew me in and really made me fall for the story of these two and the war surrounding them. I was pulled in straight away, as the background detail was being laid, and the author kept me hooked right through to the final pages.
I highly highly re this read if you love fantasy, especially epic dragon fantasy.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased review.
Firstly, I adored the characters, in this book, especially the main characters, yes, including Asmodeus. Loving them all doesn't mean I actually liked or sided with them, just that the author created them with such beauty and detail, that I found it very easy to connect with each of them. I felt I could understand them, the story and what I could expect from each character, as a part of their personality.
This is where the second love comes in. I really liked the way the author threw in twists and turns, without breaking the characters' backgrounds and our expectations of them, but still throwing in brilliantly written and wholly unexpected turns. I always find this very important, as I am not a fan of throwing in turns just to do so and thereby breaking the characters created, as I always feel it drives a wedge in my trust of them.
Finally, the actual storyline was superb. It dew me in and really made me fall for the story of these two and the war surrounding them. I was pulled in straight away, as the background detail was being laid, and the author kept me hooked right through to the final pages.
I highly highly re this read if you love fantasy, especially epic dragon fantasy.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased review.
February 20, 2017
Asmodeus weaves a story that seems to be set in both the past and the present. Asmodeusu is the last of the dragons and Margret is a figure from both legend and fantasy. The characters moved the story from one place to another as Asmodeus searches for the jewel that was stolen from him years ago. It seems that the jewel is at the heart of the plot but Margret plays a more important part as the story progresses. The characters, plot and setting kept my attention. I did not know what to expect from one page to the next and I got a surprise at the end. A nice blend of history, fantasy and myth.
June 20, 2022
Haven't read fantasy of this sort in a while and enjoyed it. Some interesting world building even if it is a retelling of a legend surrounding a saint. It very much has the feeling of a story from a world like ours but not quite; modern and yet not. This evocative story pulled you in, wanting to know more about the characters and the world they live in. Not sure I liked the ending...
February 28, 2017
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
*apologises for short review, I sometimes find the three star reviews the hardest to write*
A gift is stolen from Modo, and he wants it back. It means rising from his centuries slumber, and joining a fight he has no knowledge of.
Different, for me, is usually good. Not so much here. It is high fantasy, and not usually my thing. I also got a little lost in places, several characters have more than one name, similar names, and I struggled to keep up. Now, this could just be me, being full of a nasty cold and having my concentration shot. Still, needed to mention it. I was a little confused by the ending, too.
It is, however, very well written, and I did not spot any spelling or editing. Some people will love this, I have no doubt, it just didn't work for me.
The title says, The Legend of Margret and the Dragon. But I'm not sure where to legend bit comes into play. It's more telling the STORY of Margret and the Dragon, rather than telling of a legend, if that makes sense?? Struggling to word what I need to say, and you know how I hate that.
A good, solid 3 star read, just not one for me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
*apologises for short review, I sometimes find the three star reviews the hardest to write*
A gift is stolen from Modo, and he wants it back. It means rising from his centuries slumber, and joining a fight he has no knowledge of.
Different, for me, is usually good. Not so much here. It is high fantasy, and not usually my thing. I also got a little lost in places, several characters have more than one name, similar names, and I struggled to keep up. Now, this could just be me, being full of a nasty cold and having my concentration shot. Still, needed to mention it. I was a little confused by the ending, too.
It is, however, very well written, and I did not spot any spelling or editing. Some people will love this, I have no doubt, it just didn't work for me.
The title says, The Legend of Margret and the Dragon. But I'm not sure where to legend bit comes into play. It's more telling the STORY of Margret and the Dragon, rather than telling of a legend, if that makes sense?? Struggling to word what I need to say, and you know how I hate that.
A good, solid 3 star read, just not one for me.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
February 8, 2017
Modo’s most precious jewel has been stolen and he wants it back.
One brother swore to protect Modo’s jewel.
One brother stole Modo’s jewel.
A shepherdess just wants to meet her father.
Asmodeus tells the story of how the dragon lost his most precious jewel and what he did to retrieve it. This dragon’s jewel just may cost a lot of people their lives.
Join Asmodeus, Marget and all the rest of the characters on their journey with Modo’s most precious jewel. How many people will lose their lives and who will Modo let live?
A great story about a dragon, a shepherdess and a jewel. I would recommend Asmodeus to anyone who loves to read about dragons.
One brother swore to protect Modo’s jewel.
One brother stole Modo’s jewel.
A shepherdess just wants to meet her father.
Asmodeus tells the story of how the dragon lost his most precious jewel and what he did to retrieve it. This dragon’s jewel just may cost a lot of people their lives.
Join Asmodeus, Marget and all the rest of the characters on their journey with Modo’s most precious jewel. How many people will lose their lives and who will Modo let live?
A great story about a dragon, a shepherdess and a jewel. I would recommend Asmodeus to anyone who loves to read about dragons.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews