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The Dragon Corsairs #3
Kingmaker
From bestselling author and leading fantasist Margaret Weis comes the thrilling conclusion to the swashbuckling Dragon Corsairs series
In the exciting conclusion, Kate and Sophia and their dragon Dalgren form a desperate plan to free Phillip from prison. Thomas is crowned king and discovers a plot by King Ullr to invade Freya. Henry is forced to flee to the Aligoes where he makes a discovery that could change the fortunes of his beleaguered nation.
In the exciting conclusion, Kate and Sophia and their dragon Dalgren form a desperate plan to free Phillip from prison. Thomas is crowned king and discovers a plot by King Ullr to invade Freya. Henry is forced to flee to the Aligoes where he makes a discovery that could change the fortunes of his beleaguered nation.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2019
17 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
677 books5,860 followersMargaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 27, 2020
A swashbuckling pirate getting involved in the machinations of state, as secret agents and spies determine the fate of kingdoms. Of course, in a fantastic setting where the dread pirate Kate rides a dragon -- in exile from the Dragon Brigade -- while nations are floating islands that interact with one another using air ships, and magical beam weapons are alongside cannon.
The setting is effectively fantastic regency era Britain, and has a lot of the conventions of the sort. This works against it to portray the most exciting of action sequences, but provide a comforting structure -- the nobility will be constrained, everybody but the most evil are concerned with honor, and all dialogue is resolutely suitable for children.
One potential complaint that I noticed more about this series than other series in the same world: this was really punctilious about sweeping up and resolving any stray plot threads. There were a few things that felt very unsatisfactorily resolved because of that.
This is definitely a trilogy to read the first book of before diving in ; the books are very consistent so you'll know if you want to read the rest.
The setting is effectively fantastic regency era Britain, and has a lot of the conventions of the sort. This works against it to portray the most exciting of action sequences, but provide a comforting structure -- the nobility will be constrained, everybody but the most evil are concerned with honor, and all dialogue is resolutely suitable for children.
One potential complaint that I noticed more about this series than other series in the same world: this was really punctilious about sweeping up and resolving any stray plot threads. There were a few things that felt very unsatisfactorily resolved because of that.
This is definitely a trilogy to read the first book of before diving in ; the books are very consistent so you'll know if you want to read the rest.
November 30, 2023
Great ending to a great trilogy. It's a trilogy so if you didn't read the first two books and decided to read this one because maybe you got it as a gift then maybe try reading the first two before writing a review on the last book of a trilogy
November 11, 2024
Good end to a good trilogy!
September 9, 2023
(This was a gift--I didn't read the books that came before. Pretty sure I didn't need to.)
There is some fun to be had in this book. Those who care about the characters from previous stories probably care a lot more, and they likely enjoy it more. But even coming at it in the middle, I could see things to like. The setting is very cool. The ships and dragons and magic are lots of fun.
And, to be honest, there were about 80-100 pages that were exciting and fully entertaining. Five here, ten there. Genuinely good scenes. But most of it was not like that. SO MUCH TALKING. Everything rehashed. Plans gone over time and again. Discussions about how somebody else would feel about the thing they were going to do. You could cut probably half the book and not miss it.
Every great scene was followed by long stretches of cozy chatting. And we flipped from character to character so much I literally don't know who was meant to be the MC. And the main conflict was a moving target. The king is being blackmailed; the dragons are being hunted; there's a treasure that must be found; a ship is being sent into a trap; the capital is being invaded; a dangerous weapon is in the hands of the enemy. These were dealt with one at a time, making half the book feel anticlimactic.
So I didn't love it.
The cover is great, though. And the hardcover is just the size and weight and sturdiness I like when I handle books. Those things together earned it the third star.
It just should have been more fun.
There is some fun to be had in this book. Those who care about the characters from previous stories probably care a lot more, and they likely enjoy it more. But even coming at it in the middle, I could see things to like. The setting is very cool. The ships and dragons and magic are lots of fun.
And, to be honest, there were about 80-100 pages that were exciting and fully entertaining. Five here, ten there. Genuinely good scenes. But most of it was not like that. SO MUCH TALKING. Everything rehashed. Plans gone over time and again. Discussions about how somebody else would feel about the thing they were going to do. You could cut probably half the book and not miss it.
Every great scene was followed by long stretches of cozy chatting. And we flipped from character to character so much I literally don't know who was meant to be the MC. And the main conflict was a moving target. The king is being blackmailed; the dragons are being hunted; there's a treasure that must be found; a ship is being sent into a trap; the capital is being invaded; a dangerous weapon is in the hands of the enemy. These were dealt with one at a time, making half the book feel anticlimactic.
So I didn't love it.
The cover is great, though. And the hardcover is just the size and weight and sturdiness I like when I handle books. Those things together earned it the third star.
It just should have been more fun.
August 28, 2019
Kingmaker by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
This is the third book of a trilogy, the first being Spymaster which I might add, I thoroughly enjoyed. I also enjoyed Privateer which was the second volume. Thomas the potential king finds the path to ruling a rocky road.
As I mentioned in the review of Privateer, the plot is complex. A lot of characters with conflicting agendas. The reality of politics, compromise and concession forces Thomas and his loyal friends into partnership with previous foes.
Kate and Dalgren find themselves in situations where conscience plays a huge part of their behavior.
There is plenty of action, deceit and betrayal as well as a tiny bit of romance. The authors successfully and satisfactorily wrap up the trilogy. I look forward to more books from this pair of authors.
The relationships between characters provide much of the interest to this book. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends and subordinates forget to subordinate. As an added bonus there are plenty of strong female protagonists so this trilogy would be an ideal gift for young women to encourage them to follow their dreams.
The book was delightfully complex, interesting and captivating.
I highly recommend the trilogy.
This is the third book of a trilogy, the first being Spymaster which I might add, I thoroughly enjoyed. I also enjoyed Privateer which was the second volume. Thomas the potential king finds the path to ruling a rocky road.
As I mentioned in the review of Privateer, the plot is complex. A lot of characters with conflicting agendas. The reality of politics, compromise and concession forces Thomas and his loyal friends into partnership with previous foes.
Kate and Dalgren find themselves in situations where conscience plays a huge part of their behavior.
There is plenty of action, deceit and betrayal as well as a tiny bit of romance. The authors successfully and satisfactorily wrap up the trilogy. I look forward to more books from this pair of authors.
The relationships between characters provide much of the interest to this book. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends and subordinates forget to subordinate. As an added bonus there are plenty of strong female protagonists so this trilogy would be an ideal gift for young women to encourage them to follow their dreams.
The book was delightfully complex, interesting and captivating.
I highly recommend the trilogy.
January 25, 2024
Book 3 of the Dragon Corsairs series. This was the concluding book of the series. It was a thrilling end to this epic series. Margaret Weis is a solid name in fantasy and in this imagined tale that is half swashbuckling and half magic / dragons. A beautiful blend that leaves an indelible memory of a place that could have existed. I highly recommend this series.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
December 29, 2019
This was a nice conclusion to the trilogy and I enjoyed the different characters in this series. But, I feel the major battles were resolved to quickly. I would have liked these sequences better if they were longer. It felt, to me, that there was about 2 books worth of things to write about and only one book to write it.
July 14, 2020
I really loved the ending and conclusion of the series. I loved how the plot changed and went in other directions that were less predictable. My favorite arc by far has been henry Wallace who went from an arch-villain to the hero of his own story.
August 3, 2020
Overall really enjoyed the series and the three book arc. I was disappointed in the ending because of the big focus on Henry Wallace instead of Captain Kate. To me Kate was the star, but her ending was very much glossed over.
September 3, 2019
Great action. Heroic adventure.
This book was a real page-turner.
It brought the grand adventure to a satisfying conclusion.
This book was a real page-turner.
It brought the grand adventure to a satisfying conclusion.
February 15, 2020
kawaii
September 12, 2021
Wonderful! Masterful! So well written it took my breathe away. Thomas and Kate are a real dream come true.
March 8, 2024
I would say this one is the best of the three books. Mostly because of Henry and the political aspects.
March 3, 2025
Third in series.
October 15, 2019
This was a fun book, nice closing to this second trilogy and Sir Henry’s story. I really enjoyed all the characters. There are some glossed over subplots, but all are closed reasonably well.
Morality rating: PG-13 for violence, nothing much else except in world profanity.
Theology rating: one belief similar in feel to Catholicism (ritualized religion), except no infinite personal savior God. Most of the main characters are either secular or loosely religious. The main bad guy is very religious, but he is also very power hungry and bitter towards those in power. To be honest, it does no really bash any belief system, they are just part of the story.
Morality rating: PG-13 for violence, nothing much else except in world profanity.
Theology rating: one belief similar in feel to Catholicism (ritualized religion), except no infinite personal savior God. Most of the main characters are either secular or loosely religious. The main bad guy is very religious, but he is also very power hungry and bitter towards those in power. To be honest, it does no really bash any belief system, they are just part of the story.
September 28, 2024
2.5. This was not terrible, but also not terribly exciting... I actually found this book to be considerably more boring than the first 2. Too much rehashing of the same stuff over and over, instead of actually doing things.
January 22, 2020
Great end to the triology
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews