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The Council Wars #1
There Will Be Dragons (1)
WHEN FANTASY BECOMES REAL—AND DEADLY—ON A FAR-FUTURE EARTH! NATIONAL BESTSELLER. THE FIRST ENTRY IN JOHN RINGO'S COUNCIL WARS SERIES
In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise—and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere, people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive.
But scattered across the face of the Earth are communities that have returned to the natural life of soil and small farm. In the village of Raven's Mill, Edmund Talbot, master smith and unassuming historian, finds that all the problems of the world are falling in his lap. Refugees are flooding in, bandits are roaming the woods, and his former lover and his only daughter struggle through the fallen landscape. Enemies, new and old, gather like jackals around a wounded lion.
But what the jackals do not know is that while old he may be, this lion is far from death. And hidden in the past is a mystery that has waited until this time to be revealed. You cross Edmund Talbot at your peril, for a smith is not all he once was. . . .
About John
“. . . the thinking reader’s zombie novel . . . Ringo fleshes out his theme with convincing details . . . the proceedings become oddly plausible.”— Publishers Weekly on Under a Graveyard Sky
“[Ringo’s work is] peopled with three-dimensional characters and spiced with personal drama as well as tactical finesse.”— Library Journal
“Explosive . . . fans . . . will appreciate Ringo’s lively narrative and flavorful characters.”— Publishers Weekly
“. . . practically impossible not to read in one sitting . . . exceedingly impressive . . . executed with skill, verve, and wit.”— Booklist
“Crackerjack storytelling.”— Starlog
In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise—and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere, people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive.
But scattered across the face of the Earth are communities that have returned to the natural life of soil and small farm. In the village of Raven's Mill, Edmund Talbot, master smith and unassuming historian, finds that all the problems of the world are falling in his lap. Refugees are flooding in, bandits are roaming the woods, and his former lover and his only daughter struggle through the fallen landscape. Enemies, new and old, gather like jackals around a wounded lion.
But what the jackals do not know is that while old he may be, this lion is far from death. And hidden in the past is a mystery that has waited until this time to be revealed. You cross Edmund Talbot at your peril, for a smith is not all he once was. . . .
About John
“. . . the thinking reader’s zombie novel . . . Ringo fleshes out his theme with convincing details . . . the proceedings become oddly plausible.”— Publishers Weekly on Under a Graveyard Sky
“[Ringo’s work is] peopled with three-dimensional characters and spiced with personal drama as well as tactical finesse.”— Library Journal
“Explosive . . . fans . . . will appreciate Ringo’s lively narrative and flavorful characters.”— Publishers Weekly
“. . . practically impossible not to read in one sitting . . . exceedingly impressive . . . executed with skill, verve, and wit.”— Booklist
“Crackerjack storytelling.”— Starlog
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
368 people are currently reading
1987 people want to read
About the author
John Ringo
101 books1,830 followersJohn Ringo is a prolific author who has written in a wide variety of genres. His early life included a great deal of travel. He visited 23 foreign countries, and attended fourteen different schools. After graduation Ringo enlisted in the US military for four years, after which he studied marine biology.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
August 3, 2011
I really wanted to like this book. Imagine a society with no real hunger, poverty or war where the bottom suddenly drops out and people find themselves in a world for which they have no relevant skills. It sounds fascinating!
Sadly, that is not the book that was delivered. The entire book seems to have been written by a hormonal and socially-awkward teenage boy. The female characters, especially, are one-dimensional and more objects of male sexual desire than anything else. Well, that and as a venue to talk about (ewww) menstruation or, "the curse," as they all quaintly call it. Their daily jargon and dialog seems to have been lifted from some late-1990s limited vocabulary, even though we are to believe this is thousands of years in the future.
Between the detailed descriptions of female physiques (I wonder how many times I have read "pert, high breasts" or some derivation thereof) and the detailed descriptions of weapons and warfare, there isn't much to actually engage the mind or imagination.
It's too bad, because this is potentially gripping subject matter -- and very relevant today. What *would* happen if even our paltry-by-comparison technology disappeared? How might people react to such loss? Unfortunately, there are no multifaceted characters to hold our attention. Boo.
I give it one star for the imagining I did before I actually read it.
Sadly, that is not the book that was delivered. The entire book seems to have been written by a hormonal and socially-awkward teenage boy. The female characters, especially, are one-dimensional and more objects of male sexual desire than anything else. Well, that and as a venue to talk about (ewww) menstruation or, "the curse," as they all quaintly call it. Their daily jargon and dialog seems to have been lifted from some late-1990s limited vocabulary, even though we are to believe this is thousands of years in the future.
Between the detailed descriptions of female physiques (I wonder how many times I have read "pert, high breasts" or some derivation thereof) and the detailed descriptions of weapons and warfare, there isn't much to actually engage the mind or imagination.
It's too bad, because this is potentially gripping subject matter -- and very relevant today. What *would* happen if even our paltry-by-comparison technology disappeared? How might people react to such loss? Unfortunately, there are no multifaceted characters to hold our attention. Boo.
I give it one star for the imagining I did before I actually read it.
September 28, 2011
I cannot escape post-apocalyptic sword & sorcery series. I started There Will Be Dragons because it was a free download and I've read a few of Ringo's collaborations (always as the junior partner), so I had no idea what it was before I began reading.
I like the concept: 45th century society abruptly regresses from "We are as gods, and might as well get good at it", but for some silly reason they all regress to vaguely medieval technology -- lots of reenactors and muscle-powered recreational fighters, but apparently there wasn't a single gun nut or firearms marksman, or even just explosives collector, in the world. Even the man who's prepared (especially militarily) for everything. More than halfway through the book, one character asks about explosions, and another explains that after an assault explosions were outlawed -- a feeble excuse, when clearly the answer is just that this is the world Ringo wanted to play in, so guns were banned by authorial decree.
It's difficult to summon up a full head of outrage for the 'victims' in this story, since they were too dumb to protect themselves -- with government, armies, or even laws against murder, rape, or batshit insanity. People are observed doing illegal things from the beginning, but nothing is done when it's still possible. They drop the ball in an amazingly self-destructive way.
Another problem is that the population size is all wrong. At the beginning, there are a billion people living on Earth. They rapidly drop down to scattered villages, but nobody comments on the **colossal** loss of life implied -- it feels like much more than half of humanity dies suddenly and silently. Partially this is also the writer's style -- there just aren't that many characters or settings, for a story that covers a whole planet.
Somehow, there's only a single survivalist on Earth. There's only one other person with the foresight to plan for a rainy day (on the opposite side, of course). No independent space colonies, even though it would be easy with their technology.
Oddly, nobody fights the transformation much -- at the beginning, nobody's cooked (except for entertainment) for centuries, but by the midpoint women are routinely cooking so men can do guy stuff. They don't have to learn how, or complain of sexism, or anything like that. I don't see it.
I like the concept: 45th century society abruptly regresses from "We are as gods, and might as well get good at it", but for some silly reason they all regress to vaguely medieval technology -- lots of reenactors and muscle-powered recreational fighters, but apparently there wasn't a single gun nut or firearms marksman, or even just explosives collector, in the world. Even the man who's prepared (especially militarily) for everything. More than halfway through the book, one character asks about explosions, and another explains that after an assault explosions were outlawed -- a feeble excuse, when clearly the answer is just that this is the world Ringo wanted to play in, so guns were banned by authorial decree.
It's difficult to summon up a full head of outrage for the 'victims' in this story, since they were too dumb to protect themselves -- with government, armies, or even laws against murder, rape, or batshit insanity. People are observed doing illegal things from the beginning, but nothing is done when it's still possible. They drop the ball in an amazingly self-destructive way.
Another problem is that the population size is all wrong. At the beginning, there are a billion people living on Earth. They rapidly drop down to scattered villages, but nobody comments on the **colossal** loss of life implied -- it feels like much more than half of humanity dies suddenly and silently. Partially this is also the writer's style -- there just aren't that many characters or settings, for a story that covers a whole planet.
Somehow, there's only a single survivalist on Earth. There's only one other person with the foresight to plan for a rainy day (on the opposite side, of course). No independent space colonies, even though it would be easy with their technology.
Oddly, nobody fights the transformation much -- at the beginning, nobody's cooked (except for entertainment) for centuries, but by the midpoint women are routinely cooking so men can do guy stuff. They don't have to learn how, or complain of sexism, or anything like that. I don't see it.
Read
July 19, 2013OMIGAWD this is the worst, most disturbing book I've tried to read in years. Maybe decades, and I've barely lived three of those. I loved the idea for the book, and was prepared to even suspend disbelief for the mega stupid things that you just have to accept--like it's supposed to be 2,000 years and more into the future... and people still talk about disco.
What. The. Fuzz.
I tried. I kept my mouth shut. And THEN it went crazy on me. Ringo shows rapes and near rapes of women he carefully mentions look preteen, or the only strong female character in the book. Every page after that is full of creepy misogyny (women are "programmed" to want kids, they all have periods at the same time and "become as fertile as cows," he even has a kid say "don't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die") and rape fantasies, and what's worse, he puts these revolting speeches in the mouths of sympathetic female characters. You know he expects you to agree, even when he has a woman assume that the guy she's sleeping with fantasizes about rape, domination and pedophilia (fergawdsakes)because he's "normal." The same woman counsels a gang-rape survivor that she will "orgasm when remembering" her rape and the way to heal is to "get back on the horse" --as in, onto someone's penis.
All men have these criminal desires and hope to ravish a terrified fourteen year old, Ringo writes.
All men? Or you, John Ringo? You sick motherfucker.
What. The. Fuzz.
I tried. I kept my mouth shut. And THEN it went crazy on me. Ringo shows rapes and near rapes of women he carefully mentions look preteen, or the only strong female character in the book. Every page after that is full of creepy misogyny (women are "programmed" to want kids, they all have periods at the same time and "become as fertile as cows," he even has a kid say "don't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die") and rape fantasies, and what's worse, he puts these revolting speeches in the mouths of sympathetic female characters. You know he expects you to agree, even when he has a woman assume that the guy she's sleeping with fantasizes about rape, domination and pedophilia (fergawdsakes)because he's "normal." The same woman counsels a gang-rape survivor that she will "orgasm when remembering" her rape and the way to heal is to "get back on the horse" --as in, onto someone's penis.
All men have these criminal desires and hope to ravish a terrified fourteen year old, Ringo writes.
All men? Or you, John Ringo? You sick motherfucker.
June 5, 2022
TW: rape, gang rape, pedophilia
What an awful book. I'm convinced John Ringo has never met a human woman. Take this passage of a mother, a doctor, describing her 16-year-old daughter's body:
"Daneh considered her daughter’s body for a moment. In previous societies it would have been considered very near perfection. Like her mother, Rachel had high, firm breasts that were the size of a doubled fist, and rounded, muscular buttocks. Her stomach was as flat as a board and her hips jutted out from a thin waist in an almost perfect hourglass shape."
The book is set in the far future, by the way. It contains:
-a discussion about how women are all biologically better at child-rearing than men
-several descriptions of "high, firm breasts"
-a character who fantasizes about raping preteens
-a homonculus programmed to A) look like a preteen and B) fear sex, just to make it more "interesting"
-a gang rape
-a 16-year-old boy who is healed from a debilitating disease but then through virtual "training" becomes an expert at archery, sword fighting, weight lifting, etc., and has women falling all over him
-this 16-year-old boy is offered the sex-fearing preteen homonculus but turns it down because he's some paragon of virtue, apparently
-50+ pages about military training
-discussion of a new government, where only those who are armed are allowed to vote
-a sudden loss of technology, with women being the only ones who cook and sew
-a several page discussion on how menstruation, previously "cured" by technology, is a curse and will render most of the women immobile for days
-the gang rape survivor being told to "get back on the horse"
-the gang rape survivor feeling guilt because she used to have rape fantasies
-the gang rape survivor getting pregnant and offered abortion, but deciding to keep the baby because it is a "gift" to their new society
-a line lifted directly from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, plus several pages of Python-inspired taunting
Sexist, misogynistic, poorly developed, a self-insert if ever I saw one, and the author doesn't even know how to use commas correctly, probably due to too much time jacking off to the second amendment.
And there were no dragons until page 705.
What an awful book. I'm convinced John Ringo has never met a human woman. Take this passage of a mother, a doctor, describing her 16-year-old daughter's body:
"Daneh considered her daughter’s body for a moment. In previous societies it would have been considered very near perfection. Like her mother, Rachel had high, firm breasts that were the size of a doubled fist, and rounded, muscular buttocks. Her stomach was as flat as a board and her hips jutted out from a thin waist in an almost perfect hourglass shape."
The book is set in the far future, by the way. It contains:
-a discussion about how women are all biologically better at child-rearing than men
-several descriptions of "high, firm breasts"
-a character who fantasizes about raping preteens
-a homonculus programmed to A) look like a preteen and B) fear sex, just to make it more "interesting"
-a gang rape
-a 16-year-old boy who is healed from a debilitating disease but then through virtual "training" becomes an expert at archery, sword fighting, weight lifting, etc., and has women falling all over him
-this 16-year-old boy is offered the sex-fearing preteen homonculus but turns it down because he's some paragon of virtue, apparently
-50+ pages about military training
-discussion of a new government, where only those who are armed are allowed to vote
-a sudden loss of technology, with women being the only ones who cook and sew
-a several page discussion on how menstruation, previously "cured" by technology, is a curse and will render most of the women immobile for days
-the gang rape survivor being told to "get back on the horse"
-the gang rape survivor feeling guilt because she used to have rape fantasies
-the gang rape survivor getting pregnant and offered abortion, but deciding to keep the baby because it is a "gift" to their new society
-a line lifted directly from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, plus several pages of Python-inspired taunting
Sexist, misogynistic, poorly developed, a self-insert if ever I saw one, and the author doesn't even know how to use commas correctly, probably due to too much time jacking off to the second amendment.
And there were no dragons until page 705.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2023
In Dragons, John Ringo tried to have it both ways: super-hi (nano) tech PLUS SCA swords and plowshares! In the far future, a perfect (but dull and rotten) utopia is abruptly brought down by drooling fascist Dr Eeevil villains. BUT, the Good Guys are fighting back! Some know how to swing a sword, and/or shoot an arrow! AND, a few have God-like Powers! But, so do the Eevil Overlords!
Can the Good Guys beat the Bad Guys? Will the Future Schmuck-Nazis get their comeuppance? Tune in again, for Dragons #2, 3, ...n.
Sigh. It's not THAT bad of a book (although it's pretty bad), but if there was a fresh idea here, I missed it. I did finish the book. Caveat lector.
--from a circa 2003 post to rec.arts.sf.written
Can the Good Guys beat the Bad Guys? Will the Future Schmuck-Nazis get their comeuppance? Tune in again, for Dragons #2, 3, ...n.
Sigh. It's not THAT bad of a book (although it's pretty bad), but if there was a fresh idea here, I missed it. I did finish the book. Caveat lector.
--from a circa 2003 post to rec.arts.sf.written
September 30, 2013
Ok.
It had a good premise! I find post-apocalyptic fantasy to always been a bit interesting.
There are so many problems with the way Mr. Ringo took his story.
1) While there are some people who to be expected, don't very much like the fact that they have to work and expend themselves to survive, I feel it's treated fairly lightly. I find it hard that a mass of people who for many Generations have had no reason to do anything except what they wanted to, to roll over so easily. Yes, there would be some that fall in quickly, but honestly, humans are so selfish I find it hard to believe it would be an easy transition.
2) Rape can be used in a story. Rape can be used to forward the story in a good way. It was used in a not good way here. I mean really, the fact that the victim who was raped to have secretly had fantasies in the past about being raped? Was that necessary at all? And the poor kid that couldn't save her, for him to have rape fantasies and then all the bullshit guilt that comes with it? I understand that perhaps the author wanted to bring him down a notch or two since he's basically a superhero in every other way (Mary Sue btw), but it could have been done in a much better way than this. Give him another fault besides fantasizing about rape. This really just led me to the conclusion that the author himself has rape fantasies.
2.a) And honestly, for a society were gender imbalance had been completely abolished previously, the EASE with women immediately fall into a submissive roll is ridiculous to me. And also that RAPE immediately happens once society falls apart. I believe that yes in time, it would occur, but right at the beginning when every man has had every need fulfilled immediately, I find it hard to believe that rape is the first thing they spring to. You'd think they'd be more worried about food and water and what the fuck is happening to their world. I'm not talking about the first rape, the one we are privy to, but when it was reported to the Queen lady (forgot her name) she responds that there have been several instances of it everywhere. I mean yeah, Dionys was bad stuff, and raping the homunculi so it's an easy transition, but hundreds of women within the first few weeks of the fall?
3) Elf Woman Warrior in a pointless outfit that does nothing to protect her from battle. The author even has her speak on it, saying she's killed men who were too busy staring at her tits. *rolls eyes so hard they fall out of head*
I have the entire series with me, and due to circumstances beyond my control don't have many other books to read for a few weeks, so I'll plow through the series to keep myself busy, but ugh. It will be done with much eye rolling.
It honestly reads as a teenage boys fantasy, with Herzer being the Mary sue character.
It had a good premise! I find post-apocalyptic fantasy to always been a bit interesting.
There are so many problems with the way Mr. Ringo took his story.
1) While there are some people who to be expected, don't very much like the fact that they have to work and expend themselves to survive, I feel it's treated fairly lightly. I find it hard that a mass of people who for many Generations have had no reason to do anything except what they wanted to, to roll over so easily. Yes, there would be some that fall in quickly, but honestly, humans are so selfish I find it hard to believe it would be an easy transition.
2) Rape can be used in a story. Rape can be used to forward the story in a good way. It was used in a not good way here. I mean really, the fact that the victim who was raped to have secretly had fantasies in the past about being raped? Was that necessary at all? And the poor kid that couldn't save her, for him to have rape fantasies and then all the bullshit guilt that comes with it? I understand that perhaps the author wanted to bring him down a notch or two since he's basically a superhero in every other way (Mary Sue btw), but it could have been done in a much better way than this. Give him another fault besides fantasizing about rape. This really just led me to the conclusion that the author himself has rape fantasies.
2.a) And honestly, for a society were gender imbalance had been completely abolished previously, the EASE with women immediately fall into a submissive roll is ridiculous to me. And also that RAPE immediately happens once society falls apart. I believe that yes in time, it would occur, but right at the beginning when every man has had every need fulfilled immediately, I find it hard to believe that rape is the first thing they spring to. You'd think they'd be more worried about food and water and what the fuck is happening to their world. I'm not talking about the first rape, the one we are privy to, but when it was reported to the Queen lady (forgot her name) she responds that there have been several instances of it everywhere. I mean yeah, Dionys was bad stuff, and raping the homunculi so it's an easy transition, but hundreds of women within the first few weeks of the fall?
3) Elf Woman Warrior in a pointless outfit that does nothing to protect her from battle. The author even has her speak on it, saying she's killed men who were too busy staring at her tits. *rolls eyes so hard they fall out of head*
I have the entire series with me, and due to circumstances beyond my control don't have many other books to read for a few weeks, so I'll plow through the series to keep myself busy, but ugh. It will be done with much eye rolling.
It honestly reads as a teenage boys fantasy, with Herzer being the Mary sue character.
February 15, 2009
Oh RETCH! This is terrible. Author never bothered to think through implications of his technology*, nor to research supposed basic "problem" in the real world**. Book is seriously degrading to women and to top it all off, the author flung away his chance at redeeming himself with a satisfying ending in order to have a(nother) pointless battle between two Manly Men.
If you're a jingoistic 15 year old boy, comforted by seeing women abused and degraded, you'll love it. I'm not any of those things, and if it were possible to give it negative stars I would.
-----------------------------
*magical medical nannites can turn you into a unicorn (one character becomes a unicorn for her birthday), but they can't turn you into a man? What?? World Council-whatever is proposing to coerce women to have unwanted babies (not that they ever come right out and honestly own it, but that's what they're intending) and it doesn't occur to them that women will just become men until the whole thing blows over?
**world has only 1 billion people in it. O Horrorz humanz will die out!!!!11!. Except that 1 billion people is about 50,000 times as many as necessary to ensure survival of the species. (Rolls eyes) We had 1 billion people as recently as 1850 and nobody is seriously suggesting we were in danger of dying out *then*. I'm supposed to believe the World Council-whatever has magical medical nannites, but has lost the ancient secrets of Google or even garden-variety history books with which to figure this out?
If you're a jingoistic 15 year old boy, comforted by seeing women abused and degraded, you'll love it. I'm not any of those things, and if it were possible to give it negative stars I would.
-----------------------------
*magical medical nannites can turn you into a unicorn (one character becomes a unicorn for her birthday), but they can't turn you into a man? What?? World Council-whatever is proposing to coerce women to have unwanted babies (not that they ever come right out and honestly own it, but that's what they're intending) and it doesn't occur to them that women will just become men until the whole thing blows over?
**world has only 1 billion people in it. O Horrorz humanz will die out!!!!11!. Except that 1 billion people is about 50,000 times as many as necessary to ensure survival of the species. (Rolls eyes) We had 1 billion people as recently as 1850 and nobody is seriously suggesting we were in danger of dying out *then*. I'm supposed to believe the World Council-whatever has magical medical nannites, but has lost the ancient secrets of Google or even garden-variety history books with which to figure this out?
March 31, 2015
I really enjoyed this. The premise is excellent, a far-future world where nano-technology and unlimited power have created a utopia. Here, there can be dragons (initially created by Disney, but now available as a genetic change to anyone who wants it).
Until "The Fall", when a dispute the last handful of politicians needed to run this paradise leads to civil war. All the power is drained so the Key-Holders can wage a high-tech "wizard war", bombarding each other and mounting armies of genetically changed soldiers.
Society collapses overnight, and we are plunged into a gritty Fantasy world.
This first book is the best of the series, with engaging characters, mature content, and an off-beat sense of humour sorely lacking in most Fantasy.
Until "The Fall", when a dispute the last handful of politicians needed to run this paradise leads to civil war. All the power is drained so the Key-Holders can wage a high-tech "wizard war", bombarding each other and mounting armies of genetically changed soldiers.
Society collapses overnight, and we are plunged into a gritty Fantasy world.
This first book is the best of the series, with engaging characters, mature content, and an off-beat sense of humour sorely lacking in most Fantasy.
September 21, 2008
A wonderful romp in a science fiction / fantasy realm.
The entire premise of this book and it's series seems to stem from Clark's third law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
When an incredibly advanced earth is stripped of it's science then all that is left is magic to the survivors. It is this magic that they use to fight a war, to protect their homes and loved ones, and to try to reestablish the paradise lost.
In my humble opinion one of the best science fiction series to be written in a long time.
The entire premise of this book and it's series seems to stem from Clark's third law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
When an incredibly advanced earth is stripped of it's science then all that is left is magic to the survivors. It is this magic that they use to fight a war, to protect their homes and loved ones, and to try to reestablish the paradise lost.
In my humble opinion one of the best science fiction series to be written in a long time.
June 10, 2022
3,75 stars- English Ebook
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
July 30, 2013
I have read Ringo's stuff in anthologies so i figured it'd be sc-fi dragons. umm there were no dragons well ok, 1. and we didn't even get to talk with her. so the title is a big fat lie and the cover is also a big fat lie this is not a fantasy book.it's a sci-fi book with medieval tendencies.
I read the other reviews of the book and was very surprised by the claims of this book being hateful towards women.
There are a ton of books where women are not the main characters and are just stereotypes, the same can be said of men in chick-lit, children in adult books, adults in YA books, etc. This doesn't make the book hateful towards that group.
One person mentioned rape fantasies as being a reason..um have you read a romance novel...ever? i have read more than one historical and contemporary romance and erotica novels that had rape in it and the women still fell for the men. i actually stopped reading a very famous romance author (coulter) because of this. i thought the fact these women in Ringo's novel bounced back from the rapes so fast a bit unrealistic since they came from a society that had never heard of such things.
I think someone also disliked the little girl fantasies and the bondage fantasy which was such a small part of the book that i wonder at these folks for focusing so much on it. anyway, again they must be very sheltered if they have not heard of these fetishes /fantasies before reading this book.
a couple other people complained about the women and their periods. i thought it was a bit unrealistic that the women were not freaking out more. i hate, HATE, hate getting my period. i think it's disgusting and oh so uncomfortable and inconvenient. i don't see the misogyny there.
somebody else said it was misogynistic because the women were complaining about giving natural births instead of using uterine replicators. really? REALLY? all the women in my family have had difficult pregnancies and labors. the women on my mom's side have a hard time even getting pregnant. a uterine replicator would solve both problems. i am not saying it would be better but it's certainly not being hateful.
The book was ok.it was great but i will not be reading the sequels because it sounds like a long war and the main characters are cool but i prefer my military sci-fi to have women protagonists (Like Tanya Huff's Valor series and Weber's Harrington series).
i gotta say i don't get the negative reviews were misogyny was the main reason. the other negative reviews were users' personal taste and that's understandable.
I read the other reviews of the book and was very surprised by the claims of this book being hateful towards women.
There are a ton of books where women are not the main characters and are just stereotypes, the same can be said of men in chick-lit, children in adult books, adults in YA books, etc. This doesn't make the book hateful towards that group.
One person mentioned rape fantasies as being a reason..um have you read a romance novel...ever? i have read more than one historical and contemporary romance and erotica novels that had rape in it and the women still fell for the men. i actually stopped reading a very famous romance author (coulter) because of this. i thought the fact these women in Ringo's novel bounced back from the rapes so fast a bit unrealistic since they came from a society that had never heard of such things.
I think someone also disliked the little girl fantasies and the bondage fantasy which was such a small part of the book that i wonder at these folks for focusing so much on it. anyway, again they must be very sheltered if they have not heard of these fetishes /fantasies before reading this book.
a couple other people complained about the women and their periods. i thought it was a bit unrealistic that the women were not freaking out more. i hate, HATE, hate getting my period. i think it's disgusting and oh so uncomfortable and inconvenient. i don't see the misogyny there.
somebody else said it was misogynistic because the women were complaining about giving natural births instead of using uterine replicators. really? REALLY? all the women in my family have had difficult pregnancies and labors. the women on my mom's side have a hard time even getting pregnant. a uterine replicator would solve both problems. i am not saying it would be better but it's certainly not being hateful.
The book was ok.it was great but i will not be reading the sequels because it sounds like a long war and the main characters are cool but i prefer my military sci-fi to have women protagonists (Like Tanya Huff's Valor series and Weber's Harrington series).
i gotta say i don't get the negative reviews were misogyny was the main reason. the other negative reviews were users' personal taste and that's understandable.
August 19, 2013
It's always such a disappointment when a book with an interesting premise turns out to be a spectacular failure. There Will Be Dragons takes place in the far future, when war and decadence has dwindled the human race. People are lazy and spoiled, and they rely on technology to take care of everything, including medicine. So what happens when all of the world's technology fails? It sounds like a great story, but the execution of this book was disappointing.
The vast majority of the book is just words and words without any sense of plot. It's just chapter after chapter of explaining how to build a town from scratch. Yes, wood needs to be chopped and crops need to be planted, but this ends up being 70% of the book. Another 20% is just descriptions of military training. There are basically three chapters where the only focus is the fact that the women are going to have their periods (which were previously suppressed by technology), and we have to worry about how to tell the women and how they're going to handle it, without out ever once using the word "period". A significant part of the story has to do with the rape of a prominent character. Thankfully, the author didn't provide much of a description of that, but rape is mentioned over and over and over, and it's just not something I care to read about. In the final few pages, there is even implied unicorn rape. Seriously.
I feel like the plot of the story should be revolving around the Council, and how Sheida and the Free States plan to actually do anything about "winning the war" and restoring power and technology. There is a tiny bit about the Council in this book, but it's mostly politics and still no real plot.
This book is also full of cliches and cheesy dialogue, and Edmund Talbot is essentially just a vehicle for explaining the author's political views.
This story was a chore to read, and it was very rare for me to be able to sink into the story. It just seemed like a lot of words without any substance.
The vast majority of the book is just words and words without any sense of plot. It's just chapter after chapter of explaining how to build a town from scratch. Yes, wood needs to be chopped and crops need to be planted, but this ends up being 70% of the book. Another 20% is just descriptions of military training. There are basically three chapters where the only focus is the fact that the women are going to have their periods (which were previously suppressed by technology), and we have to worry about how to tell the women and how they're going to handle it, without out ever once using the word "period". A significant part of the story has to do with the rape of a prominent character. Thankfully, the author didn't provide much of a description of that, but rape is mentioned over and over and over, and it's just not something I care to read about. In the final few pages, there is even implied unicorn rape. Seriously.
I feel like the plot of the story should be revolving around the Council, and how Sheida and the Free States plan to actually do anything about "winning the war" and restoring power and technology. There is a tiny bit about the Council in this book, but it's mostly politics and still no real plot.
This book is also full of cliches and cheesy dialogue, and Edmund Talbot is essentially just a vehicle for explaining the author's political views.
This story was a chore to read, and it was very rare for me to be able to sink into the story. It just seemed like a lot of words without any substance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2014
I love this author and find his creations in this series to be a very unique combination of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I was drawn to the characters and constantly wanting to know what will happen next. Bast the elf is my favorite character. I highly disagree with many of the reviews and comments about abuse of women and holes in technological explanations many of which I think are addressed in the next 3 books. I also liked some of the quirky current time language and sayings he adds which I think is more to see if you will catch the references he puts in the book. I think some of the reviewers are far too critical and sensitive for this very fun and fast paced book series. If you love Science Fiction / Fantasy this is well worth the read. If you start you have to do the whole series and demand more from John.
July 20, 2012
I really wanted to like this book, but it quickly devolved into a weird soup of survivalist-porn with extremely ham-fisted political overtones and a narrative distaste for women. I don't mind a book with a message, even if it's one I disagree with, but I want it to be an invitation to ponder the subject using the story as case, even in my pulp novels (see Joseph Conrad or Sir ACD).
I'd say that maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but I got the same vibe from another other book by Ringo that I read, one set in a completely different universe. If the writer goes back to the same ideological well again and again it's not the characters, it's the author. That isn't bad in and of itself (a great many themes are worth digging at over and over), but the terribly blunt presentation of it detracted from the story in both cases. I think that's really my issue: the lack of sophistication with which the underlying ideology of the story is presented.
I did like the origin of the elves, though; and the general premise is great fun. Ringo writes engaging action sequences and enjoys world-building and it shows. It has enough entertaining ideas to make me want to pick up the next one, but then I remember how annoyed I was half the time I read it and I slap myself back to sanity.
I'd say that maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but I got the same vibe from another other book by Ringo that I read, one set in a completely different universe. If the writer goes back to the same ideological well again and again it's not the characters, it's the author. That isn't bad in and of itself (a great many themes are worth digging at over and over), but the terribly blunt presentation of it detracted from the story in both cases. I think that's really my issue: the lack of sophistication with which the underlying ideology of the story is presented.
I did like the origin of the elves, though; and the general premise is great fun. Ringo writes engaging action sequences and enjoys world-building and it shows. It has enough entertaining ideas to make me want to pick up the next one, but then I remember how annoyed I was half the time I read it and I slap myself back to sanity.
February 19, 2012
This book was surprisingly good. Set in a future complete with nanotechnology and AIs, it still manages to be mostly a fantasy yarn. Usually I consider a fantasy genre story fantasy only if it contains magic, otherwise it's an alternate history. Hence my disappointment with Game of Thrones...I don't like alternate histories. In this book, the place of magic is taken by the science of the future, and it works very well. I can't think of another book that does this.
My only previous contact with this author was the March Upcountry series which he wrote with David Weber, my favourite military sci-fi author. No wonder I liked those books so much. I can now see what John Ringo contributed.
By the way, I got this book free for my Kindle from the Baen Free Library list. I think this is great marketing by Baen because I'm happy to buy the rest in the series. Actually, book 2 is free too.
My only previous contact with this author was the March Upcountry series which he wrote with David Weber, my favourite military sci-fi author. No wonder I liked those books so much. I can now see what John Ringo contributed.
By the way, I got this book free for my Kindle from the Baen Free Library list. I think this is great marketing by Baen because I'm happy to buy the rest in the series. Actually, book 2 is free too.
March 13, 2009
Imagine a sci-fi story that suddenly creates a true fantasy world, with intelligent dragons, unicorns, orcs, elves and no gun powder. That's what happens in There will be dragons.
Now you've got a whole different kind of post apocalyptic story.
I enjoyed this books so much I read the whole series on my Kindle (available from Baen webscriptions for free BTW) in less than a week.
Now you've got a whole different kind of post apocalyptic story.
I enjoyed this books so much I read the whole series on my Kindle (available from Baen webscriptions for free BTW) in less than a week.
March 16, 2016
Is it a strange premise? Yes.
Does it trail off into the unrealistic? No.
Is it a fun read? Hell to the yes!
There Will Be Dragons like many of John Ringo's books is pretty out there kind of universe and premise. That said, it is damn interesting and gives you characters that you can dig your mental chops into and follow through one hell of a journey.
Does it trail off into the unrealistic? No.
Is it a fun read? Hell to the yes!
There Will Be Dragons like many of John Ringo's books is pretty out there kind of universe and premise. That said, it is damn interesting and gives you characters that you can dig your mental chops into and follow through one hell of a journey.
March 20, 2021
There is a huge dichotomy in the reviews. I picked this book because the ratings were high(ish). But, sadly my rating will be at the other end. I really did not like this book at all. I will not be reading any more in this series. If this had been the first John Ringo book that I had read, I would never read another one of his books. Luckily, that was not the case, as he has written some really memorable scifi.
July 20, 2016
A potentially interesting premise marred by didactic prose, tedious plotting, a horrible view of women (the cover here is unrelated tease), and libertarian politics, including a ham-handed 41st century ode to the second amendment. Thanks for the free e-book Baen, I now know better to ever read a Ringo book again.
September 21, 2015
Honestly, I think John Ringo has issues with women. 8| This came across as really sexist, even when I tried to ignore it? And the story, while it had an interesting premise, just...ended up being done badly.
January 17, 2016
Very good read and a very interesting scenario. Not a very deeply written book but it makes you think.
February 2, 2009
I love post apocalypse novels, and this was one of the better ones.
interrupted-or-dnf
July 9, 2020I downloaded this digital book free from Baen books. It’s not holding my attention, and I’m grossed out by some characters. Discontinue.
May 25, 2023
Jesus christ ZERO STARS
November 15, 2017
Part Science-Fiction, Part Fantasy. All Fun!
This was a decent, yet fun read. The story takes place in a techno-utopia that has stagnated and experience population decline. Due to this stagnation, one of the members of the council, Paul Bowman decides to try to bring back the concept of work. And while it may sound as if Paul may be on to something, let's be clear: Paul is way out of his depth. He hates that some humans have Changed themselves, incorporating animal characteristics or change their body shapes. It is also clear that he is clueless about history, childrearing, and leadership. Sherida, one of the other members of the council, ultimately opposes him. While she agrees that the issues he brings up do exist, she disagrees with his solutions and his interpretation. Sides form, and while Sherida and her faction blocks Paul at first, Paul plans. The next meeting, Paul plans a coup and attacks Sherida and her faction. This leads to fallout. The net falls, power becomes limited. And society reverts to a preindustrial, medieval age.
The story deals with society trying to rebuild and reestablish itself mainly through the lens of several characters: Edmund Talbot, a reenactor and blacksmith; his ex-wife Daneh, a doctor, sister to Sherida; their daughter, Rachel; and Hezer Herrick, a teen who was under the charge of Daneh and cured of his ailment just before the fall. The development of these characters is pretty good, albeit predictable if you are familiar with fantasy conventions. All of the characters are likeable and one does find them sympathetic as to what they are going through.
I did have some issues with the formatting and pace at times. Sometimes, the chapter would focus on Edmund doing something, say talking to Sherida and advising her, and it would jump to Daneh and Rachel. And while normally there are symbols signaling a cut from one perspective to another, these parts did not have cuts and thus came off as being somewhat unnecessary and hastily edited in. I also felt that it did seem to drag at parts. Some of the diction could also use a bit of work.
I did like the themes within the story. I also like that, in spite of Paul having a fair point, how comically evil his faction is. I do not think Paul realize exactly what he has done until the end by allying himself with people like Celine and the daemon. And is somewhat oblivious to his own faults, making the times that we do see his faction somewhat hillarious. Although you do feel...a smidge of sympathy for him.
This was a decent, yet fun read. The story takes place in a techno-utopia that has stagnated and experience population decline. Due to this stagnation, one of the members of the council, Paul Bowman decides to try to bring back the concept of work. And while it may sound as if Paul may be on to something, let's be clear: Paul is way out of his depth. He hates that some humans have Changed themselves, incorporating animal characteristics or change their body shapes. It is also clear that he is clueless about history, childrearing, and leadership. Sherida, one of the other members of the council, ultimately opposes him. While she agrees that the issues he brings up do exist, she disagrees with his solutions and his interpretation. Sides form, and while Sherida and her faction blocks Paul at first, Paul plans. The next meeting, Paul plans a coup and attacks Sherida and her faction. This leads to fallout. The net falls, power becomes limited. And society reverts to a preindustrial, medieval age.
The story deals with society trying to rebuild and reestablish itself mainly through the lens of several characters: Edmund Talbot, a reenactor and blacksmith; his ex-wife Daneh, a doctor, sister to Sherida; their daughter, Rachel; and Hezer Herrick, a teen who was under the charge of Daneh and cured of his ailment just before the fall. The development of these characters is pretty good, albeit predictable if you are familiar with fantasy conventions. All of the characters are likeable and one does find them sympathetic as to what they are going through.
I did have some issues with the formatting and pace at times. Sometimes, the chapter would focus on Edmund doing something, say talking to Sherida and advising her, and it would jump to Daneh and Rachel. And while normally there are symbols signaling a cut from one perspective to another, these parts did not have cuts and thus came off as being somewhat unnecessary and hastily edited in. I also felt that it did seem to drag at parts. Some of the diction could also use a bit of work.
I did like the themes within the story. I also like that, in spite of Paul having a fair point, how comically evil his faction is. I do not think Paul realize exactly what he has done until the end by allying himself with people like Celine and the daemon. And is somewhat oblivious to his own faults, making the times that we do see his faction somewhat hillarious. Although you do feel...a smidge of sympathy for him.
May 16, 2020
This was another random book sale find that is absolutely amazing. This genre-bender has it all, from sci-fi to fantasy, a little horror in the line of The Island of Dr. Moreau, satire, and lots of lots of textbooks disguised as novel exposition. I could use this as a textbook for a college level class if I were teaching: history, military history, economics, psychology, biology, bioethics, and...probably more that I can’t think of right now.
Ecology!
Anyway, the fact that there can be long discourses about the long-term economic viability of peonage/serfdom systems versus freeholder systems, and hashing out of different representation styles in a new constitution, and it can be a deeply interesting part of the plot, is a testament to true writing talent. I didn’t feel like there was a pause button on the action for the main characters to be talking heads for a couple of chapters before going back to the story. The relative benefits and drawbacks of having a hereditary aristocracy as opposed to direct representation, or a hybrid of the two, had real, immediate consequences for those in the story. So did the debate between cross bows and long bows for the archers. This was detailed, cerebral fantasy, that also had a smartass elf and a chaotic demon bunny.
Loved the characters, loved the dialogue, loved the truly unique elements of the plot. Highly recommended, and I’ll be using my quarantine-inspired Amazon Prime subscription to order the next book immediately.
Ecology!
Anyway, the fact that there can be long discourses about the long-term economic viability of peonage/serfdom systems versus freeholder systems, and hashing out of different representation styles in a new constitution, and it can be a deeply interesting part of the plot, is a testament to true writing talent. I didn’t feel like there was a pause button on the action for the main characters to be talking heads for a couple of chapters before going back to the story. The relative benefits and drawbacks of having a hereditary aristocracy as opposed to direct representation, or a hybrid of the two, had real, immediate consequences for those in the story. So did the debate between cross bows and long bows for the archers. This was detailed, cerebral fantasy, that also had a smartass elf and a chaotic demon bunny.
Loved the characters, loved the dialogue, loved the truly unique elements of the plot. Highly recommended, and I’ll be using my quarantine-inspired Amazon Prime subscription to order the next book immediately.
March 7, 2023
Books like this: Spellmonger, Prince Roger, The Traitor Son Cycle
TLDR: A tale of the collapse of utopia, rebuilding society, and fighting against the baser aspects of humanity. Smart, gripping, and brutally honest.
More reviews at: https://www.fsfreviews.com/
There Will Be Dragons is the opening novel set on a near-utopian future Earth that suddenly and violently has the basic needs of humanity thrust back upon it. All of mankind effectively live a life of leisure, with poverty, hunger, and almost all crime mere myths of the past due to the abundance of materials that can be replicated, the ability of any person to teleport anywhere whenever they wish, and nanites able to heal people in an instant or even change them into whatever form they so please. However, the lack of any sort of pressure on humanity has led to a stagnation in innovation and a collapse in population numbers as people simply don’t want the burden of raising children. To solve this, half of the last vestige of government—the Council—decide that drastic and draconian changes must be enforced upon the population in order to save the species, and the ensuing civil war between the Council cuts off access to power for effectively the entire world’s populations. Nanites made everything, and without power, the nanites no longer function, throwing the world into chaos.
So that’s the premise, and it’s a doozy. There are several key aspects about this universe that Ringo has crafted that enable a truly awesome story to be crafted. Firstly, there is no global industry of any kind and the only people who have any idea about cultivation, manufacturing, or any of the jobs that provide 99% of the things required for humans to survive are historical reenactors, ranging from medieval farming enthusiasts to roman history buffs who spend their days living the life of a legionnaire just because it’s something fun to do. The vast majority of humanity have zero applicable skills. Even the doctors relied entirely on nanites, and even then, the term ‘doctor’ applies more to their ability to help people sculpt their bodies into anything from dragons to unicorns. This book truly brings home the old adage that civilised society only lasts for as long as the lights are on. As soon as things start to collapse, we are treated to a sleugh of all the worst aspects of humanity, and I mean the very worst. One thing that I have to say about this book is the incredibly commendable job it does at portraying the struggles of rape survivors. It tackles a subject which is often completely overlooked or ignored by similar such novels due to how uneasy it can make readers feel, but here Ringo not only addresses it but has clearly put significant time and effort into researching the harrowing effects that rape can have and the best ways that people have developed to overcome them. It’s a powerful message, and I genuinely learnt a lot.
So for the story itself. This book is, at its core, about how to rebuild a society, with the narrative populated by some wonderful characters. This isn’t just a group of survivors banding together to fight off mobs of immoral wretches who have turned to banditry and murder when their paradise collapsed. We get to watch a society develop from the ground up, with the reasons for and implications of each major decision hashed out before our very eyes. I am a huge nerd when it comes to history, and not just all the flashy battles. I personally love all the minutia that go into how a civilisation developed the way it did and how different peoples dealt with different challenges. That is what this book is at its core, and the fact that the characters within are also very well written is just a nice big dollop of icing on the cake. Of course, with it being a Ringo novel, we also get the same level of detail in the establishment of the new military that our nascent society must fashion in order to keep the monsters from the gates, and of course I lapped that up as well. One of the most interesting and novel plot points is that the omniscient and absolutely neutral super-computer that keeps the world’s natural processes in check also prevents explosions and the build-up of extreme pressures from occurring anywhere on the surface of the planet. The result of this is that there can be no firearm, no internal combustion engines, and effectively no mass industrialisation. This is a genius idea that, if I’m being honest, definitely needed to be explained in more detail earlier in the story. It’s kind of essential to the whole premiss of the book but wasn’t actually explained in any detail until over halfway through. Regardless, this one rule enforces some amazing constraints for the burgeoning societies that allow for some awesome historical mash-ups in entirely lore-friendly manners.
Start to finish, the level of detail within the book is balanced perfectly with the rate of pacing. At no time was I ever bored. I was always left wanting to know a little bit more about each new feature that was developing, and by the time it got explained I was already eager for the next titbit that was being shown to me. All in all, this book was a joy to listen to. Did it match the utterly amazing hights that some of Ringo’s other novels have risen to in my humble opinion? In short, no, but the man has written two of my all-time favourite series so is a victim of his own success on that front. However, There Will Be Dragons still more than earnt its place as a brilliant novel with a huge amount of potential, which to me tends to be the default for the high calibre of Ringo’s writing.
As for narration, I don’t think that I’ve come across any of Tim Fannon’s work before, but the man was able to hit a wide range of not just human voices but also the plethora of creatures that humanity had turned itself into. It was a solid performance worthy of the high quality of the prose.
Personal rating: 4.5 stars
Professional rating: 4.5 stars
Like the way I write a review? Then you might like the way I write a novel.
Link to my author page here: https://www.fsfreviews.com/book-1-the...
Link to buy my debut novel on Kindle here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sages-Lot-Bl...
TLDR: A tale of the collapse of utopia, rebuilding society, and fighting against the baser aspects of humanity. Smart, gripping, and brutally honest.
More reviews at: https://www.fsfreviews.com/
There Will Be Dragons is the opening novel set on a near-utopian future Earth that suddenly and violently has the basic needs of humanity thrust back upon it. All of mankind effectively live a life of leisure, with poverty, hunger, and almost all crime mere myths of the past due to the abundance of materials that can be replicated, the ability of any person to teleport anywhere whenever they wish, and nanites able to heal people in an instant or even change them into whatever form they so please. However, the lack of any sort of pressure on humanity has led to a stagnation in innovation and a collapse in population numbers as people simply don’t want the burden of raising children. To solve this, half of the last vestige of government—the Council—decide that drastic and draconian changes must be enforced upon the population in order to save the species, and the ensuing civil war between the Council cuts off access to power for effectively the entire world’s populations. Nanites made everything, and without power, the nanites no longer function, throwing the world into chaos.
So that’s the premise, and it’s a doozy. There are several key aspects about this universe that Ringo has crafted that enable a truly awesome story to be crafted. Firstly, there is no global industry of any kind and the only people who have any idea about cultivation, manufacturing, or any of the jobs that provide 99% of the things required for humans to survive are historical reenactors, ranging from medieval farming enthusiasts to roman history buffs who spend their days living the life of a legionnaire just because it’s something fun to do. The vast majority of humanity have zero applicable skills. Even the doctors relied entirely on nanites, and even then, the term ‘doctor’ applies more to their ability to help people sculpt their bodies into anything from dragons to unicorns. This book truly brings home the old adage that civilised society only lasts for as long as the lights are on. As soon as things start to collapse, we are treated to a sleugh of all the worst aspects of humanity, and I mean the very worst. One thing that I have to say about this book is the incredibly commendable job it does at portraying the struggles of rape survivors. It tackles a subject which is often completely overlooked or ignored by similar such novels due to how uneasy it can make readers feel, but here Ringo not only addresses it but has clearly put significant time and effort into researching the harrowing effects that rape can have and the best ways that people have developed to overcome them. It’s a powerful message, and I genuinely learnt a lot.
So for the story itself. This book is, at its core, about how to rebuild a society, with the narrative populated by some wonderful characters. This isn’t just a group of survivors banding together to fight off mobs of immoral wretches who have turned to banditry and murder when their paradise collapsed. We get to watch a society develop from the ground up, with the reasons for and implications of each major decision hashed out before our very eyes. I am a huge nerd when it comes to history, and not just all the flashy battles. I personally love all the minutia that go into how a civilisation developed the way it did and how different peoples dealt with different challenges. That is what this book is at its core, and the fact that the characters within are also very well written is just a nice big dollop of icing on the cake. Of course, with it being a Ringo novel, we also get the same level of detail in the establishment of the new military that our nascent society must fashion in order to keep the monsters from the gates, and of course I lapped that up as well. One of the most interesting and novel plot points is that the omniscient and absolutely neutral super-computer that keeps the world’s natural processes in check also prevents explosions and the build-up of extreme pressures from occurring anywhere on the surface of the planet. The result of this is that there can be no firearm, no internal combustion engines, and effectively no mass industrialisation. This is a genius idea that, if I’m being honest, definitely needed to be explained in more detail earlier in the story. It’s kind of essential to the whole premiss of the book but wasn’t actually explained in any detail until over halfway through. Regardless, this one rule enforces some amazing constraints for the burgeoning societies that allow for some awesome historical mash-ups in entirely lore-friendly manners.
Start to finish, the level of detail within the book is balanced perfectly with the rate of pacing. At no time was I ever bored. I was always left wanting to know a little bit more about each new feature that was developing, and by the time it got explained I was already eager for the next titbit that was being shown to me. All in all, this book was a joy to listen to. Did it match the utterly amazing hights that some of Ringo’s other novels have risen to in my humble opinion? In short, no, but the man has written two of my all-time favourite series so is a victim of his own success on that front. However, There Will Be Dragons still more than earnt its place as a brilliant novel with a huge amount of potential, which to me tends to be the default for the high calibre of Ringo’s writing.
As for narration, I don’t think that I’ve come across any of Tim Fannon’s work before, but the man was able to hit a wide range of not just human voices but also the plethora of creatures that humanity had turned itself into. It was a solid performance worthy of the high quality of the prose.
Personal rating: 4.5 stars
Professional rating: 4.5 stars
Like the way I write a review? Then you might like the way I write a novel.
Link to my author page here: https://www.fsfreviews.com/book-1-the...
Link to buy my debut novel on Kindle here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sages-Lot-Bl...
November 11, 2014
I actually rage quit this book. That's the best way to describe it.
Pros: the pages in this edition felt nice!
Cons:
-as soon as the tech fails, every dude just...rapes the women. Just like that.
-a woman got gang raped, and then talked about her trauma a little but the actual response was "oh you had rape fantasies before that right? Get back on a dick and you'll feel better"
-the Mary Sue main character mentions he has fantasies of raping teenagers but since he doesn't actually do it, hey it's okay! It's natural!
-they go on for several pages about periods. Not even kidding. Someone even says "I don't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die". This book is set in the DISTANT FUTURE, not high school!!
Rampant gross misogyny aside? (Seriously does this author have huge problems w women?) it was really boring. Pages of lectures on logging and farming and some politics. I rage quit halfway through and STILL no dragons.
NOPE.
Pros: the pages in this edition felt nice!
Cons:
-as soon as the tech fails, every dude just...rapes the women. Just like that.
-a woman got gang raped, and then talked about her trauma a little but the actual response was "oh you had rape fantasies before that right? Get back on a dick and you'll feel better"
-the Mary Sue main character mentions he has fantasies of raping teenagers but since he doesn't actually do it, hey it's okay! It's natural!
-they go on for several pages about periods. Not even kidding. Someone even says "I don't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die". This book is set in the DISTANT FUTURE, not high school!!
Rampant gross misogyny aside? (Seriously does this author have huge problems w women?) it was really boring. Pages of lectures on logging and farming and some politics. I rage quit halfway through and STILL no dragons.
NOPE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2007
"In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise — and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive. "
Historical re-enactors and Society of Creative Anachronism types are best suited for survival & start to rebuild society.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, as the Fall doesn't happen until about a fifth of the way into the book.. but the world-building up to that point is probably necessary to explain how serious the Fall is. The nuts & bolts of the story was interesting to read, and the main characters were well-written. Recommended as a freebie/library read at least.
Historical re-enactors and Society of Creative Anachronism types are best suited for survival & start to rebuild society.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, as the Fall doesn't happen until about a fifth of the way into the book.. but the world-building up to that point is probably necessary to explain how serious the Fall is. The nuts & bolts of the story was interesting to read, and the main characters were well-written. Recommended as a freebie/library read at least.
June 7, 2020
I pulled my hardcover copy off the shelf to re-read for the third time. The first of four novels, all linked, it discusses our ability to take what is essentially Utopia and destroy it, in essence, Humanity's second Fall From Grace. With no poverty, no famine, no war and very little crime for the past millenium, people have being lives of leisure and pleasure, watched over by a seemingly benign council of 13. One member is unhappy with the fact the race is down to a mere billion individuals with little incentive to push the boundaries of science and technology. He will act on this and begin a series of actions with no understanding of what he's begun.
Ringo's prose is superb, as usual. You never want to stop reading.
Ringo's prose is superb, as usual. You never want to stop reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews