L'Âge du feu - Tomes 5 & 6 La Domination du dragon Le Destin du dragon

Age of Fire #5

by E.E. Knight

Wistala, la sœur du dragon cuivré empereur du monde d'En-Haut, a longtemps pensé qu'hommes et dragons étaient égaux. Elle est désormais à la tête des Sœurs du Feu, de féroces guerrières chargées de protéger les hominidés d'Hypate. Elle s'oppose ainsi à ses deux frères : AuRon et RuGaard le cuivré, tous deux n'ayant que faire du monde des humains. L'un ne cherche qu'à les fuir pour mettre sa famille à l'abri, l'autre à les dominer. Mais l'Empire est déchiré par la guerre, la cupidité et les trahisons, et Wistala devra bientôt choisir son camp...

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

718 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

Reviews

[Anomaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda Disappointing & Desperately Needs An Editor

First things first: this novel either desperately needed an editor or had an editor who desperately needs to find a job far away from literature. It reads like a first draft at best, containing everything from minor typos to major errors and even one instance of a random "00" in the middle of a sentence. Rare is a moment where you can go more than five or so pages without encountering several errors. Misuse of homonyms, repeated or missing words, character names being mixed up, events happening out of order... You name an editing mistake, and this book has at least one instance of it (usually far more). Much like trying to wade through a poorly written fanfiction which had no beta reader, the experience is therefore exhausting and confusing at times. But unlike a poorly written, non-beta-read fanfiction, this novel costs actual money and made it through a well-known publishing company in the current state. Kinda makes me mad, considering how many amazing authors are out there, unable to get lucky enough to be published despite taking all the time and effort to make sure there aren't random numerals and mismatched character names littering their manuscripts.

But I digress. Desperate need of an editor aside, this novel was still rather disappointing... just nowhere near as much so as its predecessor, Dragon Strike. I found that I actually quite enjoyed the story, rather than actively disliking it as I did the previous novel, but it certainly was not without flaws I'd feel wrong for not discussing.

One issue I've had throughout the entire Age of Fire series has been the author's handling of female characters. Small things like the female dragons only having one possible scale colour while males have a large variety can be overlooked as inspired by animals in nature, I suppose, as can the general edge of sexism in how dragon and hominid societies treat their females. It's bothersome every time it's mentioned, but I find myself able to look past it. Things like the female sibling having worse luck than the males, the female dragons all being based upon toxic stereotypes and treating each other like catty, conniving Mean Girls, etc... Well, that's harder to keep ignoring, especially when it's as prevalent as it is within Dragon Rule.

In this particular instalment, the poor characterization of female characters is amped to eleven and becomes impossible to overlook. For no reason other than shock value, we get told that the daughter of a once-important human woman (from previous instalments) was forcibly sold into sexual slavery at age eleven (yes, really!!) but that her parents, who are supposed to be good guys in this equation, don't see fit to track her down because "at least she was made a bride and not a concubine" and blah, blah, how it would look on them as rulers of a kingdom to go off chasing after a(n extremely young) girl who was sold as a bride. (Bonus points: she was sold to a man from an eastern land who wore a turban. Mm, casual racism. This also pops up in the band of thieves and fortune tellers who wear fancy clothes and lots of jewelry. Gee, I wonder which groups of marginalized people are being stereotyped and used as villains/aesthetics, here...) The whole "male dragons are aroused by the scent of female women" thing also features several times in this novel, once again breaking my brain because it makes literally no sense that a male from an egg-laying species would be attracted to the scent of a female mammal. We don't see them being turned on by goats, cows, etc. which are other mammals dragons consume, only humans.

Then, of course, there are the personalities - and I use that term loosely - of the female dragon characters, and the ways they're treated. I'm going to use an example here that I don't feel is particularly "spoilery" enough to be a bother to someone who doesn't want spoilers. Namely, I was frustrated with how AuRon, a character I quite liked from the previous books, was turned into what amounts to the dragon world equivalent of a chauvinistic pig. He spends way too much time internally - and occasionally externally - remarking on female dragons and whether they suit his personal preferences, despite being mated already. At least if he were an eligible bachelor, it could be seen as assessing who he wants to ask to be his mate. But no, mister Already Mated AuRon spends far too much time being disgusted at one female dragon in particular for how much she paints her scales and the fact she "reduces mating to an experience" - aka, the way she has casual sex instead of only sticking with one partner. She's not without her flaws, though. You see, this shaming and appearance judging gets "justified" later when it's revealed that she's actually trying to seduce him repeatedly, ignoring that he's dedicated to his mate and that she has a mate of her own as well. Then she does a bunch of horrible stuff that basically forces the reader to hate her, so yeah. Lovely.

There's also a character who swears herself to abstinence then falls in love anyway, because... of course there is. And the myriad of dragonelles whose entire personalities can be summed up as "the plastics from Mean Girls." Conniving, disloyal, lying, evil, etc. Don't get me wrong: I don't mind some conniving females (or women; but in this context they're not humans so the term doesn't fit) in stories. It's just gross and exhausting and lowkey offensive when there's a mix of loyal and disloyal males but every single dragonelle has a hidden agenda of her own. Even Wistala makes some highly questionable decisions and has confusing motives, and she's one of the protagonists!

Also, a dragonelle is coerced into mating to produce eggs with a male she doesn't like or want to mate with, just to buy safety for herself and her allies. The narrative covers her thoughts, and paints an absolutely stunningly immersive picture of the shame, disgust, and sadness she feels over the situation. I wish it had been covered more in-depth - her emotions and the turmoil over making the choice, I mean, not the actual scenario - and hadn't been thwarted by a silly last-minute twist, because it was honestly among my favourite emotionally impacting moments in the Age of Fire series. These books need more situations where the emotion is palpable and the stakes are very high and the events keep a reader invested in knowing what happens next, so I always appreciate the rare few gems where things align well. But with it being turned into just another "almost but not really" situation in a piece of fiction where a female character's potential defilement is explored then abandoned, it felt kind of like a cop out and like the situation as a whole only even existed for the sake of dramatic tension. That's annoying!

I also have to question the high level of sexual assault, abuse, slavery, women dancing lewdly for the amusement of dragons (including one scene where scantily clad ladies rub oil on each other), and other such things in a book series which allegedly is aimed at younger readers. The Age of Fire novels are intended to be better suited for younger readers (YA, I believe?) than the Vampire Earth series, according to some promo materials I stumbled upon, but if that's the case then I hesitate to ask what kind of content awaits in those. What's so bad in those books that it makes this stuff seem tame in comparison...? I'm torn, because I wouldn't want to hand this series to a young teen, but I know I'd have enjoyed reading it and not thought much about the questionable aspects if I'd read the books while in that age range. Perhaps I'm just getting too old and seeing things through the wrong lens...?

That said, I'm still mildly disappointed. I usually thrive on character-driven fiction and a lot more time was spent exploring characters than dealing with densely-written battles, but it didn't work as well for me as I'd have hoped. I don't quite understand why, because it did feel like the author's writing wasn't quite so dry in this book as the others. Things happened far more often, interactions were more meaningful... But it just didn't fall together into the experience I'd wanted. I still enjoyed it far more than the previous instalment and I still think I liked it in general, despite its flaws, but I wanted and expected so much more once I realized that more time would be spent with character development.

Unfortunately, I kind of hate "political intrigue" and the conniving plots which come along with it. Most of the time, those things just infuriate or annoy me, and Dragon Rule is certainly heavy on the exhausting political plotting - some of which didn't even make sense - with very little interesting substance to make me care about the political ramifications of characters' choices. Rare was the character development that wasn't framed with or altered by whatever nonsense was going on in the Lavadome at the time. The parts I actually enjoyed were often over too quickly or used as catalysts for frustrating twists and turns.

For example: a huge deal is made of accusations that Nilrasha actually killed Hallaflora back in a previous instalment. There's set to be a first-of-its-kind trial in the Lavadome to determine whether she's guilty or innocent... And in maybe four pages max, it's rushed through, over, and done. I won't say the outcome, but honestly the outcome barely even matters except to determine whether and in what context Nilrasha is mentioned a handful of times afterward. I'd have loved to see more depth and time put into those kinds of plots than things like who's going to rule what land and how they're going to pay tribute to their dragon overlords and whether there's going to be an uprising. But, hey, the setup for the next book seems like maybe there will be more focus on interpersonal relationships between the siblings and their allies and enemies. I certainly hope so, because I'm curious to see the repercussions of the cliffhanger.

Overall? This one is a solidly neutral three stars, to me. I wanted so much more from it and that bums me out a bit, but it's far better than the previous book (Dragon Strike) and I actually did enjoy quite a few bits of it. I'd say it made the trudge through book four worthwhile enough that I'm once again eager to see what happens in the next - and final, as it were - novel in the series.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has less battles and bloodshed and focuses on the politics of the conquered world and the results of the emotional conflicts of the siblings that have built up over the previous books.

The Copper works to complete his empire so he can give up position as Tyr before he is forced from it. While AuRon deals with present problems after his world is turned upside down or at least on its side as his brother takes all that he loves from him. Wistala fears for the future and tries to protect the humanoid races from the selfish intentions of her brother's alliance while serving as his queen-consort.

This book is full of emotional conflict and tension so that the series comes to a climatic end in Dragon Fate (which is a very fitting title considering how this book ends). My only complaint is that it was short (300 pages), 100 pages less than book 1&2 and about 70 pages less than book 3&4. There are typos but who do you blame for that? (I think I remember there being a :) in there but I'm not sure.)

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline in this one was great. I loved following the 3 siblings as they struggled to navigate through politics, and against the fickle/selfish nature of their own kind.

I would have given this 5 stars, but it lost a star over the ATROCIOUS editing. It’s riddled with errors throughout, which is strange because none of the other books in the series so far have been like that.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay.

[Ronnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently in 2012, I rated this book 5 stars, and that is definitely not true anymore.

I recall liking the later books with all of the siblings in them a lot, but tastes change I guess.

The weird sexism in these books just kinda takes me right out of it. Like I mentioned in previous reviews, none of the female characters (the exception being Wistala) have any sense of internal consistency in their characterization. They seem to be there solely so that Knight can have someone for whatever bad-guy roll he needs. Every female dragon seems obsessed only with their appearance, or with how to backstab or manipulate the people around them, and I'm mildly concerned that this book has the SECOND instance of a dragonelle beating herself up so that she can falsely accuse her mate of domestic abuse. It's very weird that this keeps coming up.

It's also super weird that the male dragons all get horny over the scent of human females.

Some of my favourite interactions in the first three books were between the dragons and their hominid relationships, and that is gone entirely from this book.

I spent a big chunk of the latter half of the book wondering if I was going to bother rereading the last book in the series, but this one ended in an intriguing enough manner that I will continue the series, if only because I cannot for the life of me remember how it ends. Also, I know he's recently written a spin-off series for this series with like, a Dragon Academy, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

[Jonathan Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is most likely one of the more darker parts of the series in my opinion. In this book,the Copper and Wistala both contribute greatly to the Grand Alliance between the Hypatian Empire and the Lavadome. Auron tries his best to keep out of Lavadome affairs, even with his offspring being quickly sucked into it and all four hatchlings end up contributing their efforts to the Grand Alliance by some point in the book.
It is a book that is tied around a conspiracy against The Copper's rule over the Lavadome along with the progression made under the Grand Alliance. The book of course gets quite interesting as AuRon-despite his greatest efforts- ends up getting tangled up into the Lavadome politics becoming greatly pressured by his mate's interest in its cause.
I found myself constantly on the edge on what could boil over near the end with all the conspirating along with the questionable relationship between the Copper and his brother AuRon. All of it was rather tense and builds up to a bit of a sad ending that I shall not spoil for you. What I can say about the ending is that it has more of a cliffhanger. Not a major one mind you but it opens up the doors to the next book more so than the other books in the series. Overall if you love the other books in the series, pick this one up. Its a great story with a very well done- but sad- ending.

[Rebecka Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is a long setup for book 6, not much more. Full of politics. Hardly any character development but one nice ending for a main character, although sullied in more politics. Not an easy read thanks to the editors and/or proofreaders or lack thereof.
Near the end of the 4th book I noticed issues with grammar & overall structure like a character being in a scene before they arrived & a word missing or needing to be replaced here & there. This book was full of such issues. Made it difficult to read & stay in the world of the book. Errors in grammar & spelling, wrong words, wrong pronouns, what looked like a computer glitch "00," one too many quotation marks between paragraphs spoken by the same character, dialogue that didn't flow as if parts were cut out arbitrarily, the subjects of paragraphs jumped around sporadically so it was hard to tell which character was doing or thinking what, & at one point, a character answered a question they themselves had asked as if someone else had asked it. The except for book 6 has some too but I hope they fixed them before the final print.
It was an OK read overall. Just shake your head when the text derps on ya & remember this is to get to book 6.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was definitely a darker addition to this series, but in a good way. I have liked to see the story of the siblings play out and the history that binds them and led to their lives is extremely interesting as well as the family dynamics involved.

Wistala is by far my favorite character but both her brothers are intriguing and drive a good story. Can't wait to read the last one and come to the end of an extremely satisfying series.

This particular book was somewhat confusing, especially at the beginning but that may be due to the fact that I read the first four books awhile ago. It had some twists and turns that were unsuspected and the real villains of the series are starting to reveal themselves. It's been quite a journey.

[F.J. Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent installment to the Age of Fire series. Of course, there were some writing mishaps, just as there were in the previous books--misnamings, that sort of thin--but nothing too severe.

The siblings, of course, get more time with one another, now that Knight has already gotten them reunited in the previous book. Knight continues developing that relationship in this book, bringing it to a very satisfying head. I won't give anything away, but I'll just say that what Knight does at the end, makes me eager to find out how it will all play out in the sixth and final book.

[J.F.R. Coates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly the weakest in the series so far, I thought Dragon's Rule to be a fairly irrelevant book. The story seemed to be nicely wrapped up at the end of book 4, so this one felt like an extended epilogue.
I also noticed a number of formatting and grammar errors, especially through the middle part of the book.

The characters were still the best part of Dragon's Rule, though there were some odd choices displayed at times that I don't think matched up to how they were built up over the previous four books.

This was still a good read, but the series certainly peaked with book 4.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Dragon Rule, which is the fifth book in E. E. knight's age of fire was a well thought out, fantasy novel, with a lot of political scandal involved. Something you would not expect from a bunch of dragons. As like all the others in this series there are well-thought-out characters, landscapes, and story.
This story allows for a further continuation of seeing all three siblings, as begun in the fourth book. It is interesting to see how their relationships develop and what events they face. The ending is very compelling, and I look forward to reading the final book.

[Rebecca Thea Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea behind the series is great. How dragons have learn to adapt and survive in the world with elves, dwarves, wizards. But the editor did a terrible job! Spelling errors, grammar mistakes, the characters names were spelled wrong at one point. There is no flow between scenes. I barely understood what was happening at times. The dialogue is difficult to follow because it doesn't say who is speaking. But I've invested time into this series, and I want to know what happens. So I'll still look for the sixth book in this series and suffer through it for the sake of closure.

[Brian Layman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slowly being turned off of this series. This was better than book 4, but unless it becomes more sophisticated in book 6, I don't know that I will go much further. Still it is probably good enough for its target audience. The world seems much small in this book, as compared to the expanding scope of books 1-3. I've decided that the dragon characters themselves are not rich enough. I like all of the side characters better, and there are next to none in book 5.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

These books are the worst edited books I have ever read. Misspellings, misplaced words and numbers(?!), grammar errors, etc. are so rampant through the book make it almost impossible to stay focused while reading it. The mix-up of character names by the author throughout the last two books is especially vexing and frustrating. At this point I am just continuing to read simply because I am too deep in the series to quit with only one book left. Here's hoping the last book has an editor.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read 9-27-2010.
I have the complete series now and wanted to experience it again in full. Book five describes the Copper's, now known as RuGaard, reign and the political infighting of all the species involved. We leave AuRon, Wistala, Darcee, and RuGaard back on the Saddavale(sp). With one last bit of trickery to close this chapter.

[Tonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series could be much better than it is. There are frequent errors of having the wrong dragon's name and some times it feels like sentences are missing or the scene has been slightly revised with out removing the part that should change so things are repeated. Over all the story is good but these errors detract from the enjoyment

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A further continuation of seeing all three siblings, as begun in the fourth book, happens here. It is interesting to see how their relationships develop and what events they face. The ending is very compelling, and I look forward to reading the final book.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to say if I should give this 4 or 5 stars. For much of the book, you have a lot of interesting intrigue but I feel it's really the end that makes it great! Can't wait to read more of the series after finishing this one.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't say I thought this one was all that great, while the story evolves okay it seems to me the dragons become colossally stupid, not that they were all that intelligent to begin with.

Dunno but this series seems to have taken a major dive especially in character development.

[Jim Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent tale of these 3 dragons, separated at a young age, coming together once again. The dragon world, filled with political backstabbing, out-maneuvering and assassination attempts, put these 3 at odds with the world, and at times against each other.

[Janet Armentani · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Dragon series ever written

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be re-reviewed.

[Samantha Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great loved it

[Shannon Peebles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tensions are rising in this fifth great addition to the Age of Fire series.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best of the series!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Kooskia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, Wistala's parts make the best one of this books. Waiting for the big ending.

[Angel Ica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series is amazing. I can't wait to read the last one

[Tenno · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characterization that made the other books work is nearly gone. There's no perspective fleshed out enough to work.

[Acadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

They don't have access to this at my library...