Queen of Demons

Lord of the Isles #2

by David Drake

Epic Fantasy author David Drake continues his saga The Lord of the Isles with Queen of Demons

In the world of the Isles, the elemental forces of magic are rising to a thousand-year peak. A small bank of companions has set forth across a world in the process of transformation in search of their destinies. Now their epic adventure continues.

“David Drake's Lord of the Isles is an epic with the texture of the legends of yore, and rousing action and characters to cheer for.” -- Terry Goodkind

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook

672 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of a series of nine long classic high fantasy novels. The supernatural elements are clever and consistent. It's a leisurely-paced, immersive story which sees a variety of characters split up to accomplish various parts of an overall goal, but they're re-united by the end for a satisfying conclusion, which follows the formula of the first book, Lord of the Isles. In that book they vanquished most of the evil but there are still some henchmen extant, so it's back to the high seas. They're mostly country folks who have to cope with weight-of-the-world challenges, and I enjoyed their tales, and interplay when they were together. The novel gets more than a bit violent and graphic at times, as aspects of sacrifice, sex, slavery, etc. are realistically examined. Readers who are looking for something similar to Hammer's Slammers will be disappointed, but Robert Jordan fans should feel at home. It's fine epic fantasy.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve not much to say about this second instalment of David Drake’s Lord of the Isles series as it was pretty much just a straight continuation of what we got in the first book and was similar in quality.

The series is typical old school 80s or 90s epic fantasy. It is a multi-POV tale following 4 late teen kids as they get plucked from their backwater village and in an epic battle between good and evil. It was a story full of action, adventure, magic, demons, even more weird fantasy creatures, and a touch of romance.

It was an OK second book. I still found this a slightly disjointed and confusing tale but I do feel like there is the building blocks of a good story in here somewhere if only Drake could put it together consistently.

Rating: 2.5 stars. I’ll round up to 3 stars here on Goodreads but have to admit I’m on the fence about picking up the third book or not.

Audio Note: Michael Page is a competent narrator but hopelessly miscast in this role. All four lead POV characters are teens and page sounds like he calls Methuselah a spring chicken!

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, not enough to round it up to four.

I enjoyed it - the story was good and the characters are likable - but I couldn't help wondering if this volume was really necessary; I couldn't help feeling a lot of it (not all of it - a couple of very important things happened) could have been left out of the overall story arc and nothing significant would have been changed.

I'll be continuing with the story. I hope from now on the characters will be spending more time together - reading about their individual adventures wasn't as much fun. Past experience of fantasy epics leads me to doubt this will happen, however.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book of this series and was looking forward to continuing it, but I have pretty much given up on it from exhaustion. Although the characters are interesting and I care about them the author is fixated on keeping the four main characters apart and the increasingly improbable events that he weaves to do so and keep them in danger are exhausting. Any time a character sets foot on a boat (and the series takes place on a world of islands) there WILL be a shipwreck. I've lost track of how many magic portals they have been sucked through suddenly, and after a while I just stopped caring because you know no matter what happens the characters will get through it only to be thrown into more danger. This series had a lot of possibility but I'm giving up on it now.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Queen of Demons the second installment in the Lord of the Isles series continues on with the same troupe of likable characters; and, much like the first book, has a few characters that play vital roles for this book only then disappear. However, the plot in this book is even weaker than in the first and major events slide by a bit too easilly. Overall, I found this book less enjoyable than the first. However, I have already bought the next couple books in the series so I will continue to read. At least I still like the principal characters or else I would probably just sell the books on eBay without another thought.

[Jim Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second part of this story, was a very gripping story in of itself. The characters that you rooted for in the first book are back, and are continuing their fight for the isles. I started out, in the first book, not sure if I was going to be reading the entire series. Now, after finishing the first and second books, I can't wait to read the rest.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woof. I know it's been a while, but man, I really remember enjoying the first book in this series. This one was SUCH a letdown. Cashel is still my personal favorite character, and I thought Ilna especially had a few interesting moments here that could have made me like her more, but the BIG problem with this book is that, just .... nothing means anything! Everyone is thrown through so many goddamn rifts or wormholes or whatever that they're stuck dealing with AU problems (past problems? I don't know), yet somehow all wind up together again at the end in time for the climax.

I have no problem with the main characters being split up, and maybe ONE of them having an adventure that doesn't mean a damn thing in the grand scheme would be okay. But ALL OF THEM? Oh, except Garric, I guess, who ... APPEARS to be king now? Doesn't that ... mean the series has achieved its goal?

Also, dear lord, Carus needs to GO THE HELL AWAY. EVERY GODDAMN THING makes him either chuckle or laugh uproariously. WTF is so funny, Carus? Agh. He completely ruins the Garric sections.

Not sure if I'll bother reading more here ...

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

16 This was a big one! I always like it when there are a number of POVs with no idea how they are all going to get dove tailed together. There is some subtle humour and not so humour, inventive monsters and the characters remained true to themselves. The magic system is unusual especially when certain characters don’t even realise that they are making magic. However, the addition of a talking ape was sheer brilliance. Thoroughly entertaining. ” I wonder how many women have taken this trip before me?”

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good installation in this epic adventure. The villain felt much more real and evil in this book than the first. the characters are growing and changing. Garric is stepping into his role to save the Isle, Ilna is becoming a more relatable figure, Cashel is the man every woman wishes they had for a protector, and Sharina is turning into one bad-a chick. She's probably my favorite of the characters to date. Can hardly wait to move on to the next book.

[James Longshore · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I couldn't finish it. Got about halfway through and got fed up with the style of events happening in such an arbitrary fashion. The first book was solid, if unspectacular. The characters are likable and relatable; Ilna and Cashel being my favorites, Tenoctris was also fun. Maybe they would have become some of my all-time favorites, but I don't trust the author anymore.
I think it's a combination of the pacing and information overload. All the characters get sucked off to different places via random events, but we're never in those places long enough to get a full sense of them because we're constantly on the move.
Raymond E. Feist does this as well, but the difference is that we're all still in the same world and thus grounded. Drake has us in other worlds. If Feist is a mile wide and an inch deep at times, then Drake is 10,000 miles wide and a millimeter deep. It undermines my desire to care about anything that happens because the deus ex machina nature of problem solving and problem creation is constant. It removes the mystery and tension for me.
Maybe the series will pick up, and I'm sure some folks will enjoy this. Just not for me. There are plenty of other authors on my bucket list, not to mention rereading some personal faves in Brust, Abercrombie, and Erikson.

[Randy Mcbride · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters from book 1 continue their quest to rid the Isles of the evil queen. I found the characters likeable. Drake continues to divide the group and they go off in separate adventures as they attempt to get back to each other.

The one thing that I have no liked so far in this series is minor characters get thrown away. Some from the previous book seem to leave little reason why they are not continuing to help. On a positive note, this shows that Drake creates characters that a reader can become attached to and want to know more about them.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second disappointment out of two. Yet I can't be sure my dislike for the series thus far isn't due to the atrocious narration by Nanette Savard. She has one voice: strident woman, but she changes it to suit the character: strident crone, strident ape, strident screeching bad guys, etc. What a range, huh?

So how much damage does a narrator who reminds you of everybody's nightmare mother-in-law do to the story?

Can't be sure. I'm going to give Lord of the Isles one more try in a few months.

Oops. Next two were also narrated by Savard. Sigh. I'll try again.

[TeaDrinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly less impressive than book 1 due to the clunky nature of the various recaps, so I’m still enjoying it 4 stars worth but reading it directly after the first book makes that more obvious. Again I’m contrasting this with the complete lack of recaps given in Malazan which requires the reader to pay more attention.

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piers Anthony, Stephen Donaldson, and Robert Jordan. If this was a Wine, these would be the flavors.

[Δημήτριος Καραγιάννης · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one.
There still remains a very interesting, supernatural theme underlying the story.
A game of chess that has world-changing implications...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty intense, but such delightful characters!

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the series - longer than necessary but still intriguing.

The main characters find themselves separated and ending up in an assortment of different worlds and meeting various new characters, both helpful and nasty. Although I enjoy the story, there’s way more description than necessary, particularly about people who only appear briefly. There’s plenty of action and use of magic / abilities. I have 2 more in the series to discover.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garric and his friends defeated the Hooded One at the end of the last book. The second books starts just after, with all of them together once more, but not for long. The King and Queen of the Isles both want to rule and are prepared to employ any means necessary. The Queen, half demon herself, uses fire-demons to take what she wants and scare the populace to follow her will. Meanwhile, King Valence has been persuaded by a wizard to make sacrifices to The Beast, a powerful demon trapped long ago. Garric, his friends and a group of revolutionary lords, plot to bring both of them down before their powers get out of control and destroy the Isles.

Another great story. Although they all start off together, they are soon broken into smaller groups and having their own adventures, all of which will bring them together at the end to face both the new foes. Some of the story lines are better than others, but they all work well. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Risa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but found it slightly less exciting than the first one and somewhat formulaic, as though Drake enjoyed separating his characters so much in the first book that he did it again for no real reason. The side plots - such as Cashel and Ilna's whole journeys - didn't fit with the other plots at all and didn't make that much sense, but they were still fun to read.
The characters are also developed well; Sharina becomes even more self-sufficient, and Ilna softens a little. Cashel and Garric both learn about how to be better rulers or friends or companions.
Queen of Demons was slightly easier to follow than the Lord of the Isles, perhaps just because the reader is now used to dimension-hopping and strange magical events.
I was slightly disappointed that there is no - well, only a modicum - of blood sacrifice in this book, compared to the great amounts found in the first.

[Phyllis Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

More epic quests for Sharina, Cashel, Ilna, Garric, Tenocritis and Liane all interwoven in the ultimate quests of the reunification of the Kingdom of the Isles and the saving of their civilization. Once more members of the four main characters are separated and must find their way back the rest. The Queen and The Beast both threaten everything that the friends have been working so hard to save.

I really like the balance of storylines for each of the four main characters: Sharina, Cashel, Ilna and Garric. Strong female as well as strong male characters. The roles of Tenocrtits and Liane make them only secondary characters by a hair.

[Heather Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author created a slip-stream of worlds that all share a border with his primary world. From one moment to the next you can't wait to see where the characters will end up. There is a good amount of action and I really like how he runs every character's day at the same time. If you let yourself get caught up in one character's adventure then you start quickly reading through the others to get back to that one character. I did find a couple of spots where I started losing track of who was where and doing what, but overall it was a good read.

[Liam Johnstone]

I don't know exactly what the intent was with this book. I read the first one, and while a lot of it was clumsy and hard to read, it was a strong book. This one read like a dragon warrior game where you spend most of the time leveling up.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 06.10.06

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy fantasy read

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd book in the series b y drake, follows the road map that the first one set... the group of friends each have their own adventure that all intertwine at the end to save the isles

[storiwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found this paperback in a parking lot downtown today. figured i should read it before sending it on its way to someone else.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been re-reading the series, in order. Enjoying it.

[Azeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

His writing style leaves something to be desired, but one of the most inventive and interesting plots.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series was still fresh at this point.

[George Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a good story line. I will keep reading. I like David Drakes writing.