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Brothers of the Dragon #3
Triumph of the Dragon
The stirring conclusion to Brothers of the Dragon and Flames of the Dragon. In a magical realm where dragons patrol the skies and black unicorns guard the forest, two brothers must find a way to overcome a great evil sorceress, who threatens to destroy their adopted world.
- GenresFantasy
318 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1995
1 person is currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Robin Wayne Bailey
94 books40 followersRobin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author and is a past president (2005-2007) of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Robin also served as SFWA's South-Central Regional Director for nine years and has hosted three of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards weekends; two of those Nebula events were held in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri.
Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.
Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.
Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.
Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 16, 2017
The rating is probably more of a 3.5 stars one, since I did have more problems with this book than the two before, but I still couldn't put it down till I was finished last night and I enjoyed myself.
This one was dark. Several characters from the dark side suddenly got POV chapters (so that we could witness them torturing people and killing kittens). On one hand I liked that because it's always boring to not know what our heroes are up against, but on the other side hand, it greatly reduced the page time for the original characters. Didn't help that all three main characters were in different places till the very end, so even their dynamic was somewhat lost.
I especially missed Robert's POV in the end. I wish there had been one more chapter from his POV, just to see what really was going on in his head after his ordeal.
Kat's storyline was surprisingly interesting - probably because it was less dark than I expected and she genuinly seems to love the world she is in now. She still gets to see the beautiful parts of it. Plus, the ghost stuff is one of my favorite parts of this world and she had lots of them hovering over her.
I also appreciated the growing friendship between Eric and his team.
And we finally find out what the deal with Robert and Scott is! I was almost afraid it would continue to just be hinted at forever. I wish there had been more of Scott, since he seemed to be a delightful person, but I'm glad he actually played a role in the end and wasn't just a plot device.
Speaking of the plot: It was fine. Lots of things happened, which lead to several open ends. It felt like the author wanted to write a fourth book, but then suddenly decided to wrap the main story up in the end and just leave the other stuff hanging. It sort of felt incomplete, but at least it wasn't stuff I'll loose sleep over, so I'm mostly good.
All in all, I never expected to be sucked into a trilogy that I started reading, because "fighting evil scaly unicorns with the power of karate" sounded highly entertaining in a silly way. The story was much darker and I got more attached to the characters than I anticipated. The second book was probably the best, but I'm happy overall.
This one was dark. Several characters from the dark side suddenly got POV chapters (so that we could witness them torturing people and killing kittens). On one hand I liked that because it's always boring to not know what our heroes are up against, but on the other side hand, it greatly reduced the page time for the original characters. Didn't help that all three main characters were in different places till the very end, so even their dynamic was somewhat lost.
I especially missed Robert's POV in the end. I wish there had been one more chapter from his POV, just to see what really was going on in his head after his ordeal.
Kat's storyline was surprisingly interesting - probably because it was less dark than I expected and she genuinly seems to love the world she is in now. She still gets to see the beautiful parts of it. Plus, the ghost stuff is one of my favorite parts of this world and she had lots of them hovering over her.
I also appreciated the growing friendship between Eric and his team.
And we finally find out what the deal with Robert and Scott is! I was almost afraid it would continue to just be hinted at forever. I wish there had been more of Scott, since he seemed to be a delightful person, but I'm glad he actually played a role in the end and wasn't just a plot device.
Speaking of the plot: It was fine. Lots of things happened, which lead to several open ends. It felt like the author wanted to write a fourth book, but then suddenly decided to wrap the main story up in the end and just leave the other stuff hanging. It sort of felt incomplete, but at least it wasn't stuff I'll loose sleep over, so I'm mostly good.
All in all, I never expected to be sucked into a trilogy that I started reading, because "fighting evil scaly unicorns with the power of karate" sounded highly entertaining in a silly way. The story was much darker and I got more attached to the characters than I anticipated. The second book was probably the best, but I'm happy overall.
December 13, 2014
Katy, Robert, and Eric, each thinking the others are dead, take up their own parts in the battle against the Heart of Darkness. Eric fights as a dragonrider and teaches the Domains of Light new ways to make war. Robert trains a clan of ninja and infiltrates enemy kingdoms. And Katy finds a quiet place to get more and more pregnant---and such a very odd pregnancy it's turning out to be. As two brothers fight to save the world, the Heart of Darkness strikes back desperately, knowing this final clash will make or break the war.
Finally, here is all the backstory that should have been spread through all three books. Robert's obsession with Scott, his bad relationship with his father, and the darkness within him unfold. It does wonders for Robert as a character: he's no longer as flat or predictable. And with his little band of warriors, he delivers on the series' intriguing premise of the generic fantasy Middle Ages clashing with the Far East.
Robert might have gained some depth, but Eric and Katy are just as flat as the previous books. Katy in particular bothered me with her odd swings back and forth into urban speech. I wouldn't have minded if she did it all the time, but it was the inconsistency that made her hard to read. Her pregnancy was nothing more than a waiting game: it didn't take much to see how it would end. And then her reactions after the end bothered me. She takes it too easily.
There is much more backstory, but most of it was sexual. The homosexual undertones of the earlier book get full play here, including a scene of child molestation and another where Robert catches a man having sex with a young boy. As the first two books were relatively clean, this was an unpleasant surprise for me.
Also, there were a number of minor plot threads introduced but not resolved. I didn't need the whole series tied up neatly, but it almost does feel like there should be another book about the final battle between light and darkness, because it doesn't seem to have happened yet. It feels like everyone got a decade or two to breathe before the darkness will descend again full-force.
It was a rather uninspiring series, and although the end was stronger, it actually made my impression of the series worse overall. Most of the intriguing hints that made me pick up the series were never developed or only given brief screen time; the introduction of so much sexual content spoiled whatever other enjoyment I might have gotten out of the book. I rate this book Not Recommended.
Finally, here is all the backstory that should have been spread through all three books. Robert's obsession with Scott, his bad relationship with his father, and the darkness within him unfold. It does wonders for Robert as a character: he's no longer as flat or predictable. And with his little band of warriors, he delivers on the series' intriguing premise of the generic fantasy Middle Ages clashing with the Far East.
Robert might have gained some depth, but Eric and Katy are just as flat as the previous books. Katy in particular bothered me with her odd swings back and forth into urban speech. I wouldn't have minded if she did it all the time, but it was the inconsistency that made her hard to read. Her pregnancy was nothing more than a waiting game: it didn't take much to see how it would end. And then her reactions after the end bothered me. She takes it too easily.
There is much more backstory, but most of it was sexual. The homosexual undertones of the earlier book get full play here, including a scene of child molestation and another where Robert catches a man having sex with a young boy. As the first two books were relatively clean, this was an unpleasant surprise for me.
Also, there were a number of minor plot threads introduced but not resolved. I didn't need the whole series tied up neatly, but it almost does feel like there should be another book about the final battle between light and darkness, because it doesn't seem to have happened yet. It feels like everyone got a decade or two to breathe before the darkness will descend again full-force.
It was a rather uninspiring series, and although the end was stronger, it actually made my impression of the series worse overall. Most of the intriguing hints that made me pick up the series were never developed or only given brief screen time; the introduction of so much sexual content spoiled whatever other enjoyment I might have gotten out of the book. I rate this book Not Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews