Doom of the Dragon / Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman

Doom of the Dragon

(Dragonships of Vindras 4)

by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman

fantasy

copyright 2015

read in April 2017

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

It's a sort of pleasant book. Not too harsh, not too soft. But not, just right. Bland, perhaps. Easy reading.

It's book four of four, though six books were planned. Perhaps the authors recognised that there was not enough material -- or not enough excitement -- for six books.

The dragonship is an interesting concept. It gets away from the need to have a well trained crew on each ship. And it allows for a large dragon without needing space for it to sleep.

The main characters are, essentially, Vikings. And what a silly lot they are... Whenever danger threatens -- they form a shield wall. Any problems? Stand shoulder to shoulder, defend the man next to you, be prepared to die in the front line of the fighting. Perhaps this made more sense in the first books...

For all that -- and despite other physical and magical challenges, easily overcome -- the book is easy to read. Lightweight. Somewhat satisfying.

And a bonus: most of the characters have been introduced in the previous books yet it is very easy to get to know then from just this one book. The few characters who actually matter are easy to distinguish. The plot -- and the few characters who drive it -- can easily be tracked.

On the other hand, the ending is disappointingly satisfactory. Disappointingly satisfactory?! Yes... I suspect that the ending is supposed to be personal sacrifice for the greater good. With limited knowledge of -- and limited empathy for -- the key characters, I found that the ending was satisfactory. Despite the personal sacrifices​.

This book may be part of a good series. Read by itself, it is enjoyable. But it is lightweight. It is not a book that makes me want to read any more in the series.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"Come on… a little hard work must have killed someone!" … per Ginger Meggs