Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Dragon Quartet, Volume One

Book 10/12

Marjorie B. Kellogg's Dragon Quartet, Volume One

This book actually turned out to be another milestone for me: the first book I literally could not force myself to finish reading. *~* I abandoned it yesterday, and it is already set aside with the things I need to bring down to my parents in another week so that I can return it to my sister. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

The book (which is a compilation of The Book of Earth and The Book of Water, which were published in 1995 and 1997, respectively) started out well enough. The idea of dragons as representations of the four elements wasn't really anything new (I had actually toyed with an idea using that concept), but placing each dragon in a different time was intriguing. It was very appropriate to begin in 913 Germany, I thought, and I liked Erde. She was a perfectly-captured adolescent going through Hell, and it was easy to feel sympathetic towards her. She wasn't strong, but her weakness was outgrown, and Earth was just charming: I couldn't help but smile each time his tongue hanging out was described. Sir Hal was a great character, and I was disappointed that he wouldn't appear in the later stories. He was intricate, complicated, and just wonderful in the role of mentor. I was drawn into the story (more so the story of the coup than the dragon's quest, to be honest), and I was really looking forward to reading the remaining books.

The ending of The Book of Earth was a little too abrupt for my liking, and Erde's seemingly immediate dismissal of her love for Rainer was a bit irritating, but Ms. Kellogg left it open that Erde would grieve later - when she wasn't pressed to save the world. I didn't really understand how Earth suddenly had all of the knowledge he needed, when it had been slowly trickling in before then. I almost wondered if it was meant to symbolize that the she-goat was magical in some way, or a conveyor of wisdom. The lack of explanation was annoying - I just prefer that things make sense, even in fantasy. Still, I understood that the story needed to move on, and I was wrapped up in it nicely, so I didn't let it bug me overly much.

It was The Book of Water that I was unable to finish reading, and I have pretty much already detailed why in my writing blog: Ruining a Perfectly Good Story. I did honestly attempt to force myself through it, because I liked the story, but I just couldn't do it. There is no point in finishing a book you have a) lost interest in and b) are unable to STAY in. So I will not be finishing this book, and I'm going to confine my review to the first "book."

It's really a shame, too; it was nice to have a big, hefty book in my hands again, with the prospect of another in a week or so. I'm just going to have to settle for a thinner book and return to Science Fiction for a bit. *-*
Posted by Andria :: 8:23 AM :: 0 comments

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