Rawn, Melanie Books

Skybowl (Dragon Star, Book 3)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worth reading the first 2 torturous books 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I bought all three books together in this series without reading the Dragon-Prince series. I gave the first book a miserable rating because I was very confused. All the chars were alien to me. But becasue I had bought the books and i didn't want to waste my money, I forced myself to plow through to the end.

I must say it was worth my time and agony because the climax at the end of the book was incredible. It was so brilliant that I could almost feel the sunrunner web spinning around me as i read. It helped also that I got to like Andry in all my muddled reading and he was the only one who stuck in my mind. His death upsetted me but it's one of the things that glued me to the book.

The reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because of all the trouble i took in reading the first two books. They are not bad but I made the mistake of not reading the Dragon Prince series. Or I could blame Rawn for not making it book 4,5,6 instead.

Editorial Review:

In the final volume of the "Dragon Star" trilogy, Sioned, the mother of High Prince Pol, leads a daring mission into the castle where her daughter-in-law is held captive. Reprint.

Sun-Runner's Fire (Dragon Prince, Book 3)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Become A Sunrunner 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is one great book. It sparks an urge in you to become a great sunnrunner. This book is greatly written and is a great conclusion to the Dragon Prince series. It also features the maturation of the great Lord Andry.

Rawn's Best 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I would have to say that this book is even better than The Star Scroll. First of all she labeled her chapters with dates which kept the order of things. Also the plot ran smoothly along with from the first page to the last. I have one thing to say to disagree with another person's idea of Rohan's character he is not "faultless". Uh he liked had a very hard life and he has many trips along the road of life along with that his son was not even from his own wife. So when you review a book read it please.

Editorial Review:

It began with the discovery of The Star Scroll--the last repository of forgotten spells of sorcery. Now, as Andry, the new Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, begins to master this potentially deadly knowledge and Pol, son of High Prince Rohan, seeks to touch the minds of dragons, their enemy is mobilizes to strike with forbidden lore and treachery.

The Star Scroll (Dragon Prince, Book 2)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This is fantasy 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book is a very good read, full of adventure, romance, intrigue, magic, and suspense. While first book in this series was a bit slow, this book takes you back to what got you hooked on fantasy novels.
The characters are developed down to the smallest detail. They almost become personal friends. You feel all the excitement, fear, anger, and happiness that they feel.
The story is a typical adventure story, but Ms. Rawn has developed a way of throwing you of the predictable path with many different twists and curves to her plot. Some of which are so far off you want to start over to see if you missed something that could have predicted this event.
The only real issue with this book is that it takes time to develop. Some may think this book is to long, but a strong story with good character development takes many things and time is one of them.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I loved it and have read it many times.

Editorial Review:

As Prince Rohan's son, Pol, grew into the knowledge of statecraft and Sunrunner magic. But Pol was not the only prince who could lay blood claim to the crown, and soon Rohan's enemies would be ready to light a torch to set a dynastic war of succession sweeping across the land. Original.

The Dragon Token (Dragon Star, Book 2)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Children at war 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

A boy 7 years old left to rule a princedom. And the mother who mourns not only the death of a husband, a brother, and all her brothers family. Sits in a chair and weeps at the loss of childhood. At the end of this book so many children are fighting. from 7 - 11 years old. That I was left thinking to my self how odd. Then it occurred to me. Almost all the men are dead.

This is one of the most gripping novels I have ever read. Book 2 The Dragon Token, puts the reader right in the middle of the war with the Vellant'im and their High Warlord. And the Azhrei and the people of the Kingdoms.

War is hell as someone once said. And Melanie Rawn makes sure you understand exactly what that means. By allowing you to invest yourself into a character only to have that character die to the ravages of war.

This is unlike any book I have ever read. I found my self throwing the book across the room on more then one occasion. No book has ever griped me so tightly or effected me so deeply.

Editorial Review:

In the sequel to Stronghold, as Rohan's son and heir, Pol, rallies his forces in a desperate bid to halt the advance of the invaders, ancient rivalries weaken his alliance. Reprint.

Dragon Prince #1

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 161 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The best of the series 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Dragon Prince is by far my favorite book in the Dragon Prince trilogy. Prince Rohan has just ascended to the throne of the Desert following the untimely death of his father, Zehava, during a dragon hunt. His aunt, a powerful sorceress (or Faradhi), has arranged his marriage with a Faradhi named Sioned. Rohan sets out to create a better world for his people, using his wits and his sword to battle High Prince Roelstra.

The book was paced perfectly, able to keep the reader's attention without feeling rushed. The majority of characters are three dimensional. There are plenty of times you are disappointed with the main character while sympathizing with the antagonists, but that is what makes them so identifiable. Melanie Rawn has created a seamless and unique world, one which stands apart from other Fantasy books. It is well worth the read.

Editorial Review:

Melanie Rawn's best-selling debut is a novel of love and war, magic and madness, and deadly dangerous dragons that hold the secret to unimaginable wealth that could prove key to mutual peace-or a bloody tyrant's reign. And among it all, an idealistic young ruler struggles to civilize a culture that understands the strength of the sword-but has yet to discover the true power of knowledge.

Stronghold (Dragon Star, Book 1)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Too convoluted 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book returns to the World of sunrunners explored in the Rawn's "The Dragon Prince" trilogy. If you haven't read those first three books, this book will not make sense to you. It makes no effort at recapping previous events, and should be considered Book 4.

Rawn is a political fantasy author, and my opinion of this book was that she had so many subplots and hidden motivations going on between the different ruling characters, she lost track of them. Naming conventions for characters (similar sounding) can also confuse.

The complexity is richly epic if you care about the characters, but oddly, my favorite characters of Rohan and Sioned weren't given a big role. I hate the way Rawn draws Pol, their son, and the new characters didn't resonate with me.

I'd recommend buying the first book "Dragon Prince" if you are new to Rawn; that one was brilliant. If you love Rawn already, buy it -- you'll likely love this too.

Personally, I've read dozens of fantasy books I've thought were better (anything by Jim Butcher, Terry Brooks, or Terry Goodkind). However to be fair to Rawn, buy the "Dragon Prince" before you check out those gentlemen. It really was a good novel.

Editorial Review:

A generation of peace is about to be shattered as a seemingly unstoppable invasion force lays siege to High Prince Rohan's realm. For Andry, the Sunrunner Lord, the invasion is a fulfilment of his long-ago visions of disaster to come. This is the first book in the "Dragon Star" trilogy.

The Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles, Vol. 1)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 159 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Pass This One and Read "The Sword of Shannara" Again. You'll Thank Me For It 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Alright, I picked this one and its sequel up in a used bookstore for about eight dollars overall. It was only my stalwart determination to finish every book on my shelf that got me through them.

This book started off badly by breaking one of the golden rules of storytelling, that is "show and do not tell". The first three chapters of the book are, literally, summaries of the main characters' lives up to that point. It reads like a dull biography and doesn't even attempt to be descriptive or entertaining, as if the author just wanted to get all the background out of the way as soon as possible.

At this point I'm also going to mention that the word "cock" has no place in prose. Sorry, Ms. Rawn, but you lose major points for that.

And onto the story. By large the characters are one-dimensional the villains are stupid (and by that I do mean lacking in intelligence), the plot is overly convoluted and the ending is anti-climactic and predictable. Maybe it's just me but having the Malerris go from all-powerful villains to utterly defeated losers in the span of five pages just didn't sit well with me.

Oh yeah, the bad guys lose. Spoiler warnings everyone.

I suppose while I'm at it I might as well address the matriarchal society. Might I ask why? It's an interesting concept but Rawn doesn't seem to do anything with it except to make her feminist readers foam at the mouth and howl in triumph. It's explained, rather lamely, that a woman's ability to give birth gave her power in early Lenfell's society. Ok, but women have always been able to give birth and almost always societies have emerged patriarchal. She could've at least alluded to some text or story of the first leader (the captain of the ships perhaps?) being a woman and it just sticking, and sorry but even if a society were matriarchal men are not just going to sit around at the pool drinking tea, talking about raising children instead of chicks and beer, and whining about how rough their wives are. It's just not gonna happen.

That's not to say there's nothing positive about the books. Some of the characters are rather fun and memorable, the magic system is... actually pretty cool and I thought the Wraithenbeasts sounded pretty cool and was sorely disappointed that she didn't include them.

Still... definitely not worth it. The story's plodding and clunky and doesn't go anywhere. The characters are, largely, unmemorable and flat and the whole thing comes to a conclusion as unexpected and subtle as a herd of buffalo stampeding over a tin roof, each one pulling a drum set behind it.

Editorial Review:

A thousand years ago, Mageborns fled prejudice and persecution to colonize the planet Lenfell--a perfect refuge for those whose powers were perceived as a threat by people not gifted with magic. But the greater the magic, the greater the peril. Lenfell was soon devastated by a war between rival Mageborn factions that polluted the land with Wild Magic and unleashed hideous specters called Wraithenbeasts. Now, generations later, someone is planning another war on the still crippled planet that will tear three Mageborn sisters apart.

"I am mad (petulant, in fact!) that I can't immediately read book number two in the Exiles trilogy.... Melanie Rawn has established beyond doubt that she is a great writer of fantasy and The Ruins of Ambrai will join the Dragon series in my library of favorites for years to come." --Realms of Fantasy

The Mageborn Traitor (Exiles, Vol. 2)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 127 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

When will she ever finish this? 2 out of 5 stars.
14 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I have just finished reading the Exiles books after 10 years, and think they are even better than the first time I read them.
That being said, I have to admit I am wondering if any author has the sheer talent and skill needed to patch up this convoluted
tale. And have it make any kind of sense.
I also wonder if it's possible to write the sequel and have it mesh after such a long hiatus.

After reading these two books, I have come to realize that Ms. Rawn will have a hard time finishing this story. She has
effectively painted herself into a creative corner. Bear with me a moment.
First and foremost, the story is getting too complicated. Where one or two major groups of families would have sufficed,
there are literally hundreds of names the beleaguered reader has to try to remember. Added to that, layers upon layers of shadings
and meanings behind every word ever uttered by one Gorynel Desse. And with all the names in the two books, I'm not exactly
sure he's the only one. Also, there are tales within tales that boggle the mind. You have the 3 sisters' history and the question of Auvry Feiran's
true reasons for going evil. There was some kind of cover up there. The divorce and all was some kind of fake maneuver to hide some other events.
Also, you have the Ganfallin revolt over 200 years ago that is tied into the current events, plus
the Malerrisi lord and the ancestor of Leninor Garvedian who were in love and tried to revolutionize the magical hierarchy. Or was
it the ancestor of Lusira, Alira Gavennos, Tragan Maifirran - huh? You see what I mean here. Not to even get started on who
actually colonized the planet of Lenfell, who started the Mage wars over a thousand years ago . . . Spaceships, anyone? There is
just too much stuff.

Second, too many characters are aged too rapidly. Cailet is just a young woman at the beginning of book 2 and in 100 or so pages
becomes middle aged, empty hearted and bitter. There is almost no fleshing out of her character. After all the time spent on her
thoughts and feelings in the first book, to be suddenly cheated of her real growth into a woman is astounding. The reader just has
to make the leap and read between her grim faced silences and acid comments to Gorsha. The same goes for Glenin, her doings are
only hinted at,and it would have been nice to get a clearer idea of what made her tick other than rigid adherence to the Malerissi
Code. Why does power mean so much to her? There are issues left unresolved with her at the end of book 1 that are not continued
in book 2, but glossed over. Certainly her relationship with her son would have fleshed out her personality more and made her
eventual choices that much more frustrating and heartbreaking. And the last sister, Sarra, becomes a robot in the service of the
government, missing out on her children's lives and feeling just about as cheated as the reader at having seen it whirl on by so
quickly. It all feels so rushed.

And worst of all is what is done with Collan. Without going into major spoilers here, all I can say is that what we are left with at
the end of book 2 is not enough. Not even close. One page of teasing phrases and almost finished sentences. Just two more words
in the right place would have given so much! Now, the explanations will need to come by way of flashbacks, or visions- if the third
book actually ever gets written. The whole mystery of his true identity is almost given, then tauntingly jerked away.

At last we are left with Ms. Rawn's 10 year and counting hiatus.
Has anyone thought of just writing the darn thing themselves? Anyone? Not even fanfic? Thought not. The truth is that it will take
a lot of talent and brain drain to get the next book to be even halfway coherent and not the total anti-climax mess it probably will be.
In fact, at one point Ms. Rawn called on her readers to help her with it. No joke, the request by her was made on her website and has
since been removed. But I remember my jaw dropping to my shoes when I read it last year. She emphatically stated that a book takes
anywhere between 1 and 5 years for her to write, not to get too exited and please not to tell her our own ideas about who Collan really
is. She just needs some help with, you know, the story and stuff like that.

Doesn't that just say it all? Even she can't keep it all straight and in fact said she needed the help to remember what happened. Having
just finished this, I can see why. Too many names, too much time gone by for both the characters and for the author.

My advice is: Don't read these books until the last book is out. The books are good enough that it is maddening wondering if and when the author
will ever finish it.

UPDATE: 11/9/2007

I've just read on Rawn's website that the next book she will be writing is . . .

Spellbinder 2.

Wow. What is WRONG with her? 14 years and we are all hanging on this series and she continues what many reviewers have euphemistically labeled 'trash'. Please think twice before buying and reading any of her books. She has earned the label 'rear end cavity' or something like that for doing this to her faithful readers of a decade and a half.

UPDATE: 10/4/2008

From her website, now we can all look forward to Spellbinder 3. Wow.
What can I say?

Editorial Review:

The Mage Guardians have survived the war-barely. Now Mage Captal Cailet and her sister Sarra are struggling to rebuild their society- politically, economically, and magically. Yet though defeated, their ancient enemies, the Malerissi, have not been destroyed, and under the leadership of Cailet's and Sarra's sister Glenin, these masters of a darker magic are once again weaving a web with which to entangle the entire world. And even as Cailet's dreams of a restored Mage Hall become a reality, Glenin prepares to strike at the very heart of both her sisters' power...

** The second novel in the Exiles trilogy!
** 1.8 million copies of Melanie Rawn's DAW books in print!
** All of Melanie Rawn's books have been national bestsellers
** Stunning cover art by Michael Whelan

The Golden Key

Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Kate Elliott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great new origional Fantasy 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I have been hooked since the "Dragon Prince" series. I found this one didn't quite live up to the steaminess of the Prince, but the newness of the concept more than makes up for it.

Editorial Review:

The authors have devised a fascinating setting based on medieval Italian, Spanish and Portuguese models for a novel of love and power -- both political and sorcerous. This is one of the few genre books I've seen in which an effort is made to take religion into account as a social force, though, even here, it's watered down. The story spans centuries and centers on the limner Sario Grijalva, whose love for the arts he has mastered is corrupted by his egotism. Grijalva's ruthless use of sorcery can, however, be thwarted by chance events, and this novel thus avoids the pitfall of the unbelievably powerful (and dull) character. Many stories -- love stories, Machiavellian thrillers, coming-of-age stories and stories of magic -- are tightly wound together in this suspenseful, enthralling one-volume trilogy (yes! you get the whole story in one book!); the painterly focus is unusual and interesting, too.

Spellbinder: A Love Story With Magical Interruptions

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Disappointed 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

To the author of "Spellbinder" - who are you and what have you done with the real Melanie Rawn? I am a fan of Ms. Rawn's previous works, and I understand the desire to branch out into a different sub-genre for a change of pace, but I couldn't even finish 'Spellbinder.' I got about 120 pages into it and realized that up to that point, the author had spent only about 20 pages on actual plot. The remaining 100 pages were entirely devoted to the two main characters, to the point where I came to dislike them. I got tired of 'ooh, I love you so much, and I never thought I would ever fall in love' and 'baby, you're so wonderful that I can overlook the fact that you are more sucessful and have more money than I do, but when we get married you must use my name.' Please! Enough already. Ms. Rawn, when are you going to finish your Exiles series? I'm going to go re-read 'The Ruins of Ambrai' now so I can remind myself of what a good writer Melanie Rawn truly is.

Editorial Review:

Holly McClure has it all: beauty, success, a great apartment in Manhattan, good friends, and a very sexy new boyfriend. And one more thing…a very rare magical talent. Holly is a witch.

There is magic in the big city…literally. New York City has a small, and very discrete, population of witches and wizards and Holly is one of them, though she tries to keep magic out of her daily life.

But trouble has come to the City, in the form of a black coven run by a murderous psychopath. And he wants Holly, for the power of her blood.

The danger to Holly is extreme. Her passionate affair will be derailed by those who want to drain her for their own purposes, and her dearest friends will be put in peril of their lives. In the end it will be magic against magic, and Holly McClure will have to risk all for life and love.