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kazio1993's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sherwoodreads's review against another edition
Rereading this book caused me to clarify some of my muddy thinking with respect to wish-fulfillment characters and stories and those that try to present the world as it should be, could be, might be with a little imagination and grace.
The very far end of the spectrum is the so-called Mary Sue story, wherein the protagonist is the center of the universe just because the narrative voice tells us the protag is a special snowflake. Leading off down a different path is the idealized protagonist, which could be termed the Beau Ideal.
In the hands of a great writer this character serves to show what humans could be, and as such he has a venerable history. Not starting with Castiglione’s Courtier as I’ve seen asserted, but farther back, and at the inspiration of a very strong woman: Eleanor of Acquitaine, who worked so hard to wrench the war hungry drive of feudalism into a semblance of the chivalric ideal because she got tired of stinking, sweaty men tromping with filthy boots into her fine rooms, blabbing exclusively of killing unruly barons and damned Saracens, to the exclusion of wit, history, song, and about anything else worth listening to.
There’s a traceable line of these heroes, particularly in the hands of female authors, stemming from the Pimpernel, up through Peter Wimsey to Crawford of Lymond and those he inspired. That Beau Ideal is recognizable through his descendants—witty, well, read, courageous, seemingly immoral or amoral, but actually true to his beliefs. And he has beliefs, even if it is only in his fellow-man.
I think of him as a descendent of Eleanor's vision, and in The Dragon Waiting John M. Ford gives us the splendid Dimitrios, the anchor to the story, the sign that though the world around the characters seems to be sick with disease, war, greed, ambition, and death, there is grace, even if as elusive as the echo from an unseen choir.
The very far end of the spectrum is the so-called Mary Sue story, wherein the protagonist is the center of the universe just because the narrative voice tells us the protag is a special snowflake. Leading off down a different path is the idealized protagonist, which could be termed the Beau Ideal.
In the hands of a great writer this character serves to show what humans could be, and as such he has a venerable history. Not starting with Castiglione’s Courtier as I’ve seen asserted, but farther back, and at the inspiration of a very strong woman: Eleanor of Acquitaine, who worked so hard to wrench the war hungry drive of feudalism into a semblance of the chivalric ideal because she got tired of stinking, sweaty men tromping with filthy boots into her fine rooms, blabbing exclusively of killing unruly barons and damned Saracens, to the exclusion of wit, history, song, and about anything else worth listening to.
There’s a traceable line of these heroes, particularly in the hands of female authors, stemming from the Pimpernel, up through Peter Wimsey to Crawford of Lymond and those he inspired. That Beau Ideal is recognizable through his descendants—witty, well, read, courageous, seemingly immoral or amoral, but actually true to his beliefs. And he has beliefs, even if it is only in his fellow-man.
I think of him as a descendent of Eleanor's vision, and in The Dragon Waiting John M. Ford gives us the splendid Dimitrios, the anchor to the story, the sign that though the world around the characters seems to be sick with disease, war, greed, ambition, and death, there is grace, even if as elusive as the echo from an unseen choir.
fattoush's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
alyssalp's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mioleo9's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rkaufman13's review against another edition
3.0
An absolutely fascinating character study wrapped in a completely inscrutable plot . Maybe brushing up on my European history before reading would have helped?
acertaineh's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jlandie's review against another edition
Ultimately I am just glad I finished this book. I really had no idea what was happening until the last hundred or so pages which was a frustrating experience….and the problem with reading an alternate history when you have next to no knowledge of the literal history is that you’ll just be pretty baffled the whole time.
I will say I was surprised to learn that John M Ford and Robert Jordan were close friends considering that Ford can actually write women and Jordan seems to think we’re alien life forms.
I will say I was surprised to learn that John M Ford and Robert Jordan were close friends considering that Ford can actually write women and Jordan seems to think we’re alien life forms.
lunese's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
dkadastra's review against another edition
3.0
This one was interesting. Was honestly hard for me to follow all the names, and I couldn't really understand the characters' motivations for intervening where they did.