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In the Hall of the Dragon King (The Dragon King #1)
A kingdom hangs in the balance...and a young boy answers the call.
Carrying a sealed message from the war-hero Dragon King to the queen, Quentin and his outlaw companion, Theido, plunge headlong into a fantastic odyssey and mystic quest. Danger lurks everywhere in the brutal terrain, and particularly in the threats from merciless creatures, both human and not-so-human.
Whil
...morePaperback, 351 pages
Published
December 31st 1985
by Lion Hudson Plc
(first published 1982)
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Já há algum tempo que tinha vontade de experimentar um livro do escritor americano Stephen Lawhead, que se notabilizou no campo da fantasia e ficção científica e, mais recentemente, na ficção histórica. Na Casa do Rei Dragão é o primeiro volume dos três que compõem A Saga do Dragão, e foi o seu livro de estreia (curiosamente publicado no ano em que nasci). O próximo volume é Os Guerreiros de Nin.
Na Casa do Rei Dragão é um livro que segue as linhas tradicionais de um livro de fantasia, em que est...more
Na Casa do Rei Dragão é um livro que segue as linhas tradicionais de um livro de fantasia, em que est...more
Dec 27, 2008
Stefan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction-and-fantasy
In The Hall Of The Dragon King, is an excellent fantasy novel (book one in a series), by one of my favorite author's Stephen R. Lawhead. A complicated framework of religions, a variety of cultures, and interesting geopolitics makes for a fascinating read in a immersing world. The dialogue was one of the book's greatest strengths, the characters were full-fleshed and fully developed, and the settings wonderfully vivid. My greatest complainant with this book, is the poorly designed map in the begi...more
Finally, Lawhead writes an awesome story with a strong female character. Queen Alinea isn't the main character, but at least she's a strong Queen, not afraid to fight beside her people, or sacrifice everything to save her husband King.
The main character, Quentin, is called to adventure from a monastary and into the forest, stepping in again and again to save his country, and to search out a right relationship with the Lord.
In this book, there is fantasy, sorcery, adventure, wise men, brave kni...more
The main character, Quentin, is called to adventure from a monastary and into the forest, stepping in again and again to save his country, and to search out a right relationship with the Lord.
In this book, there is fantasy, sorcery, adventure, wise men, brave kni...more
** spoiler alert ** This book featured "clunky" writing and a rather heavy-handed religious subtext, but in spite of those issues, I enjoyed the story of Quentin and his comrades in their quest to find and free the Dragon King.
What I liked: The Jher, especially Toli, who accompanies Quentin and becomes both his servant and friend. The city of Dekra and the caretakers who are restoring it. Durwin, ex-priest, ex-sorcerer (who still has a few tricks up his sleeve), ever-seeking enlightenment and p...more
What I liked: The Jher, especially Toli, who accompanies Quentin and becomes both his servant and friend. The city of Dekra and the caretakers who are restoring it. Durwin, ex-priest, ex-sorcerer (who still has a few tricks up his sleeve), ever-seeking enlightenment and p...more
I will admit right off the bat that I am not the target audience for this novel -- I don't generally read YA (though I'm not convinced this was originally conceived as a YA novel); I don't like quest fantasy OR Arthurian fantasy OR Christian fiction; and a coming-of-age story has to be pretty potent for me to be at all interested. Still, I like to keep my opinions of these genres honest, so I occasionally sample them (well, except for the Christian fiction part, but I didn't know this was so Chr...more
In a post-Tolkien world, there seem to be an abundance of fantasy books that should never have been written. This is one of them. This is an overly-predictable, orphan-turned-hero, good-vs-evil story, the kind which is best read before Christmas, after which (hopefully) you will have better stuff to read. Quentin, a young orphan acolyte at a temple in the woods, becomes the hero of the story after volunteering for a dangerous mission to save the missing King Eskevar. (The logic here bothers me:...more
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This was, like all of Lawhead's books, a great deal of fun. Very entertaining story, covering a great deal of terrain and also a good amount of character development and growth. My favorite part about every Lawhead novel that I have read so far (Pendragon Cycle, Patrick, and the first two of the Dragon King) is his ability to incorporate clearly Christian themes and types without sounding too "cheesy". That is a valuable trait as so many books written by Christians are just written poorly and wi...more
Quentin an acolyte to the god Ariel has waited his whole life watching the omens. The omens speak of change, and change comes in the form of the dying knight Ronsard. Ronsard carries a message from the Dragon King for his queen, but the intrigues that keeps the king from his throne keeps Ronsard from his duty. Quentin volunteers to go in his stead, entering a world beyond his temple and imagination.
I rather liked this book. It was the author and the fact that it had “dragons” in the title that d...more
I rather liked this book. It was the author and the fact that it had “dragons” in the title that d...more
I liked it, because it had some strong Christian themes I identified with.
I found this to be a refreshing fantasy story pretty typical of the genre directed at the YA audience. The Christian elements were woven throughout the story in a way that was natural and thought provoking. The main character Quentin, is a young boy who gives up all he knows in order to serve his king and ends up blossoming in his beliefs and character. His good acts of serving others are rewarded in the end. He finds people who help him along the way, who each have something to contribute.
I enj...more
I enj...more
It's been a long time since I've had to force myself to plod through a fantasy novel. I heard that Lawhead is a modern day Lewis and decided to take a chance. Unfortunately, I chose his first book and it really, really shows. From the setting, plot, characters and even dialogue is trite and retread. I began to notice this when I started rooting for the main character to fall into a pit and die a slow, horrible death. That didn't happen. I'll give Lawhead another try; I've heard he's since improv...more
I really enjoyed the first two thirds of In the Hall of the Dragon King. The story happens on a fully realized world filled with different cultures, different belief systems and complicated politics. The young protagonist, Quentin, sees a way out from his humdrum life and takes it without worrying too much about his own safety.
For those first almost 200 pages, I was enjoying a book happily situated amongst other enjoyable adventures like The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope or the Chronicles of...more
For those first almost 200 pages, I was enjoying a book happily situated amongst other enjoyable adventures like The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope or the Chronicles of...more
This book inspired me to write my own fantasynovel! It has some great idea's, but in my humble opinion does not make the most of them, leaving fascinating and Original threads behind to focus on a less Original fantasy ending eventually. But it was Lawheads' first novel, so I'm willing to give him some slacks. The story might be a bit weak with regards to it's composition, but Lawheads strengths come through even so, lively descriptions, excitement and sympathetic characters.
The first book in another great fantasy series written by a devout Christian who doesn't sacrifice storytelling for proselytizing. Lawhead is squarely in the Tolkien/Lewis genre of fantasy, though he focuses a little more on the Christian aspects than perhaps the aforementioned. Here he introduces Quentin, a teenaged boy who is volunteers for a quest that has far-ranging consequences. This is an especially good choice for anyone who is looking for another Narnia-type set to read.
I really enjoy reading Stephen Lawhead’s books. This one centers around a young boy Quentin who volunteers for an unknown and dangerous mission, leaving the service of the priest of Ariel forever to do it. Quentin is off on an unexpected adventure and meets the friend of a lifetime: Toli when he needs a guide.
There are several mysterious characters: people that Quentin runs into and who help him on his quest. He often does not discover their significance until later in the story. Another layer...more
There are several mysterious characters: people that Quentin runs into and who help him on his quest. He often does not discover their significance until later in the story. Another layer...more
Sep 24, 2012
Phillip Lemons
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-reads,
sci-fi-fantasy
Reading this again for the first time in twenty-some years, I see how Lawhead's writing has matured. It should be noted this trilogy was written primarily for a Christian audience and the Christian themes are more overt than his more recent material. Christian themes include the superiority and love of God. I can see aspects of Arthur and Robin Hood in the story. In the end it is a fun read in spite of the telling a story more than painting mental pictures.
One of the books I can't technically claim to have read myself, but heard the entirety of read aloud (by my mother mostly) during the sacred family reading time that happened each night. I didn't like Lawhead as much for some reason, but I think that stemmed from a general dislike for fantasy which, as luck would have it, was a genre my parents (or at least Dad) seemed to like a lot.
This was so bad and unconvincing that it put me off reading any other books by this author.
One expects strange and unexpected things in fantasy books, but when rivers flow uphill one feels some explanation from the author is called for, otherwise it seems as though he made them flow uphill in a fit of absence of mind.
One expects strange and unexpected things in fantasy books, but when rivers flow uphill one feels some explanation from the author is called for, otherwise it seems as though he made them flow uphill in a fit of absence of mind.
This was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Turned out to be a great story. However, volume one of this trilogy is easy to find. I have yet to find the remaining two books at the library or in a book store. Looks like I'm going to have to break down and buy them from Amazon.
This was my first taste of Lawhead. I really found his writing satisfying. I was aware of his Christian roots and found its impact weaved within the story in a way that was natural and beautiful. I think this series is well worth reading if you've not and rereading if you have.
An epic fantasy reminiscent of Tolkien's, this book was BIG. Both good and bad characters were well developed and followed closely. There were so many elements in this book, the characters not content to stick with one type of fantasy. There were disputes about religion, romance, fleeing from horrible creatures, sailing, breaking out of the enemy's castle, illusions, and power struggles between the bad guys.
If anything was wrong with it, it was too big. It stretches the mind, and some readers ar...more
If anything was wrong with it, it was too big. It stretches the mind, and some readers ar...more
Stephen Lawhead is well known for his mythic history and fantasy novels. This series written for young adults begins as an enjoyable read. The book has some graphic violence but otherwise no inappropriate material for preteen to teen readers.
In the Hall of the Dragon King is pretty much typical fantasy. I like Stephen Lawhead's writing, and in terms of my synesthesia this tastes good, but it reads like amateur fantasy. It's a really typical, predictable plot with an evil-for-the-sake-of-evil character and a young "chosen one" type character, the characters are generally archetypes or not well developed. The references to Christianity don't even attempt to be subtle. The Big Bad is defeated too easily, everything is resolved very qui...more
Aug 18, 2009
Bob Hayton
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-science-fiction,
favorites
This was the book that got me hooked on the fantasy genre. Granted I enjoy fantasy that is largely clean, but medieval chivalry and knights, wizards and their spells -- these have allured me. I particularly enjoy Lawhead's work. This was more for teens and not of the same degree as his later work, but all the same it is a good tale. The allegory is obviously Christian, but it isn't a definite allegory. It is more a story than a Christian apologetic. A great tale of an unlikely hero, with all the...more
A refreshing story. I missed reading a wonderful fantasy story. I adored the main character because he was adorable and I just wanted to hug him at many points of the story. The villain was one I did want to hate and I did. I wanted him to see get what was coming to him.
I wanted to like this one, I really did. I thought the blurb was great. It made me want to read the book. However, once I was reading the story really just couldn't get my attention. I gave up almost half-way through, which is why I'm giving it such a low rating.
Its not that I disliked this book so much as I got to about page 120 and thought, "life is too short and there are too many other good books to read for me to waste my time reading something this lame."
Oct 10, 2008
Anna
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone!
Recommended to Anna by:
My best friend.
Shelves:
steven-r-lawhead
What I learned from this book:
1. Lawhead is an awesome Christian writer. You could see Christian elements every where in this book without even looking. They just popped out at you.
2. God has every thing in control even though it may not look that way at the moment.
3. You never know what God has in store for your life. One day you seem a no one; the next, who knows you could be the heir to the throne.
My review:
This book is a must read! The plot, character development, and story line are intri...more
1. Lawhead is an awesome Christian writer. You could see Christian elements every where in this book without even looking. They just popped out at you.
2. God has every thing in control even though it may not look that way at the moment.
3. You never know what God has in store for your life. One day you seem a no one; the next, who knows you could be the heir to the throne.
My review:
This book is a must read! The plot, character development, and story line are intri...more
Meh
It felt like he just wanted to jump on the fantasy bandwagon without going to the trouble of creating a world, magic system or characters
It felt like he just wanted to jump on the fantasy bandwagon without going to the trouble of creating a world, magic system or characters
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Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, Patrick, and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion.
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned...more
More about Stephen R. Lawhead...
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned...more
Aug 31, 2009 09:15am