Beyond the Pale

Shadowrun Novels Germany #33

by Jak Koke

Ryan Mercury, the late president's secret agent, must find a mage with the ability to control the awesome power of the Dragon Heart. If he fails, the world will fall prey not only to industrial saboteurs, but spiritual demons as well. But in a turn of good fortune, Mercury will be joined by a mysterious figure--one who's known to be one of the more powerful individuals in the "Shadowrun" universe. .

Genres: Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, Role Playing Games

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Jak Koke writes and edits from Seattle, where he lives with his partner, Karawynn Long. Jak has authored seven published novels and many short stories under his own name. He has also ghost-written novels and edited manuscripts by other authors. He is currently the Managing Editor of an award-winning small press — Per Aspera Press.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bei diesem Buch war der Titel wirklich Programm, denn der letzte Teil dieser Trilogie hat mich ziemlich enttäuscht. Wenn man nämlich die ganzen Wiederholungen gestrichen hätte, hätte die Story auch locker in zwei Bücher gepasst. Aber es wurde immer wieder erzählt, dass Ryan kastanienbraunes Haar und blaue Augen hat und vom Aussehen von Nadja, die ständig in den höchsten Tönen gelobt wurde, will ich gar nicht erst anfangen. Das wurde so erzählt, dass ich es quasi runter beten kann. Ansonsten passierte zwar viel, aber das war teilweise so drüber, dass es wirklich keinen Spaß mehr gemacht hat. Für mich daher nur 2 ⭐.

[Marco Baier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this series about three times. The series is one of my favorite in the Shadowrun Universe and it has one of my most favorite villains in it. :)Go Burnout!

[Jed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been itching for a good Shadowrun story for a long time. I've burned through a few one-shot books and I'm just feeling like they're a little pulpy for my taste. But when it comes to adding important lore, characters, and events to my previous knowledge, the Dragon Heart Saga really pulls it together on Beyond the Pale.

I really wanted to give this a 3 star rating based on writing style, elements too-present or not present enough, and general language maturity. But then there's the importance of this particular trilogy for the history and future of SR! The tie-ins with Earthdawn as well as the epic characters showcased here were worth a star all on their own.

All that said, I did find this a bit of a slog to get through all 3 books. The entire Roxborough storyline seemed superfluous (I can imagine many other ways to tie in Ryan with Aztechnology). Both Ryan's and Burnout's arcs were pretty great. They just weren't all presented in a page turner.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the ending.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here:

https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...

Really fun read to conclude the trilogy. Worth the slog through the past two books.

[E J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just... embarrassingly bad. This is not how I envision SR.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely more mature than a lot of other Shadowrun novels, probably due to "The Enemy" aka Horrors. They tend to make the story more graphic in violence and suffering. It wrapped the up the trilogy nicely. Ending where it started but with the hero learning more of himself. The tempo was better than the 2nd novel that seemed to flounder in some places. This one read like an action movie. I would have liked more character developement in the 2nd since it seemed so lost. It also seemed sort of a weak decision on who killed the dragon but I guess it worked.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunkelzahn's will is made manifest in this closing book as the big picture sort of comes together. Is the Big D really dead? It would seem not, and furthermore it introduces another of the long forgotten races waiting for the magic levels to rise enough in the sixth-age to make an appearance - something that the game environment never officially incorporated into the setting, which I found odd.

Good conclusion though.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Pale concludes the Dragonheart Saga and makes the big reveal of the Big D's plans and the reasoning behind is assassination. A good sum up. I read all of these books in a couple of days during the college years and couldn't put em down. Ah, the guilty pleasures of RPG pulp.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science Fiction

[Christoph Weber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay for fun, but not really good. Got it for free from a neighbor, thanks anyway