The Dragon Lord

by David Drake

Arthur, warlord of Britain, has forged a mercenary army more savage and terrible than the Saxon barbarians who have invaded his island. Victory isn't enough: now Arthur wants to annihilate the Saxons by becoming The Dragon Lord. Mael and Starkad, an Irish adventurer and his giant Danish companion, are peerless warriors in a warrior age; men who have fought all across Europe for survival and pay and always for each other. Now they must seek an ancient skull from which Merlin's wizardry can raise a dragon, and also the weapons by which alone the dragon can be controlled. 

Accompanied by a priestess older than time, their search takes them from a monster-haunted lake, to the barrow of a thing no longer dead, and to a battlefield where the enmity of Briton and Saxon rises to a cataclysm which drowns the earth in blood. 

Yet one task remains. The fiery breath of the dragon Mael and Starkad have helped create can sweep the land clear of all life if it ever escapes from Merlin's control. And the dragon is about to escape!

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian, Fiction, Dragons, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adventure

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Horza]

It's Dark Ages Britain.

Arthur is a genocidal maniac.

Merlin is a sycophantic creep.

They're out to make a dragon, and scrappy mercenary pair Mael Mac Ronan and his pal Starkad the Dane are going to help them, like it or not.

There's some fun stuff and some good ideas here, but it is Baen military SFF so be prepared for cardboard characters clinging to a mighty, well-jointed oaken oxcart of exposition bolstered by a firm, hard-packed Roman highway of miscellaneous detail. As you know, Bedwyr...

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Drake's first real novel, definitely his first fantasy novel, and is quite different from his later fantasy works. It's an Arthurian fantasy, whereas almost all of his subsequent works have been heavily influenced by Greek or Roman mythology and perceptions. I've read that it was originally intended to be a collaboration with andrew Offutt, but that when that didn't work out he made some changes to the outline and did it himself. It's a very good story, with tighter and faster pacing of the plot than, for example, the later Isles books... in my opinion, of course. I've also read that the paperback version was heavily revised before publication and differs quite a bit from the first edition hardback I have. I've always meant to pick up a copy of the later edition and compare the two... I'll get around to it someday!

[Strix · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book! A fascinating fusion of sword-and-sorcery story beats and a historical military story. The setting is after/during the Fall of Rome, when Britain is mostly free of Roman influence and the Saxons are trying to establish domination. This is when the original legend of King Arthur sprung up, and he is a central figure in this story, the titular Dragon Lord.

In this novel, King Arthur is a club-footed man with a terror of being in battle without his horse, and a tactical and strategic genius who trains his armies and integrates the fighting styles of men from all over Europe and beyond to create a terrifying force that will conquer Britain - and he has eyes on the entire world. Lancelot is a Roman subordinate to him, and there are other familiar names - but none of them are the classic medieval chivalric mold, because this isn't that era.

Except, of course, for Merlin. Enter the fantasy element: Arthur wants a dragon, and Merlin can and will provide.

Enter our protagonists, our heroes: Mael and Starkad. They're not in the legends, and are a fascinating pair of viewpoint characters. One's an Irishman, the other a Dane, and both are mercenaries who take up work in Arthur's army because the pay is good. They're fantastic at giving us an honest look at how King Arthur works, as well as great characters in their own right. Mael might be a bit of a stereotype - a clever, good man who can mete out violence and survive it - but he works, and has some nuance to him.

The plot covers a series of adventures: Mael is sent to Ireland to retrieve a skull for Merlin, so that the dragon can be summoned. Mael and Starkad are sent to assassinate a Saxon warchief for his mythical weapons. Mael and Starkad join Arthur's army for a grand battle with the Saxons. -- And a final one, that shall remain a spoiler.

There is a woman, and a believable romance because it's entirely practical. There is magic, but it never drowns out the gritty realism of the setting - even when it goes entirely fantastical. There is violence, and worse - but the author doesn't linger.

I'll be upfront with this warning: while it's not graphic, there are mentions of sexual violence in this novel. Soldiers rape and pillage, and the author doesn't whitewash it. Again, though - he doesn't linger.

I genuinely loved this novel, and got attached by the end, and I'll be sad that I won't get to see Mael and Starkad again. I also love the mythical echoes surrounding King Arthur and his men. It's a worthy look at where his legend might have come from.

Highly recommended if you're interested in either sword-n'-sorcery, military fantasy (the battle is GREAT) and/or this era of British history.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment for me on many levels. The biggest disappointment was the title; had absolutely nothing to do with the book; it would have been more correct to have called it The Wannabe Dragon Lord or King Arthur Was A Crippled Jerk, or something other than the title given. I kept expecting something other than what actually happened in the book; the ending was beyond anticlimactic for me. The character development was between weak and so-so.

Not only that, but the dust jacket lies like a rug: it claims "Mael and Starkad, the two mercenary heroes of The Dragon Lord, join the ranks of other fantastic warriors - a select list that includes Gordon Dickson's Dorsai, Jerry Pournelle's John Christian Falkenberg, and Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers." Really? Really?!? I've never read any of the tales about Dorsai or John Christian Falkenberg and cannot comment on that, but to compare this drivel with Starship Troopers is . . . is . . . I cannot think of an adequately derogatory comparison because there is none. Starship Troopers is infinitely better than this dreck. It was a horrifically bad decision to compare this book with Starship Troopers; the two mercs are not even remotely close to being "fantastic warriors"; instead, they come off as two cardboard-cutout jerks with arrogant attitudes of false superiority. Well, the Dane might be 'superior' - he is certainly stronger than most men, as well as larger/taller than most, so his superior attitude does have some "validity" to back it up.

It was a semi-interesting take on King Arthur, I suppose. I do not recall ever reading anything that present's King Arthur like Drake portrays him. King Arthur is crippled, physically weak, and something of a genocidal whackjob; Merlin is old and daft. Lancelot is portrayed as a buffoon, and Gawain had the makings of potential greatness [as it were] and about the only Companion respected by Mael and Starkad. Definitely a 'darker' take on King Arthur, it seemed like the author was trying to make his characters seem "better" in comparison to the Arthurian characters by making the Arthurian characters so despicable.

I did find it interesting that the magical characters were weakened when using their "powers/abilities" over the course of the book - the severity and length of the weakness depended on how much power was used. It just seems like in the other (occasional) fantasy books I have read, the users of "magic" rarely ever seem to be adversely affected by tapping into powers greater than themselves.

I did feel like the whole bit about conjuring up a dragon was the weakest part of the book. Merlin claims that by rearing the dragon as a 'small dragon' he can maintain control over time. His theory is that his ability to control it will grow in direct proportion to the growth of the dragon as his control of the creature starts when it is small and "manageable". This sounds "good" and "reasonable" at first, until he starts blathering about how the dragon is actually taken from a separate universe/reality, and it is "never" the same dragon over the course of its growth. Instead. the dragon is replaced moment-to-moment [from one yoctosecond to the next, as it were ;D] in that it is never the same dragon. The "dragon" is constantly being replaced by different dragons, so that it is never the "same dragon" that Merlin is "controlling"; instead, it is an infinite number of dragons appearing, one-after-the-other, and making it look like the dragon is existing and growing in "this space-time continuum" [as it were]. If, by Merlin's own admission, the "dragon" is actually an infinite number of dragons appearing one-after-the-other, how could he possibly "control" "the beast" as it is "never" "the same beast" from one moment to the next? And if he is capable of controlling each iteration of each dragon that appears, he should be able to control "the beast" once "it is fully grown" because he would have learned how to control each dragon that appeared and his power(s)/strength(s)/abilities would have had to have grown commensurately. Otherwise, he could never have controlled it from the get-go. It was an interesting concept that clearly was going to cause problems later in the book; I assumed it would be "sooner" rather than "later" in terms of the narrative. Yet the author has Merlin not being able to control the beast in the end. Whatever. It was the weakest, and lamest, part of the book.

Personally, I think the book would have been "better" if the dragon (wyvern) had appeared "sooner" in the story and had been utilized more before going rogue and having to be killed. As it was, the beastie really played no significant part in the book, other than being one of the weakest climaxes I have ever read.

It was "amusing" how the author comes across as so angry about Christianity, specifically, and religions, in general, yet he seemed so accepting and "gung-ho" about witches, magicians, and magic. He makes it appear that Christians and followers of other religions are weak and have no power at all, yet witches and magicians do have "powers/abilities"? It seemed stupid to me, is all. And yet, while he has Mael dissing on Christians, he has Veleda correcting Mael about the power behind the Christian God and Christian beliefs. It was odd, hearing a "witch" speak respectfully about the Christian deity.

I also found myself wondering about the identity of Veleda. I could not decide if she was truly human or not, or if she were from another race that co-existed on Earth. Starkad calls her an "Immortal", at one point, implying she has lived a long time and that he might have recognized either her or her talents/gifts from somewhere else [maybe "historical legend"?]. She definitely had skills, in more ways than one. She almost reminded me of another character from another series of books, who was actually not "human" despite being called a "wizard" - he was from another race of beings altogether that also had special talents and abilities that humans, elves, or other woodland dwellers could not ken.

While discussing "amusing things" from the book, there was one other 'scene' that made me laugh (smile). Merlin is trying to force his creation back into the universe from whence it came, and he is forced to face the fact that he no longer can control the beast. In order to save his own life, he turns himself into a tree(!) (of all things!). I can only assume there is some kind of significance as to the type of tree he transforms himself into, but a tree he will remain until/unless another wizard [or mage or witch or exceptionally skilled user of magic] transforms him back into his human form.

I liked the Northworld series better than this book. But, this was his first full-length novel, and he has made a career of writing novels whereas I have not. I do know what I like and do not like; this book bordered between one and two stars for me. I may have to read the paperback, though, as apparently it is significantly different then the hardback novel published. Hopefully, the paperback will be "better" than this. I do not know that I am "glad" I read this book as it was so disappointing to me. However, (now) knowing that it was the author's first attempt at writing a novel, it makes it easier to "appreciate" what the author did and how much he learned from writing this first novel.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. A different take on Arthur, for sure. I wanted more emotional connection with the characters than I got, but it's an adventure story written by a man for men so I can't really complain.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arthurian fantasy (another thing I was big into, you will see). Heavy on the military aspects of the Pendragon, but not surprising, given the author.

[Tom Nittoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very descriptive, and considering the size of the book it has a huge story with great characters. Definitely would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

[Michael D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read that entertained me on my off hours 25 years ago when I was an Executive Officer of a Basic Combat Training company at Fort Jackson. The author, David Drake, had developed the outline for this novel for Andrew Offutt, who was at the time writing material based on a Robert E. Howard character, Cormac Mac Art. When Offutt declined his outline, Drake chose to develop it himself, changing the name Cormac to Mael. Like Howard's portrayal of Arthur, Drake's take is also one that removes the pageantry, chivalry, and idealism from Arthur and replaces it with a dystopian vision of a megalomaniacal tyrant who seeks to create a dragon to slaughter the Saxons - not to protect his people but simply for the joy of slaughter. It's not how I would portray Arthur if I ever came up with a coherent story to tell, but it was entertaining to read Drake's interpretation.

His main character, Mael, and his sidekick Starkad, though barbarian pirates in their own right, bear a certain humanity and nobility that Drake's Arthur lacks, and the story has the duo battling Arthur and the dragon his wizard, Merlin, summons to prevent an unpredictable destructive outcome.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This plot had potential, King Arthur magically summons a dragon to help fight the Saxons, but it falls short about a third of the way through and stays there. If you were looking for a story about King Arthur, this isn't it. While this has Arthur, Merlin, Gawain and Lancelot as characters they only appear as one dimensional props to move the story along.
Meanwhile the protagonists journey, an Irishman called Mael, starts promisingly enough but abruptly ends and never picks back up again in the same way, turning into a slice of life for a mercenary for a mercenary until the end of the book. The dragon is scarcely seen as well.
If you're looking for a more grounded take on being a mercenary in King Arthur's army this might be the book for you . Just don't judge it based on the back of the book. It does contain magical elements but they're very spaced out and often not plot relevant.

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two warriors fight in Arthur's army to conquer the Anglo Saxon in Britain. Along the way the secure the means for him to control a dragon. I did not like the negative way Drake presented Arthur, Lancelot and Merlin. The plot seemed to crawl in some places. The battles were OK. Not one Drake's better books.

[Scott Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite book I've read all year. Great Sword 'N Sorcery with a backdrop of Arthurian legend by way of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Absolutely loved Mael and Starkad, desperately wish Drake had written more of their adventures.

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

David Drake's view of Arthur and Camelot.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nitty-gritty, non romanticized, tale of Arthur. Refreshing story in the Arthurian universe that is pre round table, and features an Irish and Danish warrior as the main characters.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of this book. Ridiculous long descriptions of battle gear but also not realistic at all. Did not like the characters

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Tale

An excellent retelling of the Arthurian legend. The author did a wonderful job of weaving a great story. Thanks for the wonderful time.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A King Arthur tale. It was fairly entertaining and definitely well written, but the subject matter rather bores me. This book is on its way to the thrift store. =)