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The Dragon King #2
The Warlords of Nin
In Mensandor's evening sky, the Wolf Star fiercely gleams, a baleful eye beholding the end of the age. Across the southern lands sweep the armies of a grim and terrible Nin the Destroyer, merciless, invincible. Summoned from his studies in the ancient city of Dekra, Quentin sets forth on a perilous journey to open the prophetic path for a coming deliverer -- the Priest-King who will wield the blazing sword Zhaligkeer and usher in the heralded age of light.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
74 people are currently reading
1457 people want to read
About the author
Stephen R. Lawhead
102 books2,743 followersStephen 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 a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.
After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.
He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.
Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.
also write under the name Steve 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 a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.
After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.
He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.
Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.
also write under the name Steve Lawhead
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
September 23, 2021
Enjoyed the second book! Little bit darker than the first, so I wouldn't read to Zayne until he was a bit older, but overall I thought Lawhead's writing improved over the first. Good, clean adventure story - look forward to the last book of the trilogy!
March 11, 2009
I ended up giving up on this book. I tend to like Stephen Lawhead's writing, or I certainly did when I was little, but this is really, really purple prose. There's thinly veiled references to Christianity, which don't ordinarily bother me, but which began to build up. There was a terrible love scene, from which I have a quote that makes me die a little:
"There is trouble, Bria. I feel it, though all about me appears peaceful and serene. I start at shadows, and night gives no rest; it is as if the wind itself whispers an alarm to my ears, but no sound is heard."
Bria sighed deeply and clutched him tighter. "What is happening? What will become of us, my darling?"
"I do not know. But I promise you this: I will love you forever."
They held each other for awhile, and the sun rose and filled the sky with golden light.
"See how the sun banishes the darkness. So love will send our troubles fleeing far from us -- I promise."
"Can love accomplish so much, do you think?" Bria said dreamily.
"It can do all things."
Seriously? Ugh.
Add to that my growing feeling that women are reduced to wives in the story -- even in the first book, now I actually think about it. Alinea can't possibly rule in her husband's stead, it seems. Bria isn't even considered for the succession. No, it's the big brave strong religious men must save the world.
Okay, I get writing in a kind of medievalish world. But seriously, it's another world! You don't have to carry our medieval society over!
I'd still be reading, though, despite this, if the characters were somewhat more than cardboard cutouts, or the story at all original. Not impressed.
"There is trouble, Bria. I feel it, though all about me appears peaceful and serene. I start at shadows, and night gives no rest; it is as if the wind itself whispers an alarm to my ears, but no sound is heard."
Bria sighed deeply and clutched him tighter. "What is happening? What will become of us, my darling?"
"I do not know. But I promise you this: I will love you forever."
They held each other for awhile, and the sun rose and filled the sky with golden light.
"See how the sun banishes the darkness. So love will send our troubles fleeing far from us -- I promise."
"Can love accomplish so much, do you think?" Bria said dreamily.
"It can do all things."
Seriously? Ugh.
Add to that my growing feeling that women are reduced to wives in the story -- even in the first book, now I actually think about it. Alinea can't possibly rule in her husband's stead, it seems. Bria isn't even considered for the succession. No, it's the big brave strong religious men must save the world.
Okay, I get writing in a kind of medievalish world. But seriously, it's another world! You don't have to carry our medieval society over!
I'd still be reading, though, despite this, if the characters were somewhat more than cardboard cutouts, or the story at all original. Not impressed.
February 7, 2016
This book is terrible. I'll write more in depth later, but it had to be said.
This is a review of the book as performed by the amazing people at Graphic Audio, who whenever I see their items for sale in store I buy. So I figured that "hey, a fantasy book by Graphic Audio, I'll try it out!" EERRRR WRONG!!!
Perhaps it was the fact that actual, real-life people had to truly speak the words out loud but the dialog in this book, it just.... if I wasn't laughing at it I was rolling my eyes. NO BODY talks like that!
"Then little you know me sir, I may not make merry when men of my bidding are still abroad."
That's just one of an entire conversation that goes along like that. It's just excruciating. The women in the book are played off as really insignificant in my opinion. The Queen wasn't fit to rule in her husband's stead in book one for no apparent reason, Bria (or however these names are spelled --audio book--) is in there a bit, sort of? The newest edition Esme started off as a strong possibility but then decayed quickly. Also all of the interactions with her in the beginning bother me so much!
After explaining that she was disguised as a boy to protect herself because a woman must be careful on the road she gets a reply along the lines of "surely you don't think that badly of all the men in Mensindor."
. . . Sigh.
The exchange before that goes somewhat like this (after... y'know they chase her down and take her captive and it's made obvious that she's terrified):
Q: We mean you no harm!
*Shoves the boat over and capsizes the girl, grabs her and yanks her up*
Q: Well then, what have we here? Toli it seems we've caught ourselves a...
*Clearly a girl*
T: A girl!
E: Let me go! I am nobody, I have no money, let me go!
T: Peace. We will do you no harm mi'lady. We are not robbers, if that's what you are thinking. We are kingsmen.
E: Since when do kingsmen arrest innocent citizens and abuse them for no reason? *was totally held against her will and abused*
Q: Innocent citizens have nothing to fear from us. Why did you run? *Holds innocent citizen captive*
E: I was frightened.
She then demands to be let go again.
Q: We will let you go in due time but you have pricked our curiosity.
.... Since when is this shit okay?? Holding a girl captive because you want her to answer your questions even though she's given 0 logical reason that you should think she was anyone of importance. Not only that but then they say how safe she is and how she shouldn't fear the men of their land.... ummm apparently even the good guys are going to hold her against her will....
She later sort of teams up with them because "omg that boy is cute!!!"
Moving on!!
So I didn't realize that this was Christian fantasy when I picked it up. I am christian in that I believe a God does exist but I don't practice religion in that I don't go to church. I've read good christian novels. Frank Peritti was always a favorite of mine in the YA department (which I normally don't read), and I always found that the way he wrote about God's hand in the plot was at a realistic level.
This book however... I don't think anything is ever solved on the Character's own merit. They just pray and suddenly God's like "Opps I appear to have dropped my Sign and it's hit Quinton on the head". Oh need a reason for the characters to bump into each other? Dreams. Oh can't figure out how this mess is gonna get sorted out? Dues ex machina. Oh need answers to general questions that people struggle with when they are confronted with an all-loving God who let's people die young? Oh wait... this book has none of the struggles people have when dealing with God. Everything is just neatly sorted out through prayer! Just like in real life!!
The characters were all these hollow do-gooders with no real skill of their own. They seemed to just be chess pieces that we're moved to the appropriate spots and then left there until they were needed again. Some of the stuff that happens doesn't even make sense or follow what we've seen of their character. Esme at first seems to be a spitfire female who would try to get away from the people who abused her at once. Instead she's somehow their loyal friend instead? What?
Why is everyone in this book so trusting!?
Queen let's random guy into her room with her alone with no one else around.
Esme trusts two random guys on the highway who stopped her from escaping and refused to release her.
Random people they've never met keep showing up and getting in close proximity to people of importance!
So in conclusion:
-Terrible writing
-Dialog that makes me want to dig out my eyes and roll them across the floor because rolling them in my head just isn't expressive enough.
-Idiot Characters. Idiots! Do you know how easy it would be to assassinate people in this world!? Or trick them???
-Bland females. Seriously, ladies should be awesome too.
-Nobody solves their own shit out, God does it for them.
I hated this book despite the best efforts of the Graphic Audio team. (Except for Nin's voice... why would you choose that voice??? UGH!)
This is a review of the book as performed by the amazing people at Graphic Audio, who whenever I see their items for sale in store I buy. So I figured that "hey, a fantasy book by Graphic Audio, I'll try it out!" EERRRR WRONG!!!
Perhaps it was the fact that actual, real-life people had to truly speak the words out loud but the dialog in this book, it just.... if I wasn't laughing at it I was rolling my eyes. NO BODY talks like that!
"Then little you know me sir, I may not make merry when men of my bidding are still abroad."
That's just one of an entire conversation that goes along like that. It's just excruciating. The women in the book are played off as really insignificant in my opinion. The Queen wasn't fit to rule in her husband's stead in book one for no apparent reason, Bria (or however these names are spelled --audio book--) is in there a bit, sort of? The newest edition Esme started off as a strong possibility but then decayed quickly. Also all of the interactions with her in the beginning bother me so much!
After explaining that she was disguised as a boy to protect herself because a woman must be careful on the road she gets a reply along the lines of "surely you don't think that badly of all the men in Mensindor."
. . . Sigh.
The exchange before that goes somewhat like this (after... y'know they chase her down and take her captive and it's made obvious that she's terrified):
Q: We mean you no harm!
*Shoves the boat over and capsizes the girl, grabs her and yanks her up*
Q: Well then, what have we here? Toli it seems we've caught ourselves a...
*Clearly a girl*
T: A girl!
E: Let me go! I am nobody, I have no money, let me go!
T: Peace. We will do you no harm mi'lady. We are not robbers, if that's what you are thinking. We are kingsmen.
E: Since when do kingsmen arrest innocent citizens and abuse them for no reason? *was totally held against her will and abused*
Q: Innocent citizens have nothing to fear from us. Why did you run? *Holds innocent citizen captive*
E: I was frightened.
She then demands to be let go again.
Q: We will let you go in due time but you have pricked our curiosity.
.... Since when is this shit okay?? Holding a girl captive because you want her to answer your questions even though she's given 0 logical reason that you should think she was anyone of importance. Not only that but then they say how safe she is and how she shouldn't fear the men of their land.... ummm apparently even the good guys are going to hold her against her will....
She later sort of teams up with them because "omg that boy is cute!!!"
Moving on!!
So I didn't realize that this was Christian fantasy when I picked it up. I am christian in that I believe a God does exist but I don't practice religion in that I don't go to church. I've read good christian novels. Frank Peritti was always a favorite of mine in the YA department (which I normally don't read), and I always found that the way he wrote about God's hand in the plot was at a realistic level.
This book however... I don't think anything is ever solved on the Character's own merit. They just pray and suddenly God's like "Opps I appear to have dropped my Sign and it's hit Quinton on the head". Oh need a reason for the characters to bump into each other? Dreams. Oh can't figure out how this mess is gonna get sorted out? Dues ex machina. Oh need answers to general questions that people struggle with when they are confronted with an all-loving God who let's people die young? Oh wait... this book has none of the struggles people have when dealing with God. Everything is just neatly sorted out through prayer! Just like in real life!!
The characters were all these hollow do-gooders with no real skill of their own. They seemed to just be chess pieces that we're moved to the appropriate spots and then left there until they were needed again. Some of the stuff that happens doesn't even make sense or follow what we've seen of their character. Esme at first seems to be a spitfire female who would try to get away from the people who abused her at once. Instead she's somehow their loyal friend instead? What?
Why is everyone in this book so trusting!?
Queen let's random guy into her room with her alone with no one else around.
Esme trusts two random guys on the highway who stopped her from escaping and refused to release her.
Random people they've never met keep showing up and getting in close proximity to people of importance!
So in conclusion:
-Terrible writing
-Dialog that makes me want to dig out my eyes and roll them across the floor because rolling them in my head just isn't expressive enough.
-Idiot Characters. Idiots! Do you know how easy it would be to assassinate people in this world!? Or trick them???
-Bland females. Seriously, ladies should be awesome too.
-Nobody solves their own shit out, God does it for them.
I hated this book despite the best efforts of the Graphic Audio team. (Except for Nin's voice... why would you choose that voice??? UGH!)
May 7, 2012
One of my favorites from Mr. Lawhead.
Picking up right where In the Hall of the Dragon King left off, this seconded installment follows the young king, Quentin, and his faithful companion and friend, Tolli as they get ready to face their biggest challenge so far. The Wolf star is rising, prophesying the end of the age, and with it comes The Warlords of Nin, the sinister Hun-like invaders with no mercy for innocents and their pagan religion. Quentin must do all he can to fight against the coming invasion, with truth as justice as his weapons, and his faith in The Most High God. The land of Mensandor will never be the same.
This is one of my favorite series, it has everything a good Christian Fantasy should have, admirable heroes who fight for truth and put their trust in the Lord, action, knights, and a touch of allegory. Even my teenage brother is a fan of this series, and he is a bit of a picky reader, I'm constantly trying to find good books that my brother would enjoy and this on was a winner. Mr. Lawhead writes with a classic touch, and sense of detail that weaves the story together, and makes the world of Mensandor come alive in all it's lush glory.
My brother is a huge fantasy fan, but it's hard to find books that are Biblically correct, and don't have some strange tidbits that I can't help but question, The Warlords of Nin is not one of those books.
I know that this book isn't for everyone as there are scenes of violence, that some might find disturbing, though they are in the middle of a war and gruesome things are common when on a battlefield or in cases of torture. I especially appreciated the strong faith element and watching Quentin's faith grow as he strove toward making following God the most important thing in his life. This is a book that I would highly recommend for fantasy lovers and the teen guys, like my brother who love action, knights, and a very minimum of romance (seriously, there isn't much :) Thanks.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
Picking up right where In the Hall of the Dragon King left off, this seconded installment follows the young king, Quentin, and his faithful companion and friend, Tolli as they get ready to face their biggest challenge so far. The Wolf star is rising, prophesying the end of the age, and with it comes The Warlords of Nin, the sinister Hun-like invaders with no mercy for innocents and their pagan religion. Quentin must do all he can to fight against the coming invasion, with truth as justice as his weapons, and his faith in The Most High God. The land of Mensandor will never be the same.
This is one of my favorite series, it has everything a good Christian Fantasy should have, admirable heroes who fight for truth and put their trust in the Lord, action, knights, and a touch of allegory. Even my teenage brother is a fan of this series, and he is a bit of a picky reader, I'm constantly trying to find good books that my brother would enjoy and this on was a winner. Mr. Lawhead writes with a classic touch, and sense of detail that weaves the story together, and makes the world of Mensandor come alive in all it's lush glory.
My brother is a huge fantasy fan, but it's hard to find books that are Biblically correct, and don't have some strange tidbits that I can't help but question, The Warlords of Nin is not one of those books.
I know that this book isn't for everyone as there are scenes of violence, that some might find disturbing, though they are in the middle of a war and gruesome things are common when on a battlefield or in cases of torture. I especially appreciated the strong faith element and watching Quentin's faith grow as he strove toward making following God the most important thing in his life. This is a book that I would highly recommend for fantasy lovers and the teen guys, like my brother who love action, knights, and a very minimum of romance (seriously, there isn't much :) Thanks.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!
December 20, 2014
I thought the first book in the Dragon King Trilogy was epic, and it really is, but there is such a thing as MORE epic. The Warlords of Nin is pure awesome epicness. I love this book so much! I can't even begin to describe all the things I loved about it. It's just so good! The adventures, the battles, the quests, the characters, the world, and just everything combines to make this a wonderful story. It's one of my very favorites!
Though ten years after the first book, the characters don't feel a bit older, they're just the same as they were, only just a little awesomer. If that's possible. We meet some new characters in this book and get to know the old ones better. Toli as always is my favorite character. <3 Esme is my favorite female character in the book. Theido and Ronsard are an epic pair and Quentin is a grand hero.
This was one of the first Christian books that really did something good for me. I find that it's not the story of watching a character grow in faith but the profound, inspiring lines in a story that does me good. Most Christian books are just about a normal, unlikeable person becoming a Christian or a better person--which doesn't help me be a better person when all I can think of is how much I don't like the MC--so I find books with precious, good lines very hard to find.
I recommend this book to all lovers of awesome books.
Though ten years after the first book, the characters don't feel a bit older, they're just the same as they were, only just a little awesomer. If that's possible. We meet some new characters in this book and get to know the old ones better. Toli as always is my favorite character. <3 Esme is my favorite female character in the book. Theido and Ronsard are an epic pair and Quentin is a grand hero.
This was one of the first Christian books that really did something good for me. I find that it's not the story of watching a character grow in faith but the profound, inspiring lines in a story that does me good. Most Christian books are just about a normal, unlikeable person becoming a Christian or a better person--which doesn't help me be a better person when all I can think of is how much I don't like the MC--so I find books with precious, good lines very hard to find.
I recommend this book to all lovers of awesome books.
April 26, 2017
I liked this book but it is very YA. I kept looking for a traitor to the crown. Great story of a quest that goes completely right. Can't really get into a lot without spoiling. If your looking for a great YA novel this is for you.
February 20, 2017
Not as magical as the first, but still an excellent choice for fans of classic fantasy epics. The final chapters were supreme.
http://citadelata.com/the-warlords-of...
http://citadelata.com/the-warlords-of...
August 1, 2009
The path of the story in The Warlords of Nin is quite predictable, but there are some interesting stops along the way. I especially like the character of Inchkeith and continue to be fascinated by Toli and the bits we are learning about him as the story develops. Myrmior was also an intriguing addition to the story.
I know that Lawhead needed Nin and his warlords to be the ultimate evil, the destroying force, but I would have liked to know more about how the four warlords came to serve Nin. We also are told that Nin's warlords, navy and armies have literally destroyed most of the rest of the world, but that seems to have very little impact or importance to the characters in this story.
The new map in this book is a great improvement over the one in the first book, but more of the world should have been depicted so we could better understand the apparent invincibility of Nin and his warlords.
I will be reading the final book in this trilogy, if only to see if Quentin is able to combine kingship of Mensandor with furthering his study and understanding of the Ariga in Dekra.
I know that Lawhead needed Nin and his warlords to be the ultimate evil, the destroying force, but I would have liked to know more about how the four warlords came to serve Nin. We also are told that Nin's warlords, navy and armies have literally destroyed most of the rest of the world, but that seems to have very little impact or importance to the characters in this story.
The new map in this book is a great improvement over the one in the first book, but more of the world should have been depicted so we could better understand the apparent invincibility of Nin and his warlords.
I will be reading the final book in this trilogy, if only to see if Quentin is able to combine kingship of Mensandor with furthering his study and understanding of the Ariga in Dekra.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2016
The Warlords of Nin, with its staggeringly tasty title, avoids what impetuously martial minds would hope amounted to three hundred pages of battlefield combat and tactics and any Henry the Fourth parallels found therein at the hands of such a young King-to-be protagonist in favor of the path of oracle prophecy and legendary weapon questing. As the pacing was marginalized by such necessary wayfaring as it split with the throes of battles and skirmishes, The Warlords of Nin doesn’t fail to please those hooked on Stephen R. Lawhead’s conjured flavors. Again, the villain is imaginatively traditional, yet carries more heft than the antagonist of the book prior, perhaps due to his blasphemous barbarism and enormous size, whilst the hero, Quentin, ten years older, still appears a bit vapid when emotion is called for and is fortuitously heroic, with more of an adherence to favorable anointing over battle-born merit. Still, The Warlords of Nin does shine in the series as a fully-loaded fantasy novel, tricked to the nines with a little bit of everything for a little bit of everybody.
January 11, 2015
I really enjoyed this one better than the first of this trilogy. Fast-paced and suspenseful, I didn't want to put it down. The evil character has still left me wanting as I would have liked to have seen him fleshed-out a little more. While the whole book revolved around his awesome invincible-ness, we really didn't get to know much about him at all. Nothing to explain who he was and how he got to be so invicible. And the end came fast in a neatly tied up package. I had expected a little more from that as well. BUT... that being said, I really did enjoy part II of this trilogy.
October 12, 2008
Not horrible by any means, but rather hacknyed, and a strong religous overtone. FSF does require a suspension of belief, but this one just pushed me to much. For example, your country is suffering a major invasion. Villages are fleeing in panic. Yet absolutely no one thought to send word to the king. Get real
May 23, 2008
Boring......
September 22, 2011
A real fairy tale ending, but this is the middle book!
March 29, 2024
Adult Quentin & Lawhead “Lite” – not deep, but enjoyable. (4 stars)
“The Warlords of Nin” is the second offering of Stephen Lawhead’s “Dragon King” Trilogy, following “In the Hall of the Dragon King”, an independent story where readers were introduced to the temple servant turned hero Quentin. In volume two of the series, Quentin has matured into a young adult and made his home and studies in Dekra, far away from his beloved Bria. Along with his companion and friend Toli, Quentin heads back to the royal castle at Askelon at the urgent summons of King Eskevar, who detects an impending danger that threatens the empire. All the signs, including the bizarre and ever-brightening Wolf Star, point to a perilous time.
The danger proves to be a serious one indeed: Nin the Destroyer, with his four warlords, and thousands of soldiers. Quentin and Toli escape from the clutches of one of the warlords along with the defector Myrmior, who turns out to be a most helpful ally. Myrmior’s cunning and clever strategy does a great deal to slow the advance of the army of Nin, which threatens to overwhelm Askelon. But in the end, victory depends on the fulfilment of an archaic prophecy about a Priest King, who will bring deliverance armed with a mysterious sword known as the “Zhaligheer” or “Shining One”. It seems the Quentin is the fabled Priest King, and in obedience to the prophecy, he undertakes a mission to the lost mines of Ariga, along with the armorer Inchkeith, to search for the rare and fabled lanthanil needed to make the sword. Will he accomplish his mission on time? Is he the one of whom the prophecy speaks who will deliver Askelon from its fearsome foes?
“The Warlords of Nin” is a separate story from “In the Hall of the Dragon King”, with Quentin, his companions, and his country being the continuous element. The story is filled with breath-taking scenery and medieval conflict. Courageous knights in shining armour, flashing swords, deadly battles, ancient chivalry – it’s all here. The conflict between the powers of good and evil is in the end a picture of the great spiritual battle of the ages between the powers of light and darkness, God and Satan. Readers familiar with the battle images used by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, will find the connections obvious. The fight for truth, justice, righteousness and good is in many ways portrays the great struggle against evil in world history.
The use and tacit endorsement of astrology, oracles, dreams and prophecy in this struggle is somewhat surprising, but could be explained as being reflecting a pre-Christian era, not unlike the time of the Old Testament before the coming of the Messiah. And so it is appropriate that deliverance comes though the fulfilment of prophecies about a Messianic Priest King. Readers familiar with the Bible will find the notion of a Messianic prophecy about a Priest King most recognizable, because this was precisely the case with Jesus Christ. To say that Quentin is Christ-like is to say too much, yet to deny the allusions to Christ’s victory for His people is to deny the obvious.
Yet in contrast to the Messianic overtones of Quentin’s role in an epic struggle, Lawhead also humanizes Quentin to the point where he is like us, the soldiers in the battle rather than their Deliverer. In the process, Lawhead makes profound observations about personal faith. In the battle, Quentin must learn to trust in the Most High, and be confident that the Most High has plans for him, even when the way is unclear. In total trust, Quentin “should go along with this strange business regardless of my own feelings about it.” Says Durwin: “We must not fear for the Most High; he can take care of himself. We must only look to ourselves that we remain faithful to his call.” He concludes with an exhortation to faith that applies also to believers in the spiritual war of today: “But if you go beyond your fears and doubts, and follow anyway -–ah! strange and wonderful things can happen. Yes, orphans can become kings, swords can sprout flames and great enemies can be laid low at a stroke.” (p.282-3)
It is this depth of spiritual vision that makes Lawhead’s prose all the more compelling and enjoyable. Although essentially a story, it’s a story with the power to impart enduring spiritual truths. No, maybe not to the extent of Lawhead’s phenomenal achievement in the “Pendragon Cycle”. But that doesn’t make this book any less enjoyable, or any less of an achievement.
“The Warlords of Nin” is the second offering of Stephen Lawhead’s “Dragon King” Trilogy, following “In the Hall of the Dragon King”, an independent story where readers were introduced to the temple servant turned hero Quentin. In volume two of the series, Quentin has matured into a young adult and made his home and studies in Dekra, far away from his beloved Bria. Along with his companion and friend Toli, Quentin heads back to the royal castle at Askelon at the urgent summons of King Eskevar, who detects an impending danger that threatens the empire. All the signs, including the bizarre and ever-brightening Wolf Star, point to a perilous time.
The danger proves to be a serious one indeed: Nin the Destroyer, with his four warlords, and thousands of soldiers. Quentin and Toli escape from the clutches of one of the warlords along with the defector Myrmior, who turns out to be a most helpful ally. Myrmior’s cunning and clever strategy does a great deal to slow the advance of the army of Nin, which threatens to overwhelm Askelon. But in the end, victory depends on the fulfilment of an archaic prophecy about a Priest King, who will bring deliverance armed with a mysterious sword known as the “Zhaligheer” or “Shining One”. It seems the Quentin is the fabled Priest King, and in obedience to the prophecy, he undertakes a mission to the lost mines of Ariga, along with the armorer Inchkeith, to search for the rare and fabled lanthanil needed to make the sword. Will he accomplish his mission on time? Is he the one of whom the prophecy speaks who will deliver Askelon from its fearsome foes?
“The Warlords of Nin” is a separate story from “In the Hall of the Dragon King”, with Quentin, his companions, and his country being the continuous element. The story is filled with breath-taking scenery and medieval conflict. Courageous knights in shining armour, flashing swords, deadly battles, ancient chivalry – it’s all here. The conflict between the powers of good and evil is in the end a picture of the great spiritual battle of the ages between the powers of light and darkness, God and Satan. Readers familiar with the battle images used by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, will find the connections obvious. The fight for truth, justice, righteousness and good is in many ways portrays the great struggle against evil in world history.
The use and tacit endorsement of astrology, oracles, dreams and prophecy in this struggle is somewhat surprising, but could be explained as being reflecting a pre-Christian era, not unlike the time of the Old Testament before the coming of the Messiah. And so it is appropriate that deliverance comes though the fulfilment of prophecies about a Messianic Priest King. Readers familiar with the Bible will find the notion of a Messianic prophecy about a Priest King most recognizable, because this was precisely the case with Jesus Christ. To say that Quentin is Christ-like is to say too much, yet to deny the allusions to Christ’s victory for His people is to deny the obvious.
Yet in contrast to the Messianic overtones of Quentin’s role in an epic struggle, Lawhead also humanizes Quentin to the point where he is like us, the soldiers in the battle rather than their Deliverer. In the process, Lawhead makes profound observations about personal faith. In the battle, Quentin must learn to trust in the Most High, and be confident that the Most High has plans for him, even when the way is unclear. In total trust, Quentin “should go along with this strange business regardless of my own feelings about it.” Says Durwin: “We must not fear for the Most High; he can take care of himself. We must only look to ourselves that we remain faithful to his call.” He concludes with an exhortation to faith that applies also to believers in the spiritual war of today: “But if you go beyond your fears and doubts, and follow anyway -–ah! strange and wonderful things can happen. Yes, orphans can become kings, swords can sprout flames and great enemies can be laid low at a stroke.” (p.282-3)
It is this depth of spiritual vision that makes Lawhead’s prose all the more compelling and enjoyable. Although essentially a story, it’s a story with the power to impart enduring spiritual truths. No, maybe not to the extent of Lawhead’s phenomenal achievement in the “Pendragon Cycle”. But that doesn’t make this book any less enjoyable, or any less of an achievement.
July 25, 2024
I wasn’t particularly enthralled with “In the Hall of the Dragon King”, the opening novel in Stephen Lawhead’s “The Dragon King” saga. It started well, but faded very quickly and seemed to drift along largely aimlessly until it finished. Virtually every plot and sub-plot was touched upon in the most superficial of ways and it was not so much a bad novel, as one that seemed to lack anything in the way of heart or feeling.
The next novel in the trilogy, “The Warlords of Nin”, opens with Quentin and Toli studying in the city of Dekra, learning more about the ancients and their God. However, they are summoned home by the Dragon King, who is suffering with poor health and concerned about portents in the skies which indicate the end of the age. The brightness of the Wolf Star has never before been a good omen and so it seems to be again, as the knights of the realm are finding frightened villagers fleeing from their burned out homes.
Having survived capture and the threat of torture from the Ningaal, the warlords at the head of the armies of Nin the Destroyer, Quentin finds himself at the centre of a prophecy, which finally seems to be coming to pass. This talks of a priest-King wielding a sword of shining light who will save the world. The problem is that this sword has never been known to exist and no-one knows where to find it, or even who it to wield it once it is found and Quentin has to leave his country on the verge of war to find the answers to these questions.
For the most part, this is a slightly better novel than the first of the trilogy, as the two sub-plots offer threat and adventure in equal parts and the switching between the two keeps the pacing fairly high. The two are largely opposites of each other, with politics and fighting at home contrasting nicely with the peaceful travelling of the other and whilst one is facing destruction, the other is working towards creation and these opposing viewpoints offer an interesting read.
The writing feels a little more focussed this time as well, with Lawhead’s depictions of an evil horde set on destruction being better written than much that was in the first novel and his descriptions of some of the people are scenery being improved. The cast of characters has been tightened up a little, meaning they are better drawn and whilst some do appear for a specific purpose and are then forgotten, like Esme, most have their roles and are sufficiently involved in one sub-plot or the other than you can come to know them a little better.
But as this was shaping up to be a decent novel, it ended horribly. Having built up nicely to a fantastic set piece ending, it was ruined by a screeching turn that completely removed the reader from the moment and brought everything crashing down. Whilst what happened was inevitable, the way it occurred was perhaps the single laziest piece of plotting and writing I have seen in years, miraculously transplanting characters who had been sent on a long quest for a specific purpose back halfway across the world with their aims achieved at just the right moment.
This is a particular shame, as the pacing and advancing of the plots had gone well up to this point and I was awaiting a cliffhanger ending into a further novel, which would have been slightly frustrating, but not as blatantly awful as this. Whilst the opening novel in the trilogy started well and faded badly, this was much better and had a horrible ending and, unfortunately, with the worst parts having happened so late in the novel, this is the impression it leaves you with.
The next novel in the trilogy, “The Warlords of Nin”, opens with Quentin and Toli studying in the city of Dekra, learning more about the ancients and their God. However, they are summoned home by the Dragon King, who is suffering with poor health and concerned about portents in the skies which indicate the end of the age. The brightness of the Wolf Star has never before been a good omen and so it seems to be again, as the knights of the realm are finding frightened villagers fleeing from their burned out homes.
Having survived capture and the threat of torture from the Ningaal, the warlords at the head of the armies of Nin the Destroyer, Quentin finds himself at the centre of a prophecy, which finally seems to be coming to pass. This talks of a priest-King wielding a sword of shining light who will save the world. The problem is that this sword has never been known to exist and no-one knows where to find it, or even who it to wield it once it is found and Quentin has to leave his country on the verge of war to find the answers to these questions.
For the most part, this is a slightly better novel than the first of the trilogy, as the two sub-plots offer threat and adventure in equal parts and the switching between the two keeps the pacing fairly high. The two are largely opposites of each other, with politics and fighting at home contrasting nicely with the peaceful travelling of the other and whilst one is facing destruction, the other is working towards creation and these opposing viewpoints offer an interesting read.
The writing feels a little more focussed this time as well, with Lawhead’s depictions of an evil horde set on destruction being better written than much that was in the first novel and his descriptions of some of the people are scenery being improved. The cast of characters has been tightened up a little, meaning they are better drawn and whilst some do appear for a specific purpose and are then forgotten, like Esme, most have their roles and are sufficiently involved in one sub-plot or the other than you can come to know them a little better.
But as this was shaping up to be a decent novel, it ended horribly. Having built up nicely to a fantastic set piece ending, it was ruined by a screeching turn that completely removed the reader from the moment and brought everything crashing down. Whilst what happened was inevitable, the way it occurred was perhaps the single laziest piece of plotting and writing I have seen in years, miraculously transplanting characters who had been sent on a long quest for a specific purpose back halfway across the world with their aims achieved at just the right moment.
This is a particular shame, as the pacing and advancing of the plots had gone well up to this point and I was awaiting a cliffhanger ending into a further novel, which would have been slightly frustrating, but not as blatantly awful as this. Whilst the opening novel in the trilogy started well and faded badly, this was much better and had a horrible ending and, unfortunately, with the worst parts having happened so late in the novel, this is the impression it leaves you with.
September 26, 2025
Interesting characters and plot, with some good writing.
Like book 1, this book needed another round or 2 of editing. Frequent uses of the same word twice in one or 2 sentences, including 2 separate times saying someone "heard footsteps on the steps".
***SPOILERS***
There are a number of lapses in the narrative. During a battle, the king sends "a company of knights" after 2 vulnerable warlords, and this sortie is never mentioned again. Quentin arrives late in the battle with a sword that has healing power, when there are probably hundreds of wounded friendly troops, including the king's 2 top knights, but there's no mention of him using the magic sword to heal or save anyone. The princess of Elsindor is only in the story because she came seeking aid for her country that is under siege, but the book ends without addressing whether they sent relief. The army of Mensindor pursues the army of Nin to the sea, where they have a fleet of ships that brought the invaders. The narrative makes no mention of Mensindor doing anything with the ships. Quentin left his wife and his companion left his budding love Esme on the quest for the magic sword, the narrative made a huge deal about their devastating grief for days on the journey away from their women, but after they return there is no mention of reunion with the women.
There are some excruciating segments where people do inexplicable things solely to make tension in the story. For example, Quentin and Tolley were taken captive by the Nin army for days, witnessing 20,000 hostile soldiers, and knowing there are 3 other similar armies roaming the land. They escape and testify to what they saw. Princess Esme was dispatched from Elsindor for aid from Nin invaders, and in Mensindor her bodyguard troops were slain by the Nin invaders. The king's 2 top knights witnessed numerous towns destroyed by the invaders and collected testimony from dozens of refugees. The warlord's interpreter who helped Quentin escape gave detailed information on the huge invading army. But in the council of lords, all these witnesses and the king insist on only making emotional appeals, while half the lords insist the invaders are nothing but a small band of outlaw raiders "or surely we would have heard of an invasion." I was left many times yelling at the characters to say anything rational, or anything that isn't petty. These passages just seem like a hasty first draft that the author never returned to clean up.
Like book 1, this book needed another round or 2 of editing. Frequent uses of the same word twice in one or 2 sentences, including 2 separate times saying someone "heard footsteps on the steps".
***SPOILERS***
There are a number of lapses in the narrative. During a battle, the king sends "a company of knights" after 2 vulnerable warlords, and this sortie is never mentioned again. Quentin arrives late in the battle with a sword that has healing power, when there are probably hundreds of wounded friendly troops, including the king's 2 top knights, but there's no mention of him using the magic sword to heal or save anyone. The princess of Elsindor is only in the story because she came seeking aid for her country that is under siege, but the book ends without addressing whether they sent relief. The army of Mensindor pursues the army of Nin to the sea, where they have a fleet of ships that brought the invaders. The narrative makes no mention of Mensindor doing anything with the ships. Quentin left his wife and his companion left his budding love Esme on the quest for the magic sword, the narrative made a huge deal about their devastating grief for days on the journey away from their women, but after they return there is no mention of reunion with the women.
There are some excruciating segments where people do inexplicable things solely to make tension in the story. For example, Quentin and Tolley were taken captive by the Nin army for days, witnessing 20,000 hostile soldiers, and knowing there are 3 other similar armies roaming the land. They escape and testify to what they saw. Princess Esme was dispatched from Elsindor for aid from Nin invaders, and in Mensindor her bodyguard troops were slain by the Nin invaders. The king's 2 top knights witnessed numerous towns destroyed by the invaders and collected testimony from dozens of refugees. The warlord's interpreter who helped Quentin escape gave detailed information on the huge invading army. But in the council of lords, all these witnesses and the king insist on only making emotional appeals, while half the lords insist the invaders are nothing but a small band of outlaw raiders "or surely we would have heard of an invasion." I was left many times yelling at the characters to say anything rational, or anything that isn't petty. These passages just seem like a hasty first draft that the author never returned to clean up.
August 9, 2015
I wanted to give this a higher rating, in part because it has a lot of impressive surprises and fine moments, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do so, so let's call this a 3.5 rounded down, howabout. Instead of picking up where we left off from the first volume, Lawhead skips us ahead 10 years, which is more helpful than not, except that many of the characters don't give us the impression they, too, have aged or matured in 10 years. Quentin, our hero again, is more mature for much of it, though he does go through his existential crisis for awhile over whether he is really hero material, which is a bit annoying, and you can guess where he finally ends up (even though we don't get a whole lot of evidence to support his heroic nature, just his basic decency). Most of the other characters seem 10 years younger: Durwin, Theido, Toli, and Ronsard don't seem to have aged at all. Durwin, especially, is far feistier than he used to be. Only Biorkis, really, has seemed to age. He, and King Eskevar, who has more withered than aged, but that is tied in to the main plotline.
King Eskevar is an intriguing part of this book: we didn't see him all that much in the first one, but we feel we know him well, and when this book starts, he is basically at death's door, not because he is weak but because he loves Mensandor so much and can feel his country's pain. This is one of the positives of the book, but it is also a weakness, because while many characters say they are aware of Eskevar's psychic connection to his country and its pain, they also seem to forget it and just think he is weak and crazy by the end.
The main storyline is the world's great despot (of whom no one has heard), Nin, has arrived on the shores simply because he, like locusts, loves to conquer and absorb everything. He is considered a god, he has thousands under his command, and 4 main warlords who rule over 4 sub-armies. We only meet 1 of them, briefly, though we are given a glimpse of all of them early on. They are all very terrifying and impressive, but most of the suspense of this mighty army's slow march to Askelon (the main capitol) is narratively distant from these 5 villains. Lawhead does a fine job of making them powerful and dangerous, almost Borg-like in their unstoppability, but, then, like "Best of Both Worlds, pt. 2," the good guys have to win out so they just do. Because. That is one of the main irks of this: after 200 pages of slow-building menace and destruction, with 20 pages left we think "this must be part one," but suddenly it's all over and we're wondering what happened.
Some of the other irksome aspects of the book are the dropped storylines: we spend some time with the Dekra ruling council early on, giving us the impression this old mighty town and its fate is connected to the story, but soon we never see them again and all the action takes place elsewhere. Similarly, Biorkis is somehow defrocked and excommunicated from the priesthood, which is a really big deal, considering they seem to be the only main priests in the entire continent, but no mention is ever made of the fact bad people have now taken over the nation's priesthood - and it wasn't even a necessary plot point to get him from the monastery to the castle. He could have just as easily been visiting the castle without the other components (it was like early Discworld books without the humor). All of these ideas are fine, but considering they never go anywhere or get resolved, especially considering so much time is spent on other things that could have easily been trimmed (like the protracted mining scene so late in the book), it's a bit annoying. Likewise, a big deal is made (almost in an attempt to give Eskevar something to do in the middle of the book) about the other lords and rulers joining Eskevar's ride against the onslaught, and when some lords don't join the fight (a bit sketchy why some wouldn't join up - it's a bit forced, I felt), Eskevar is all upset, naturally, and they ride out to meet the enemy ... only to retreat the same day and come right back to the castle! All that hemming and hawing about needing to ride out and attack, and nothing. (The passage of time among the three different character groups toward the end is also irksome and unwieldy.)
Perhaps the weakest aspect of the book is its treatment of the female characters. In the first book, Queen Alinea was a ball of fire: active, witty, together, all despite the fact her husband was a captive and potentially dead. Here, after 10 more years of peace and happy marriage she likely wouldn't have gotten, she is a wreck. Now, her husband's death is imminent, and her emotions are valid and true and all that, but she comes across as weak and soppy throughout, which was a disappointment. Additionally, Lawhead brings in another new character simply because "Toli needs a girlfriend," not really for any other plot reasons. The seemingly necessary plot movements Princess Esme brings in the beginning are soon erased because all the info she brings is also brought more meaningfully by other characters. The female characters midway through the game have lost all luster and identity. A bit of a shame, since the first book and the beginning of this one had real women characters.
On the whole, it was good, though the many flaws (and Lawhead's "medieval language" style is in full bloom, like pollen) prevent it from making it great. It has impressive things, as I said: Lawhead does things in here you wouldn't expect in book 2 (a book 3, maybe, but not a book 2). The book gives us insight into the fact there is a whole rest of the world out there beyond this country (a world with many cultures and nations, apparently). Quentin's faith becomes substantial here, finally (what was he doing for 10 years?). Other people come to a genuine faith in The Most High God in believable, subtle ways (Lawhead again does a fine job of working faith into it smoothly and realistically and not heavy-handedly). It has flaws, as I enumerated, it drags on for quite a bit in the middle, but it has some very impressive and exciting scenes. It has humorous and warm moments early on. It has very touching moments toward the end. It probably deserves more than a 3.5 after all. This series has impressed me a lot more than I thought it would thus far.
King Eskevar is an intriguing part of this book: we didn't see him all that much in the first one, but we feel we know him well, and when this book starts, he is basically at death's door, not because he is weak but because he loves Mensandor so much and can feel his country's pain. This is one of the positives of the book, but it is also a weakness, because while many characters say they are aware of Eskevar's psychic connection to his country and its pain, they also seem to forget it and just think he is weak and crazy by the end.
The main storyline is the world's great despot (of whom no one has heard), Nin, has arrived on the shores simply because he, like locusts, loves to conquer and absorb everything. He is considered a god, he has thousands under his command, and 4 main warlords who rule over 4 sub-armies. We only meet 1 of them, briefly, though we are given a glimpse of all of them early on. They are all very terrifying and impressive, but most of the suspense of this mighty army's slow march to Askelon (the main capitol) is narratively distant from these 5 villains. Lawhead does a fine job of making them powerful and dangerous, almost Borg-like in their unstoppability, but, then, like "Best of Both Worlds, pt. 2," the good guys have to win out so they just do. Because. That is one of the main irks of this: after 200 pages of slow-building menace and destruction, with 20 pages left we think "this must be part one," but suddenly it's all over and we're wondering what happened.
Some of the other irksome aspects of the book are the dropped storylines: we spend some time with the Dekra ruling council early on, giving us the impression this old mighty town and its fate is connected to the story, but soon we never see them again and all the action takes place elsewhere. Similarly, Biorkis is somehow defrocked and excommunicated from the priesthood, which is a really big deal, considering they seem to be the only main priests in the entire continent, but no mention is ever made of the fact bad people have now taken over the nation's priesthood - and it wasn't even a necessary plot point to get him from the monastery to the castle. He could have just as easily been visiting the castle without the other components (it was like early Discworld books without the humor). All of these ideas are fine, but considering they never go anywhere or get resolved, especially considering so much time is spent on other things that could have easily been trimmed (like the protracted mining scene so late in the book), it's a bit annoying. Likewise, a big deal is made (almost in an attempt to give Eskevar something to do in the middle of the book) about the other lords and rulers joining Eskevar's ride against the onslaught, and when some lords don't join the fight (a bit sketchy why some wouldn't join up - it's a bit forced, I felt), Eskevar is all upset, naturally, and they ride out to meet the enemy ... only to retreat the same day and come right back to the castle! All that hemming and hawing about needing to ride out and attack, and nothing. (The passage of time among the three different character groups toward the end is also irksome and unwieldy.)
Perhaps the weakest aspect of the book is its treatment of the female characters. In the first book, Queen Alinea was a ball of fire: active, witty, together, all despite the fact her husband was a captive and potentially dead. Here, after 10 more years of peace and happy marriage she likely wouldn't have gotten, she is a wreck. Now, her husband's death is imminent, and her emotions are valid and true and all that, but she comes across as weak and soppy throughout, which was a disappointment. Additionally, Lawhead brings in another new character simply because "Toli needs a girlfriend," not really for any other plot reasons. The seemingly necessary plot movements Princess Esme brings in the beginning are soon erased because all the info she brings is also brought more meaningfully by other characters. The female characters midway through the game have lost all luster and identity. A bit of a shame, since the first book and the beginning of this one had real women characters.
On the whole, it was good, though the many flaws (and Lawhead's "medieval language" style is in full bloom, like pollen) prevent it from making it great. It has impressive things, as I said: Lawhead does things in here you wouldn't expect in book 2 (a book 3, maybe, but not a book 2). The book gives us insight into the fact there is a whole rest of the world out there beyond this country (a world with many cultures and nations, apparently). Quentin's faith becomes substantial here, finally (what was he doing for 10 years?). Other people come to a genuine faith in The Most High God in believable, subtle ways (Lawhead again does a fine job of working faith into it smoothly and realistically and not heavy-handedly). It has flaws, as I enumerated, it drags on for quite a bit in the middle, but it has some very impressive and exciting scenes. It has humorous and warm moments early on. It has very touching moments toward the end. It probably deserves more than a 3.5 after all. This series has impressed me a lot more than I thought it would thus far.
February 7, 2018
As verbose and dense as it is, Lawhead's second advancement into universe-building is, well, alright. The dialogue is dry and stretched out, but what action there is is well described and somewhat entertaining. A select few scenes are particularly well done, but the rest of the novel is so extremely over-described that these scenes are almost not worth it. Similar to the first installment, the character development is unrealistic and the entire plot, almost every aspect, is highly anticipated and, yes, cliche. Lawhead obviously tries to keep pace with other, more renowned world-builders such as Tolkien and Lewis, but his attempts fall rather flat in nearly every area. The main antagonist is once again extinguished extremely weakly, after having no interactions with the protagonists. The one main addition to the protagonist's side completely vanishes after only a short time in the plot, while the climax is one of least suspense, as the very element of salvation for the seemingly doomed heroes is introduced before they are even at their most underdog-like status, therefore rendering the hopelessness that is woven throughout the novel (which might have been a good element otherwise) completely useless. Lawhead switches between points of view rather smoothly, but scenes that don't really lead to anything and almost no plot twists make the novel similar to a flat soda.
Read
February 11, 2024Lawhead seems to be comfortably settling into Third Person Limited; there were only a handful of head-hopping instances (that I noticed, which is all that matters) in this one. Moreover, I was surprised to realize I actually enjoyed the warfare/battle segments, which usually cause my mind to glaze over, even in Sanderson.
My only real qualm is the end of the book, which shifts out of Third Person Limited and takes on a more Omniscient approach, which works great for a film, but reading it rather undercut the epic finale for which I’d been bracing myself since the last book. For example, it would’ve been much more satisfying if during the climax, he’d picked one non-Quentin character’s head to stay in, and then forbade us to see as much of Quentin in the denouement as we did. Or, kept us in ONLY Quentin’s head during the climax, and then switched to Esme during the denouement. How delightfully tidy to give her another POV chapter at the very end.
All that said, he does a great job of incorporating the ‘Christian’ aspect of this Christian fantasy (and I am oh-so picky when it comes to this). He’s not relying on the reader’s preconceptions of Christianity in order to build the mythos around Whist Orren, and he’s letting us have some blood and guts and existential dread, as a treat.
My only real qualm is the end of the book, which shifts out of Third Person Limited and takes on a more Omniscient approach, which works great for a film, but reading it rather undercut the epic finale for which I’d been bracing myself since the last book. For example, it would’ve been much more satisfying if during the climax, he’d picked one non-Quentin character’s head to stay in, and then forbade us to see as much of Quentin in the denouement as we did. Or, kept us in ONLY Quentin’s head during the climax, and then switched to Esme during the denouement. How delightfully tidy to give her another POV chapter at the very end.
All that said, he does a great job of incorporating the ‘Christian’ aspect of this Christian fantasy (and I am oh-so picky when it comes to this). He’s not relying on the reader’s preconceptions of Christianity in order to build the mythos around Whist Orren, and he’s letting us have some blood and guts and existential dread, as a treat.
April 1, 2020
This is the second in the Dragon King series - an early Lawhead trilogy. As per my thoughts in the first book, this is an early work of his, and this shows! The characterisation is not great. The book is reminiscent of Narnia stories in the high degree of metaphor used to impart spiritual truth.
Comparing this with the whole of the Narnia series, this book comes up wanting I think. This is because the prophecy surrounding the hero, Quentin, is that he will be the priest king who wields the sword that will defeat the hordes of Nin. But in Christian theology the prophet, priest and king is Christ. Quentin is an exceptional protagonist, but I cannot see him as in th eplace of Christ in this story. Of course, in Narnia, it is Aslan who has that place, and who is so clearly set apart from the protagonists of the stories.
Maybe I do the book an injustice by comparing it with Narnia. Maybe the metaphor is not intended to be so comparable - but in that case I felt it was too obvious.
All that criticism in mind, it was not a terrible book. Some people will enjoy it. Some people could really love it. I am just not one of them.
Comparing this with the whole of the Narnia series, this book comes up wanting I think. This is because the prophecy surrounding the hero, Quentin, is that he will be the priest king who wields the sword that will defeat the hordes of Nin. But in Christian theology the prophet, priest and king is Christ. Quentin is an exceptional protagonist, but I cannot see him as in th eplace of Christ in this story. Of course, in Narnia, it is Aslan who has that place, and who is so clearly set apart from the protagonists of the stories.
Maybe I do the book an injustice by comparing it with Narnia. Maybe the metaphor is not intended to be so comparable - but in that case I felt it was too obvious.
All that criticism in mind, it was not a terrible book. Some people will enjoy it. Some people could really love it. I am just not one of them.
July 8, 2019
Last of a trilogy
The kingdom that was at the center of the first 2 books is now at peace. The young orphan is now the king, married & father to a boy & 2 girls. Things seem like they should be fine...but remote villages are found burned to the ground or ransacked & deserted. Villagers are making their way into the woods, hiding, trying to make it to the capital city to tell their tales of woe. A vicious foe has landed on the shores of the kingdom, insatiable for power. Sensing something amiss even before he is aware of this, the king has sent knights out to inspect the kingdom & report back what they find. Will the knights make it through enemy lines in tome to gather an army to face the warlords of Nin?
The kingdom that was at the center of the first 2 books is now at peace. The young orphan is now the king, married & father to a boy & 2 girls. Things seem like they should be fine...but remote villages are found burned to the ground or ransacked & deserted. Villagers are making their way into the woods, hiding, trying to make it to the capital city to tell their tales of woe. A vicious foe has landed on the shores of the kingdom, insatiable for power. Sensing something amiss even before he is aware of this, the king has sent knights out to inspect the kingdom & report back what they find. Will the knights make it through enemy lines in tome to gather an army to face the warlords of Nin?
October 23, 2017
This is the second book in the fantasy series of the Dragon King. Like the first it is written in a romantic and atmospheric style reminiscent of the Arthurian legends. For me, I would have liked the female characters to have been stronger, as their appearances kept them very much 'in their place' only seeming to offer a romantically whimsical backdrop to the actions of the dominant males. In fact they were just a little too perfect!
The story moves along at a good pace and offers plenty of exciting episodes, though I did find, at times, that the descriptions of countryside, weather and sky were rather long.
This is an ideal YA read and I look forward to Book 3 in the series.
The story moves along at a good pace and offers plenty of exciting episodes, though I did find, at times, that the descriptions of countryside, weather and sky were rather long.
This is an ideal YA read and I look forward to Book 3 in the series.
December 28, 2020
In the land of NIN. Wich I assume is counter to mcafrys land of pern. Quintin.
Finds himself in a land of dragons.
He journeys to the castle of the dragon lord.
Part of a trilogy. I only read part 2.
He battles slimes and globs.
I believe dragon quest for game boy.
Was in the land of NIN.
what we find is he has a romance.
With a lovely maiden.
He rescues her from the dragon lord.
Her name tridon and dragon lord smug.
The end seen he forges.
His glorious magic sword.
The pantanal. He saves his girl.
As he rushes to grab her from horse back.
Very zelda with epona.
The dragon lord fazed and left broken.
Lovely times in Nin.
Adventures of a warlord.
Finds himself in a land of dragons.
He journeys to the castle of the dragon lord.
Part of a trilogy. I only read part 2.
He battles slimes and globs.
I believe dragon quest for game boy.
Was in the land of NIN.
what we find is he has a romance.
With a lovely maiden.
He rescues her from the dragon lord.
Her name tridon and dragon lord smug.
The end seen he forges.
His glorious magic sword.
The pantanal. He saves his girl.
As he rushes to grab her from horse back.
Very zelda with epona.
The dragon lord fazed and left broken.
Lovely times in Nin.
Adventures of a warlord.
December 16, 2025
The story of this one was great and each member of the group had their moments with Nantine taking more of a supportive role with Bria and Esme brought more to the forefront. Quentin was great and the lessons on faith and hope were really insightful. The end of the book having its most powerful moment. I think where it struggled a little bit was the pacing at times but the sense of foreboding dread of the Ningaal throughout the book helped to make the sense of urgency rise to the forefront throughout but would get slowed down at times. I am thoroughly enjoying this trilogy and looking forward to the last. 4.5 stars- almost perfect
April 25, 2023
I enjoyed In the Hall of the Dragon King, but it didn't touch me as much as this second novel did. Three or four distinct times was I besides myself in tears for the characters. And, in my own current struggles and fears, it reminded me of the hope that is mine and my own calling from God most high. Whereas the women in the first book were fairly plain except for their beauty, they were regal amd royal characters here that I as a woman want to aspire to so that my husband may be edified.
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August 14, 2019Although enjoyable, it was not always exactly compelling. The chapters frequently ended on cliffhangers, with the new chapter switching to a new viewpoint, which was often not exciting enough to make up for not continuing on from the cliffhanger, and I would gladly have skipped pages to see what else was happening.
January 26, 2020
Not a big fan of this trilogy so far. First book was promising, but this one was only half realized. Characters did not grow, instead became less developed. Bad guys were never really given a reason to be invading or much description except they were giants. Too many battle scenes that were almost all the same. Women almost disappear.
January 6, 2025
Mostly enjoyable some slow points. The ending was quite sudden. Heavy Christian themes overshadow a lot of the story telling and theres some problematic characterising of non-western non-christian believe systems and cultures as being lesser more primitive and evil.
It very of a time and doesn't hold up to modern fantasy
It very of a time and doesn't hold up to modern fantasy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2025
The writing was MUCH better than the first book.
I have a problem with Quentin being the main character. He hasn’t done anything and is always being saved by Toli. It’s like he’s kind of…useless? In a way. Yes, he does come in at the end in a useful way (just like the first one) but other than that, he really hasn’t been helpful.
Anyways, I’m very glad it was better than the first one!
I have a problem with Quentin being the main character. He hasn’t done anything and is always being saved by Toli. It’s like he’s kind of…useless? In a way. Yes, he does come in at the end in a useful way (just like the first one) but other than that, he really hasn’t been helpful.
Anyways, I’m very glad it was better than the first one!
January 10, 2018
I enjoyed this novel as the 2nd book in the series. I did find that the ending seemed rushed and a little too simple. Wish that it had been elaborated on a bit more. Seemed somewhat simplistic and anti-climatic. Overall a good book. Looking forward to the third book in the series.
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