Sea Dragon Heir

by Storm Constantine

Book Overview

For generations, the Palindrake family of Caradore have been cut off from their spiritual source, Foy the Sea Dragon Queen, since their ancestor Valraven I and his family were conquered and subjugated... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312873069
• ISBN13: 9780312873066
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Taking a standard and twisting it

The Magravandias series (starting with this book) is probably the easiest Storm book to get your hands on. Out of all her books, this series is closest to what I always thought regular "fantasy" books would be like -- has a Medieval type setting, castles, dragons, heroes on a "quest" for artifacts, noble ideals, forces of darkness to be overcome, etc. That said, I think Storm turns a lot of the cliches on their heads and makes it all quite twisted :) The books have a big undercurrent of sexuality, notably a strong same sex attachment while at the same time tying in with things like Medieval sagas and German myths. Best of all, the books really lead up and up to a cool conclusion which you don't see coming and which is very satisfying.

MOST MARVELOUS

I LOVED THIS BOOK! PLAIN AND SIMPLE. I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO BOOK TWO. THE WAY STORM WRITES CAPTIVATES YOU IN A WHIRLWIND OF MAGIC,HATE,LOVE, AND DESCRIPTION. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. IT KEPT MY EMOTIONS ON A ROLLERCOASTER. I GOT THE BOOK BY ACCIDENT BUT NOW I AM LOOKING IN TO BUYING MORE OF STORM CONSTANTINES WORK. I WOULD REFER THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE.

Intriguing read

I was probably just starved for a good read, but I enjoyed reading this book! It needs a bit of an open mind, but the plot kept me interested, and the characters were actually real for a change. None of the usual "okay, she's pure, good and perfect, and she's really evil, bad and wicked" that I seem to trip over again and again. As much as we like having characters that fit in little boxes, it's not very real is it? Oh and yes, it is definitely not something for young ones, but I'm not that old either. The only thing that kind of annoyed me about this book was the epilogue. Okay, since when do you introduce a new character in the last five pages? But other than that I don't regret picking up this book, it did what I expected it to, it entertained. I will definitely look for more Storm in the future.

Missing peices

I have loved Storm's writing for several years now. The Wreaththu books, the Grigori books are marvels -- they take speculative fiction into entirely new directions with daring, vision, and (most importantly to me) a wonderous writing style that few have matched. She is a Romantic writer of the old definition and this book shows it best -- the beauty, the horror, the claustrophobia, the decadance. I must admit, however, that I am glad to hear this is the beginning of a trilogy because there is not only no sense of closure to this book, but indeed it ends with a gaping wound.This is not to say the book is bad, far from it. Not only are the characters intriguing, but the setting is marvelous and, once again, Storm Constantine takes on a task that few would dare in such settings -- she squarely hits Neo-Paganism at its roots (or lack thereof). The worship of the sea serpents is central to the whole book and makes the most fascinating study as you see it first from one angle, then from another, but rarely whole on or at once.At times, however, as with the ending, the writing breaks down. You get interested in a character only to have the character's role end; you become fascinated with a line of story only to have the scene shift to several years later. Later, however, the threads are picked up again, but from a different perspective.That is an important aspect of the book -- nothing is lost forever, no matter how much the characters would prefer that to be true. These are real people and all are fleshed out, warts and all. There is no single character to love or to hate; instead each of them is so complex that you wonder what is "true" about them. You are left to make up your own mind about them. Indeed, much like people in real life, the more you know about them, the more complicated they become and the less you understand what at first appeared to be their motivations. The characters decieve each other, but they also decieve themselves and, in so doing, cause a world of hurt to those around them.This is not an easy book, but it is a very worthwhile book. I look forward to the next volume with relish!

Constantine creates epic fantasy

Desiring power, the king of fire, Cassilin of Malagash, conquers the Palindrakes, whose power belongs to the sea. Cassilin's archmage takes the Palindrake heir and forces the lad Valraven to swear allegiance to their god Madragore. Her husband dead and her son held hostage, the Lady of Palindrake knows it will take several lifetimes before they throw off the yoke of Madragore's denizens, but she vows the power of the sea will surface one day as an unending tidal wave sweeps away the taint of Cassilin.Two centuries later, twins are born to the Palindrakes. The male is forced to adhere to his ancestor's vow of fealty to the followers of Madragore. However, the female Pharinet does not have an obligation to Madragore. She begins to learn the magical secrets of the Sisterhood of Dragons who serve Dragon Queen Foy. As the twins begin to return power to the sea dragons, the land turns to darkness even while freedom comes closer and closer for the people of Palindrake.SEA DRAGON HEIR shows why Storm Constantine is one of the most acclaimed authors of epic fantasy novels. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action and magic even as the characters are fully developed. This realm feels genuine because the cast feels real even when magic is used and gods and dragons appear. With novels like the Wraeththu trilogy and this story, genre fans will want more works especially the sequels to this tale, from the talented Ms. Constantine who makes the unbelievable so believable.Harriet Klausner