Will the Future Schmuck-Nazis get their comeuppance? Tune in again, for Dragons 2, 3, It's not THAT bad of a book although it's pretty bad , but if there was a fresh idea here, I missed it. I did finish the book. Jul 20, Marc Jentzsch rated it it was ok Recommends it for: I really wanted to like this book, but it quickly devolved into a weird soup of survivalist-porn with extremely ham-fisted political overtones and a narrative distaste for women. I don't mind a book with a message, even if it's one I disagree with, but I want it to be an invitation to ponder the subject using the story as case, even in my pulp novels see Joseph Conrad or Sir ACD.
I'd say that maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but I got the same vibe from another other book by Ringo that I I really wanted to like this book, but it quickly devolved into a weird soup of survivalist-porn with extremely ham-fisted political overtones and a narrative distaste for women. I'd say that maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but I got the same vibe from another other book by Ringo that I read, one set in a completely different universe.
If the writer goes back to the same ideological well again and again it's not the characters, it's the author. That isn't bad in and of itself a great many themes are worth digging at over and over , but the terribly blunt presentation of it detracted from the story in both cases. I think that's really my issue: I did like the origin of the elves, though; and the general premise is great fun. Ringo writes engaging action sequences and enjoys world-building and it shows.
It has enough entertaining ideas to make me want to pick up the next one, but then I remember how annoyed I was half the time I read it and I slap myself back to sanity. This book was surprisingly good. Set in a future complete with nanotechnology and AIs, it still manages to be mostly a fantasy yarn. Usually I consider a fantasy genre story fantasy only if it contains magic, otherwise it's an alternate history.
Hence my disappointment with Game of Thrones I don't like alternate histories. In this book, the place of magic is taken by the science of the future, and it works very well. I can't think of another book that does this. My only previous contact with th This book was surprisingly good. My only previous contact with this author was the March Upcountry series which he wrote with David Weber, my favourite military sci-fi author.
No wonder I liked those books so much. I can now see what John Ringo contributed. I think this is great marketing by Baen because I'm happy to buy the rest in the series. Actually, book 2 is free too. I actually enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. The themes are revealed almost immediately and aren't terribly original, so after the introduction I thought perhaps I wouldn't like it.
However, once the book got going, the writing was good enough, and the characters interesting enough, that it really kept me interested. There were spots throughout the book where an editor could have helped clean up some sentence structure. I loved the surprise at the end--in a reversal of many sto I actually enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would.
I loved the surprise at the end--in a reversal of many stories, all the characters understood its import exactly, while the readers are left saying "wait! For a different setting with similar themes and conclusions , check out The Last Ship. Mar 31, Samuel Jones rated it it was amazing. I really enjoyed this. The premise is excellent, a far-future world where nano-technology and unlimited power have created a utopia.
There Will Be Dragons (Council Wars): John Ringo: theranchhands.com: Books
Here, there can be dragons initially created by Disney, but now available as a genetic change to anyone who wants it. Until "The Fall", when a dispute the last handful of politicians needed to run this paradise leads to civil war. All the power is drained so the Key-Holders can wage a high-tech "wizard war", bombarding each other and mounting armies of geneticall I really enjoyed this.
All the power is drained so the Key-Holders can wage a high-tech "wizard war", bombarding each other and mounting armies of genetically changed soldiers. Society collapses overnight, and we are plunged into a gritty Fantasy world. This first book is the best of the series, with engaging characters, mature content, and an off-beat sense of humour sorely lacking in most Fantasy. Nov 16, Tracey rated it it was ok Shelves: The world is a paradise — and then, in a moment, it ends.
It's a bit of a slow-starter, as the Fall doesn't happen until about a fifth of the "In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. It's a bit of a slow-starter, as the Fall doesn't happen until about a fifth of the way into the book.. Jun 08, Sarah rated it liked it Shelves: This book was a very standard read. The premise it was built upon was incredibly unique and attention grabbing.
The book seemed to loose some of its luster as it progressed. The writing was standard, the characterization was also standard. Once "the fall" happened, the plot was so predictable it nearly made me put the book away unfinished. If you are in the mood for something escapist, then this is your book.
My full review can be read at bookwormblues. Mar 13, Ron rated it really liked it Shelves: Imagine a sci-fi story that suddenly creates a true fantasy world, with intelligent dragons, unicorns, orcs, elves and no gun powder. That's what happens in There will be dragons. Now you've got a whole different kind of post apocalyptic story. I enjoyed this books so much I read the whole series on my Kindle available from Baen webscriptions for free BTW in less than a week. Mar 16, Michael Chatfield rated it it was amazing.
Is it a strange premise? Does it trail off into the unrealistic? Is it a fun read?
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Hell to the yes! There Will Be Dragons like many of John Ringo's books is pretty out there kind of universe and premise. That said, it is damn interesting and gives you characters that you can dig your mental chops into and follow through one hell of a journey. May 15, D. Morrese rated it liked it. From the cover and short blurb, I thought this would be a witty mix of fantasy and sci-fi.
It's mostly a military fantasy with a bit of unlikely tech rationalization in the background to explain the monsters and magic. It wasn't really my thing, but others may like it.
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Free download from baen. Nov 22, Rcfin32 rated it really liked it. Very good read and a very interesting scenario. Not a very deeply written book but it makes you think. Feb 02, Dawn rated it it was amazing. I love post apocalypse novels, and this was one of the better ones. Part Science-Fiction, Part Fantasy. This was a decent, yet fun read. The story takes place in a techno-utopia that has stagnated and experience population decline.
Due to this stagnation, one of the members of the council, Paul Bowman decides to try to bring back the concept of work. And while it may sound as if Paul may be on to something, let's be clear: Paul is way out of his depth. He hates that some humans have Changed themselves, incorporating animal characteristics or change their Part Science-Fiction, Part Fantasy. He hates that some humans have Changed themselves, incorporating animal characteristics or change their body shapes. It is also clear that he is clueless about history, childrearing, and leadership.
Sherida, one of the other members of the council, ultimately opposes him. While she agrees that the issues he brings up do exist, she disagrees with his solutions and his interpretation. Sides form, and while Sherida and her faction blocks Paul at first, Paul plans. The next meeting, Paul plans a coup and attacks Sherida and her faction. This leads to fallout.
There Will Be Dragons
The net falls, power becomes limited. And society reverts to a preindustrial, medieval age. The story deals with society trying to rebuild and reestablish itself mainly through the lens of several characters: Edmund Talbot, a reenactor and blacksmith; his ex-wife Daneh, a doctor, sister to Sherida; their daughter, Rachel; and Hezer Herrick, a teen who was under the charge of Daneh and cured of his ailment just before the fall. The development of these characters is pretty good, albeit predictable if you are familiar with fantasy conventions.
All of the characters are likeable and one does find them sympathetic as to what they are going through. I did have some issues with the formatting and pace at times. Sometimes, the chapter would focus on Edmund doing something, say talking to Sherida and advising her, and it would jump to Daneh and Rachel. And while normally there are symbols signaling a cut from one perspective to another, these parts did not have cuts and thus came off as being somewhat unnecessary and hastily edited in. I also felt that it did seem to drag at parts.
Some of the diction could also use a bit of work. In the struggle for power, Mother's protocols forces her to split the available power between the voting members of the Council Members. This results in her being forced to cut off all the power to everyone else, including all the computer-controlled nanotech that have made their lives of leisure possible. This includes explosives as well as any new power sources that may come online.
Because of the protocols that are defined in her kernel-level code, Mother simply siphons off any energy above a certain level, such as an explosion, high-pressure gas, or a new hydroelectric dam etc. Humanity plunges immediately from utopia to the Dark Ages.
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This event is known as "The Fall. The war ends up being fought on two planes; not just with advanced technology, but with swords , cavalry , and legions.
Herzer Herrick is the main character in the books, although he is not the only viewpoint character. Herzer is the classic "fighter" of fantasy novels: Prior to The Fall, Herzer suffered from a degenerative disorder that was destroying his muscles and his ability to control them. As a result, he was fairly emaciated, slurred his words, and twitched. Herzer's parents were unable to deal with this emotionally and effectively abandoned him, granting him his "freedom" at age fourteen.
Herzer's other friends and acquaintances drifted away at the same time. Shortly before The Fall, Dr. Daneh Ghorbani was able to cure him by using nanites to essentially rebuild his entire brain, one section at a time.
Herzer has a dark side: Although he gets these feelings under control, he likes sexual dominance games. Herzer also enjoys the rush of combat and of victory. He doesn't specifically enjoy killing people, but he doesn't mind it. Edmund Talbot was a reenactor prior to The Fall, living his life mostly as if he were a swordsmith in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.
Edmund was known by nearly everyone in the reenactor community, to the extent that the town of Raven's Mill spontaneously sprang up around his period house. After The Fall, Edmund has both the skills and the equipment to survive in a pre-industrial world, and to help others to survive as well. He may well have been the only person left in the world who actually knew anything about leading troops on a sword-and-shield battlefield. Edmund is Herzer's mentor and is often the brains directing Herzer's brawn.
Edmund is well known for keeping his plans to himself. Daneh Ghorbani was Edmund's wife, but she left him more than ten years before The Fall. Since the fall, she has become Edmund's common-law wife the books contain no evidence of a formal ceremony. Daneh was a doctor before The Fall, specializing in genetic Change-related complications.
Since The Fall, she has been studying historical medical texts and re-inventing medical techniques. Since The Fall, she has been training as a doctor and is now one of most competent in Norau. Rachel is completely asexual. Miles Arthur Rutherford or, as he is better known, "Gunny" Rutherford is one of Edmund's oldest friends, a fellow reenactor specializing at first in as a Roman Centurion, then later as a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, deciding that the latter learned from the former and improved upon it.
Born and raised in the lawless area known as Anarchia, and, after spending decades living as a Roman Centurion would have and at least hundred and fifty years as a Marine Gunny would live, he is tough as nails, about the hardest man introduced and the primary guiding force in Herzer's development as a Blood Lord. Megan was in Ropasa present-day Europe at the time of The Fall and survived fairly well, eventually finding work as a maid.
While washing clothes in a stream, she was kidnapped by Paul Bowman for his harem. Megan eventually killed Paul, seized his key, and escaped with most of the women from the harem. When she met Herzer Herrick, they were both thunderstruck—love at first sight. Megan's story involves many psycho-sexual aspects that mirror Herzer's. She falls in love with Paul Bowman during her time in captivity, even as she hates him. This is a case of Stockholm syndrome and links to themes in several of Ringo's books that many women supposedly want to be dominated sexually.
Megan's recovery from rape trauma delays the consummation of her relationship with Herzer for a long, long time. Paul Bowman, Leader of New Destiny; a charismatic fanatic deceased. John Ringo has said publicly that he plans on finishing the series, but sales were relatively low for him, causing them to fall to the back burner in priority.
A working title for the fifth book is On Hero's Trail. He has also spoken of a possible sequel. Whereas the Council Wars series is the "Wizard War" common before the fall of a civilization in fantasy, the sequel would take place long after the fall. In this future time, the ramifications of the war, and the damage done to Mother have impaired the rebuilding of the world.
To fix Mother would require tampering with her kernel level programing, requiring all 13 keys. As of East of the Sun, West of the Moon , one key is effectively lost for some thousands of years as it orbits the Earth. It has been suggested that only a kernel level programmer from her earliest days would be able to fix it, requiring Mother to kidnap a programmer from the past.
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