Dragon Prince (Book 1)

by Melanie Rawn

1988

Status

Available

Publication

DAW Books (1988), Edition: reprint, 576 pages

Description

First in the bestselling Dragon Prince series, explore a lush epic fantasy world replete with winged beasts, power games of magical treachery, and a realm of princedoms hovering on the brink of war * "Marvelous!"--Anne McCaffrey When Rohan became the new prince of the Desert, ruler of the kingdom granted to his family for as long as the Long Sands spewed fire, he took the crown with two goals in mind. First and foremost, he sought to bring permanent peace to his world of divided princedoms. And, in a land where dragon-slaying was a proof of manhood, Rohan was the sole champion of the dragons, fighting desperately to preserve the last remaining lords of the sky and with them a secret which might be the salvation of his people....   Sioned, the Sunrunner witch who was fated by Fire to be Rohan's bride, had mastered the magic of sunlight and moonglow, catching hints of a yet to be formed pattern which could irrevocably affect the destinies of Sunrunners and ordinary mortals alike. Yet caught in the machinations of the Lady of Goddess Keep, and of Prince Rohan and his sworn enemy, the treacherously cunning High Prince, could Sioned alter this crucial pattern to protect her lord from the menace of a war that threatened to set the land ablaze?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Darla
This book took me four days to read. Four. I normally read a book or so a day. And it's not even all that long: 500-some pages. I don't mind slow, atmospheric reads on occasion, but it's likely that my impatience with the slow pace accounts for a half star or so.

Rohan was always a studious boy, and
Show More
even those who knew him well were afraid what would happen when his father died and he became Prince. His aunt Andrade in particular, the head of the Sunrunners (magically talented people who can manipulate the rays of the sun & moon to various effects), plans to manipulate him, and starts by introducing him to a young Sunrunner woman, Sioned, with whom he falls in love.

The story starts out with great promise--Rohan showing that his years spent in books were not wasted, as he schemes and plots to ensure peace and prosperity for his people, and the intensity of the feelings between himself and Sioned and the pitfalls of their path to being together. I loved the scheming and cleverness, and I loved that others had schemes that countered his.

But then it falters. There's a story line about the dragons that's really shortchanged, and either 3 or 6 years (it wasn't particularly clear which) were just skipped, during which several key characters died in a devastating plague, with only a brief mention. It's the GSM, indeed.

Then the story picks up again, with Rohan and Sioned's quest for a child, an excellent, twisted scheme-ful and emotionally intense section.

If Dragon Prince had been a trilogy... If all three sections had been fleshed out, especially that middle section, and the first book ended with Sioned & Rohan conquering the odds to be together, the second with the full story of the plague and the importance of the dragons, and the third with the child plot and the final battles... I'd probably have given each one 5 stars. Maybe 4 for the middle one, which is weakest, unless it was punched up a lot.

But as it was, the exciting stuff--the schemes, and the emotional intensity--got buried in repetition and wordiness, when they weren't completely skipped over.

I said impatience accounted for a half star. Disappointment that it wasn't all I imagined it could have been accounted for another half star. I don't think I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nimoloth
[WARNING: contains spoilers.]

Well, there were some tough bits in there - it was hard to read. But the plot was gripping enough (and I cared enough about the characters) that I had to finish it.

The sexual abuse and rape was the hardest going, and after that nasty section, the book rushed to a
Show More
conclusion, glossing over the effects of this on the characters and the other after effects remarkably quickly. There was very little coverage of how they dealt with what had happened to them, and there were actions (some just mentioned in passing despite significance) by them that just didn't make much sense. And then it all suddenly just stopped with a happy ending (for the time being). This was surprising after the vast detail and development in the whole rest of the book (and it's a thick book). I was glad there was a happy ending, if you can call it that after all they went through, but it's execution was not totally satisfactory.

Also, the dragons. They actually have almost nothing to do with the plot - they just happen to exist. Perhaps they come to more prominence in later books in the series. Which I am undecided as to whether I will read them or not, given some of the explicit and unpleasant content.
Show Less
LibraryThing member badken
Romantasy or Fantamance?

Dragon Prince, Melanie Rawn’s first novel, was ahead of the fantasy/romance genre curve in 1988. Rawn decorates an epic fantasy core story with romantic trappings, and it works, most of the time. The early medieval fantasy world of Dragon Prince comes to life in vibrant
Show More
Sunrunner magical colors. The environments, especially the desert, are depicted in fine detail, capturing the reader with sensuous descriptions. The book has a few minor issues: recurring emotional imagery and a lack of depth to many of the secondary characters.

The main characters are vividly drawn, but the spotlight on them is a bit tight. Everyone seems a little dim compared to Rohan and Sioned, and I suppose that is the novel’s romance side coming to the fore. The reader may get too much inside the head of the characters at some points. A lot of the narrative is filled with the internal monologue and deeply felt emotions of the characters. This tends to give the plot a stuttery feel as conflicts arise, characters ponder, then swoon or glower at each other, then ponder some more, then something else happens.

The story is interesting, but not very complex. There is mostly one main thread of plot throughout, though there are many brief branches and callbacks. I think the story could have used a bit of pruning, especially since the general focus is so strong on the main characters. Any time a secondary character comes to the fore, it’s not very rewarding, as they tend to be more sketchy and predictable. The frequent callbacks and rehashing of characters’ feelings can be distracting, too. Although worded differently and often approached from different angles, some themes are visited repeatedly.

Despite these issues, the plotting of the princes and the romance of the main characters is engaging enough to keep the pages turning. Dragon Prince is not for everyone, as it has far more romance and politics than action and adventure. Though few, the action sequences are lively and stimulating. I’m looking forward to checking out some of Melanie Rawn’s other books set in the Dragon Prince world, as I have a feeling that the later novels may be even better.
Show Less
LibraryThing member StefanY
The Dragon Prince is the story about a young prince who is unexpectedly thrown into the seat of power at a very young age. Throughout the story, Rohan struggles with balancing his ideals for peacefully ruling his desert kingdom and the unavoidable need to wage war against those who would threaten
Show More
that peace. As much as it is about Rohan, it is equally about his wife, Sioned. She is a magic user, called a SunRunner, who's considerable powers are forbidden to be used to kill. However, as a princess, she must struggle with her own inner demons and the demands to use her powers against her oaths in order to aide and protect her husband.

I found this to be an interesting novel written in a style that I'm not entirely used to reading. There is a healthy dose of action and war that I expect in a fantasy novel along with some political intrigue involving the new prince coming to power and working to institute his own ideals. Along with this, there is a lot of emphasis placed upon the developing relationship between Rohan and Sioned. This adds a nice depth to the novel, although at times it gets dangerously close to treading into romance novel territory!! Wink

I think that this is one of the rare fantasy novels that will appeal to male and female readers almost equally.
Show Less
LibraryThing member justjukka
CONTAINS SPOILERS

Though a bit predictable, this was an entertaining read. It was had to see "Rohan" as the name of a person rather than a place, but once I got passed that, it was fluid enough. My greatest grief with this book, and herein lies the spoiler, is Rohan's persistent claim that he raped
Show More
one of the villains daughters, Ianthe, when it was, in fact, the other way around.

Ianthe drugged and "seduced" him, making him believe that she was his wife, Sioned. This "seduction", my friends, is rape. When he came to and learned of the abuse Ianthe ordered for Sioned, he angrily forced himself on her. I still see this as part of her raping him. She crafted the entire situation, calculated his actions, she knew what he would do; he was drugged and she was in control. I cannot stress this point enough: SHE raped HIM. Yet the writing suggests otherwise since he was a little more coherent "the second time". The belief that women cannot rape men really needs to stop, and it needs to stop being passed off as "seduction".
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrainFireBob
These books are a treat- written by not a trained writer but a trained historian, they combine several unique threads.

The basic setting is a early Medieval/Dark Age autocracy, where the central protagonist- Rohan- dreams of transitioning into what we would describe as a constitutional monarchy
Show More
defined by the rule of law. He is the scion of generations of warlords and kingdom builders, interestingly heir to all of their ruthlessness and ambition, but with it turned toward building a stable tomorrow not dependent on the justice of the strongest ruler around.

Rawn, given her background, has a firm grasp of society and different cultures; the one major gripe I had reading these is her continent, in terms of travel distance, is just too small. The population sizes are correct for 5th-7th century cities, towns, and warfare- but the distances involved are just not there.

Roelstra, the main villain of the piece, is definitely informed by the villains of older literature or perhaps romance, but is a wonderful fit here- he is a sociopath and "native" psychologist; deftly manipulating those around him without their being aware he is doing so.

The magic system is also different. Sunrunners have the ability to instinctively weave light- sunlight, moonlight, and (spoiler) even starlight- and send their consciousness down it, to both observe distant items and communicate with other Sunrunners mind-to-mind. Training in a religious community, they have historically been strictly a-political, bound to silence regarding their communiques- and one is the romantic interest of Prince Rohan.

And in this world, there be dragons.

While the world is believable, this is a character-driven story. If characters with believable depth aren't something you enjoy, preferring riveting action, perhaps not the book for you. For myself, highly enjoyed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheBooknerd
After nearly twenty years of reading fantasy novels, this book remains one of my absolute favorites. Rawn excels at developing worlds and extended storylines. Her characters stay with you long after you've put the book down, and her style of writing jumps off the page. As far as I'm concerned,
Show More
'Dragon Prince' is a classic.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Aldrea_Alien
I loved the grit and intrigue of this novel. Especially the freedom of life given to the characters and the sense of disrupted destiny that exists in real life.
LibraryThing member willowcove
A wonderful series by a new author. Very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
An excellent fantasy read, filled with politics, tension, and violence. While not for the faint of heart, Dragon Prince nevertheless is a compelling work of fiction, set in a vivid fantasy world, and populated by scheming characters. One of the best fantasy novels I have read recently!
LibraryThing member Ginerbia
I enjoyed this one. I rank it up there with Terry Brook's Shannara books.
LibraryThing member Linyarai
A little slow in parts, but very good.
LibraryThing member jamestomasino
I really thought this was going somewhere. I was wrong.

Awards

Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 1989)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1988

Physical description

576 p.; 4.19 inches

ISBN

0886774500 / 9780886774509

Barcode

1600117
Page: 0.3925 seconds