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Available
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Publication
Ace (2002), Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: Fast paced, clever and engaging, Dragon Bones is a dark fantasy that touches on subjects as contemporary as today's headlines and as timeless as human nature. Joe Manganiello captures and brings to life the world of Hurog and nails the characters with casual grace. We all play roles at times. Wardwick of Hurog played the role of a fool till he reached adulthood just to keep his father from murdering him. Now he must overcome the image he so carefully built and fight not simply for his birthright but to free the five Kingdoms from tyranny and the rising tide of darkest magic that threatens his world..
User reviews
LibraryThing member EffingEden
The first of the Hurog duology, this book is a coming-of-age adventure of a youth called Wardwick who is declared unfit to rule Hurog, his family’s lands, after his father’s death. To regain his birthright from his well meaning uncle and persuade the king to rescind his writ, Ward and a group
Okay, the idea really isn’t that original – but Mrs Briggs makes up for that by having some very amazing characters: Ward, intelligent and manipulative, his whole life focused on Hurog in a rather crippling obsession; Oreg, a diminutive and somewhat sullen ghost, he holds more power than any living wizard and is plagued with PTSD; Garranon, the child of one of the king’s dead enemies and his lover, he uses politics to protect his brother while he plans revenge… The faults of the characters are so real, they balance it all beautifully.
There is just something about Mrs Briggs’ style that just sings. Everything I’ve read of hers seems to leap so willingly from the page. The words have such a lovely flow to them, I think I could read her forever and never tire. This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book and it won’t be the last.
However, it isn’t without its faults. Most is a very messy editing job and a couple of very blatant mistakes I’m shocked got through the author/agent/editor net – I think two full scenes or at least two very important conversations are missing from the novel. Not just missing I-think-this-should-have-been-included sense but missing what-are-they-talking-about-I-think-I-need-to-read-that-chapter-again sense. Oreg’s backstory deserves a lot better that such a shoddy mess it got.
Other than that, it is a truly lovely thing and one of my favourite books. I finally have the second half of the series, Dragon Blood, and will be leaping into it right away. Please don't be put off but the atrocious typography on the cover!
Characters: 8/10
Setting: 5/10
Plot: 6/10
Dialogue: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
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of strays head south to prove he is ableminded by helping drive back the Vorsag raiders.Okay, the idea really isn’t that original – but Mrs Briggs makes up for that by having some very amazing characters: Ward, intelligent and manipulative, his whole life focused on Hurog in a rather crippling obsession; Oreg, a diminutive and somewhat sullen ghost, he holds more power than any living wizard and is plagued with PTSD; Garranon, the child of one of the king’s dead enemies and his lover, he uses politics to protect his brother while he plans revenge… The faults of the characters are so real, they balance it all beautifully.
There is just something about Mrs Briggs’ style that just sings. Everything I’ve read of hers seems to leap so willingly from the page. The words have such a lovely flow to them, I think I could read her forever and never tire. This isn’t the first time I’ve read this book and it won’t be the last.
However, it isn’t without its faults. Most is a very messy editing job and a couple of very blatant mistakes I’m shocked got through the author/agent/editor net – I think two full scenes or at least two very important conversations are missing from the novel. Not just missing I-think-this-should-have-been-included sense but missing what-are-they-talking-about-I-think-I-need-to-read-that-chapter-again sense. Oreg’s backstory deserves a lot better that such a shoddy mess it got.
Other than that, it is a truly lovely thing and one of my favourite books. I finally have the second half of the series, Dragon Blood, and will be leaping into it right away. Please don't be put off but the atrocious typography on the cover!
Characters: 8/10
Setting: 5/10
Plot: 6/10
Dialogue: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
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LibraryThing member lewispike
This book reads well and fluidly. I'm hoping the follow-up does the same. But...
Whilst thinking of what tags I wanted to add, and a bit during the reading, I had the feeling that the author was running down a check-list got the bard, got the heir, got the inheritance, got the doughty warrior
There are enough little subtle twists that I find it works rather than doesn't despite this, but you might not find it so. If she'd tried to work one or two less of the required elements in, it would probably have been a whole 4 starts, but 3.5 is it.
Whilst thinking of what tags I wanted to add, and a bit during the reading, I had the feeling that the author was running down a check-list got the bard, got the heir, got the inheritance, got the doughty warrior
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etc.There are enough little subtle twists that I find it works rather than doesn't despite this, but you might not find it so. If she'd tried to work one or two less of the required elements in, it would probably have been a whole 4 starts, but 3.5 is it.
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LibraryThing member EowynA
I have been a lump today. All I did was read these two books. They are set in a fantasy world of the Five Kingdoms. Our hero, Wardwick, is son and heir of the Hurog, rulers of one of those kingdoms. He has survived to reach adulthood because after his abusive father beat him senseless, he pretended
"Hurog means dragon." Those words are repeated at several key points, and each time it reminds, the story reveals new layers of meaning. It is no accident that Ward means "guardian", either. There is a dragon in each story, too, but the emotional core of the books are the relationships between the people and their reactions to the situations.
Wow that sounds dull. But wow it was not.
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he was stupid, and thus no threat. The first book is a quest - his father died, and now he must prove himself worthy to rule. Summarized like that, it seems so prosaic. Instead, it is a series of two books about people fighting for their lives and their homes that capture your interest from the first words of the story."Hurog means dragon." Those words are repeated at several key points, and each time it reminds, the story reveals new layers of meaning. It is no accident that Ward means "guardian", either. There is a dragon in each story, too, but the emotional core of the books are the relationships between the people and their reactions to the situations.
Wow that sounds dull. But wow it was not.
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LibraryThing member Illuman8
OK, so I fell in love with this book. There are not enough stories like this out there.
On first glance it is a predictable fantasy tale, the unloved son of a lord does good and surpasses the father, but, this one has a twist.
What seperates it from the pack is the feel of the story rather than the
I was excited about the sequel and am waiting with baited breath for the next one.
On first glance it is a predictable fantasy tale, the unloved son of a lord does good and surpasses the father, but, this one has a twist.
What seperates it from the pack is the feel of the story rather than the
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plot or characterisation. The lead character has a very believable voice. I fell right into the story and was carried along in a way I had not experienced in many years.I was excited about the sequel and am waiting with baited breath for the next one.
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LibraryThing member humouress
I've only recently discovered Ms Briggs, and I really like what I've read of hers, so far. She makes me sympathise with her characters (in a way that is reminiscent of two of my other favourite authors, Susan Dexter and Patricia A. McKillip), and her stories keep me hooked, and wanting to find out
Dragon Bones was a engrossing read. Ward of Hurog is the hero who has grown up pretending to be stupid, as a survival tactic, and must now prove to everyone that he is not, in order to inherit his family lands, to which he is tied by magic. As we join him on his adventures, we encounter magic, court politics, warfare, betrayal, and of course, dragons; and to add to the fun, there are twists and turns to the plot that take it in a new direction again.
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what happens next. Dragon Bones was a engrossing read. Ward of Hurog is the hero who has grown up pretending to be stupid, as a survival tactic, and must now prove to everyone that he is not, in order to inherit his family lands, to which he is tied by magic. As we join him on his adventures, we encounter magic, court politics, warfare, betrayal, and of course, dragons; and to add to the fun, there are twists and turns to the plot that take it in a new direction again.
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LibraryThing member therhoda
Enter Ward, a character that is not what he seems. I loved the blending on this story. The character of Ward is lovable but not a wimp.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Ward decided after his father left him so badly beaten that he caused minor brain damage that he should pretend that he was stupid. When his father dies in a hunting accident (partially his own fault through mis-treatment of his horse) this backfires when his father leaves his uncle as regent until
It was an interesting story and I really did want to know what happened next. The twists kept me wondering and I really wanted to start into the next book immediately. I found though that things happened suddenly without much explination and are dropped almost as suddenly. This is the second book I've read by her and I want to read more.
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Ward turns 21. Ward discovers that the next plan is to have him declared incapable of being a lord and for his uncle to take over the lordship. Ward escaped to try to prove himself with a motley crew of helpers. It was an interesting story and I really did want to know what happened next. The twists kept me wondering and I really wanted to start into the next book immediately. I found though that things happened suddenly without much explination and are dropped almost as suddenly. This is the second book I've read by her and I want to read more.
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LibraryThing member cr_kell
This book was magic and fun. I loved reading it. The ending was especially powerful. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun and fantasy.
LibraryThing member Homechicken
This book wasn’t bad, and I only ran across three errors in it. Once, and most annoyingly, the author use the word “to” when she should have used “too”. I hate that. Another sentence was really weird, although I can’t recall exactly what it said or where it was. It was probably
Anyway, on to the book. It was pretty decent. I’ve read other stuff by Briggs and wasn’t disappointed. I got severly annoyed at the name of the hero’s sister, Ciarra. I hate it when people use C’s for the S sound, which I assume was the case here. I always read C’s like that with the hard ‘K’ sound in my head, and I did it throughout the book to spite the author. She probably things it’s a cool name and fun to spell “Sierra” differently. I think it’s retarded. Outside of that, the book was decent. Despite the author’s claim that this book is stand-alone, you should read it before Dragon Blood, because it continues the story of Wardrick Hurog (the hero).
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half-edited and forgotten about.Anyway, on to the book. It was pretty decent. I’ve read other stuff by Briggs and wasn’t disappointed. I got severly annoyed at the name of the hero’s sister, Ciarra. I hate it when people use C’s for the S sound, which I assume was the case here. I always read C’s like that with the hard ‘K’ sound in my head, and I did it throughout the book to spite the author. She probably things it’s a cool name and fun to spell “Sierra” differently. I think it’s retarded. Outside of that, the book was decent. Despite the author’s claim that this book is stand-alone, you should read it before Dragon Blood, because it continues the story of Wardrick Hurog (the hero).
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LibraryThing member hjjugovic
I read these after I read the Twilight series. Briggs is so great!
LibraryThing member amf0001
This is early Briggs and she had definitley improved as a writer, but this book still works and is charming. A happy read if not a keeper. I liked the character of Ward of Hurog, I believed his struggles and found him engaging. Protecting himself from a psychotically violent father by pretending to
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be stupid (and thus no threat to him) Ward has to decide who he really is and what he is willing to sacrifice, after his father's death. He has adventures and there is magic, but for me, it is his character development that really drives the book. Some of the other characters were less well developed, which is why this isnt' a rereader for me, but I am looking forward to reading the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Yeah. That's good. Ward is great - his uncertainty about himself, whether there's more to him than the roles he plays. Oreg is wonderful, with his various secrets. And what he doesn't know. Axiel, Stala, Penrod, Garronen - every character is richly drawn, with depth beyond what's shown. The
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adventure is interesting - Oreg's trick was nasty, though. Ward's various plans to get Hurog back, and how politics and reality get in his way. All of it. I keep seeing the foreshadowing of the next book - have to reread that, now. Absolutely wonderful. Wish she'd go back to this kind of straight fantasy rather than the urban fantasy - the characters in Mercy's stories are just as well drawn, but I don't _like_ most of them. And her concerns are petty next to Ward's - or the Hob's - or the Raven's. Ah well, I'll just reread and hope for the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member Black_samvara
Solid, enjoyable fantasy. Boy with no sword or birthmark and a habit of pretending to be stupid to avoid being beaten to death by his father finally comes into his birthright. This involves an ancient curse, an angry horse, dragons, political intrigue and the best family ghost ever. Good character
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development too. Show Less
LibraryThing member cat8864
Solid staple to the genre. Not cliche, enjoyable plot, enjoyable characters and contains a little something for everyone. Highly re-readable and a good introductory book to the genre.
LibraryThing member allthesedarnbooks
This is a well-written, traditional fantasy by one of my favorite authors, Patricia Briggs. The well-drawn characters and plot separate it from the run-of-the-mill fantasy books with dragons in them. Recommended for fans of the genre. Four stars.
LibraryThing member amberwitch
I am convinced that I will like anything Briggs write. Some of the blurbs for her fantasy novels didn't exactly make them seem like my thing, but Briggs is a storyteller of such talent that she can make an engaging and relevant story out of something that sounds traditional, even trite. I would
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compare her to Martha Wells although her stories are more traditional, and the characters and worlds have less depth. Show Less
LibraryThing member gerleliz
Enjoyable, quick read.
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Wardwick of Hurog is a simpleton, left that way after one of his father's beatings went a bit too far - except he's not. For the past seven years he's been hiding behind a cow-eyed facade. Now his father's dead and Ward's acting skills are going to be put to the test once again if he wants to save
Fast-paced and twisty. Briggs' writing keeps you turning pages. I'm not sure but what Ward isn't my favorite hero yet.
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his inheritance. But than just the fate of Hurog is at stake and Ward isn't the only one keeping secrets.... Can Ward save his country and his lands with little more than the help of the ancient family ghost, his mute sister, and slave girl and a few family retainers? Fast-paced and twisty. Briggs' writing keeps you turning pages. I'm not sure but what Ward isn't my favorite hero yet.
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LibraryThing member nx74defiant
Ward lets the world think he is stupid. It keeps his father from seeing him as a threat and killing him.
When his father dies Ward finds he faces an even more dangerous threat. He must act to save his home and possibly even his world.
When his father dies Ward finds he faces an even more dangerous threat. He must act to save his home and possibly even his world.
LibraryThing member rhonda1111
this one starts out about a teenager who is really big and speaks slowly. Everyone thinks he's dim wit after one of his father's beating left him with a brain injury. Ward after he recovers lets everyone continue to think he dumb. His father dies and leaves thier home in his brother's hands for two
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years. and tries to have ward committed to a mental prison. Ward escapes with the help of his ghost and takes his sister,brother and a few others to. he decides if they can be war heros than the king will give his home and lands back to him. Its a good adventure with magic, dwarfs.dragons. could not wait till i read the second book. Show Less
LibraryThing member page.fault
Once upon a time, there were dragons.
Once upon a time, the men who made alliances with them became the Hurogmeten, the guardians of dragons.
Once upon a time, the lands of the Hurog were fertile, the people content, the world full of magic.
Once upon a time, there were dragons.
But that was long
Dragon Bones is an enjoyable piece of light epic fantasy: interesting worldbuilding, lots of characters, a sufficiently complex plot, and a sympathetic main character. I enjoyed the structure of the plot itself: there are plenty of tales where the boy goes out to seek his fortune, ends up becoming a hero, and returns to his homeland in triumph, but a story in which the protagonist explicitly states that this outcome is his actual overall plan is both unusual and rather hilarious. While the later plot twists aren't particularly surprising, they are handled well. I haven't read epic fantasy for a while, so I enjoyed watching the characters' stories begin to come together with a sense of ponderous inevitability. The writing style, too, added a touch of originality: most of the story is told in first-person by Ward, with a few third-person chapters interspersed to give us scenes outside of Ward's knowledge. Ward is an excellent narrator, and his occasional unreliability add a bit of roundedness to his generally amiable character.
This book happened across my path at a fortuitous moment: jaded by nihilistic gorefests, I was actually quite pleased by the story's uncomplicated morality. The plot itself is not particularly deep; the standard fairy-tale admonition to "be kind to others" is about as much as you get, hover for spoiler. The villains are Very Bad People, in every way you can possibly imagine, and probably a few you'd rather not. After too much time in worlds of dark greys, I was quite pleased to discover that practically everyone else is basically benign, and that most conflict and negativity stems from good-ish people put in problematic circumstances. While this doesn't exactly lend itself to deep moral questions or particularly three-dimensional characters, it does make for a refreshing romp through an enjoyably imaginative world. While I thought most of the side characters could have been fleshed out, I found Ward himself to be an interesting protagonist. It isn't often that the big, slow, gentle giant gets to be the underdog hero--he's usually relegated to comic relief sidekick. I also liked how at least a part of Ward's act of imbecility is not pretense. While Ward is one of the most intelligent characters of the story, he never needed to fake his voice impediment--even after he drops the disguise, he occasionally notes other characters' mounting impatience at his slow speech. It added a touch of vulnerability that the standard heroic-questing-hero-character is typically without.
Overall, Dragon Bones was an enjoyable light fantasy, the stuff I used to devour when I was a kid. While it may have stronger appeal for younger readers, it also makes for a quick and fluffy read for adults. I think this story has cemented my opinion about Patricia Briggs: if she published her shopping list, I'd probably pick it up, as I'm sure she would find a way to make it an engaging, uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Once upon a time, the men who made alliances with them became the Hurogmeten, the guardians of dragons.
Once upon a time, the lands of the Hurog were fertile, the people content, the world full of magic.
Once upon a time, there were dragons.
But that was long
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ago. Now, Ward, the son of the Hurog, lives in a decrepit castle where the lands themselves seem to be dying from the slow corruption of magic. The dragons may be gone, but Ward is quite familiar with monsters: his abusive father destroyed their family and drove Ward himself to apparent idiocy. After one of the many occasions in which his father beat Ward into unconsciousness, something in the boy's head was knocked a little loose: ever since, he has managed only stilted, halting speech. When Ward discovered that he was considered as slow as his speech, he cultivated an appearance of idiocy as a shield against his father, disguising his intelligence until he would finally be free. Now this day has finally arrived, but Ward's own disguise has backfired: because of his apparent mental handicap, he is considered unfit to rule over the Hurog. Determined to regain his lands, Ward decides to head off to an incipient war with a small band of loyal followers to become a war hero so that he can use his heroic reputation to regain his lands. (Nope, this isn't sarcasm. He seriously decides this. In these terms.) Shockingly, things turn out to be a little more complex: despite an incipient invasion, civil war is brewing against the despicable king of the land, and Ward has just placed himself right in the middle of the conflict.Dragon Bones is an enjoyable piece of light epic fantasy: interesting worldbuilding, lots of characters, a sufficiently complex plot, and a sympathetic main character. I enjoyed the structure of the plot itself: there are plenty of tales where the boy goes out to seek his fortune, ends up becoming a hero, and returns to his homeland in triumph, but a story in which the protagonist explicitly states that this outcome is his actual overall plan is both unusual and rather hilarious. While the later plot twists aren't particularly surprising, they are handled well. I haven't read epic fantasy for a while, so I enjoyed watching the characters' stories begin to come together with a sense of ponderous inevitability. The writing style, too, added a touch of originality: most of the story is told in first-person by Ward, with a few third-person chapters interspersed to give us scenes outside of Ward's knowledge. Ward is an excellent narrator, and his occasional unreliability add a bit of roundedness to his generally amiable character.
This book happened across my path at a fortuitous moment: jaded by nihilistic gorefests, I was actually quite pleased by the story's uncomplicated morality. The plot itself is not particularly deep; the standard fairy-tale admonition to "be kind to others" is about as much as you get, hover for spoiler. The villains are Very Bad People, in every way you can possibly imagine, and probably a few you'd rather not. After too much time in worlds of dark greys, I was quite pleased to discover that practically everyone else is basically benign, and that most conflict and negativity stems from good-ish people put in problematic circumstances. While this doesn't exactly lend itself to deep moral questions or particularly three-dimensional characters, it does make for a refreshing romp through an enjoyably imaginative world. While I thought most of the side characters could have been fleshed out, I found Ward himself to be an interesting protagonist. It isn't often that the big, slow, gentle giant gets to be the underdog hero--he's usually relegated to comic relief sidekick. I also liked how at least a part of Ward's act of imbecility is not pretense. While Ward is one of the most intelligent characters of the story, he never needed to fake his voice impediment--even after he drops the disguise, he occasionally notes other characters' mounting impatience at his slow speech. It added a touch of vulnerability that the standard heroic-questing-hero-character is typically without.
Overall, Dragon Bones was an enjoyable light fantasy, the stuff I used to devour when I was a kid. While it may have stronger appeal for younger readers, it also makes for a quick and fluffy read for adults. I think this story has cemented my opinion about Patricia Briggs: if she published her shopping list, I'd probably pick it up, as I'm sure she would find a way to make it an engaging, uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
First book of Ward of Hurog. I love Ward.
LibraryThing member Tikimoof
Hm. It was okay, I think, but I didn't love it. A 3.5, so I'm waffling on where to put this.
It was interesting to read an early Patricia Briggs book and see how it's influenced her more recent Mercy Thompson books (but not the early ones!), which have a lot of stuff I don't like - such as needing
There were some side plots that were introduced quickly and resolved quickly at the end, which kind of made me wonder why they were introduced. I didn't fully buy Ward's acting shtick.
The relationship between all the Hurogs was interesting, but a little too left in the background.
Hm.
It was interesting to read an early Patricia Briggs book and see how it's influenced her more recent Mercy Thompson books (but not the early ones!), which have a lot of stuff I don't like - such as needing
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to change points of view for a few chapters to explain what's going on in the rest of the world.There were some side plots that were introduced quickly and resolved quickly at the end, which kind of made me wonder why they were introduced. I didn't fully buy Ward's acting shtick.
The relationship between all the Hurogs was interesting, but a little too left in the background.
Hm.
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LibraryThing member quondame
A solid fantasy tale with very little dragon action, not a disadvantage at all. Large and slow spoken Wardwick has played idiot to keep alive through his father's violent rages but that costs him his inheritance and, if he hadn't escaped, his freedom as well. A small group, reminiscent of a D&D
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band heads south to establish his competence in the fighting when things take an unexpected turn. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheYodamom
Loved the tale of Ward, to a not so stupid man. His quest to save his lands and his friends and family takes the reader on a whirlwind ride filled with magic and lore.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2002-02-26
Local notes
Wardwick of Hurog wishes to live in peace. Destiny has other plans. He is about to be arrested and imprisoned in the Asylum for Nobel Embarrassments and Inconveniences. Worse still, Ward has learned that the same man bent on his imprisonment, Jakoven Tallven, High King of the Five Kingdoms, is seeking Hurog blood to activate the supernatural equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction.