/dev/random - Latest comments on Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

joshua [Visitor] — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:07:33 +0000

I wasnt saying it was good or bad i was just wondering what other people thought of it i also hear places in china they put their new born in a bin if its a girl or a boy i cant rememember which one but it doesnt really matter because its still a baby.

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

ajdonnison [Member] — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:39:24 +0000

You may want to read about King Herod and his use of slaughter of male children to remove any claim to the throne. Or about the Amazons. This quote could very well be references to both, although they are not the only such stories that abound in our rather bloody history. Remember that fiction and particularly fantasy and science fiction tend to use allegory to discuss disturbing trends in society in a way that is less confronting. Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels was a social commentary as well as fantasy, for instance. If you turn it on its head, then it could very well be pointing to some of the more extreme elements that exist within our world at the moment. If it makes you think, it has done its job.

Nearly always different people will read different things into the same words by an author. In fact sometimes as your experiences change you will read different things into the same text at different times in your life. That is one of the joys of language and why I love well written works, regardless of the genre.

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

joshua [Visitor] — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:59:14 +0000

Thank you for some feeback its good to know people are reading this I'd just like to write a line from the book and people please react with what you think

"We seduce any prisoners of royal blood, then kill them to prevent any attempt to claim us or our offspring. Our daughters are raised to be warriors;our male progeny are slaughtered at birth." Keeping in mind this is fantasy i wont say how killing baby's on their gender is wrong i'd just like to see what other people think.

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

ajdonnison [Member] — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:16:47 +0000

I don't think the intent was to confuse fact and fantasy. It was quite clearly fantasy all the way through, although I too had problems with the style switching between the central narrative and the journal extracts. Sometimes the best fantasy lies on the border of reality. This was exploited to great effect in, for instance, Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" series. I don't think it is lazy, far from it. It takes great skill to be able to take you through that journey in such a way that you keep wondering if it is possible. Unfortunately I don't think this was achieved, and as you pointed out the fantastic elements jarred against the ordinary.

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

joshua [Visitor] — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:58:25 +0000

Hate to double post but i dont think ive written down everything i have to comment on i think my previous post if it is accepted to be shown is a little harsh but i just wish certain books would know what type of book they are,Fantasy book's clearly state that they are a fantasy type book and the reader will take it as so but if your telling the reader this possibly is fact the reader (me) get's confused as i was perfectly fine imagining a futuristic version of the world today until they started bringing in phycics and goddesses with supernatural powers, at that stage i quickly made the change from fact to fiction but i was annoyed when it went back to boring normality then back to fantasy which is a lazy/uncreative way of writing because its basicly saying: yes this book is fantasy except it takes things in normal day life uses there name and purpose for the purpose of the book.Now im obviously not a writer but if i was going to create a trilogy i would rather spend 3 years writing on a excellent book then 1 year (more or less) on a fairly average book.In my opinion of course.Im really going on here but i think im forming a decent arguement.That arguement being why should i buy this book,What does this book have that seperates it from the other books?

In response to: Book Review: The Dragon Queens - Traci Harding

joshua [Visitor] — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:45:51 +0000

hmm the book seems really wishy washy for me it stumbles shamelessly between fact theory and fantasy which isnt my idea of a good book umm it really can not decide where it is going to set up shop on the three plaza's being fact theory and fantasy and the review is right the book is rather alpha female so it doesnt appeal to me but im sure if you can stave off boardom and your a female then this book is excellent.I myself am 13 years of age and male so i think im being too much of a critic but im sure if i was female this book would be a excellent read.