Dragon's Winter

This and Sardonyx Net are my favorite Elizabeth A. Lynn books, and two of my favorite books all around. I've recommended both to a number of (carefully selected) friends over the years with great success. Beautifully written stories. It isn't for everyone though. Lynn is one of those writers who doesn't worry about making life fair for her characters and, in many of her stories, her protagonist has very little power over something very important to him/her. You've been forewarned... If you like this, you might also like Lynn Flewelling, Testament by Valerie Freireich, and/or Transformation by Carol Berg

Elizabeth Lynn succeeds on three levels in this wonderful novel. First, the world she evokes is tangible in its detail, neither contrived nor a cookie-cutter medieval setting. The dragons receive an unusual take on their role in society, one which incorporates other magical beings as well.Second, the characters are compelling and interesting all, from the brothers around whom the story revolves, to the other changelings Wolf, Hawk, and Bear, to the soldiers, merchants, and even despicable henchmen. A large cast of characters is rendered so that one can distinguish between them, a trait not shared by all fantasy novels.Finally, Lynn plots and paces the novel well, revealing the world she so carefully created without bogging the story down with lots of exposition and description. Most of the details about the world are presented appropriately from the characters' perspectives, and not forced upon the reader.

I read quiet a few fantasy books. Most of them are good and entertain me. However Dragon's Winter is the first fantasy book that ever caused me to stay up till the wee hours of the morning reading. Not many books of other genres do that either, but this is a special one. One thing that makes this such a great book is the breaking of convention. As another reviewer before wrote "why did my favorite character die?" Yes, I asked the same question. Killing a favorite character is unusual-another example of breaking with tradition. I was swept away by the majestic detailing of the landscape and the various creatures. Their is no way to predict what is coming next as you read this book, as is often the case, so you are compelled to keep turning the pages. As I said in my title-Sleep Stealer!!

As soon as I read it, Dragon's Winter became my favorite book. The characters are so real and the story is so compelling. This is one of the only novels I've read where I've actually loved the characters and felt their emotions. I also like the way the villain's opinion was expressed a little so it didn't seem like he was just an awful traitor. I love Elizabeth A. Lynn's style of writing. It is one that you can never get bored of and one that keeps your attention throughout the entire novel.

When a voice of the caliber of Elizabeth Lynn's returns after many years' silence, it is an occasion for rejoicing. She is a wizard, in that she has the deep knowledge and the art to create worlds. When the Lord Erin di Mako in _Dragon's Winter_ says to the wizard Lady Senmet ``It's been a long time. We thought you might never wake,'' he is speaking words that many of Lynn's readers feel.I suspect that Elizabeth Lynn knows she's been missed, and that her silence has not been wilful. Let us hope that her storyteller's voice is as permanently healed as Lady Senmet's powers. This book certainly is grounds for great hope of more to come. Lynn is, once again, delivering a performance that few novelists--in the realm of fantasy or any other--can achieve. Not only does she craft an engrossing, believable world; it is a world where people are all too human, where love and loyalty face genuine obstacles--obstacles that cannot always be overcome. _Dragon's Winter_ has a more somber tone than Lynn's earlier books, but that may be a virtue. There are no one-dimensional characters here, nor is the characterization mechanically balanced--even the minor characters (come to think of it, _are_ any of the characters in _Dragon's Winter_ minor?) are real personalities with complex motivations.It is an often-repeated truism that virtue is its own reward; it is rare to read a work of fantasy, however, that reflects this literally. In _Dragon's Winter_ there are characters whose well-balanced lives are works of beauty; but as in our own world, balance is a temporary achievement, and moral beauty can quite well be the victim of evil and violence. In the end, for some characters, their virtue is its _only_ reward. But Lynn's characters, especially those who perish, are more memorable (and more inspiring) than the usual sort of cardboard fantasy characters who triumph over all. And as in real life, those who perish leave behind friends and memories as the testimonial of their worth. Some readers may conceivably find this less satisfying than watching the good guys always win. Fortunately for such readers, there is plenty of juvenile fiction available. Give me Elizabeth Lynn, though, every time.In her earlier work, Lynn not only entertained me, but also taught me to think more carefully about subjects like gender, art, and work (even though I thought I was already pretty cool on those subjects). _Dragon's Winter_ does that, and more. It is certainly engrossing; like almost all of Lynn's books, it is one I would not willingly put down until I had absorbed all of it. But _Dragon's Winter_ also made me think in new ways about power; about choices; about loyalty; and about truth and falsehood. Not bad for escape reading! Or for any other kind. The epilogue to _Dragon's Winter_ gives me hope that we may yet be able to experience more of this particular world of Lynn's creation. May the wait be shorter this time.