Queen of Demons

"Queen of Demons" is a very good sequel to the original. The plot has many twists and the characters are interesting and colorful. This book does bear a slight resemblence to the original in that the heros are trying to take down a powerful wizard, but there are very few similarities beyond that. Garric develops to become much more than an inkeepers sun and begins to restruchture the government. Cashel is sent on a series of adventures in different dimensions (Drake seems to like to send Cashel to different dimensions, as he does in the next two books). A whole host of different characters are intoduced, each very well developed. An all around great book.

David Drake's 'Queen of Demons,' like its predecessor, is a sterling example of what the fantasy genre can do. While many authors have conceived of interesting ideas for imaginary cultures, designed systems of magic, and placed characters within their realms, few have been able to do so with Drake's writing skill, circumspection, and insight into human nature.I have heard, with regard to this book, that there was too little focus on the romantic and sexual development of the characters. While it is true that this book is a definite void of explicit sex, this can be a welcome change from many novels. It seems today that the fantasy genre in general is not only overly concerned with the sexual/romantic details of stories but which also allow this single aspect of reality to interfere with the rest of the book. For those of us who have other interests, the fantasy genre can be very dry indeed, because on the whole it lacks almost any other facets of reality. Besides, it is not at all the case that this story lacks any romance, or even any sex. As for romance, the characters develop into romantic relationships in ways which are, above all, natural. Drake shows a particular insight into human nature, not a lack of it: when the world is about to end, the characters are able to focus primarily on solving the problem. Besides, several in this recent book puts a hero's feelings at odds with his duty. I'd go into details, but that would spoil the book itself. As for sex, the world which Drake creates is fully aware of this human urge and the impacts it has both on society and on individuals. For example, we see the women, even the heroines, struggling with the dangers of rape, and that in a starkly, even disconcertingly realistic fashion. The fact that the heroes are not overtly sexually involved is not because Drake forgot about this aspect of reality, but because he wants to portray a set of heroes who have their priorities straight. This heightens the novel's merit, instead of detracting from it as some have claimed.If I could describe that approach to the romantic and sexual sides of Drake's characters in a word, I would probably choose the word `human,' for not ever human has the innocent affection of Garric. Others have a submerged love like Ilna, a simple but powerful dedication like Cashel, or one of the scores of other attitudes displayed throughout this book and the last. The diversity reflects Drake's awareness of the variety found among humans. The way he writes his heroes portrays not an ignorance of nature, but reveals a picture of what truly heroic humans- and for all their virtues they are still very human- should be like. It is to he credit that he does not let a skewed view of reality uproot his idea of human virtue, and more so that he does not let his ideals interfere with his portrayal of reality. I call this approach to fiction an optimistic realism: optimistic because virtue and decency has its

Quite a good read. Drake keeps the intest level high with more almost meetings between the struggling characters. Cashel gains a new companion. Garric begins to lead. (I'm not going to give away more than that) The story builds up to a final double confrantation that proves worth it. The hook for the next book is obvious, however I'm not an author so I can't complain.

Drake spins a multi-level/multi-character tale balancing honor & goodness against pure evil. His characters are well thoughout and unfold superbly. The story line intertwines and I found the book difficult to put down. An excellent fantasy with wizard, kings, princess's, demons, undead,... etc. Can't wait until book 3 of the "Lord of the Isles" is released.

This was a great book, I just finished it last night, 600+ pages in 3 nights of about 2.5 hours reading each night, I could not puit it down. The setting is about the most original Fantasy out there when compared with all the Continent spanning Epics out there. (Face it, all the major epics main characters end up trouncing around there home continent for most of the story) Here is a brand new series that has developed a richness in its setting of a few islands (So Far) that most writers can make with their entire world (Jordan and Goodkind are 2 other examples of great authors with remarkably rich settings, but hey, they have got 7 and 4 books out so far, not 1) this book has the potential to surpass these 2 great authors if Drake can keep up his creative flow. I like the entire idea of setting it among islands, this allows for short distances being great cultural gaps and it is remarkable. The only shortcoming is the fact that after Queen of Demons comes out, You wi! ll have to wait at least another year for the next book. And Drake is not afraid to kill off his characters. It is not often that you see one of the coolest characters in fantasy (and he is not a wizard either) get killed, a guy with an ancient king messing around with his head, and a guy who kills demons with his bare hands just a few minutes after he befriends another one! This series promises to be remarkable. Once more a series that goes ages beyond the "Lord Of The Rings"