The Dragon & the Gnarly King

Gordon R. Dickson, who died in 2001, was best known as a writer of military science fiction, notably the 11 volumes of the Dorsai!, or Childe Cycle, series, but he also had a gift for uproarious humor (he and Poul Anderson collaborated to produce the delightful Hoka! series, about a race of sentient teddy bears and the ramifications that result from their tendency to copy any culture they learn about), and he produced nine volumes (this is the seventh) about the Dragon Knight, Jim Eckert, who (in Dragon and the George), found himself transported to "a magic world at once comic and ethically complex where human beings and dragons share a common culture," and eventually decided to stay there. Having earned nobility and a castle of his own through his exploits against the Dark Powers, Jim and his wife Angie, along with various allies both human and otherwise, spend the rest of the series dealing with the sometimes jolting differences in thought and culture between this alternate 14th Century and the 20th from which they came, and by the way swatting at the Powers whenever they rear their heads. In the present volume, it's been three years since they became permanent residents of the dragon/human reality, and Jim is beginning to wonder if it was such a good idea after all; he suspects that his castle people--steward, servants, men-at-arms--are beginning to "see through him," to realize he's not really the knight/baron/magician they think him, and is convinced that if they do so, his friends--and his enemies, including the King's half-brother, the powerful Duke of Cumberland--won't be far behind. Given that there's something of a tax revolt under way, this is about the worst possible time to have such an eventuality unravel his life, and the recurring weird noises in his castle walls--"boomps," as he's christened them--are just one more distraction he doesn't need. Then his and Angie's infant ward, Robert Falon, vanishes out of his very cradle, even as Crown Prince Edward sends a message begging Jim's help. But there's really no choice to make: Robert must come first. Accompanied by Sir Brian Neville-Smythe, his friend and neighbor, and Dafydd ap Hywel, the Welsh longbowman, Jim sets out for the mysterious land of Overhill-Underhill, which proves to be accessible only through the Drowned Land (inhabited by a people whose king is a kinsman of Dafydd's) and the ancient land of Lyonesse. A grotesque and silent manikin who's been adopted as a sort of pocket-pet by Jim's friend, Rrrnlf, a 30-foot-tall Sea Demon, proves instrumental in finding and rescuing the child, but even then Jim's troubles aren't over, as he returns to his castle to find himself and his two friends faced with arrest on charges of high treason! Though not classic fantasy of the Tolkien type, the Eckert books are filled with all the elements that makes fantasy fun, including valorous duels, difficult quests, strange cultures both human and otherwise, vivid characters (Dafydd is

I really do not get you reviewers who are short changing this book by far. Dickson's Dragon Knight series is one of the best set of books out there! In this book I admire his development of the character of Hill, who changes from an anonymous play-thing of the Sea Devil, to one of the most key characters of the book. Also, I like the fact that in this book, Jim learns that his Master in Magick, Carolinus, is not invincible, and that he can be caught in a magickal situation that he is helpless to get out of.I would definitly reccomend this book to all of my friends. In fact, I already have. If you are a Fantasy reader, and you HAVE NOT READ Gordon R. Dickson's Dragon Knight series, you'd better get cracking! There are already nine amazing books in this series.

I have just reread this book for the third time, and still found it enjoyable. It is a light, easily read book. It does have slight connection to a previous book but this does not detract from its readability or enjoyability. Anyone wishing to have a light, humorous read, and can cope with fantasy, should not go past this excellent series.I found this series on par with Christopher Stasheff's 'wizard in rhyme' series.

This book moved at a faster pace than previous Dickson novels about Sir James Eckhart. I found the sub-plot dealing with James's self-esteem to be comforting but some aspects of it seemed to have been dealt with in an earlier story, concerning his relationship with the castle's servants. The sometimes imaginative use of magic by Sir James is innovative sometimes, drawing on his 20th century knowledge, while at other times he uses just enough magic to resolve a problem or conflict the old fashioned way -- brute force. By this time one would expect that Sir James would have studied and practiced more at becoming a mage, since he is hopelessly outclassed at knightly skills by the inhabitants who have spent a lifetime honing their skills. With a voluminous encyclopedia of magic at his disposal for reference, one would expect by now that he would have advanced beyond the level of a rank amateur in his knowledge of magical principles, rules and beings. The adventure itself was grand and woven with enough political webs that show the author's proven ability to make the multi-plot story smack with conspiracy, intrigue, extortion, double-crossing and back room politics that could warm the heart of any Washington lobbyist. While the story was very good on details, the one area it didn't expound on was how one could move around and live in the area known as the Drowned Lands. Is magic used to allow the inhabitants to breathe or is it used to form a huge air pocket? I didn't feel this was made clear enough. Sir James and his Companions do themselves proud and the author does a fine job explaining the characters' sometimes irrational or contraint behavior. One of the best things about this story is that we learn more about the 3 AAA+ magicians and what it takes to be one, and what they sometimes do (and won't do). This was worth the price of the book and I hope that more interaction is revealed between this elite trio of mages in future novels. While he has yet to gain a standing ovation, it was grat! ifying to see Sir James gain and earn some respect from some of the inhabitants of that world, even if it was sometimes fleeting.

The 7 given for the review along with a recommendation to buy the book is based on the following... My impression of Dickson's "Dragon" series from reading reviews in other publications was that while each book is related and sequential in time, the stories in each book were designed to be stand-alone and it was supposed to be possible to read and enjoy individual titles without necessarily having read the previous books. Having said that, I thought that this book was a fine read and would recommend it but I don't think that I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the previous two novels. The plot stands on its own with no problem but there is a constant drumbeat of passing references to previous incidents and characters. For instance, one major character's motivations for his actions in this novel involved an incident in a previous novel. It's obvious that Dickson has established a rich and detailed background for his stories about the Dragon Knight but without any knowledge of the back story, readers may find this novel somewhat confusing. I think that you will enjoy the book but I suspect that you will enjoy it a lot more if you have read the previous novels in the series.