In The Hall Of The Dragon King (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
Quentin is an acolyte that suddenly finds himself with a new mission when a wounded knight crashes down at his temple's door. But delivering the knight's letter to the Queen is far from the end of the matter. Nimrood the Necromancer has taken the king captive, and he plans to use king and kingdom in his quest to conquer the world. Quentin, along with a warden, a lord, a hermit, and the Queen, set off to rescue the king. But can they succeed against the might of a necromancer?Although the back cover of the mass market does not give the same indication as the trade paperback, this is actually a Christian fantasy. And as far as that goes it's a pretty good one. It brought up some points that I had not considered much before, such as how God is the only god who is willing (and able) to change his followers. And the scene where Quentin meets God is neat. The whole city of Durka brings up some very interesting ideas.Structurally there were a few things I didn't like so much about the book. All of the characters were very one-dimensional. The instant you met them you could peg them into the roles they'd have, and that's ALL they were throughout the whole book. Jaspin was sneaky, Nimrood was insane evil, Quentin was pure of heart, the Queen was noble, etc. I actually read it more like a story for children because of this, so it didn't offend me or bore me (although the gore and walking dead might be a bit much for any real kids). Lawhead likes abusing adjectives and adverbs; the sheer amount of description sometimes made me smile. You never get a sunset, you get a paragraph about the sunset. Also, there were a few instances with the way dialogue was paragraphed that made it very hard to tell who was speaking which lines.My only real complaint about the plot is that the book spends a lot of time setting Quentin up for this new faith, and then it plays what seems to be a very small role at the end, as though the blessing he had received is actually meant for book two or three.Overall this is a very simple story, but can still be a lot of fun. If the lack of depth in the characters won't bother you, and you'd like to read one of the better Christian fantasies I've seen, check this out. Recommended.
tI recommend the book “In the Hall of the Dragon King” by Stephen R. Lawhead for readers who enjoy reading books with constantly changing and developing characters, quest-like plots, and satisfying resolutions. This book is about an orphaned acolyte named Quentin at a temple who answers a call to arms in order to save his king and his kingdom. Quentin is at first meek and shy, but throughout the events of his adventure with the many other people he meets on the way, Quentin changes from a childish boy into a mature young man. Quentin must make difficult decisions and must try his hardest to stop the King’s envious brother, Prince Jaspin, from stealing the throne from the true king. But behind all of this, a darker and more dangerous evil lurks and Quentin, along with his comrades, must try to stop the evil that is being stirred by the sorcerer, Nimrood. The characters in this book are always changing and they reveal new things about themselves as the story progresses. Quentin, for example, changes not only physically, but mentally as well. He becomes braver and wiser after being blessed by a god that is similar to the one associated with Christianity. Supporting characters also always have surprises about themselves and develop as well. Not only does this book have developing characters, but it has an outstanding adventure story that flows smoothly as the story continues. From the start to the finish, the feeling of progress that the main character and his friends are getting closer and closer to achieving their goal. There are many turns and conflicts that slow them down from stopping the evil sorcerer, but they are always making progress. It is a classic story full of heroic deeds and brave decisions. “In the Hall of the Dragon King” does a great job of giving the reader a sense of joy whenever a conflict is resolved. The characters conquer the conflicts and the joy of the characters is palpable by the reader. If you enjoy classic medieval stories with a hero against villain situation, this book is for you.
What do You think about In The Hall Of The Dragon King (2002)?
This book was slow to get into. I only kept going simply because I didn't have another to listen to. But, it picked up a little about a third of the way through, and I started to actually enjoy it about two thirds of the way through. It's not good enough that I think I will finish the series though. There wasn't any cliffhanger, and so I feel no need to continue when the book was so slow to get into. One thing that bothered me about the book was that things came too easily. I like struggle, hardship, and failure, and while there was a little of each, there wasn't nearly as much as there should be. I rarely doubted that things wouldn't work out, and I didn't like that. If you read it, I would advise you to stick through the boring beginning because it does pick up, eventually.
—Josie
I really enjoyed the first two thirds of In the Hall of the Dragon King. The story happens on a fully realized world filled with different cultures, different belief systems and complicated politics. The young protagonist, Quentin, sees a way out from his humdrum life and takes it without worrying too much about his own safety.For those first almost 200 pages, I was enjoying a book happily situated amongst other enjoyable adventures like The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope or the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. And then my enjoyment came crashing down around my ears as the power behind the plot revealed himself. The book went from being something I was eager to finish to a scary flashback to the Malorian series by David and Leigh Eddings or any of the later books in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.See, I don't like books centered around a one true god or "Most High God" as he's called in Lawhead's book. All the scheming and counter plots and backstabbing of the other characters ceases to be important, relevant or material to the plot when there is one puppet master orchestrating everything through is chosen golden boy be it Quentin or Garion or Jesus or whomever you want to call the star of the moment.
—Sarah Sammis
** spoiler alert ** This book featured "clunky" writing and a rather heavy-handed religious subtext, but in spite of those issues, I enjoyed the story of Quentin and his comrades in their quest to find and free the Dragon King. What I liked: The Jher, especially Toli, who accompanies Quentin and becomes both his servant and friend. The city of Dekra and the caretakers who are restoring it. Durwin, ex-priest, ex-sorcerer (who still has a few tricks up his sleeve), ever-seeking enlightenment and peace. What I disliked: The Queen was a bit too unqueenly for me--she adapted to her circumstances marvelously well, but that was unrealistic, even for fantasy. And the revelation at the end, that Bria is her daughter, the Princess--totally unbelievable. She never once worried for her safety, nor did anyone else, yet she was left in the castle with Nimrood. I can't believe he would not have used her as a pawn in this power game. (OK, Lawhead never says that Bria is the Eskevar & Alinea's daughter, but she is a Princess of the realm, which would imply that.)
—Kathi
