Scan barcode
nchinnici's review
3.0
Dragon Coast, the third and final book in the Daniel Blackland trilogy, was a quick, easy, entertaining read.
“I love it when wizards die ironically. Please lead the way.”
Picking up where Pacific Fire left off, this follows the perspectives of a few of the main characters on their exploits and adventures. While it ultimately wraps the story up nicely, both the plot and the characters lacked some focus, making for a few head scratching moments. The pacing was perfectly on point, though, pulling me past these moments with a shrug and a need to know what happens next. And the ending was an excellent conclusion to this trilogy while leaving some strands open for possible future additions or spin-offs.
Van Eekhout’s writing style not only works well for this genre, but it really hits home for me. Sharp and snappy with bits of humor mixed in, he doesn’t mince words, which makes for a fast pace that is easy to breeze through. Because of this, however, along with the fact that the world was well built out in the first couple books, not much is added to the world building in Dragon Coast. Which is unfortunate as the scope is expanded from the southern kingdom of Los Angeles to the northern kingdom of San Francisco. As the two are naturally quite different to begin with, I would have loved to see some more detail on this new setting to bring it more alive.
“We’re what we do, and what we sacrifice, and what we love. And if we choose right more often than we choose wrong, we become who we want to be.”
Although Dragon Coast didn’t quite live up to California Bones, this was ultimately an enjoyable read with a good moral. I’d still recommend this trilogy to anyone looking for a unique young adult fantasy with an alternate history.
“I love it when wizards die ironically. Please lead the way.”
Picking up where Pacific Fire left off, this follows the perspectives of a few of the main characters on their exploits and adventures. While it ultimately wraps the story up nicely, both the plot and the characters lacked some focus, making for a few head scratching moments. The pacing was perfectly on point, though, pulling me past these moments with a shrug and a need to know what happens next. And the ending was an excellent conclusion to this trilogy while leaving some strands open for possible future additions or spin-offs.
Van Eekhout’s writing style not only works well for this genre, but it really hits home for me. Sharp and snappy with bits of humor mixed in, he doesn’t mince words, which makes for a fast pace that is easy to breeze through. Because of this, however, along with the fact that the world was well built out in the first couple books, not much is added to the world building in Dragon Coast. Which is unfortunate as the scope is expanded from the southern kingdom of Los Angeles to the northern kingdom of San Francisco. As the two are naturally quite different to begin with, I would have loved to see some more detail on this new setting to bring it more alive.
“We’re what we do, and what we sacrifice, and what we love. And if we choose right more often than we choose wrong, we become who we want to be.”
Although Dragon Coast didn’t quite live up to California Bones, this was ultimately an enjoyable read with a good moral. I’d still recommend this trilogy to anyone looking for a unique young adult fantasy with an alternate history.
elliotvanz's review
4.0
Dragon Coast was the third installation in the Daniel Blackland series, and it brought the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. The story the second and third books focused on was wrapped up, but the book was left open ended enough that I wouldn't mind returning to this world and these characters again in the future. High points remain setting, voice, and character - all consistently engaging throughout the series. I also enjoyed the continued themes of fatherhood, which have run through all three books and seem to come to a head within this one. We also get some fun action and a return to some of the more heist roots established earlier in the series.
The downside of this book was that some portions were far more interesting than others. Without giving out spoilers I can say this: with the cast of characters split into groups I found myself far more invested in some of the story lines than others, and I got the feeling Van Eekhout felt similarly since a few of them seemed to resolve themselves very simply or failed to really coalesce. (Max and Gabriel remain far more compelling than they have any right to be. Sam significantly less so.) There are some interesting and shining moments to be found, but the connective tissue is somewhat lacking in this one. I forgive it because the former two books did so much heavy lifting, but I can't help but feel this book needed more time on Van Eekhout's desk percolating and revising. Simply put: it was good, but not great. Don't let this dissuade you from reading though. This is by far one of the better series I've discovered in recent years, and Van Eekhout has earned my loyalty for future releases, whether set in this world or another.
The downside of this book was that some portions were far more interesting than others. Without giving out spoilers I can say this: with the cast of characters split into groups I found myself far more invested in some of the story lines than others, and I got the feeling Van Eekhout felt similarly since a few of them seemed to resolve themselves very simply or failed to really coalesce. (Max and Gabriel remain far more compelling than they have any right to be. Sam significantly less so.) There are some interesting and shining moments to be found, but the connective tissue is somewhat lacking in this one. I forgive it because the former two books did so much heavy lifting, but I can't help but feel this book needed more time on Van Eekhout's desk percolating and revising. Simply put: it was good, but not great. Don't let this dissuade you from reading though. This is by far one of the better series I've discovered in recent years, and Van Eekhout has earned my loyalty for future releases, whether set in this world or another.
carol26388's review
3.0
There’s so much here I could have loved… water magic, firedrakes, a L.A. that resembles Venice, San Francisco, a kick-ass woman. So perhaps you can understand my sadness when I say it failed to gestalt into something remarkable for me.
Dragon Coast is the continuation of the story began in [b:California Bones|18490594|California Bones (Daniel Blackland, #1)|Greg Van Eekhout|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393646834s/18490594.jpg|25312108] (my review)and continued in [b:Pacific Fire|22238140|Pacific Fire (Daniel Blackland, #2)|Greg Van Eekhout|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405300906s/22238140.jpg|41612036]. It most directly connects to events in Fire, so much so that I’d consider the two a duology. One can see how the success of the first book likely gestated contracts for more storytelling in that world. At any rate, consider my summary to have spoilers for Fire.
Daniel is a powerful osteomancer, or bone-mage, seeking a way to free his adopted son, Sam who disappeared during a conflict with a magically-constructed firedrake, and Daniel’s hoping he’s alive inside the creature. He’s right–Sam is alive, although it’s a schizophrenic sort of reality where he feels as if he has a discrete physical body inside the firedrake, although logic tells him he doesn’t. Unfortunately, he’s unable to operate the controls guiding the creature. Daniel has a plan to magically transfer Sam out of the drake and brings a couple of valuable friends to help–the unkillable Moth, and one of the Emmas who has developed a special relationship with Sam. In the midst of capturing the drake, the mission goes sideways: now the beast is missing and the critical and extremely rare ingredient to transfer Sam to a new body was destroyed. The only solution will take them north to the hostile country of Northern California.
The world was well-developed over the previous two books, so the author wisely avoids detailed explanations and history. Previously, I was fascinated by the canal riddled L.A., but unfortunately it appears that in this world, Northern California looks about the same as the real one. Details on the setting are largely sacrificed in favor of plotting and character.
Speaking of plotting, for a caper/heist set-up, it felt disjointed. There’s an arc regarding Sam and his experiences inside the drake, as well as Gabriel’s attempts to oppose the drake due to the destruction it has wrought on L.A.. There’s Daniel’s attempt to capture the drake. Those both come to an end with Sam’s capture, but then new conflicts arise. Gabriel and Daniel combine forces, with Gabriel and the team attempting to find Sam, and Daniel attempting to steal the ingredient needed to save Sam through an extremely complicated scam that involves impersonating his half-brother. I was reminded of The Likeness when I had to consciously accept implausibility, but it was a bit much when Daniel remained undiscovered around two childhood friends and a former lover. Coherency is further challenged with narratives shifting between Daniel, Sam, Gabriel and Cassandra.
Sam’s personal struggle is about controlling and then exploring the drake–and yes, in that order–while Daniel’s is about rescuing Sam, the deaths of families (sometimes literally) and innocence. For me, it was hard to connect with either of them. By the end, both Sam and Daniel appeared to have failed to learn any lesson until it was tied up and handed to them on a silver platter by the women in their lives. More enjoyable were the indefatigable best friend, Moth, and skilled thief Cassandra. Their abilities to decide and execute were in stark contrast to Daniel’s static ‘research’ and self-immolation.
Also interesting was Gabriel, one of the chief powers in L.A. because of his water magic. and learning more about his view of the world and watching him put his magic into action was one of the enjoyable aspects of world-building. The relationship between him and his right-hand-man, Max was one of the more complex interactions. Layered with overtones from the second book, they’ve transformed the prior owner-servant relationship into something approaching friendship, and possibly love. Now that would have been a fascinating primary story.
“It occurred to him that he could simply bring down the dam and create a cataclysmic flood that would rip sequoias from the ground, push over buildings and send them smashing into bridges… and Gabriel could arrive behind the flood, like a general walking through the gates of a conquered city.
But he didn’t want to be that kind of water mage, so he continued to slip and struggle down the cliff side.”
Language is serviceable, but again, coming off of City of Blades, I can’t help but think that with more polish, it would elevated Daniel’s modus operandi into the truly tragic instead of annoying and pointlessly self-defeating. There was a lovely bit or two where it was able to get at the emotion of a moment:
“But right now, at this moment, I don’t have time to care. You are not the most important thing to me. My pain is not the most important thing to me. I have a job to do, and all I care about is how your presence complicates it.'”
Writing shone in the humorous bits of dialogue between the team:
“‘That’s a Rothko. It’s worth millions.’
‘How do you know?’
‘What’s that thing when the little inky bugs go into your eyes and make brain knowledge? Reading.’
‘Art books are mostly pictures, aren’t they?’
‘Don’t insult me when I’m busy insulting you.'”
I suspect I am so harsh on this third book because the first book was so absolutely fun, full of creative world-building around a fast-moving plot. While there are a few great moments–crawling through pipes and eavesdropping at lunch come to mind–it lacks both the planning and the madcap rush of a true heist. Yet, it can’t quite manage the complexity of a redemption arc either. I’ll be giving this one another read through, unless the library comes knocking for their copy, but won’t be adding it to my own library.
Dragon Coast is the continuation of the story began in [b:California Bones|18490594|California Bones (Daniel Blackland, #1)|Greg Van Eekhout|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393646834s/18490594.jpg|25312108] (my review)and continued in [b:Pacific Fire|22238140|Pacific Fire (Daniel Blackland, #2)|Greg Van Eekhout|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405300906s/22238140.jpg|41612036]. It most directly connects to events in Fire, so much so that I’d consider the two a duology. One can see how the success of the first book likely gestated contracts for more storytelling in that world. At any rate, consider my summary to have spoilers for Fire.
Daniel is a powerful osteomancer, or bone-mage, seeking a way to free his adopted son, Sam who disappeared during a conflict with a magically-constructed firedrake, and Daniel’s hoping he’s alive inside the creature. He’s right–Sam is alive, although it’s a schizophrenic sort of reality where he feels as if he has a discrete physical body inside the firedrake, although logic tells him he doesn’t. Unfortunately, he’s unable to operate the controls guiding the creature. Daniel has a plan to magically transfer Sam out of the drake and brings a couple of valuable friends to help–the unkillable Moth, and one of the Emmas who has developed a special relationship with Sam. In the midst of capturing the drake, the mission goes sideways: now the beast is missing and the critical and extremely rare ingredient to transfer Sam to a new body was destroyed. The only solution will take them north to the hostile country of Northern California.
The world was well-developed over the previous two books, so the author wisely avoids detailed explanations and history. Previously, I was fascinated by the canal riddled L.A., but unfortunately it appears that in this world, Northern California looks about the same as the real one. Details on the setting are largely sacrificed in favor of plotting and character.
Speaking of plotting, for a caper/heist set-up, it felt disjointed. There’s an arc regarding Sam and his experiences inside the drake, as well as Gabriel’s attempts to oppose the drake due to the destruction it has wrought on L.A.. There’s Daniel’s attempt to capture the drake. Those both come to an end with Sam’s capture, but then new conflicts arise. Gabriel and Daniel combine forces, with Gabriel and the team attempting to find Sam, and Daniel attempting to steal the ingredient needed to save Sam through an extremely complicated scam that involves impersonating his half-brother. I was reminded of The Likeness when I had to consciously accept implausibility, but it was a bit much when Daniel remained undiscovered around two childhood friends and a former lover. Coherency is further challenged with narratives shifting between Daniel, Sam, Gabriel and Cassandra.
Sam’s personal struggle is about controlling and then exploring the drake–and yes, in that order–while Daniel’s is about rescuing Sam, the deaths of families (sometimes literally) and innocence. For me, it was hard to connect with either of them. By the end, both Sam and Daniel appeared to have failed to learn any lesson until it was tied up and handed to them on a silver platter by the women in their lives. More enjoyable were the indefatigable best friend, Moth, and skilled thief Cassandra. Their abilities to decide and execute were in stark contrast to Daniel’s static ‘research’ and self-immolation.
Also interesting was Gabriel, one of the chief powers in L.A. because of his water magic. and learning more about his view of the world and watching him put his magic into action was one of the enjoyable aspects of world-building. The relationship between him and his right-hand-man, Max was one of the more complex interactions. Layered with overtones from the second book, they’ve transformed the prior owner-servant relationship into something approaching friendship, and possibly love. Now that would have been a fascinating primary story.
“It occurred to him that he could simply bring down the dam and create a cataclysmic flood that would rip sequoias from the ground, push over buildings and send them smashing into bridges… and Gabriel could arrive behind the flood, like a general walking through the gates of a conquered city.
But he didn’t want to be that kind of water mage, so he continued to slip and struggle down the cliff side.”
Language is serviceable, but again, coming off of City of Blades, I can’t help but think that with more polish, it would elevated Daniel’s modus operandi into the truly tragic instead of annoying and pointlessly self-defeating. There was a lovely bit or two where it was able to get at the emotion of a moment:
“But right now, at this moment, I don’t have time to care. You are not the most important thing to me. My pain is not the most important thing to me. I have a job to do, and all I care about is how your presence complicates it.'”
Writing shone in the humorous bits of dialogue between the team:
“‘That’s a Rothko. It’s worth millions.’
‘How do you know?’
‘What’s that thing when the little inky bugs go into your eyes and make brain knowledge? Reading.’
‘Art books are mostly pictures, aren’t they?’
‘Don’t insult me when I’m busy insulting you.'”
I suspect I am so harsh on this third book because the first book was so absolutely fun, full of creative world-building around a fast-moving plot. While there are a few great moments–crawling through pipes and eavesdropping at lunch come to mind–it lacks both the planning and the madcap rush of a true heist. Yet, it can’t quite manage the complexity of a redemption arc either. I’ll be giving this one another read through, unless the library comes knocking for their copy, but won’t be adding it to my own library.
nilchance's review
4.0
A satisfying end to the trilogy, although I thought the storyline in the northern hierarch's court was rushed and probably should have been a book in its own right. This may be because I wanted a whole trilogy about Paul's daughter being sad and terrifying and awesome.
Another trilogy I wish we could read: Gabriel and Max snarking at each other. There doesn't have to be a plot. It could be an extended argument about what to watch on Netflix. I'm not picky. They were just my favorite part of the series.
Looking forward to whatever van Eekhout chooses to write next.
Another trilogy I wish we could read: Gabriel and Max snarking at each other. There doesn't have to be a plot. It could be an extended argument about what to watch on Netflix. I'm not picky. They were just my favorite part of the series.
Looking forward to whatever van Eekhout chooses to write next.
kuporeads's review
4.0
Note: Obtained an ARC through first-reads on Goodreads. My first time winning. Yay! Thank you Goodreads!
I tried reaaaaally hard to read this slowly. I loved book 1 and 2 and I wanted to savor the world and the characters in it, but alas, curse Van Eekhout for making such an addicting, final read.
Here there be possible spoilers, so the rest is on my blog.
But the verdict? Read and savor.
I tried reaaaaally hard to read this slowly. I loved book 1 and 2 and I wanted to savor the world and the characters in it, but alas, curse Van Eekhout for making such an addicting, final read.
Here there be possible spoilers, so the rest is on my blog.
But the verdict? Read and savor.
tomasthanes's review
5.0
This is the third book in the "Daniel Blackland" trilogy in which Daniel searches for Sam who has been assimilated into the reanimated Pacific Fire Drake (which, as it turns out, is not the most powerful dragon on earth).
The "Team" is back together: Daniel, Cassandra, Moth, and Jo with Em and Sam added to it. It's almost like they're ready for yet another adventure in this world. Gabriel Argent and Max weren't invited to the party at the conclusion of the book.
We finally get to see Northern California, the kingdom that is in opposition to Southern California. It has it's own Hierarch and culture. We also get to see more hydromancy in this book thanks to Gabriel.
Many landmarks in our world spill over into this alternate history. Hearst Castle, San Francisco, North Beach, and Treasure Island.
Did I mention that there are momentary views of airships in this book? Armored airships.
A character named Gloria Bai was mentioned then promptly discarded. I'm glad that Annabel Stokes got more screen time.
+1 for use of the term "henchminions".
The "Team" is back together: Daniel, Cassandra, Moth, and Jo with Em and Sam added to it. It's almost like they're ready for yet another adventure in this world. Gabriel Argent and Max weren't invited to the party at the conclusion of the book.
We finally get to see Northern California, the kingdom that is in opposition to Southern California. It has it's own Hierarch and culture. We also get to see more hydromancy in this book thanks to Gabriel.
Many landmarks in our world spill over into this alternate history. Hearst Castle, San Francisco, North Beach, and Treasure Island.
Did I mention that there are momentary views of airships in this book? Armored airships.
A character named Gloria Bai was mentioned then promptly discarded. I'm glad that Annabel Stokes got more screen time.
+1 for use of the term "henchminions".
More...