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2.89 AVERAGE
2.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
My Thoughts as I read the book:
"A half-metre-long dragonfly, red from bulbous eyes to the vein lacework of transparent wings, took off from the leather bracer on Jaume's forearm and shot forward."
Lends authenticity to the environment that the author is setting us up in. After all:
and a more artistic view:
What intrigued me was their use in falconry. However, as you will continue to see throughout the books, wonderful ideas are mentioned once and then abandoned. There is no inclusion of them afterwards. I know that is a lot to expect but if you are going to build a new universe...
"The docks teemed with ships of every size. Its streets, from capillary alleys to boulevard arteries, pulsed with traffic, human, dinosaur, and vehicular."
Maybe it is the biologist in me but I loved the description. Also, reminded me of this video, so I thought I'd share:
Traffic the Port of Amsterdam sees in a day!
"Of course, you're too kind to point out the Parasaurolophus in the parlor..."
It got me wondering if including more modified idioms like that would have made the book's world seem more real or not.
Btw, this is the dinosaur that the character was talking about.
The book did suffer from the usual maladies, such as everybody knowing something was seriously wrong with the king's advisor and yet not doing anything about it:
"When she'd encountered Jeronimo, she had felt a strange unease, in the pit of her stomach and beneath her skin, as if sensing wrongness somehow."
*sigh* If this character turns out to be bad news in the sequel...
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
"But if he had loosed at you, you'd have just knocked the arrow out of the air, right? Or snatched it with your hand like those ninja blokes in Zipangu, I shouldn't wonder.
Karyl shrugged.
"Or died, he said."
It also made me think why the author used the word, ninja, in the book. The world is quite different from our own and the word just stood out. It might have been because the world the book is set in has an old feel to it. However, as I looked it up, I came across this page that said the word had been in use as early as in the 1600s. It had other interesting things to say about ninjas too.
This description about a species of dinosaurs simply called Titans was lovely:
"They had no voices: they couldn't force cries down the tremendous length of their necks."
That got me to start looking up animals without a voice and most links mentioned Giraffes. However, San Diego Zoo says Giraffes do have vocal cords but they make a limited number of sounds with them.
Brachiosaurus vs. Girraffe
This quote that was amazingly ironic:
"Whether we humans are or not, the dinosaurs endure."
Reminded me of the destruction humans have caused as detailed by the book, The Sixth Extinction.
This is another example of how good the world building is:
"Frequently ridden in battle by light-riders, as well as, occasionally by knights and nobles too poor to afford war-hadrosaurus."
This is the Hadrosaurus and here is a video where its fossilized remains were discovered.
There are small excerpts from different "books" at the beginning of each chapter. Some of them mention deities that are worshiped in that world. The descriptions go so far to include an aspect that the deity favors. However, they are never mentioned in conversations (except for battle cries). I mean, so many of our expressions could have been modified and used:
By Jove, Jeez, Jesus, and so on.
Another thing that I found hard to believe was how naive Melodia, the king's eldest was. If you are a princess, you are definitely going to be trained in court intrigue etc. You won't go spouting off things that can be twisted later and have you framed for sedition. Especially, if you have a father who only deigns to remember that he has daughters at certain times. Even more so, if you could never inherit the throne and thus, do not have the security that an heir would. She behaves like a spoiled teenager, which even if she is one, she cannot afford to be.
Another favorite quote:
"And then, with what struck Melodia as completely necessary enthusiasm, her noble ladies-in-waiting set about burying the Princess Imperial in shit.
The treachery wasn't unexpected when it did come. The swiftness of the events was fun though!
The Grey Angels are something that I am curious about. One of the theories about them says:
My guess is that we must have colonized some planet and maybe started a fun experiment, people and dinosaurs together to see what would happen? It seems like the Gray Angels are some kind of super powered protectors who keep the people at a certain level."
All in all, I liked the book a lot. I read it slowly, enjoying every part. Some of the dinosaur battle scenes were really good. The book could have done with a little more of them.
All this talk about dinosaurs would not be complete without a mention of this guy:
Also reviewed/liked at:
BL
The narrator for this one just did not work on the audiobook, and it took me right out of the story to the point I couldn't focus on anything being said.
more like 2.5 but
I feel like it's most battle descriptions and too much forein names. I can not catch whos who and whats where
But dinosaur fiction is sparce so we read what we can
I feel like it's most battle descriptions and too much forein names. I can not catch whos who and whats where
But dinosaur fiction is sparce so we read what we can
Book would-be higher if not for the last half heavily references rape , ultimately having one of the characters actually raped on page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
(ελληνική κριτική στο τέλος)
Prior to reading: "Epic fantasy AND dinosaurs? Shut up and take my money!"
One's initial enthusiasm, alas, was not entirely borne out by the ensuing experience. While not, perhaps, a categorical disappointment, the book in question remains a bold yet uneven amalgamation of high fantasy and what one might dub 'prehistoric action'.
The central conceit is nothing if not eccentric — so much so, indeed, that a gentleman donning a cuckoo clock as headgear would seem, by comparison, a paragon of restraint. Imagine, if you will, a medieval fantasy realm in which knights charge into battle astride dinosaurs. Yes, precisely as it sounds: a chivalric war waged atop brontosaurs, triceratopses, pachycephalosaurs, parasaurolophuses, and -should you be so inclined- Crabfornicatorosaurus (monstrosities of dubious nomenclature, alright, there are also some horses, for the purists).
At this stage, I hasten to add, we are still within the realm of the positive. Victor Milán does, to his credit, construct a world of impressive scope and intricacy — replete with political machinations, religious tensions, and military conflict. And dinosaurs. Their inclusion is far from ornamental: they are deployed in warfare, transportation, and even as emblems of social standing — to say nothing of their use in executions. “You are hereby sentenced to death by Tyrannosaur decapitation.” The battle scenes, particularly those featuring said reptiles, are vivid and frequently cinematic in scale. Also, it must be said: dinosaurs defecate in quite unimaginable volumes — a fact which, oddly enough, occasionally facilitates convenient escape via strategic excremental concealment.
And yet! For all its dazzling premise, the novel struggles to reconcile its dual identities as speculative fiction and epic fantasy. The characters, though earnest, too often descend into the mire of stereotype, while the plot is at times chaotic, obscure, or needlessly prolix. Political dialogues and philosophical meanderings abound — more often burdensome than enlightening — and the pacing is frustratingly inconsistent, with exhilarating sequences abruptly giving way to languid passages of tedious exposition and reflection.
In summation, this is a courageous and idiosyncratic contribution to the fantasy genre, one which certainly merits attention for its conceptual originality. Have I mentioned the dinosaurs? However, its execution falls short of the promise inherent in its premise. A delight for dinosaur devotees or/and those in search of something entirely off the beaten track; but perhaps an acquired taste for the more exacting connoisseur of the fantastical.
Πριν την ανάγνωση: «Επική φαντασία ΚΑΙ δεινόσαυροι; Shut up and take my money!»
Δυστυχώς τα πράγματα δεν πήγαν όπως τα περίμενα. Το βιβλίο χωρίς να είναι η απόλυτη απογοήτευση, παραμένει ένας φιλόδοξος αλλά άνισος συνδυασμός φαντασίας και «προϊστορικής» δράσης.
Η βασική ιδέα είναι τόσο εκκεντρική ώστε μπροστά της ένα τύπος με ρολόι κούκο για καπέλο δείχνει κονφορμιστής και φυσικά, όπως έγινε αντιληπτό από την εισαγω΄γη, τραβάει την προσοχή. Ένας κόσμος μεσαιωνικής φαντασίας όπου οι ιππότες πολεμούν καβάλα σε δεινόσαυρους. Ναι, ακριβώς όπως ακούγεται: ένας μεσαιωνικός πόλεμος με βροντόσαυρους, τρικεράτοπες, παχυκεφαλόσαυρους, παρασαυρόλοφους, καβουρογαμόσαυρους, ό,τι θέλετε αντί για άλογα (ΟΚ, υπερβάλλω έχει και άλογα).
Είμαστε ακόμα στα θετικά, υπενθυμίζω. Ο Victor Milán καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει έναν πλούσιο και περίπλοκο κόσμο, που συνδυάζει πολιτική ίντριγκα, θρησκευτικές εντάσεις και πολεμικές συγκρούσεις. ΚΑΙ ΕΧΕΙ ΔΕΙΝΟΣΟΑΥΡΟΥΣ. Η παρουσία των οποίων δεν είαι διακοσμητική: χρησιμοποιούνται σε μάχες, για μεταφορές, ακόμη και ως σύμβολα κοινωνικού status… μέχρι και εκτελέσεις κάνουν. «ΚΑΤΑΔΙΚΑΖΕΣΑΙ ΣΕ ΘΑΝΑΤΟ ΔΙ’ ΑΠΟΚΕΦΑΛΙΣΜΟΥ ΑΠΟ ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΣΑΥΡΟ». Οι σκηνές μάχης, ειδικά όταν εμπλέκονται δεινόσαυροι, είναι έντονες και φαντασμαγορικές, σχεδόν κινηματογραφικές. Επίσης οι δεινόσαυροι χέζουν απίστευτες ποσότητες, κάτι που συχνά βοηθάει να αποδράσεις κρυμμένος στα σκατά τους.
Ωστόσο! Παρά τη φαντασμαγορική του ιδέα, το βιβλίο παλεύει να ισορροπήσει ανάμεσα στην επιστημονική φαντασία και το έπος της φαντασίας. Οι χαρακτήρες συχνά ξεπέφτουν στο άγος του στερεότυπου και η πλοκή γίνεται σε σημεία μπάχαλο, δυσνόητη ή αχρείαστα φλύαρη. Υπάρχουν τόνοι πολιτικών διαλόγων και φιλοσοφικών αναζητήσεων που βαραίνουν το ανάγνωσμα, χωρίς πάντα να προσφέρουν ουσία. Επίσης, ο ρυθμός είναι ασταθής – στιγμές υψηλής δράσης ακολουθούνται από μακρές σκηνές που σούυυυρνονται συζητώντας και αναμασώντας το τι συνέβη.
Για να κλείνουμε, το βιβλίο είναι μια τολμηρή προσπάθεια που σίγουρα ξεχωρίζει στο χώρο της φαντασίας, κυρίως λόγω της θεματικής του πρωτοτυπίας. Δεν ξέρω αν το είπαμε, αλλά ΔΕΙΝΟΣΑΥΡΟΙ! Ωστόσο, η εκτέλεση του μένει "χαμηλότερα" από τις προσδοκίες που δημιουργεί η ιδέα. Είναι ένα βιβλίο που θα λατρέψουν όσοι έχουν αδυναμία στους δεινοσαύρους ή/και αναζητούν κάτι εντελώς διαφορετικό, αλλά ίσως κουράσει τους πιο απαιτητικούς αναγνώστες της λογοτεχνίας του φαναστικού.
Prior to reading: "Epic fantasy AND dinosaurs? Shut up and take my money!"
One's initial enthusiasm, alas, was not entirely borne out by the ensuing experience. While not, perhaps, a categorical disappointment, the book in question remains a bold yet uneven amalgamation of high fantasy and what one might dub 'prehistoric action'.
The central conceit is nothing if not eccentric — so much so, indeed, that a gentleman donning a cuckoo clock as headgear would seem, by comparison, a paragon of restraint. Imagine, if you will, a medieval fantasy realm in which knights charge into battle astride dinosaurs. Yes, precisely as it sounds: a chivalric war waged atop brontosaurs, triceratopses, pachycephalosaurs, parasaurolophuses, and -should you be so inclined- Crabfornicatorosaurus (monstrosities of dubious nomenclature, alright, there are also some horses, for the purists).
At this stage, I hasten to add, we are still within the realm of the positive. Victor Milán does, to his credit, construct a world of impressive scope and intricacy — replete with political machinations, religious tensions, and military conflict. And dinosaurs. Their inclusion is far from ornamental: they are deployed in warfare, transportation, and even as emblems of social standing — to say nothing of their use in executions. “You are hereby sentenced to death by Tyrannosaur decapitation.” The battle scenes, particularly those featuring said reptiles, are vivid and frequently cinematic in scale. Also, it must be said: dinosaurs defecate in quite unimaginable volumes — a fact which, oddly enough, occasionally facilitates convenient escape via strategic excremental concealment.
And yet! For all its dazzling premise, the novel struggles to reconcile its dual identities as speculative fiction and epic fantasy. The characters, though earnest, too often descend into the mire of stereotype, while the plot is at times chaotic, obscure, or needlessly prolix. Political dialogues and philosophical meanderings abound — more often burdensome than enlightening — and the pacing is frustratingly inconsistent, with exhilarating sequences abruptly giving way to languid passages of tedious exposition and reflection.
In summation, this is a courageous and idiosyncratic contribution to the fantasy genre, one which certainly merits attention for its conceptual originality. Have I mentioned the dinosaurs? However, its execution falls short of the promise inherent in its premise. A delight for dinosaur devotees or/and those in search of something entirely off the beaten track; but perhaps an acquired taste for the more exacting connoisseur of the fantastical.
Πριν την ανάγνωση: «Επική φαντασία ΚΑΙ δεινόσαυροι; Shut up and take my money!»
Δυστυχώς τα πράγματα δεν πήγαν όπως τα περίμενα. Το βιβλίο χωρίς να είναι η απόλυτη απογοήτευση, παραμένει ένας φιλόδοξος αλλά άνισος συνδυασμός φαντασίας και «προϊστορικής» δράσης.
Η βασική ιδέα είναι τόσο εκκεντρική ώστε μπροστά της ένα τύπος με ρολόι κούκο για καπέλο δείχνει κονφορμιστής και φυσικά, όπως έγινε αντιληπτό από την εισαγω΄γη, τραβάει την προσοχή. Ένας κόσμος μεσαιωνικής φαντασίας όπου οι ιππότες πολεμούν καβάλα σε δεινόσαυρους. Ναι, ακριβώς όπως ακούγεται: ένας μεσαιωνικός πόλεμος με βροντόσαυρους, τρικεράτοπες, παχυκεφαλόσαυρους, παρασαυρόλοφους, καβουρογαμόσαυρους, ό,τι θέλετε αντί για άλογα (ΟΚ, υπερβάλλω έχει και άλογα).
Είμαστε ακόμα στα θετικά, υπενθυμίζω. Ο Victor Milán καταφέρνει να δημιουργήσει έναν πλούσιο και περίπλοκο κόσμο, που συνδυάζει πολιτική ίντριγκα, θρησκευτικές εντάσεις και πολεμικές συγκρούσεις. ΚΑΙ ΕΧΕΙ ΔΕΙΝΟΣΟΑΥΡΟΥΣ. Η παρουσία των οποίων δεν είαι διακοσμητική: χρησιμοποιούνται σε μάχες, για μεταφορές, ακόμη και ως σύμβολα κοινωνικού status… μέχρι και εκτελέσεις κάνουν. «ΚΑΤΑΔΙΚΑΖΕΣΑΙ ΣΕ ΘΑΝΑΤΟ ΔΙ’ ΑΠΟΚΕΦΑΛΙΣΜΟΥ ΑΠΟ ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΣΑΥΡΟ». Οι σκηνές μάχης, ειδικά όταν εμπλέκονται δεινόσαυροι, είναι έντονες και φαντασμαγορικές, σχεδόν κινηματογραφικές. Επίσης οι δεινόσαυροι χέζουν απίστευτες ποσότητες, κάτι που συχνά βοηθάει να αποδράσεις κρυμμένος στα σκατά τους.
Ωστόσο! Παρά τη φαντασμαγορική του ιδέα, το βιβλίο παλεύει να ισορροπήσει ανάμεσα στην επιστημονική φαντασία και το έπος της φαντασίας. Οι χαρακτήρες συχνά ξεπέφτουν στο άγος του στερεότυπου και η πλοκή γίνεται σε σημεία μπάχαλο, δυσνόητη ή αχρείαστα φλύαρη. Υπάρχουν τόνοι πολιτικών διαλόγων και φιλοσοφικών αναζητήσεων που βαραίνουν το ανάγνωσμα, χωρίς πάντα να προσφέρουν ουσία. Επίσης, ο ρυθμός είναι ασταθής – στιγμές υψηλής δράσης ακολουθούνται από μακρές σκηνές που σούυυυρνονται συζητώντας και αναμασώντας το τι συνέβη.
Για να κλείνουμε, το βιβλίο είναι μια τολμηρή προσπάθεια που σίγουρα ξεχωρίζει στο χώρο της φαντασίας, κυρίως λόγω της θεματικής του πρωτοτυπίας. Δεν ξέρω αν το είπαμε, αλλά ΔΕΙΝΟΣΑΥΡΟΙ! Ωστόσο, η εκτέλεση του μένει "χαμηλότερα" από τις προσδοκίες που δημιουργεί η ιδέα. Είναι ένα βιβλίο που θα λατρέψουν όσοι έχουν αδυναμία στους δεινοσαύρους ή/και αναζητούν κάτι εντελώς διαφορετικό, αλλά ίσως κουράσει τους πιο απαιτητικούς αναγνώστες της λογοτεχνίας του φαναστικού.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I spoiled myself for this book by beginning the second book in the series by mistake. I read a little less than a hundred pages in "The Dinosaur Knights" and then decided to go back and read the first book.
Unfortunately, that meant I'd already been spoiled for everything I was reading. I now know what happened for this whole book, basically, so this book is then essentially 600 pages of prequel to me. And I don't have the time or patience right now to read that much prequel, since I think the author's writing has improved from the first book to the second one, based on what I've read. I will likely return the "The Dinosaur Knights" and pick up the story there.
This book feels like a LOT of stage-setting. The structure is a bit like Game of Thrones, with at least 4 POV characters, only one of which is female. That one female seems to be intended mostly as decorative and as a reason to write sex scenes, so I am hoping that her character gets more interesting in the future. I do like the idea of using dinosaurs as war mounts, and I am interested in the religions that the author has invented- one is sort of a Catholic hedonism which seems like a lot more fun than Catholic penitence. The book's noble houses are obviously very closely based on European countries, with analogues for Ireland, Germany, Russia, France and Spain. I'm not sure if the author managed to transcend stereotypes with this- it feels rather old-school. But I'm game to go further.
Unfortunately, that meant I'd already been spoiled for everything I was reading. I now know what happened for this whole book, basically, so this book is then essentially 600 pages of prequel to me. And I don't have the time or patience right now to read that much prequel, since I think the author's writing has improved from the first book to the second one, based on what I've read. I will likely return the "The Dinosaur Knights" and pick up the story there.
This book feels like a LOT of stage-setting. The structure is a bit like Game of Thrones, with at least 4 POV characters, only one of which is female. That one female seems to be intended mostly as decorative and as a reason to write sex scenes, so I am hoping that her character gets more interesting in the future. I do like the idea of using dinosaurs as war mounts, and I am interested in the religions that the author has invented- one is sort of a Catholic hedonism which seems like a lot more fun than Catholic penitence. The book's noble houses are obviously very closely based on European countries, with analogues for Ireland, Germany, Russia, France and Spain. I'm not sure if the author managed to transcend stereotypes with this- it feels rather old-school. But I'm game to go further.
I actually liked this book better than a three-star rating would suggest, but it gets points docked for the (lone!) gratuitous rape scene. (Is it sad that I was relieved it was only one? I mean, considering the cover quote compared it to A Song of Ice and Fire...)
At any rate - I didn't know much about this book going in, except that it was medieval fantasy + dinosaurs, and man, did it deliver that. And it was delightful. Seriously, you didn't know you wanted Spanish Expy knights riding dinosaurs until you read this book. Or at least I didn't. Concept aside, the political intrigue is, well, intriguing, though a lot of the book feels like set-up (this is the first in a series, it seems) and laying groundwork for later events. Still, I'm hooked. I'm especially fond of the casual bisexuality and Melodia's group of female friends. Sometimes Milan is prone to lingering over battle scenes, but speaking as someone who usually isn't a fan of lovingly described battles, I actually enjoyed reading these. Maybe because there are dinosaurs. (Seriously, I'm not over that.)
The prose is nothing to write home about but absolutely adequate, and the characters certainly aren't the most compelling I've read, but this book was rollicking good fun to read, and the concept alone made up for a lot of the shortcomings.
At any rate - I didn't know much about this book going in, except that it was medieval fantasy + dinosaurs, and man, did it deliver that. And it was delightful. Seriously, you didn't know you wanted Spanish Expy knights riding dinosaurs until you read this book. Or at least I didn't. Concept aside, the political intrigue is, well, intriguing, though a lot of the book feels like set-up (this is the first in a series, it seems) and laying groundwork for later events. Still, I'm hooked. I'm especially fond of the casual bisexuality and Melodia's group of female friends. Sometimes Milan is prone to lingering over battle scenes, but speaking as someone who usually isn't a fan of lovingly described battles, I actually enjoyed reading these. Maybe because there are dinosaurs. (Seriously, I'm not over that.)
The prose is nothing to write home about but absolutely adequate, and the characters certainly aren't the most compelling I've read, but this book was rollicking good fun to read, and the concept alone made up for a lot of the shortcomings.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dinosaurs!!! Knights! And some shady politics which were boring and packed dinosaurs. But knights on dinosaurs were the coolest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence