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2.89 AVERAGE
2.89 AVERAGE
Dinosaurs+Knights. What could go wrong? Apparently quite a bit. The most glaring problem is setting up one of the main protagonists as nothing else than a victim. But I'll read the second one too to see if he learns anything from his mistakes. It's about dinosaur knights after all.
Far less silly than I expected. The dinosaurs are used with restraint, there is some good world-building, and the Spanish language influence was a nice touch. Female characters are not given as much development, but otherwise "A Song of Ice & Fire plus dinosaurs" really should give you an idea of whether you'd enjoy this.
I first became aware of The Dinosaur Lords back in November of last year. Once I got wind from Victor Milán that ARCs were appearing in the wild, I began (politely) begging for an ARC in April of this year - and Tor Books were quick to oblige. As you can guess, I pretty much devoured it the week that it arrived, but I sat on my review until now, having been asked to wait until closer to the release date.
What we get here is exactly what the cover blurb promises - an historical fantasy, with all the religious and political conflicts of 14th century Europe, told with both brilliant snark and violent flair, regaling the reader with the exploits of dinosaur-mounted knights. Yes, you read that right, armored knights riding into combat atop armored dinosaurs, themselves selectively bred for battle. It sounds impossibly awesome, almost too good to be true, but Milán completely pulls it off.
Before I get into the story itself, let me just talk for a moment about how this is presented. Each chapter begins with a gorgeous woodcut style illustration, presenting the reader with a starkly beautiful 14th century rendering of a dinosaur, complete with armor and rider. Accompanying each illustration is an entry from The Book of True Names, providing the common name, scientific name, and battle summary of the dinosaur in question. While Milán takes some liberties with his species, and the naming conventions are from an alternate timelines, the dinosaurs are all instantly recognizable, and the details allow us to better envision just what kind of terror stalks these battlefields.
As for the world-building, it goes far beyond the dinosaurs. The religion and politics here are recognizable as being of the 14th century, but Milán has invested a lot of time and effort in subtly tweaking their evolution in this alternate timeline. It's a deep story, with a lot of layers, and I daresay it even gets bogged down in the regal minutiae from time to time. I appreciated the amount of detail, and probably would have been far more patient/interested were this a different book, but I freely admit to just wanting to get back to the dinosaurs. Having said that, those scenes are done well, and are what truly earn it the "cross between Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones" comparison from George R.R. Martin. I will admit to no minor amount of curiosity regarding the Grey Angels but, really, I generally just wanted more dinosaurs.
In terms of narrative and storytelling, this is a really fun read. Milán knows his story is just a touch absurd, relying entirely on almost childish wish-fulfillment, and doesn't attempt to cover that up. There's no attempt here to put a serious, dramatic veneer on the fun, to force a measure of respectability onto the tale. He imbues the tale with tons of snark and sarcasm, allowing characters to be both human and vulnerable. Yes, it's a very violent book with some serious conflicts, but it never loses its playful heart. As for the pacing, it literally races along, making you wonder how he can possibly hope to resolve everything before the end.
Much of that sense of fun comes from the characters themselves. They're well-rounded, well-developed, and perfectly suited to their world. These are professional rulers and warriors who take dinosaurs for granted - as they should - and who have real affection for their mounts. Karyl is our primary protagonist, a minor Duke with the smarts and the bravery to step in when needed (and, as a result, dies twice early on). Of course, it helps that he rides a Triceratops, the country's greatest native predator. Falk is the young (yet more significant) Duke who proves that not all nobles are useless in battle, a clever man who rides (of all things) and albino Tyrannosaurus rex. Jaume is the eloquent, poetic, amorous Count who loves his men (sometimes too much), and who struts about atop a Corythosaurus casuarius. I could go on, but suffice to say there are both commoners and nobles here, soldiers and rulers, and even a plethora of princesses who get some great lines and some fantastic scenes.
Now, generally, my brain tends to fog up and my eyes gloss over with extended scenes of battle. I enjoy them, and can appreciate them, but don't go out of my way to really focus on watching them play out in my head. Not here. Here, I was engrossed in every battle, envisioning each charge, each clash, and each terrifying death. These dinosaurs are as fast and as smart as we've ever seen on screen, their instincts honed by centuries of training. In some cases, they're the heavy artillery you sacrifice in a desperate attempt to break enemy lines, but more often they're precision instruments, used to bite, and tear, and gore as their riders hack and slash above them. Seriously, these aren't just wild beastly blindly carrying their riders into battle, they're well-hone fighting machines with a specific role to play in the battle.
Suffice to say, I'm already desperate for a second volume, and this one hasn't even officially hit the shelves yet! It doesn't matter whether your tastes run more towards epic, heroic, or military fantasy, so long as you have a healthy admiration for dinosaurs, you'll be completely enthralled by The Dinosaur Lords. Yes, it's a fun gimmick that's design to pull you in, but both the story and the storytelling are worth sticking around for.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
What we get here is exactly what the cover blurb promises - an historical fantasy, with all the religious and political conflicts of 14th century Europe, told with both brilliant snark and violent flair, regaling the reader with the exploits of dinosaur-mounted knights. Yes, you read that right, armored knights riding into combat atop armored dinosaurs, themselves selectively bred for battle. It sounds impossibly awesome, almost too good to be true, but Milán completely pulls it off.
Before I get into the story itself, let me just talk for a moment about how this is presented. Each chapter begins with a gorgeous woodcut style illustration, presenting the reader with a starkly beautiful 14th century rendering of a dinosaur, complete with armor and rider. Accompanying each illustration is an entry from The Book of True Names, providing the common name, scientific name, and battle summary of the dinosaur in question. While Milán takes some liberties with his species, and the naming conventions are from an alternate timelines, the dinosaurs are all instantly recognizable, and the details allow us to better envision just what kind of terror stalks these battlefields.
As for the world-building, it goes far beyond the dinosaurs. The religion and politics here are recognizable as being of the 14th century, but Milán has invested a lot of time and effort in subtly tweaking their evolution in this alternate timeline. It's a deep story, with a lot of layers, and I daresay it even gets bogged down in the regal minutiae from time to time. I appreciated the amount of detail, and probably would have been far more patient/interested were this a different book, but I freely admit to just wanting to get back to the dinosaurs. Having said that, those scenes are done well, and are what truly earn it the "cross between Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones" comparison from George R.R. Martin. I will admit to no minor amount of curiosity regarding the Grey Angels but, really, I generally just wanted more dinosaurs.
In terms of narrative and storytelling, this is a really fun read. Milán knows his story is just a touch absurd, relying entirely on almost childish wish-fulfillment, and doesn't attempt to cover that up. There's no attempt here to put a serious, dramatic veneer on the fun, to force a measure of respectability onto the tale. He imbues the tale with tons of snark and sarcasm, allowing characters to be both human and vulnerable. Yes, it's a very violent book with some serious conflicts, but it never loses its playful heart. As for the pacing, it literally races along, making you wonder how he can possibly hope to resolve everything before the end.
Much of that sense of fun comes from the characters themselves. They're well-rounded, well-developed, and perfectly suited to their world. These are professional rulers and warriors who take dinosaurs for granted - as they should - and who have real affection for their mounts. Karyl is our primary protagonist, a minor Duke with the smarts and the bravery to step in when needed (and, as a result, dies twice early on). Of course, it helps that he rides a Triceratops, the country's greatest native predator. Falk is the young (yet more significant) Duke who proves that not all nobles are useless in battle, a clever man who rides (of all things) and albino Tyrannosaurus rex. Jaume is the eloquent, poetic, amorous Count who loves his men (sometimes too much), and who struts about atop a Corythosaurus casuarius. I could go on, but suffice to say there are both commoners and nobles here, soldiers and rulers, and even a plethora of princesses who get some great lines and some fantastic scenes.
Now, generally, my brain tends to fog up and my eyes gloss over with extended scenes of battle. I enjoy them, and can appreciate them, but don't go out of my way to really focus on watching them play out in my head. Not here. Here, I was engrossed in every battle, envisioning each charge, each clash, and each terrifying death. These dinosaurs are as fast and as smart as we've ever seen on screen, their instincts honed by centuries of training. In some cases, they're the heavy artillery you sacrifice in a desperate attempt to break enemy lines, but more often they're precision instruments, used to bite, and tear, and gore as their riders hack and slash above them. Seriously, these aren't just wild beastly blindly carrying their riders into battle, they're well-hone fighting machines with a specific role to play in the battle.
Suffice to say, I'm already desperate for a second volume, and this one hasn't even officially hit the shelves yet! It doesn't matter whether your tastes run more towards epic, heroic, or military fantasy, so long as you have a healthy admiration for dinosaurs, you'll be completely enthralled by The Dinosaur Lords. Yes, it's a fun gimmick that's design to pull you in, but both the story and the storytelling are worth sticking around for.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Sigh. I wanted this to be so much better. I mean, dinosaur-mounted knights? The story pretty much writes itself!
Sadly, this was too light on the awesomeness of dinosaurs and too heavy on the banality of politics. Oh, and the mythology of the world certainly didn't help, with the difficulty of dying and the tendency towards divine resurrection erasing any real tension.
It did have some interesting characters, and a progressive attitude towards sexuality, but not enough to keep me reading.
Sadly, this was too light on the awesomeness of dinosaurs and too heavy on the banality of politics. Oh, and the mythology of the world certainly didn't help, with the difficulty of dying and the tendency towards divine resurrection erasing any real tension.
It did have some interesting characters, and a progressive attitude towards sexuality, but not enough to keep me reading.
There are four types of books I particularly like to read in the summer while relaxing on vacation:
1. Epic fantasy
2. Books about dinosaurs/dragons
3. Thought-provoking science fiction
4. Books with a mystery or puzzle for you, the reader, to figure out
I don't know how [a:Victor Milán|4601681|Victor Milán|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1422563171p2/4601681.jpg] got ahold of this list or why he decided to write a book that combined all four for me, but I'm extremely grateful that he did.
So grateful, in fact, that I don't actually know if I loved the book as much as I think I loved it, or if I just have stars in my eyes at the very fact that it exists. And it goes without saying that the art is phenomenal.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book hugely. It took me a while to trust Milán as an author (and I have a big gripe with one of the Developments late in the book) but he did an excellent job drawing some three-dimensional characters full of human idiosyncrasy. I loved the central conceit of the book, and had a lot of fun wondering about Paradise and the Creators. I'm glad the dinosaurs had feathers. I wish there was more about the dinosaur's personalities, but I'm glad they were there at all. We can't have everything all at once. I can't wait for the next one.
So . . . is Paradise Mars? I don't think so because a Martian year is 1.88 Earth years, and a Paradise year is 1.6 Earth years, but the prologue said that anything was possible. Could they have moved Mars? Or is it another system altogether?
A point that stretched my suspension of disbelief: After all the harm they wreaked on Earth's ecosystems, we brought CATS and FERRETS to a new planet?? I love black-footed ferrets as much as the next girl, but they've destroyed ecosystems!
Also: Melodia's rape was TOTALLY unnecessary, and it honked me off. Having her be forcibly sodomized was lazy plotting and writing and made me want to write a feminist screed. I'm sure someone else will take care of this for me.
1. Epic fantasy
2. Books about dinosaurs/dragons
3. Thought-provoking science fiction
4. Books with a mystery or puzzle for you, the reader, to figure out
I don't know how [a:Victor Milán|4601681|Victor Milán|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1422563171p2/4601681.jpg] got ahold of this list or why he decided to write a book that combined all four for me, but I'm extremely grateful that he did.
So grateful, in fact, that I don't actually know if I loved the book as much as I think I loved it, or if I just have stars in my eyes at the very fact that it exists. And it goes without saying that the art is phenomenal.
Regardless, I enjoyed this book hugely. It took me a while to trust Milán as an author (and I have a big gripe with one of the Developments late in the book) but he did an excellent job drawing some three-dimensional characters full of human idiosyncrasy. I loved the central conceit of the book, and had a lot of fun wondering about Paradise and the Creators. I'm glad the dinosaurs had feathers. I wish there was more about the dinosaur's personalities, but I'm glad they were there at all. We can't have everything all at once. I can't wait for the next one.
Spoiler
So . . . is Paradise Mars? I don't think so because a Martian year is 1.88 Earth years, and a Paradise year is 1.6 Earth years, but the prologue said that anything was possible. Could they have moved Mars? Or is it another system altogether?
A point that stretched my suspension of disbelief: After all the harm they wreaked on Earth's ecosystems, we brought CATS and FERRETS to a new planet?? I love black-footed ferrets as much as the next girl, but they've destroyed ecosystems!
Also: Melodia's rape was TOTALLY unnecessary, and it honked me off. Having her be forcibly sodomized was lazy plotting and writing and made me want to write a feminist screed. I'm sure someone else will take care of this for me.
3.5
I cannot decide whether this should be 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand - I love the writing. The characters are great. The culture's view on sexuality is interesting, and I love the women who are allowed to have sex without being condemned for it. Melodia may be young and she may love her pleasure, but she is also smart. I think the world building works, though at times the power structure had me wondering a bit.
However, and let me repeat spoiler warning, I have two problems. One is that despite the repeated mention of women who are soldiers, all the physical fighters in the book (ie those in the armed forces) who appear as main characters are male. There is one expection but she is used so briefly that I cannot go to the trouble to remember her name, and her backstory tells into the use of rape in this novel.
Now, the novel takes place in a warlike world and that does mean rape. Yet rape in this novel is used primary to show the effects on male characters. When one army rapes the women of the rebel stronghold, this seems to be there just to show us the effect on the leader of said army, and to show how a plot is affecting said leader. Additionally, the rape of Melodia seems to exist simply to show us how bad or horribly controlled a male character is. (The rape itself also does not make sense. Seriously, considering what the Emperor allows to occur, you want me to believe that he would not have had her watched while imprisoned?). The one woman fighter is given a brief backstory of rape and facial scarring to explain her desire to fight.
Yeah, so I had a problem with that.
Yet, I LOVE the fact that the women in the novel are friends. Melodia's closest friends are all women. She is not the sole smart women in this group either. She is also close to her sister. Melodia is also an elder sister who gets to do something. There is much to like here.
I cannot decide whether this should be 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand - I love the writing. The characters are great. The culture's view on sexuality is interesting, and I love the women who are allowed to have sex without being condemned for it. Melodia may be young and she may love her pleasure, but she is also smart. I think the world building works, though at times the power structure had me wondering a bit.
However, and let me repeat spoiler warning, I have two problems. One is that despite the repeated mention of women who are soldiers, all the physical fighters in the book (ie those in the armed forces) who appear as main characters are male. There is one expection but she is used so briefly that I cannot go to the trouble to remember her name, and her backstory tells into the use of rape in this novel.
Now, the novel takes place in a warlike world and that does mean rape. Yet rape in this novel is used primary to show the effects on male characters. When one army rapes the women of the rebel stronghold, this seems to be there just to show us the effect on the leader of said army, and to show how a plot is affecting said leader. Additionally, the rape of Melodia seems to exist simply to show us how bad or horribly controlled a male character is. (The rape itself also does not make sense. Seriously, considering what the Emperor allows to occur, you want me to believe that he would not have had her watched while imprisoned?). The one woman fighter is given a brief backstory of rape and facial scarring to explain her desire to fight.
Yeah, so I had a problem with that.
Yet, I LOVE the fact that the women in the novel are friends. Melodia's closest friends are all women. She is not the sole smart women in this group either. She is also close to her sister. Melodia is also an elder sister who gets to do something. There is much to like here.
What can I say? It's knights riding dinosaurs. What you see is what you get. The dinosaur stuff probably raises the score of this for me significantly. It's a novel addition to a well-trodden genre. You won't get deep characters or surprising twists, but you will get a whole bunch of dinosaurs. So, mission accomplished.
Similar to Jurassic Park in the sense that there are dinosaurs and Game of Thrones because there are people involved. That ends the comparison.
From the bland characters to a story line that was just muddled as can be, this book just fell completely flat. Somehow in a book called Dinosaur Lords the dinosaurs are A. not a big deal and like 1.5 characters are ever actually intrigued by them and B. being a dinosaur master is a middling job that is mocked by nobles... The main characters are cut from cardboard and I could have cared less what happened to any of them.
Overall the concept should have been a massive win and instead came off as one dimensional and erratic, which is a damn shame when you look at this cover and see a knight riding a trained carnivorous dinosaur.
From the bland characters to a story line that was just muddled as can be, this book just fell completely flat. Somehow in a book called Dinosaur Lords the dinosaurs are A. not a big deal and like 1.5 characters are ever actually intrigued by them and B. being a dinosaur master is a middling job that is mocked by nobles... The main characters are cut from cardboard and I could have cared less what happened to any of them.
Overall the concept should have been a massive win and instead came off as one dimensional and erratic, which is a damn shame when you look at this cover and see a knight riding a trained carnivorous dinosaur.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Sexual assault
Slow start but when it got into the story it turned out to be pretty good.
- Jaume is fighting wars for Melodia's father Philipe. Against the wish of Melodia. Because of this, they had a falling out that couldn't be resolved as Jaume had to go away to fight another man's war.
- Melodia has been betrayed by Falk. He raped her. Thanks to her ladies in waiting, her little sister and her servant Pilar she manages to escape.
- Karyl (who has died three times already) en Rob are training pacifists to fight.
- Shiraa is close to finding Karyl, I hope.
Spoiler
In short:- Jaume is fighting wars for Melodia's father Philipe. Against the wish of Melodia. Because of this, they had a falling out that couldn't be resolved as Jaume had to go away to fight another man's war.
- Melodia has been betrayed by Falk. He raped her. Thanks to her ladies in waiting, her little sister and her servant Pilar she manages to escape.
- Karyl (who has died three times already) en Rob are training pacifists to fight.
- Shiraa is close to finding Karyl, I hope.