Skybowl (Dragon Star) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The 3 books each in the Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series are some of the best written, most vididly imagined and deeply reflective of human nature that I have ever encountered by fiction authors. Melanie Rawn is a master at interweaving stories, personalities and elicting emotional responses from the reader. The saga begins with Rohan and Sioned, his Sunrunner Princess, as they face overcoming an evil High Prince Roelstra and his nest of scheming daughters plotting to capture the world with the aid of an enemy, the Merida, a group of assassins with the prize of the desert promised them for their help. They are assisted by various corrupt petty princes whose goals are increasing their wealth and holdings. Rohan, the brilliant intellectual prince of the desert is hereditary protector of the dragons who live there and return their love and interest. Rohan is beneficiary to the secret, unlimited wealth of dragon gold which is unknown to, but coveted by, the other petty princes. Rohan succeeds in overcoming Roelstra's evil rule, establishes fair trade and writes the law codes for the land when he becomes High Prince, and peace ensues for years. Throughout the stories the author uses delicious humor and repartee between principles in a most engaging way. The Dragon Star series continues the saga with Rohan and Sioned now in the background and the focus is upon their son Pol's ascendancy toward his eventual position as High Prince. Pol faces many inner conflicts as he struggles to become a prince like his father, and a husband to a fragile, helpless, cowardly and weak wife. He has married Meiglan, instead of Sionell, his soulmate and childhood friend whom he later realizes was the woman best suited to him. On top of his personal wars he is thrust into a world war by invading barbarians who are both superstitious, and religiously fanatical. The Vellant'im sole purpose is to destroy all inhabitants, especially the High Prince and the Sunrunners to pay back evil done to them by an unknown group of evil sorcerers hundreds of years in the past. The struggle for survival is bittersweet and poignant. The sub theme of religious beliefs vs sorcery and magic, and the conflict between Pol and his cousin Andry, the Lord of Goddess Keep whose goal is to dictate beliefs and what constitutes sin and to set himself up as judge and jury keep emotions high. Andry's parents, brother and kin and Andry's own children must chose between him or Pol while trying to work together to save themselves from facing annhilation by the enemy. The many subplots of individuals forced to face their own personal and power struggles while facing the Vellant'im is fascinating and makes these stories rich and textured. The dragons aiding humans in peril present a compelling picture of those special protective, loving bonds between man and animal. The author has captured the indomitable spirit of mankind and their non human friends in a battle to survive being conquered by overwhelming forces in an inspiring, engaging and unforgettable way.

Before ever reading a book, I read the reviews, and well, when I heard SkyBowl was for dedicated fans only, I got a little intimidated. I turned out to be a very dedicated fan! That, or these people have no patience what so ever. Though many writers I had read before have very happy endings, Rawn made a somewhat sad, but satisfying end to her six book saga. I finally got to see the showdown between Pol and Andry that had been going on for a very long time, and wasn't really surprised at how it turned out. Being the true hero of the story, Pol couldn't lose, but that meant getting rid of my favorite character, a fact all my friends had to suffer through whenever I was around. The general confusion that comes with having so many characters was enough to make my head spin. Everyone in the books was named after everybody else! Sioned, Sionell, Siona, Sioneva, etc. Then again, these people usually only had a one word parts in these whole show, so it didn't make much of a difference. For anyone that likes fantasy, you have to read this book!

dies ist der Abschluss einer SUPER Serie von Melanie Rawn. Die anderen beiden Bücher dieser Serie ( Dragon Star ), arbeiten auf diesen Schluss hin, das ganz am Ende des Buches erst seinen Höhepunkt findet. Ein alles in allem sehr gelunger Schluss, leider auch sehr tragisch. Schade, daß Melanie Rawn keine Fortsetzung dieser Serie geschrieben hat (bis jetzt). Man hat auf jeden Fall Lust auf MEHR !!!