- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey Books; First Edition edition (Oct 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345443993
- ISBN-13: 978-0345443991
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.7 x 4.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,142,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Dragon Queen (TALES OF GUINEVERE)
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Product Description
Interzone
‘Wildly imaginative and astonishingly exhilarating’
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Arthur turned and strode toward us. He was magnificent, and I will never forget that, in that moment, I first loved him. And I believe--had I known what the future held for us: all the trouble, torment, battle, and grief of our lives--I still believe that I would have yielded my heart into his keeping as I did then . . .
In a sweeping epic of the imagination, Alice Borchardt enters the wondrous realm of Arthurian legend and makes it her own. The Dragon Queen is the first volume in a trilogy of novels that boldly re-imagines Camelot--and casts Guinevere as a shrewd, strong-willed, magical warrior queen.
Born into a world of terrible strife, where war is constant and weapons are never far from the hands of men or women, Guinevere, daughter of a mighty pagan queen, is a threat to her people and a prize to the dreaded sorcerer Merlin. Sent into hiding, she grows up under the protection of a shapeshifting man-wolf and an ornery Druid. But even on the remote coast of Scotland, where dragons feed and watch over her, she is not safe from the all-seeing High Druid Merlin. He knows the young beauty's destiny, and he will stop at nothing to prevent what has been foretold. For if Guinevere becomes Queen and Arthur, King, they will bring a peace to the land that will leave the power-hungry Merlin a shriveled magician in a weary cloak.
Yet Guinevere possesses power of her own--dazzling power to rival even that of Merlin. Summoned from her home by forces she cannot fathom, she travels from the Underworld to an Otherworld of the Past, at each step calling on ancient powers to aid her way. When young Guinevere proves her mettle to an embarrassed Merlin, even her faithful dragon protectors cannot prevent the evil that the sorcerer rains down. Seeking revenge, Merlin banishes Arthur to a world from which the only escape is death. Now Guinevere must face Merlin's wrath without him--and prove that she is worthy of being Arthur's Queen.
From the glass-roofed Great Hall at Tintigal to the lush garden forts of Wales, Alice Borchardt details the travels of Guinevere in a rich fabric of prose. The Dragon Queen is a novel of great emotional depth, timeless romance, and soul-stirring adventure.
In a sweeping epic of the imagination, Alice Borchardt enters the wondrous realm of Arthurian legend and makes it her own. The Dragon Queen is the first volume in a trilogy of novels that boldly re-imagines Camelot--and casts Guinevere as a shrewd, strong-willed, magical warrior queen.
Born into a world of terrible strife, where war is constant and weapons are never far from the hands of men or women, Guinevere, daughter of a mighty pagan queen, is a threat to her people and a prize to the dreaded sorcerer Merlin. Sent into hiding, she grows up under the protection of a shapeshifting man-wolf and an ornery Druid. But even on the remote coast of Scotland, where dragons feed and watch over her, she is not safe from the all-seeing High Druid Merlin. He knows the young beauty's destiny, and he will stop at nothing to prevent what has been foretold. For if Guinevere becomes Queen and Arthur, King, they will bring a peace to the land that will leave the power-hungry Merlin a shriveled magician in a weary cloak.
Yet Guinevere possesses power of her own--dazzling power to rival even that of Merlin. Summoned from her home by forces she cannot fathom, she travels from the Underworld to an Otherworld of the Past, at each step calling on ancient powers to aid her way. When young Guinevere proves her mettle to an embarrassed Merlin, even her faithful dragon protectors cannot prevent the evil that the sorcerer rains down. Seeking revenge, Merlin banishes Arthur to a world from which the only escape is death. Now Guinevere must face Merlin's wrath without him--and prove that she is worthy of being Arthur's Queen.
From the glass-roofed Great Hall at Tintigal to the lush garden forts of Wales, Alice Borchardt details the travels of Guinevere in a rich fabric of prose. The Dragon Queen is a novel of great emotional depth, timeless romance, and soul-stirring adventure.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a gripping book and one with which I can only find one fault, but this is me nit-picking as it has to do with the author spelling Tintagel wrong.
I don't recommend that you read it when you are tired, as it requires your full attention. It paints quite a different story of Guinever, she is no puppet, and not just some girl with a pretty face, but a descendant of Bodiccia, and daughter to a very powerful being. She is also a warrior and powerful soceress, called on by 'She' to kill a beast which would see Guinever never being born, so important is she to the future. But I won't spoil it for you.
If you love the mystical and the spiritual, then you will adore this book.
I don't recommend that you read it when you are tired, as it requires your full attention. It paints quite a different story of Guinever, she is no puppet, and not just some girl with a pretty face, but a descendant of Bodiccia, and daughter to a very powerful being. She is also a warrior and powerful soceress, called on by 'She' to kill a beast which would see Guinever never being born, so important is she to the future. But I won't spoil it for you.
If you love the mystical and the spiritual, then you will adore this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I saw the sub-title "The Tales of Guinevere" for Alice Borchardt's "The Dragon Queen," I assumed she was going off in a new direction and since I was waiting for her next wolf book I just got around to reading it and discovering that it is, tangentially, a wolf book. What this means is that Maeniel is a character, albeit, a supporting character. He dominates the scenes in which he is present, but they are relatively few. This story is indeed about Guinevere, about to reach puberty and apparently intended to be the concubine of young Arthur, the summer King.
The most interesting part of this book are the ideas of kingship and queenship that drive Arthur and Guinevere. Borchardt may or may not be dealing with authentic notions of kingship from this period of history, but that hardly matters. The idea that the Dragon Queen has the duty of bringing her people a worthy king makes Guinevere a player in the power politics of her world where there is a growing need to bring order out of chaos. Reading "The Dragon Queen" is as much about finding out the rules of the game and the possibilities in play as it is about learning about the abilities and intentions of the characters. Consequently, Maneniel's presence is perhaps something of a hindrance because this book is certainly less grounded in the history of the times than "The Silver Wolf" or Borchardt's other novels. Then again, there is a logic to this, since Arthur and Guinevere are more figures of legend than Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.
Having read "The Dragon Queen" I keep asking myself one key question, and I do not mean whether Borchardt will ever have a book that does not have a quote from Anne Rice on the cover. No, my question is why is this story about Guinevere and Arthur? Of course, the fact that "The Dragon Queen" is the first of a planned trilogy is enough to suggest that at least the title character would make it to the final volume, but once you make it about Guinevere and Arthur we pretty much know the endgame, and while I definitely appreciate the idea of making Guinevere more than a trophy wife there has to be more of a payoff to this idea down the road, especially given that this Arthur seems more given to pragmatics than idealism. Additionally, there needs to be some sort of a significance to turning Merlin into a villain. However, at this point my enjoyment of the characters and the story has little to do with that fact it is Guinevere and Arthur. The only important thing is that I will be around for the rest of the tale.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Descended from the sorcerer queen Bodiccia and born to a powerful pagan practicing mage, She becomes a pawn to fate. Raised by a druid, shapeshifter, and his family, everyone knew she was destined to become queen. Merlin and Igraine (Arthur's mother) sought to control her, but her family hid her so she would have time to grow and mature.
At their first meeting, Guinivere knows Arthur is her true love, but she is not ready to be his queen. She escapes Marlin's machinations and performs a service for the Goddess Athena. Arthur struggles with the pressures placed on him by his mother and Merlin her lover, but knows he must prove worthy in order for Guinivere to agree to become his queen.
THE DRAGON QUEEN is rich in historical text, but loaded with fantasy species and actions. The deep story line includes some whimsy to soften the epic tale that clearly is on a par with Tarr and Radford. The only drawback is that fans will have to wait for the adventures of Guinivere and Arthur separately and together to continue in the next installment of this three book saga.
Harriet Klausner
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
make up your mind!
This book is a very busy, and consequently, unsatisfying read. Instead of letting the story and/orcharacters develop, Borchardt just throws everything into the mix and the result... Read more
Published on 27 July 2007 by J. Turner
Guinevere the Dragon Queen meets Arthur the Summer King
When I saw the sub-title "The Tales of Guinevere" for Alice Borchardt's "The Dragon Queen," I assumed she was going off in a new direction and since I was waiting for her next wolf... Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2003 by Lawrance M. Bernabo
The Dragon Queen - Alice Borchardt
A wonderful blending of fully-fledged fantasy with a variety of genuine ancient beliefs and all of this set in the semi-mythical world of Arthurian legend. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2003 by "smokeypop"
Arthurian in the loosest possible sense
Billed as an Arthurian "reimagining", this is a confusing and ultimately frustrating novel. The story wanders rather than grips, following a young Guinevere through magical... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2003 by N. Clarke
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