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The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History (Fantasy Masterworks S.)
 
 
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The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History (Fantasy Masterworks S.) (Paperback)

by John M. Ford (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (9 May 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575073780
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575073784
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 238,522 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Dragon Waiting, like many of the best fantasies, is about something more than the magic, sudden perils and daring adventures that dominate its plot. It is about more than the fortunes of the group of variously flawed and charming individuals who come together in its central enterprise. John M Ford is discussing with us the historical process and the ethical considerations involved in taking a hand in it.

He has created a Late Middle Ages subtly different from the ones we know--the failure of Christianity to become more than an outlaw faith has as its consequence a far more powerful rump of the Roman Empire in Byzantium. The politics of England and Italy are much as we know them--but the wars of the condottieres and the Roses have become part of a Byzantine master-plan of universal control and empire. An exiled prince, a one-eyed magician, a vampire artillery expert and a woman doctor with a side-line in assassination all come together to prevent this.

Ford does battle scenes, the smell of markets and the terror midnight rituals so well that at times it is hard to remember that this is not at all how things were. This is a book which, even though it was written as recently as 1983, deserves the title of Fantasy Masterwork. --Roz Kaveney

Product Description
The Wars of the Roses have put Edward IV on the throne of England, Lorenzo de' Medici's court shines brilliantly, and Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza plots in Milan. But this is a changed world, and medieval Europe is dominated by the threat from the Byzantine Empire. Sforza, the Vampire Duke, marshals his forces for his long-planned attack on Florence, and Byzantium is on the march. A mercenary, the exiled heir to the Byzantine throne, a young woman physician forced to flee Florence, and a Welsh wizard, the nephew of Owain Gly Dwr, seem to have no common goals but together they wage an intrigue-filled campaign against the might of Byzantium, striving to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and make him Richard III.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars buried treasure worth rediscovery, 11 April 2005
By Gisele M. Baxter (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I can't believe it's taken so long for this lovely novel to be republished, but better late than never. John M. Ford won my interest with his Star Trek novel The Final Reflection (his tale of first contact between Federation and Klingons was a good novel by any standards: literate and well-characterized, with a gripping plot). This one I picked up because so many of my interests converged in it: Shakespeare's Richard III and the historical figure, vampires, the Mithraic ritual.... The subtitle, A Masque of History, is appropriate: Ford creates an alternate reality based on a quite conceivable conceit, that Christianity never became the "state faith" of the late Roman Empire, and that Europe evolved as a conglomeration of various sects and practices. As well, magic exists, but so do the beginnings of scientific method. The cast of characters is marvellous, and marvellously drawn, from historical figures like Richard and his family and circle, to memorable originals including a heroic vampire and a gentle mercenary, and the Welsh wizard Hywel, and Cynthia, the physician to the Borgias. I love these characters every time I encounter them. What a splendid film this would make. If you like Philip Pullman or Mervyn Peake, give this literate, well-constructed historical thriller a chance. It's not perfect: the conclusion gets a bit rushed and implausible. But it's constantly worthwhile, and deserves rediscovery outside the UK as well!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars at last!, 15 Jun 2002
I can't believe it's taken so long for this lovely novel to be republished, but better late than never. John M. Ford won my interest with his Star Trek novel The Final Reflection (his tale of first contact between Federation and Klingons was a good novel by any standards: literate and well-characterized, with a gripping plot). This one I picked up because so many of my interests converged in it: Shakespeare's Richard III and the historical figure, vampires, the Mithraic ritual.... The subtitle, A Masque of History, is appropriate: Ford creates an alternate reality based on a quite conceivable conceit, that Christianity never became the "state faith" of the late Roman Empire, and that Europe evolved as a conglomeration of various sects and practices. As well, magic exists, but so do the beginnings of scientific method. The cast of characters is marvellous, and marvellously drawn, from historical figures like Richard and his family and circle, to memorable originals including a heroic vampire and a gentle mercenary, and the Welsh wizard Hywel and Cynthia, the physician to the Borgias. I love these characters every time I encounter them. What a splendid film this would make. If you like Philip Pullman or Mervyn Peake, give this literate, well-constructed historical thriller a chance. It's not perfect: the conclusion gets a bit rushed and implausible. But it's constantly worthwhile. And I hope it gets republished outside the UK as well!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good in parts, 18 May 2004
By J. E. Mcgraw "jamesmcg" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
John M. Ford is a first-rate world-builder. His evocation of a 15th century with no Christianity, a dominant Byzantium and widespread magic and vampirism is by far the best thing about this book, and the most compelling reason to buy it.

In other areas, however, his skills desert him. The main characters are very well-drawn, with each protagonist getting his or her own extensive prologue illustrating their lives up until their meeting, and the beginning of the actual plot. The secondary characters, however, tend to be mere cyphers, a problem that so pronounced that when one King Edward dies and is replaced by another it is difficult to tell, despite the fact that the new king is only ten years old. Perhaps this stems from a reluctance on Ford's part to tamper with known historical characters, but it results in a cast whom it is difficult to sympathise with. A consequence of this is that the plot can get very difficult to follow. Convoluted plots are not necessarily a bad thing, but when combined with a deliberately evasive prose style they result in a tale that is not worth the effort of reading.

So, buy this book if you like convincing alternate history and detailed primary characters, but are willing to let a decent plot slide.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Confusing, but definitely worth the read
This is one is from the Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks series, and it actually won the World Fantasy Award back in 1984 against:

Pet Sematary, Stephen King... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Christopher Halo

5.0 out of 5 stars Masking history
I don't know why but this kind of book always appeals to me. Don't get me wrong, I can't be doing with " What if Germany won the war?". Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2007 by K. C. Simm

2.0 out of 5 stars Overrated tosh
Why? we keep asking ourselves,what is the point? as we trawl through Ford's po-faced seriousness, in a re-working of historical fact where the major changes are the continuing... Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2003 by D. J. Walker

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