The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History - Hardcover

Ford, John M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671475525 ISBN 13: 9780671475529

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1983

Synopsis

In an England inhabited by ancient wizards who battle the dread Byzantine Empire and vampires who drink the blood of princes, Richard III plots to gain the throne of England

About this title

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

Book Description:

'A novel with something for just about everyone - panoramic history, vivid characters, and sweeping adventure' Joan D. Vinge

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1983
• ISBN 10: 0671475525
• ISBN 13: 9780671475529
• Binding: Hardcover