John Ringo

A utopian future world in which there is no disease, poverty, war, or ill-timed death is turned upside down when the council that controls the Net quarrels and goes to war, leaving desperate survivors battling across an apocalyptic landscape to seek refuge in such places as Raven's Mill, the home of master smith and historian Edmund Talbot.

There Will Be Dragons

Justin Jerome Price

Part Science-Fiction, Part Fantasy. All Fun!

This was a decent, yet fun read. The story takes place in a techno-utopia that has stagnated and experience population decline. Due to this stagnation, one of the members of the council, Paul Bowman decides to try to bring back the concept of work. And while it may sound as if Paul may be on to something, let's be clear: Paul is way out of his depth. He hates that some humans have Changed themselves, incorporating animal characteristics or change their body shapes. It is also clear that he is clueless about history, childrearing, and leadership. Sherida, one of the other members of the council, ultimately opposes him. While she agrees that the issues he brings up do exist, she disagrees with his solutions and his interpretation. Sides form, and while Sherida and her faction blocks Paul at first, Paul plans. The next meeting, Paul plans a coup and attacks Sherida and her faction. This leads to fallout. The net falls, power becomes limited. And society reverts to a preindustrial, medieval age. 

The story deals with society trying to rebuild and reestablish itself mainly through the lens of several characters: Edmund Talbot, a reenactor and blacksmith; his ex-wife Daneh, a doctor, sister to Sherida; their daughter, Rachel; and Hezer Herrick, a teen who was under the charge of Daneh and cured of his ailment just before the fall. The development of these characters is pretty good, albeit predictable if you are familiar with fantasy conventions. All of the characters are likeable and one does find them sympathetic as to what they are going through.

I did have some issues with the formatting and pace at times. Sometimes, the chapter would focus on Edmund doing something, say talking to Sherida and advising her, and it would jump to Daneh and Rachel. And while normally there are symbols signaling a cut from one perspective to another, these parts did not have cuts and thus came off as being somewhat unnecessary and hastily edited in. I also felt that it did seem to drag at parts. Some of the diction could also use a bit of work.

I did like the themes within the story. I also like that, in spite of Paul having a fair point, how comically evil his faction is. I do not think Paul realize exactly what he has done until the end by allying himself with people like Celine and the daemon. And is somewhat oblivious to his own faults, making the times that we do see his faction somewhat hillarious. Although you do feel...a smidge of sympathy for him.

There Will Be Dragons

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