Rating: 
Summary: An Author Adrift
Review: I spent a good deal of last night growling at the book as I read it last night. I've mostly been making fun of it with a friend of mine. (Tis always better to laugh than frown.) I picked it up on name recognition only, having enjoyed many of Weis' other books, done in collaboration with Tracy Hickman. It seems that alone, her writing talent simply evaporates.
Maybe this kind of plot was new enough when Dragonlance began, but the ensuing two decades have rendered that advantage dead, with generic dragon fantasy trilogies coming out every month. Good writing, characters, and original twists could easily overcome that disadvantage, but there was none of the first two and I saw none of the latter. Melisande is a self-absorbed twit utterly dependant on her lover. Draconas is an arrogant human/dragon prick who constantly whines about the puny humans and seems quite a bit less intelligent than he believes, and we know he thinks it, because he thinks it all the time.
The plot sucks in a way that would make a hentai game proud. Beginning in an apparently _all-lesbian_ convent that has an all-female military and almost zero contact with the outside world, except for monthly choosing a few noble men to mate with a few of the women. A huge deal is made of virgins, even though they take female lovers. For the most part, absolutely nothing happens in the convent, and it takes whole chapters to get that across. Then we get Draconas, whose thoughts we are privy to only when they won't reveal a thing; he goes to great lengths to make sure that we never have any damn clue what he's doing, where he's going, why he's doing it, or why we should care. The entire first half of the book drifts in an interminable morass. Most of the underpinnings of the story are just plot devices and unimaginative or garbled clichés strung together, especially the dragon's history.
I don't think one creature in this book has a last name or nickname.
But oh, the writing puts every other factor to shame. Weis appears to be channeling Robert Jordan in her ability to describe to death pointless details, drag out long and pointless conversations, and gloss over relevant details that might aid with actually understanding the stupid plot. Then our suspension of disbelief is badly challeneged by her insistence on making wildly improbable coincidences, continuity holes, plot devices, and backstories and information dumped on the reader. The foreshadowing is in overdose; I constructed a fairly accurate guess of the story arc within the first few chapters. Everyone talks as if they're brain-damaged, unable to remember the previous sentence.
I will confess I only read four chapters entirely, and skimmed through the rest. I simply couldn't stand to waste time on such a terrible book. It does start to get better after 200 pages, but remains mediocre writing.
Don't get it. I do not recommend except for the humor value inherent in really bad teen fiction. I've seen choose-your-own-adventure™ books written better.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Expected
Review: At first, it is easy to dismiss Margaret Weis' Mistress of Dragons as yet another in a long line of tired rehashes on fantasy stereotypes and plots, but it ends up being much better than expected. While, yes, there is that age-old fantasy plot of magic and dragons, Weis manages to create enough originality from these old stand-bys to make the story worth reading. In addition, the characters are all very well-developed and engender much interest. Chief among is Draconas and Melisande. The plot itself is also interesting enough to keep your attention through the last page. Overall, Weis manages to wring enough originality from this genre to make Mistress of Dragons well worth reading and its sequels worth checking out.
Rating: 
Summary: Mistress of Disappointment
Review: Being a fan of Weiss and Hickman, I looked forward to this independent writing with much enthusiasm. What I learned from reading this book is how important Tracy Hickman's contributions have been to past books; particularly in character developement and also the ease with which I was brought into the tale.
The first chapters of Mistress of Dragons brought immediate reminders of an earlier book by Marion Zimmer Bradley. They are so similar I was experiencing flashbacks of that tale while trying to read through this one. I also wondered why the love scene between Edward and Melisande received no description, yet the description of the very violent rape was quite detailed. It seemed out of place in this story.
I will pass on the sequel to this tale.
Rating: 
Summary: soaring sword and sorcery fantasy
Review: Dragons rule much of the world though they do so secretly with human props serving as monarchs and much of the enslaved race unaware of their existence. Perhaps the only exception is the isolated mountainous matriarchal nation of Seth where the Mistress of Dragons rules. The current Mistress is near death and her chosen replacement Melisande waits her turn to rule the nation and keep its people safe from dragons, last spotted two decades ago. Melisande will do her duty, but prefers her current lifestyle in the amazonian monastery living with her lover. However, King Edward of Idlswylde turns to Draconas for help with a dragon causing death and destruction. Draconas advises the monarch that his only hope reside among the amazons in Seth and he will personally go there. However, Draconas, a dragon in human garb, has his own agenda using Edward as a pawn so he can complete his mission as a member of the ruling Parliament of Dragons to find the law breaking renegade. When Melisande and Draconas meet, the world will never be the same. MISTRESS OF DRAGONS is an exciting opening tale that demonstrates Margaret Weis' abilities to make a world governed mostly by dragons seem real. The story line is fast-paced, loaded with action, and filled with strong charcaters of both genders. Several twists add to the fun of a soaring sword and sorcery fantasy. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Promising start to new series
Review: For three hundred years, the Priestesses, guided by the Mistress of Dragons, have defended their kingdom against the dragons that rule the rest of mankind. Melisande, High Priestess, lives to serve the Mistress who is now growing old. What Melisande doesn't know is that the entire legend is based on a lie. Dragons exist, but their role is far more complicated than the simple black-white struggle that Melisande has been taught. Draconas is a walker--one of the few dragons allowed to reshape themselves into human form and move among the weaker race. Even in his human form, magic barriers prevent his entering the kingdom protected by the Mistress. But someone is murdering dragons--someone has stolen the secret of dragon magic and is teaching it to humans. Draconas is sent as a spy to determine who has broken the ancient Dragon laws--and end the threat to the peace that dragons have been attempting to establish between their race and the humans. Margaret Weis develops an enthralling world of dragons and humans. Draconas, along with King Edward, scale the mountains that separate Edward's kingdom from that of the Mistress. Although their search is successful, what they discover is worse than either had feared. Dragons have violated all of the basic laws of their kind and are systematically gaining in strength, using humans with dragon magic to extend their sway. If allowed to continue, they may overthrow the Dragon Parliament. And even Draconas is powerless to stop them. Weis's strong writing and interesting characters more than compensate for several plot holes that would otherwise detract from the reader's enjoyment (specifically, Draconas's original plan to use Edward to help him enter the Mistress's kingdom doesn't make sense and, in fact, is dropped without any mention). Draconas, in particular is a complex and interesting character. MISTRESS OF DRAGONS is the lead book in a new series. I'll look forward to seeing the next.
Rating:
Summary: FIRST-RATE READING FOR THIS FANTASY
Review: Gigi Marceau-Clarke invests her reading of this engrossing fantasy with an other worldly charm and suspenseful pacing that makes for compelling listening. The first in a planned epic trilogy, Mistress of Dragons pits dragons against humans for control of the world. According to the laws of the Parliament of Dragons, it is verboten for a dragon to kill a human being and dragons must refrain from any traffic in humanity's daily doings. As we all know, there are always those who disobey laws. In this case, the evil dragon not only doesn't abide by law but entertains grandiose ideas of conquering the world. Can his vicious plotting be curbed by a Mistress of Dragons who has had little experience in such matters? Award winning author Margaret Weis (Dragonlance, Darksword and Death Gate) well knows her subject, and presents her imaginative tale filled to the brim with legerdemain and dark doings. A treat for fantasy aficionados! - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Paradise Island meets Red Sonja
Review: Have you ever read a book you just wanted to finish to find out what happened, but weren't particularly interested in the characters? That's how I felt about Mistress of Dragons. The plot was a sort of hackneyed: wonder-woman-meets-sleeping beauty, complete with lesbian amazons, a clueless prince, and an all-knowing dragon. The baddy is of the 'I'm so eeevil variety.' My main problem with this book is it felt like a prequel, and the characters were not very likeable. The author writes the story with several well-developed relationships already in place. Yawn. I scarcely cared weather Melisande would be true to Belona, or whether the king would prove adulterous. There was not an iota of romantic suspense, (Which I sort of dig in these type of novels), and the ending was depressing and screams: Read the sequel! Overall, I think this novel would work more for me, if the relationships between the main characters were new and we could experience them unfold with the characters, rather than so deeply entrenched. To surmount this, the author tries to tease us with a potential relationship between two main characters but this was so forced the outcome was easily predictable from the start. Feh. This book left me feeling dismayed rather than entertained. Perhaps the sequel will be better...But, I'll wait until paperback.
Rating:
Summary: weak, weak, weaker ..
Review: Having read lot of this author's work I was looking forward to reading this new series. I'm not sure if the fact that I read the George R R Martin books before this one but I was sorely dissapointed. The book seemed shallow, rushed, and uninspired. I'm not sure if the lesbian theme was meant to draw in the 15 year old readers, but it certainly didn't add anything to the story. If you are expecting anything similar to Dragonlance or The Deathgate Cycle, don't waste your time!
Rating:
Summary: Mildly Entertaining...
Review: I am a huge fan of (almost) anything Dragon, and so when I came across this book I knew I would have to read it. The plot is simple and the human characters moderately interesting, although I don't feel either rates the title of "epic fantasy." The one saving grace of the story that will cause me to continue reading the series is the tiny glimpse of the history and culture of the Dragons the author gives. Hopefully in the remaining two books, the (rather dull) world of the humans will take a backseat and the world of the Dragons will be explored in depth and detail.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow, Simplistic, and Stupid
Review: I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, they were quickly dashed. I don't know why Weis didn't team up with Hickman as is her wont. But, the lack of a second author dooms the effort. The book has an interesting premise, but is filled with inconsistencies, triteness, and plain ol' stupidity. If Hickman had been around, they could have bounced the material off each other and corrected most of the bad writing before it hit the shelves. As it is, it's practically un-stomachable. I put the book away about half way through it as not being worth the effort. But, I later picked it up and finished it in the hope it would get better. It didn't. It got worse. I was practically gagging by the end. Stay away from this book and its series.
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