Rating: 
Summary: Wouldn't finish this book if I was stranded on an isle...
Review: This is the second worst book I have ever read in my life, and has won a place on my not-finished-and-never-will-shelf. The chapters are too short, and the story jumps back and forth like a rabbit with borderline tourettes. The characters (Garric especially) are 1-dimensional, and so lame I wish I could've just reached into the page and slapped them silly. This book belongs in the feather-weight category alongside Jone's 'The Baker's Boy'. Editors if you are reading this, PLEASE, PLEASE stop publishing this tripe. Think of our depleting rainforests.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable and fun, even with scene changes
Review: I do agree with other reviewers, that the scenario changes so often it is hard to keep up. But even so, this is a very enjoyable tale. Michael Page does a great job of narration, and the story is very alive with his representation of the characters. I'm ordering the 2nd installment in this story right now, so that when I finish these tapes, I can just cruise on. I was very glad to discover this author, while patiently waiting for the next Goodkind book.
Rating: 
Summary: Drake continues to grow as a writer: I enjoyed it.
Review: David Drake continues to grow as a writer. He's built a consistent and intriguing world, peopled it with engaging characters, and given them interesting things to do. I think I still like his Belisarius series better, but that may just be because I've always been a Belisarius fan. Those who like Drake will like this book; those who usually don't -- or who just generally like fantasy -- will probably like it too. Well done.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is disjointed and ultimately annoying.
Review: Many subjects were just brushed over. For example, the sister is plucked out of the home and life she's known for 18 or so years, and nobody bats an eye! Her brother never even sits on a log and thinks "Wow! this is weird", and she never even flinches when everything she has believed about her life is turned upside down. Also, the overall story always felt sketched, but never filled out - I don't mean it needed more words, just some better focus. It was a letdown after all of the praise printed on the cover. Even the action was boring because most of the time it came from nowhere, with no build up.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated plots, human characters
Review: Like a previous reviewer, I would also compare Lord of the Isles to Robert Jordan's books. My comparison would be much reversed, though - like Wheel of Time, plots fall upon plots fall upon plots as the characters go their separate ways, but I find David Drake's writing style much more engaging and his characters more fully rounded (though the men all do seem to be Very Strong).
Rating:
Summary: A magical world of intrigue with characters to cheer for.
Review: I thought this book was an enjoyable reading experience. The world-building and characters were of high quality. I didn't like how the chapters jumped from one storyline to the next but that was one of the only flaws I found. There is some wordy areas of the book that are difficult to understand but anyone with enough patience should be able to follow without too much trouble. I recommend reading this work to anyone who enjoys fine fantasy and I hope that David Drake spins another great epic out of this satisfying beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Was I reading the same book?
Review: This is the first book by David Drake I've ever read, and, unfortunately, it will probably be the last. Equally as unfortunate is that I can now no longer trust the judgments of the prominent authors (Piers Anthony, Stephen R. Donaldson, and Terry Goodkind) who gave the glowing reviews that appear in the book and on the cover. As I now re-read their words, I have to wonder we were reading the same story. "Lord of the Isles" can't even come close to the simple poetry of Anthony, the supple plotting of Donaldson, or the heart-pounding action of Goodkind. The book I read had almost no background, no semblence of plot, no cohesive elements of time, and almost no explanation of who the characters were, what they were doing, or why they were doing it. Sometimes the character's conversations with each other didn't make any sense. Sure, there are two or three decent action sequences, but the rest of the plot suffers from the obvious (and silly) contrivances of an author scrambling to get all of his characters to "coincidentally" reuinte. I kept wanting to put the book down and never look back, but I thought I'd give it the benefit of the doubt. By the time I got to the end, I was skipping 5, 8, 10 pages at time, and subsequently realized that I should have saved myself the time. I don't know what book those other authors were recommending, but it couldn't have been "Lord of the Isles."
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly well-drawn world
Review: With some shining exceptions, most fantasy books that I have read place cardboard characters against a canvas background: the only living parts of such books are the fast-placed plots. This book is different. The author has woven a world with hints of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean world, one that is very believable beyond the stage on which the characters act. It is refreshing to read a book in a world that might actually exist. In addition, the younger characters actually seem to ask advice from the more experienced characters -- any brash young character who ignores advice, usually does so at his or her own peril. Who would have thought that such a common sense approach has a place in a fantasy world? For me, it works. Well-crafted world; common-sense characters . . . it's a refreshing change from the sword, brawn, and numbskull routine. The plot is, however a little slow and unfocused: like the dancing fragments of a stained-glass window which never quite fall into place.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book, But Not As Good As All The Hype
Review: I enjoyed this book, and will definitely read the sequel, but not until its out in paperback. I suppose I was expecting more, since its had so many glowing reviews. I definitely don't concider myself a Jordanite, but I still found Jordan's writing more interesting, his world more creative, and I much prefer magic that's explained instead of "they just do it." Drake's tale started to lose cohesion towards the end (how did Tenoctris know about everyone's paternity?). And as another reviewer pointed out, Tenoctris always complained about every other wizard not knowing what they were doing, but she never tried to tell them what to do. Did it have to do with blood, which every wizard used, but Tenoctris never did? By the end of the book, you know that any wizardy worked by anyone (other than Tenoctris, of course) will end up making things worse. Still, it is an interesting, if not entirely original, multiverse that Drake's created. Maybe things will get more exciting in the next book.
Rating:
Summary: action-packed literary high fantasy!
Review: This book gains momentum as it progresses. I am amazed by Drakes command of literary elements, as well as his willingness to add any element of fantasy he can imagine. Fun, fast, and thoughtful; there are few books I have read which rate higher.
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