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Summary: A mystery wrapped inside an enigmatic fantasy adventure.
Review: 'The Iron Dragon's Daughter' is an enigma and a mystery wrapped inside a fantasy adventure. It begins as such an unusual fantasy that those who read it only for the sci-fi/fantasy elements will likely be disconcerted and may ultimately bail out. I would guess that's what's behind some of the discouraging reviews here. But for those who appreciate powerful writing, vivid imagination, and a slam-dunk powerful ending regardless of the genre, this is a book you will love. It's been a year since I last read it, but I can't help revisiting the denouement in my mind and finding the same satisfaction I had when I first experienced it. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Intense parody of fantasy in a cynical attack on modern life
Review: This is not so much a book but a realisation of a fantasy. A girl wakes up in a world not her own. She has to survive. The only way she knows how is the only way she can. Its kind of real life but played out in a different scenario. Friends disappear, lovers die/go away, and eventually she is alone. Everything she does ends up being wrong and often she misunderstands gestures. So much like real life that in fact you cant help reading it over and over again. It would be disdainful to call this fantasy. It is merely an (albeit altered) account of what we have all experienced and wanted to do. For me, this book is a classic. The prose is phenomenal, and the environmental settings inspired. I hope Michael Swanwick also writes another Faust. This man is genius.
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Summary: Great brain fodder for sophisticated fantasy-lovers
Review: This is not easy! Some reviewers below expected something they didn't get. If you're looking for a challenging narrative and like the unexpected, read this. It ain't for the weak of heart, and it has a remarkably adult sensibility. It's a compelling read for lovers of iconoclastic SF and fantasy, and well worth your time-- but beware my initial words!
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Summary: I sent it back to the publisher for a refund.
Review: I spent money and time on this novel that I will never get back. I like fantasy, I like to be challenged in my thinking, and I enjoy a good story. What started out being promising turned into just plain boring as the author tried to state some point, which I still do not get (I guess I am the odd person out in all of these reviews). Mountains of undirected imagery (some of which was quite descriptive, with occasionally entertaining sequences, hence the 2 star rating) and regular (quite descriptive) sexual events, and a lack of a clear storyline / plot / sequence of events left me grasping for meaning in this novel. I finished, hoping that the ending would somehow tie together the numerous threads that I had been trying to follow, but I was disappointed, and put down the book angry that I had spent my time on it. If you enjoyed S. Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses", you'll probably sail through this. It's not THAT difficult to follow, but this is definitely not for the mainstream market. Nor is it for anyone who wants enjoy a satisfying read with neat and tidy packages at the end.
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Summary: surprising
Review: To tell the truth, i bought the book because i liked the cover, but as the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. Or the description on the back. What i thought was going to be a routine escape to freedom book actually turned out to be a marvelous four part drama. Don't get me wrong, it is well written, and i did like it a lot, but it is nonetheless a drama. The four parts (the factory, first school, then the university, and finally after the massacre) come together in Jane's fatal attempt to destroy the Spiral castle and her (or our) jump back into the real world. A great book with a twisted outlook on life.
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Summary: Swanwick at his best. Challenging and rewarding.
Review: Do not be fooled by the title. Those of you looking for another generic fairy-story that you can read in your sleep like so many other best-sellers I won't name, DO NOT EVEN TRY TO READ THIS BOOK. If you don't believe me just read the other reviews. This book demands something from its readers, and will ultimately leave you changed forever. Like other Swaniwick novels, its narrative is extremely complex and at times it takes reading a passage three times to understand the meaning, but this is by no means a failure on the part of the writer. On the contrary, it is richly awarding, and at the end of the novel, leaves one begging for more. You can read the synopsis above or get a description of the plot in some of the other reviews, so I'll just say that the journey that Jane makes, from her labors at the industrial plant, to her psychedelic exploits in college, all the while masking her true self from the rest of society felt like a wonderful mixture of "Oliver Twist" and "Europa, Europa". It is a dark tale that can seriously be considered a true reflection of the pressures of adolescence. Highly Recommended for those willing to take up the challenge.
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Summary: This type of story doesn't come along every day, you know.
Review: My goodness, but this was bizarre. It was, however, very well written. Once you got the hang of trying to follow what was going on, it really became a fun book to read. This is not the type of book that you can read quickly. I normally finish a 350 page book in about 4 hours. This book took me about 2 weeks to read, as I kept having to go back through it to make sure I understood what was going on. Even though I had to do that, I really enjoyed the book, as I'd never read anything like this before. I recommend this book only to readers who really take their reading seriously, otherwise you might not be able to finish the book.
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Summary: Wonderfully depressing; Even more so the second time thru
Review: What dark and beautiful madness must have gripped Swanwick as he sat down to write this mindbending novel. I won't re-summarize the plot; everyone else has already told it to you. It captures in Jane the experience of being human, and aspiring to be something higher, more glorious. This book is not for everyone; but nonetheless I give it 5 stars. Be warned, as someone previously commented, I do *chuckle at Kafka*. For those who don't understand what a changeling is, the ending might be rather confusing. Look it up on the net.
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Summary: "The Iron Dragon's Daughter" - not EASY book to read.
Review: Ussually, when I read the stories of fantasy style I find them very dynamic and easy to read. Their goal is to attract reader and to interest him by showing him a fast-changing world of space wars, love, discoveries, brave warriors, high technologies etc. When I saw the name of this book for the first time I thought that this is a typical fantastic story but I was wrong. Author of this book, Michael Swanwick, puts point on emotional part of Jane's relationship with strange world of magic and technology and with other creatures around her including Iron Dragon #7332. In several places I felt little bored, but in the end my patience was rewarded. Looking back, I really enjoyed this book. Here I met a lot of special words and new concetps, so to understand clearly all the things I had to read twice. The content of book, which after first look seems to be strange, is strictly logical even the end of story, when after Jane's death (after failing attempt to destroy a Spiral Castle) she returns to live on Earth with family by the will of the Goddess. So, if you're looking for the easy stories to spend your time i do NOT recommend this book to you. This story is sad and it will make you think a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and incredible
Review: Michael Swanwick's book was truly my first -real- dip into any kind of dark fantasy, and it turned out to be a headlong, blind-folded, hands-tied plunge into murky and icy waters. I never expected what I found, but find it I did and it was -incredible- and like nothing else I have ever read. It is incredibly realistic, all things considered, and you will feel everything the novel throws at you - pain, anguish, shame, all-too-brief joy, confusion, coming of age, trust, power lust, lust, mistrust, denial, acceptance - there's just about a little of almost everything in here, and it is all brought out very strongly. Jane's circular life which is linked in some way to two true inhabitants of this world she is living in, catches you up in it. You feel what she does, and it will most definitely make you think and you just may learn your own lessons from this book - I do not doubt at all it in some way changed me! Thanks to Michael Swanwick for writing such an incredible novel, and I hope I can do as well someday!!
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