Rating: Summary: Great Read Review: I thought that this novel was brilliant, it is a definite must for all fantasy fans
Rating: Summary: A classic I just had to hunt down Review: I've been trying to locate this series that I read in college for quite some time now. Although that was over 10 years ago, the whole plotline was fresh in my mind. The concept wasn't very original at the time (D&D players actually becoming part of the game) but Rosenberg made up for it by likeable characters and good story lines. Rerelease the series under a different line and it will be on the best seller/fantasy classic shelf for a long time. This one sets the pace for the entire series. Locate it and the rest, and you'll be in for some late nights of fun and adventure.
Rating: Summary: THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!! Review: I'VE READ THIS BOOK TWICE (THE ONLY OTHER BOOK I'VE EVER READ TWICE WAS MISSION EARTH #1) THIS BOOK REALLY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST FANTASY BOOKS OUT THERE.
Rating: Summary: Dungeons and Dragons Brought to Life Review: It started out as just another night playing Dungeons and Dragons. James, Karl, Andrea, and the others had each picked the character he or she wanted to play, and they embarked on a new campaign. As the gamemaster started them on their new journey, they suddenly find themselves transported to the place the gamemaster was describing to them. They also find themselves in the bodies of their characters, with all of their characters abilities and flaws. In order to find the way back, they must make their way through this strange world on a quest to find the legendary Gate Between the Worlds. Armed with their wits and the few provisions that the gamemaster left them, they start on an dangerous adventure.Rosenberg does an excellent job of showing the good and the bad to the characters. They aren't perfect, and you know it. The story is interesting, and the world is just how you would expect it to be. There's an excellent mix of romance, conflict, humor, and friendship. Rosenberg leaves the reader in a position where you almost have to read the next book to find out the fates of the characters, but you can still be satisfied with the ending as it is, with the promise of a bright new future.
Rating: Summary: Enjoyable, but not incredible Review: Like so many others, I read The Sleeping Dragon for the first time in high school and I remember enjoying it but not being too terribly impressed. Sixteen years later, I picked it up at a used book sale and find myself having the same reaction - it is enjoyable, but not great literature. The concept is an interesting one - take a group of college-aged fantasy gamers and put them into their gameworld. Also interesting is the idea that there would be a personality clash between the people from our world and the characters they inhabit. Unfortunately, Rosenberg doesn't provide the follow-through on those ideas, contrary to what the other reviewers experienced. Rather, Rosenberg wants to move the characters from point A to point B and the character development we encounter along the way is spelled out too explicitly; essentially, we are spoon-fed the internal and external character conflicts. Not that this is a terrible thing if we're simply looking for entertainment, but it is not the mark of a four or five star book. Jack Chalker creates similar situations to much, much more powerful effect. Bottom line is that The Sleeping Dragon is pulp fantasy. It's got action, some humor, and a quest that holds the attention as long one doesn't think about it too much (the "Gate Between Worlds", we are told, is legendary and nobody's found it, but our heroes are able to look up its location in a library). It is also an astonishingly fast read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, but warn you not to expect anything more than that.
Rating: Summary: Enjoyable, but not incredible Review: Like so many others, I read The Sleeping Dragon for the first time in high school and I remember enjoying it but not being too terribly impressed. Sixteen years later, I picked it up at a used book sale and find myself having the same reaction - it is enjoyable, but not great literature. The concept is an interesting one - take a group of college-aged fantasy gamers and put them into their gameworld. Also interesting is the idea that there would be a personality clash between the people from our world and the characters they inhabit. Unfortunately, Rosenberg doesn't provide the follow-through on those ideas, contrary to what the other reviewers experienced. Rather, Rosenberg wants to move the characters from point A to point B and the character development we encounter along the way is spelled out too explicitly; essentially, we are spoon-fed the internal and external character conflicts. Not that this is a terrible thing if we're simply looking for entertainment, but it is not the mark of a four or five star book. Jack Chalker creates similar situations to much, much more powerful effect. Bottom line is that The Sleeping Dragon is pulp fantasy. It's got action, some humor, and a quest that holds the attention as long one doesn't think about it too much (the "Gate Between Worlds", we are told, is legendary and nobody's found it, but our heroes are able to look up its location in a library). It is also an astonishingly fast read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, but warn you not to expect anything more than that.
Rating: Summary: Fantasy was never more realistic Review: Mr. Rosenberg has done wonders for me as a youngster. I have read "the Sleeping Dragon" time and time again, and my heart ached with longing to share his world.
A group of role players is sucked into their game, a subject that has surely been abused time and time before, appears to have caused Rosenberg no more trouble than swatting a fly as he sidesteps cliche and brings to life a world of fantasy the likes of which has never been so alive and capturing before. His characters taste their new found existence, every aspect of it, with wide eyes and the reader is swept along with them into the thrills and hardships of a world overflowing with danger and death, yet are attracted to it by a force undeniably strong.
This book made me, for the first time in my life, BE THERE, and I cherish the author for it
Rating: Summary: The best fantasy book ever written. Review: One of my favorite books of all time; Mr. Rosenberg doesn't bore the reader with silly fantasy names/terms/dry details like so many other books in the fantasy/sci-fi genre do. Buy this book and the others in the Guardians of the Flame series.
Rating: Summary: A Must Have Review: Originally, I received this book from my parents who bought it from a used bookstore on a whim. Offhand I thought it was a generic fantasy novel and thus was of no interest to me. It sat on a shelf for about four months before I gave it a read. I wish I hadn't waited so long. This immediately became one of my all time favorite books. The best way to review this book is to break it down into parts. Story: The story begins with seven college students and a professor gathering to play a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Little do they know that the professor will magically teleport the seven students to the very world the game takes place in, and they will possess the bodies and minds of the characters they played as. Perhaps a bit cliché, but it is so well executed that it feels completely original. Plot: The plot progresses at a steady pace taking some time to allow for intriguing character development, and feels all-round satisfying. Characters: One of the greatest achievements of this novel is the characters. They act and talk like real people, and just like real people, have a fair share of flaws. Some of which they acquired from their game persona. Kudos to Joel Rosenberg. Overall: This is a must read for any fan of fantasy novels, and should be at least given a chance by everyone else. Side Note: I think the reason Joel uses the phrase sitting "tailor fashion" so much is because he wanted to be politically correct by not calling it "Indian style," and because most of the time there just isn't anything other than the ground for the characters to sit on.
Rating: Summary: A Must Have Review: Originally, I received this book from my parents who bought it from a used bookstore on a whim. Offhand I thought it was a generic fantasy novel and thus was of no interest to me. It sat on a shelf for about four months before I gave it a read. I wish I hadn't waited so long. This immediately became one of my all time favorite books. The best way to review this book is to break it down into parts. Story: The story begins with seven college students and a professor gathering to play a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Little do they know that the professor will magically teleport the seven students to the very world the game takes place in, and they will possess the bodies and minds of the characters they played as. Perhaps a bit cliché, but it is so well executed that it feels completely original. Plot: The plot progresses at a steady pace taking some time to allow for intriguing character development, and feels all-round satisfying. Characters: One of the greatest achievements of this novel is the characters. They act and talk like real people, and just like real people, have a fair share of flaws. Some of which they acquired from their game persona. Kudos to Joel Rosenberg. Overall: This is a must read for any fan of fantasy novels, and should be at least given a chance by everyone else. Side Note: I think the reason Joel uses the phrase sitting "tailor fashion" so much is because he wanted to be politically correct by not calling it "Indian style," and because most of the time there just isn't anything other than the ground for the characters to sit on.
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