Rating: 
Summary: A very decent read.
Review: Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book. But it is one I will not re-read very much (if ever). It is just a little lacking. But a good one time read.
Rating:
Summary: A very decent read.
Review: Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book. But it is one I will not re-read very much (if ever). It is just a little lacking. But a good one time read.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile lightreading
Review: I don't usually read a lot of fiction, but this was a fun read. If you're a Clevelander and if you like Les Roberts' "Milan Jacovich" series, you gotta read this book. It was as though the author, Mr. Swiniarski, tried to import Les' mystery style into the fantasy genre -- an interesting counterposition of story types. Sometimes it was believable but at other times seemed ridiculous. There were plenty of fun Cleveland send-ups and other local "in-jokes" that would probably fly over the heads of people not from here. But the irony of making this gritty rust-belt burg into a haven of elves and dragons was generally both intriguing and amusing.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile lightreading
Review: I don't usually read a lot of fiction, but this was a fun read. If you're a Clevelander and if you like Les Roberts' "Milan Jacovich" series, you gotta read this book. It was as though the author, Mr. Swiniarski, tried to import Les' mystery style into the fantasy genre -- an interesting counterposition of story types. Sometimes it was believable but at other times seemed ridiculous. There were plenty of fun Cleveland send-ups and other local "in-jokes" that would probably fly over the heads of people not from here. But the irony of making this gritty rust-belt burg into a haven of elves and dragons was generally both intriguing and amusing.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile lightreading
Review: I don't usually read a lot of fiction, but this was a fun read. If you're a Clevelander and if you like Les Roberts' "Milan Jacovich" series, you gotta read this book. It was as though the author, Mr. Swiniarski, tried to import Les' mystery style into the fantasy genre -- an interesting counterposition of story types. Sometimes it was believable but at other times seemed ridiculous. There were plenty of fun Cleveland send-ups and other local "in-jokes" that would probably fly over the heads of people not from here. But the irony of making this gritty rust-belt burg into a haven of elves and dragons was generally both intriguing and amusing.
Rating: 
Summary: Don' Bother
Review: It's a mystery with any real conclusions. It moves from accusations of one group to accusations of another. The conclusion of the book is not supported by any facts in the story. It was merely conclusions that could have been taken any number of ways.The authors writing left something to be desired. The use of big words added nothing to the story and did nothing but slow me down. It was as if the author was trying to show off his intelligence. The use of profanity was unnecessary. The use of profanity by characters added nothing to the character development. There was no point to having it in the book. Finally the book has very little to do with dragons. The first dragon dies in the prologue and the only other dragon in the story adds nothing to the story line. The title of the book is misleading.
Rating:
Summary: A new genre -- fantasy/mystery noir
Review: S. Andrew Swann brings a fresh voice to the fantasy genre with this novel and his no-nonsense protagonist, reporter Kline Maxwell. The Dashiel Hammett-like noir setting pervades throught the story and makes for a very enjoyable read. There are lots of lines like "(s)he had one of those personalities that tore into a room like a rototiller into a vat of Jell-O." They may be a bit hokey, but fun to read none-the-less.
One quibble is that the author misuses "irony" or "ironic" no less than a dozen times. This seems to be a plague on contemporary authors that really needs to be squashed.
Rating:
Summary: Don' Bother
Review: S. Andrew Swann has written a number of good novels. Most of his books are science fiction, but he has also written horror novels under the name S. A. Swiniarski and a science fiction novel and a "mainstream" novel under the name of Steven Krane. I recommend nearly all of his books. The Dragons of the Cuyahoga is his second fantasy novel, and I think it is a good deal better than his first one, God's Dice (the only one of his books I was disappointed with). I had a lot of fun reading this one; part of the charm is that Mr. Swann can take fantasy elements and treat them with the same matter-of-fact and logical consistency as science fiction elements. He also used this talent to good effect in his first vampire novel, Raven (written under the S. A. Swiniarski name). Another thing I liked was that the motivations of the "supernatural" characters, rather than being cloaked in mysticism, are understandable and logical from the reader's point of view -- such as why dragons like gold so much. The only fault I can find is a trivial one: if you are at all knowledgeable about firearms, you may find Mr. Swann's mistakes about them distracting. Don't let that distract you; The Dragons of the Cuyahoga is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Another enjoyable Swann book
Review: S. Andrew Swann has written a number of good novels. Most of his books are science fiction, but he has also written horror novels under the name S. A. Swiniarski and a science fiction novel and a "mainstream" novel under the name of Steven Krane. I recommend nearly all of his books. The Dragons of the Cuyahoga is his second fantasy novel, and I think it is a good deal better than his first one, God's Dice (the only one of his books I was disappointed with). I had a lot of fun reading this one; part of the charm is that Mr. Swann can take fantasy elements and treat them with the same matter-of-fact and logical consistency as science fiction elements. He also used this talent to good effect in his first vampire novel, Raven (written under the S. A. Swiniarski name). Another thing I liked was that the motivations of the "supernatural" characters, rather than being cloaked in mysticism, are understandable and logical from the reader's point of view -- such as why dragons like gold so much. The only fault I can find is a trivial one: if you are at all knowledgeable about firearms, you may find Mr. Swann's mistakes about them distracting. Don't let that distract you; The Dragons of the Cuyahoga is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, but Certainly Not Great
Review: So, the plot of this book is a pretty standard mystery story: Reporter covers accidental death and falls into massive political conspiracies. The characterization was fairly good, though some characters seemed to be little more that place-holders (the Irish cop, the beautiful elven woman). But my major issue with the book was in the details. The author clearly didn't actually do ANY research into firearms, computers or electronics, all of which play a major role in the novel and all of which are badly mis-used. In almost every important scene, the purported details of these three is so far from the reality that it broke my suspension of disbelief.
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