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Rating: 
Summary: Great story..... poor execution
Review: As a fan of historical fiction and fantasy I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I was dissapointed. The storyline is choppy and the characters are poorly developed. It is often difficult to figure out who is talking and the character motivation is questionable. In addition, the medicine is just plain wrong (ie. looking for a femoral pulse in a calf). If you want a great historical fiction version of the War of the Roses, I would suggest starting with The Sunne in Splendor by SK Penman. (although there is no magic) This falls very short of the mark in all cases.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this book, more or less by accident, not particularly famous and was dazzled. Wow. Can't think of what to say, but will try.The novel is set in an alternate history Europe, where either Constantine never converted to Christianity or Julian established the equality of all faiths, and the Byzantine Empire never declined, but in fact by the middle of the XVth century controls most of Eastern Europe and is trying to get as much of the West as possible. And magic works, and vampires exist also. I don't usually like alternate history, the real historical characters usually look unlikely next to the alternate bits, but this novel handled it perfectly, and the real historical characters of the XVth century (Richard III of England, his mother, and brothers, the Earl Rivers, Louis XI of France, the Medicci, the Duke of Urbino) are a joy to read about if you have met them before. Great novel, deserving of a far better review than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: One of my favourite books,The Dragon Waiting, is a superb blend of history and fantasy. Mixing historical characters from the 15th century and captivating fictional heroes, this is a book that is both engrossing and enjoyable. John M Ford, a much underated author, succeeds in combining in-depth research with a vivid imagination and tweaks history to create a vision of europe where conspiracies lurk behind shady motives and dark characters, vampirism is a spreadable disease and magic a burden to the magician. A truly marvellous book, that deserves reprinting.
Rating:
Summary: This book is to fantasy what Dune is to SF.
Review: One of my favourite books,The Dragon Waiting, is a superb blend of history and fantasy. Mixing historical characters from the 15th century and captivating fictional heroes, this is a book that is both engrossing and enjoyable. John M Ford, a much underated author, succeeds in combining in-depth research with a vivid imagination and tweaks history to create a vision of europe where conspiracies lurk behind shady motives and dark characters, vampirism is a spreadable disease and magic a burden to the magician. A truly marvellous book, that deserves reprinting.
Rating: 
Summary: For History Lovers Only
Review: This book tells a complex story within a richly and well researched history. Don't expect your basic vampire/sorcerer horror tale. The references to the supernatural are minor to the story at hand. My one criticism is that the story sometimes gets a bit too convoluted.
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