The Dragon and the Unicorn

Rating:
Summary: an enchanted tale of epic scope
Review: Although this book is a at first little hard to get into simply because of its poetic and lyrical style, once you are acquainted with Attanasio's descriptive and unique story-telling, you'll find yourself swept up in a tale of such breath-taking imagery that you'll feel as though earth no longer is a place of mundane routine and solely human reign, but really is the home to mystical beings whose power and actions drive the inner fires of its heart. With a spell-binding finale, this book, written in the present tense, is a journey written by a literary master, who weaves the traditional Arthurian saga into a powerful tale that keeps you captivated until the end.

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, but not quite there...
Review: I love the premise, mostly because very few writers have really tried to explore the origins of Uther and his life in his own right. Much of the mythology the author lays out is interesting in idea, mixing Celtic, Christian, Roman, and on and on. Some of his theories get a little mixed up, but his ideas of Fire Lords and the birth of the universe are essentially worthwhile.
Many have commented on Attanasio's poetic prose, which I agree with to a point. He has many beautifully crafted lines, but I often found myself skimming over them, just in trying to get to some real meat of a story. I imagine he pumped up this aspect to lend to the mythic feel of the work, but in contrast to someone else in the genre like Samuel Delaney, this author still has much to learn in controlling that poetic voice.
More than anything what is missing from this cosmological epic is a sense of humanity. All the characters seem to be dragged around from point to point, event to event without much concern or consideration for what's occurring within them. Uther in particular is challenged at the core of his belief, but this is all solved rather quickly. Some of his problems might be fixed by focusing more on a core character, and their are at least three in this novel, not leaving much time for full exploration of the character.
Attanasio is trying something a little different from the typical thread of sword and sorcery books. While not wholly successful, it is still worthwhile if you are a fan of the genre.

Rating:
Summary: masterpiece
Review: I think one of the problems is trying to judge this book on the myths it was based on, or on the story of king arthur. This book isn't just a mere retelling, but a complete reworking. To get lost in its accuracy toward Christian or Norse mythology is to miss the greater point, that this book is ultimately about redemption amidst monumental failures. In that respect, it can be just as inspirational as any musty Scripture if not more so.

Rating:
Summary: A new cosmology and a great read
Review: I've read at least a dozen tellings of the story of Merlin and Arthur, but this is by far the most original. Attanasio weaves together Norse and Celtic beliefs with elements of Christianity to create a rich and fascinating cosmic struggle. This new mythology, starting at the beginning of time, provides a backdrop for the "birth" and development of Merlin.

The writing is exceptional... fluid and magical. The characters are engaging and complex.

This book is a great read by itself, as well as a wonderful introduction for Attanasio's later books.

Rating:
Summary: title
Review: Ok where do I start? This is an Awsome Book! But I want to say something about how cool the title is. The dragon represents the earth and the unicorn represents a sun beast and where they are connected i like to think is representing the fact that the dragon sacrificed quite a bit of it's power for the unicorn (even though they are enimies). The dragon also represents King Uther Pendragon through his flag and heritage, the unicorn also represents Ygrane Queen of the Celts through her flag and bonding with the unicorn, and the place the 2 animals meeton the cover i like to think represents also the marrige between Uther and Ygrane.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, with challanges
Review: The tales of King Arthur have seen many incarnations, from simple warlord to the ornately intertwined tales of Camelot. Conversely, tales of the Norse gods have been curtailed into (usually) simple retellings of the Elder and Prose Edda. In this book, the tales of Camelot, of the Norse, of the Celts, of history, mythology, cosmology and haigiography coexist and push each other around, each trying to achieve dominance.

This is not an easy book to read. I don't mean "Finnegan's Wake" level of difficulty, but rather there is a lot of presumed knowledge -- you know many tales of Uther, Ygraine, Odin, Niggdur, and at least a passing acquaintance with figures of Irish/Celtic folklore. In addition, you are presumed to be literate and that you enjoy obscure words. If you can get past these hurdles, however, you will find an enjoyable and enriching tale.

This is not a simple retelling of old tales. The tales are woven together, often clashing, sometimes melding. A few of the characters are what you would expect, but many of them have altered, strongly or subtley -- Merlin is, indeed, half-demon, born of a virgin, but the tale is not as simple as that; Furor is Odin, but with a different take on the invasion of Britain by the Anglo-Saxons. The Romans, Christians, and other historical groups and personalities have their roles, but it is often difficult to distinguish the history from the mythology. This is something I enjoy, but may bother others.

I believe that a challanging read is a good thing. To merely find what you expect in a book can be tedious. Often this works pushes you to the limits, but keep a dictionary nearby and several books of basic mythology -- with these tools you will not become lost.

Rating:
Summary: insane man trying to sound smart
Review: This book has proven to me, never judge a book. By the cover, by the reviews, or even by the first few pages. No judging. "Tintagle at high morning shines as though carved from tusk". A random sentence chosen from the book. This man is insane. "A maid that bleets from indoors" "goat feathers" How many goats have you seen with feathers? And whats all this about "petal sized snowflakes". Off of what flowers? I kept waiting for a King Arthur plot to show up, but the Merlin and Arthur type characters seem to be entirely different people. I think the guy tried way to hard adding in all of these religions, and nutso words, not to mention it back tracks constantly and is frequently inconsistant with just about everything. He needs to have his pen taken away and broken into tiny pieces. In other words I was very dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: Just Clichés and a Few Gimmicks
Review: This is a completely average fantasy novel that gets docked one more star for misrepresentation. The promotional blurbs for this book will have you believe that Attanasio is breaking new ground by blending various far-flung mythologies like Norse and Eastern mysticism into the fantasy genre, plus cosmology and deep thoughts about the origins and powers of the universe. This is false advertising at best. Here we have nothing but standard fantasy fare about princesses and merlins and fanciful creatures, while the cosmology and other esoteric concepts are merely window dressing, and possibly a cynical attempt to raise this book above the stereotypical. Like a fancy façade added to a bland building, the deep concepts added to this book fail to brighten up the story or make it more interesting, and come across merely as gimmickry. At the core, what we have here is just standard fantasy novel clichés with a thin veneer of attempted depth. Another bone of contention is that Attanasio tells the story mostly in present tense, which is kind of cute at first but just gets on your nerves. If you're a fan of regular fantasy novels and you're looking for a relaxing read, then this book is certainly dependable. But if you were suckered into thinking that this book breaks new ground in the realm of storytelling, as I was, you won't be too impressed.

Rating:
Summary: Like a song....
Review: This is no Mists of Avalon. Truly, I pity readers whose first exposure to high fantasy is Mists, because few books if any will keep you satisfied afterward. Still, Attanasio draws one with a beautiful and mystical prose, everything is descriebd with words like glittering and shining, and after a while you can begin to see it, can see the harrowing battles fought, can smell the food that rests on the table of Aquila Regalis Thor... The Royal Eagle of Thor... Arthor.
Barring Mists, it stands at the top of my Arthurian list... perhaps not the reigning king of it, but certainly up there, and surely worth the read to anyone with any interest in the genre.

And, hey, if it bores you, you can always just stare at the awesome cover art!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent. The beginning of an outstanding series.
Review: Where can I start? 1st off, open your mind to new ideas. Attanasio takes mythology as you know it and blinds it into one big mythos. Your going to be given norse, greek/roman, christian, celtic, Indian, etc. ideas and themes. I personally found after a couple of chapters that it was easier to follow the story as if it was fresh to me. Don't expect the same old King Arthur legend either. This is one of those books that you have to sit and think and really read to enjoy. Personally Lovecraft is the hardest thing I've ever read. Attanasio isn't that bad, but he uses big words and alot of symbolism. I don't say this as a knock against the book, just a warning. It's a little complecated. With that said it's a beautiful story. Extreamly vivid. I think that it's a great new idea to the old legends of Arthur. If your an avid fantasy fan and don't mind taking the time to read and digest the story you'll love it.

What are waiting for? Go buy this book and get started. You wont be disappointed.

RS