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Deverry Cycle #9
The Red Wyvern
Katharine Kerr's richly imagined cycle of novels set in Deverry and the Westlands has earned a devoted following—and a reputation as the finest Celtic fantasy being written today. Now she returns to Deverry's war-ravaged past. . . .
In a kingdom torn by civil war, young Lillorigga seeks to shield her dawning powers from her cruel mother Merodda's manipulation. Mistress of a magic that, untamed, could kill her, Lilli brings her terrifying visions under the kindlier tutelage of the mysterious dweomermaster, Nevyn. But soon she must choose between her own clan and the true king who fights to claim his rightful throne, between sanctuary and blood feud, loyalty and love. Little does she dream that the slaughter she invites, and the malevolence she defies, could stalk her across the ages...twisting and twining the strands of timeless destinies.
In a kingdom torn by civil war, young Lillorigga seeks to shield her dawning powers from her cruel mother Merodda's manipulation. Mistress of a magic that, untamed, could kill her, Lilli brings her terrifying visions under the kindlier tutelage of the mysterious dweomermaster, Nevyn. But soon she must choose between her own clan and the true king who fights to claim his rightful throne, between sanctuary and blood feud, loyalty and love. Little does she dream that the slaughter she invites, and the malevolence she defies, could stalk her across the ages...twisting and twining the strands of timeless destinies.
381 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
168 people are currently reading
3130 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Kerr
95 books1,621 followersBorn in Ohio, 1944. Moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and has lived there ever since. Katharine Kerr has read extensively in the fields of classical archeology, and medieval and dark ages history and literature, and these influences are clear in her work. Her epic Deverry series has won widespread praise and millions of fans around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
May 7, 2020
3.25 stars
These books frustrate me, because I keep feeling that I should enjoy them more than I do. This one was the best of them so far, mostly because I really appreciated Lilli. But I'm confused, because I thought Nevyn had died and left his position of dweomer master to Jill. And Jill died in one of the previous books too. Although Jill remains dead and gone, suddenly here is Nevyn again, like nothing ever happened to him! I'm guessing that this is a jump back into the past, but then Jill should still be alive too, so I'm still confused. Not that I suppose it matters.
The Prince Maryn part of the story was quite engaging and it kept me up very late the other night, reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open! It's the Evander/Alshandra/Elissario storyline that bores me. Why do we care about these inhuman creatures from another plane and their mixed feelings about being born into the human realm? They really aren't very relevant to the main plot and what small part they do play could be easily replaced with more down-to-earth characters.
And so you may ask why do I keep reading these books if I'm not wild about them. Back when I was just getting started on the series, I found a bunch of them in a used book store and grabbed them. Now I feel somewhat duty bound to read them. Foolish, perhaps, but they are decent books, if not my favourites.
Despite the cover art, the red wyvern doesn't make an appearance, except as embroidery on clan banners.
Book number 365 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project
These books frustrate me, because I keep feeling that I should enjoy them more than I do. This one was the best of them so far, mostly because I really appreciated Lilli. But I'm confused, because I thought Nevyn had died and left his position of dweomer master to Jill. And Jill died in one of the previous books too. Although Jill remains dead and gone, suddenly here is Nevyn again, like nothing ever happened to him! I'm guessing that this is a jump back into the past, but then Jill should still be alive too, so I'm still confused. Not that I suppose it matters.
The Prince Maryn part of the story was quite engaging and it kept me up very late the other night, reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open! It's the Evander/Alshandra/Elissario storyline that bores me. Why do we care about these inhuman creatures from another plane and their mixed feelings about being born into the human realm? They really aren't very relevant to the main plot and what small part they do play could be easily replaced with more down-to-earth characters.
And so you may ask why do I keep reading these books if I'm not wild about them. Back when I was just getting started on the series, I found a bunch of them in a used book store and grabbed them. Now I feel somewhat duty bound to read them. Foolish, perhaps, but they are decent books, if not my favourites.
Despite the cover art, the red wyvern doesn't make an appearance, except as embroidery on clan banners.
Book number 365 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project
September 20, 2018
This is quite old. And I can tell. I guess that isn't the best thing to say about a book - that it hasn't aged well, but I could just tell it wasn't from the modern realms of fantasy. Which is fine. I was interested to see how the genre had progress since the 1990s. It isn't that old, but there is a gap there, and a lot of development has taken place in that time. This book is the first in a series that is part of a huge saga, and guess what? I haven't read any of the others. I think maybe it might have been beneficial to me if I had read the other books first, as in some places they sort of alluded to events that had happened that I didn't know about, but I believe this is a new set of characters, and anyway it makes sense on its own. It was entertaining, and I will probably read the rest of this series at some point.
Okay, but something I find often in older big fantasy book series (not so much in newer ones) is that the characters tend to be kind of one dimensional - almost caricatures. They tend to be a little bit over dramatized and a little cringey. I never really connected to any of them. Lilli was just kind of weak and annoying, and the whole damsel in distress. And the villain, Merodda, just never convinced me, and not in a "redemption" way. We just saw too much from her point of view, and it didn't really help to develop her character. None of them were really deep. And because I couldn't really connect to the characters, I didn't really feel the action scenes in full emotion.
But it was pretty entertaining! I just kind of wanted a big fantasy series with high stakes, and it sort of delivered? I didn't fully understand the motives behind some things, but the plot was what I wanted, and I kind of breezed through it without getting too emotionally involved. I liked the structure of the plot - how it went back and forth in time - but it really annoyed me how there were no chapters! It made the whole thing seem kind of long and drawn out. Plus, in the first and last part, nothing really happened, because stuff was only happening when we went into the past. Which meant that in the last fifty pages I was a leeeetle bored? But I think that will be remedied in the later books.
I did enjoyed this, but I don't think it has aged as well as some other books. It was kind of what I wanted, and I will continue the rest of the series when I'm in the mood, but this isn't an emotional book or whatever. It's more just a book that you just kind of read, and if it isn't an interesting plot line for you, I wouldn't recommend it. The characters feel underdeveloped and over dramatized, there was some sexism that wasn't really addressed, and the writing style wasn't good enough to bring up my rating. But I did enjoy it in some ways, and it was what I was looking for, and seeing how fantasy has changed even in the last 20 years was interesting too.
Okay, but something I find often in older big fantasy book series (not so much in newer ones) is that the characters tend to be kind of one dimensional - almost caricatures. They tend to be a little bit over dramatized and a little cringey. I never really connected to any of them. Lilli was just kind of weak and annoying, and the whole damsel in distress. And the villain, Merodda, just never convinced me, and not in a "redemption" way. We just saw too much from her point of view, and it didn't really help to develop her character. None of them were really deep. And because I couldn't really connect to the characters, I didn't really feel the action scenes in full emotion.
But it was pretty entertaining! I just kind of wanted a big fantasy series with high stakes, and it sort of delivered? I didn't fully understand the motives behind some things, but the plot was what I wanted, and I kind of breezed through it without getting too emotionally involved. I liked the structure of the plot - how it went back and forth in time - but it really annoyed me how there were no chapters! It made the whole thing seem kind of long and drawn out. Plus, in the first and last part, nothing really happened, because stuff was only happening when we went into the past. Which meant that in the last fifty pages I was a leeeetle bored? But I think that will be remedied in the later books.
I did enjoyed this, but I don't think it has aged as well as some other books. It was kind of what I wanted, and I will continue the rest of the series when I'm in the mood, but this isn't an emotional book or whatever. It's more just a book that you just kind of read, and if it isn't an interesting plot line for you, I wouldn't recommend it. The characters feel underdeveloped and over dramatized, there was some sexism that wasn't really addressed, and the writing style wasn't good enough to bring up my rating. But I did enjoy it in some ways, and it was what I was looking for, and seeing how fantasy has changed even in the last 20 years was interesting too.
July 16, 2010
This is the first book in a new cycle of novels set in Deverry by Katharine Kerr, and as such new readers can start out at this point. I would recommend vehemently, though, that they do not since a number of storylines from prior novels come together or are referenced in this novel.
For the first time we drift in time forwards rather than backwards, albeit for a short time, when we discover that Haen Marn is adrift in time as well as space. A soldier from a more modern Scotland is cast into the mythical isle for a night, showing us in the process that Angmar is pregnant with Rhodry's child.
The majority of the novel takes place in the past though, taking us to a continuation of the tale of the civil war that tore Deverry in two - where Maryn becomes the High King under Nevyn's tutelage. The story is concentrated on Lillorigga (who we know in the current times as Niffa, the ratter's daughter) and her mother Lady Merodda - the person who becomes Raena, the Black Raven, and causes Rhodry such heartache. Here we discover why Raena and Rhodry's Wyrds are so tangled.
This is a great return to form for Kerr. I was somewhat disappointed in the last few novels she turned out - she seemed very much to be writing by the numbers. Here her writing comes alive again - with intrigue, scheming, battle, fair maidens, dweomer mysteries, and high adventure. I loved the character of Lillorigga, who came blessed with good sense and honour.
I was somewhat annoyed with Kerr's descriptive passages that seem lifted from one book to another. On the one hand you could say that it reinforces the effect she wishes to create, but I find the copy and paste technique a little lazy.
Once again I sighed and slowed down my reading during each portion of the book that dealt with Evandar and his brother Shaetano, who has now taken over where Alshandra left off. I can understand that the Fae - as these Guardians seem based on - live in a dreamlike Otherland, and I accept that Kerr might well be writing about them in a capable manner, but it slows the book down and I find myself bored of their antics. I am particularly frustrated with Evandar's endless scheming that (as Dallandra says) brings naught but hurt to the people they affect.
In fact, all of the book that has dweomer in it directly, I find fairly tiresome. I strongly believe that Kerr's strongest ability is to bring to very vivid life the Celtic medieval world. She writes extremely capably about life in a dun; her battle scenes are fascinating and realistically chaotic; and her strong female characters are countered heavily by the responsibilities they hold in earlier times (e.g. never being part of councils, doing all the sewing for the people of the dun, always being above reproach in terms of producing an heir for their lord).
This book dealt greatly with that element of Kerr's writing and hence I award it four stars, and look forward again to the next in the cycle.
For the first time we drift in time forwards rather than backwards, albeit for a short time, when we discover that Haen Marn is adrift in time as well as space. A soldier from a more modern Scotland is cast into the mythical isle for a night, showing us in the process that Angmar is pregnant with Rhodry's child.
The majority of the novel takes place in the past though, taking us to a continuation of the tale of the civil war that tore Deverry in two - where Maryn becomes the High King under Nevyn's tutelage. The story is concentrated on Lillorigga (who we know in the current times as Niffa, the ratter's daughter) and her mother Lady Merodda - the person who becomes Raena, the Black Raven, and causes Rhodry such heartache. Here we discover why Raena and Rhodry's Wyrds are so tangled.
This is a great return to form for Kerr. I was somewhat disappointed in the last few novels she turned out - she seemed very much to be writing by the numbers. Here her writing comes alive again - with intrigue, scheming, battle, fair maidens, dweomer mysteries, and high adventure. I loved the character of Lillorigga, who came blessed with good sense and honour.
I was somewhat annoyed with Kerr's descriptive passages that seem lifted from one book to another. On the one hand you could say that it reinforces the effect she wishes to create, but I find the copy and paste technique a little lazy.
Once again I sighed and slowed down my reading during each portion of the book that dealt with Evandar and his brother Shaetano, who has now taken over where Alshandra left off. I can understand that the Fae - as these Guardians seem based on - live in a dreamlike Otherland, and I accept that Kerr might well be writing about them in a capable manner, but it slows the book down and I find myself bored of their antics. I am particularly frustrated with Evandar's endless scheming that (as Dallandra says) brings naught but hurt to the people they affect.
In fact, all of the book that has dweomer in it directly, I find fairly tiresome. I strongly believe that Kerr's strongest ability is to bring to very vivid life the Celtic medieval world. She writes extremely capably about life in a dun; her battle scenes are fascinating and realistically chaotic; and her strong female characters are countered heavily by the responsibilities they hold in earlier times (e.g. never being part of councils, doing all the sewing for the people of the dun, always being above reproach in terms of producing an heir for their lord).
This book dealt greatly with that element of Kerr's writing and hence I award it four stars, and look forward again to the next in the cycle.
June 2, 2023
The authors literary Kung Fu is very strong. BUT It chaps my hide to have more questions at the end of the book then I had at the end of chapter 1, and then to end on a cliffhanger. The story also has some dark corners.
October 10, 2015
It’s been a couple of years since I last inhabited Katherine Kerr’s celtic-inspired world of Deverry and the Westlands and I thought it was high-time I revisited the series. While this is, technically, the ninth book of the series, it is also the first book in a trilogy called “The Dragon Mage” trilogy.
Just in case you might be swayed by the cover art, I must point out right up front that I have no idea what inspired it. There is no red dragon being attacked by some kind of lance-wielding knight/warrior on horseback in the novel. Nothing even close. No dragons of any kind here. The term “red wyvern’ refers to the battle-standard insignia that is adopted by one faction in the civil war that has been raging for nearly 100 years. I suppose the marketing experts of the day (published 1997) must have thought you had to have a dragon on the cover in order for a fantasy novel to sell.
Regardless, this is yet another fine novel in what I consider to be an under-rated series. These books take place in a world where reincarnation occurs and those that have intense personal relationships (love, hate, family, etc.) with another person are often re-incarnated with a strong link to that same person. They don’t have memories of their prior lives but they are many times drawn to those people. We readers get to see how the plots play out from a God’s eye view and understand these relationships even when the characters do not. It makes for a fascinating structure.
This particular novel takes place in two separate time periods. The bulk of the book takes place during the civil war where the effort to put Maryn on the throne is nearing its completion. This section is bookended by an era that happens nearly 250 years later. I recommend that readers new to this series not start with this one even though it is the first book in a trilogy because there are many characters and plot elements that tie together events from previous books. Consider this simply a subset trilogy within the larger series.
Just in case you might be swayed by the cover art, I must point out right up front that I have no idea what inspired it. There is no red dragon being attacked by some kind of lance-wielding knight/warrior on horseback in the novel. Nothing even close. No dragons of any kind here. The term “red wyvern’ refers to the battle-standard insignia that is adopted by one faction in the civil war that has been raging for nearly 100 years. I suppose the marketing experts of the day (published 1997) must have thought you had to have a dragon on the cover in order for a fantasy novel to sell.
Regardless, this is yet another fine novel in what I consider to be an under-rated series. These books take place in a world where reincarnation occurs and those that have intense personal relationships (love, hate, family, etc.) with another person are often re-incarnated with a strong link to that same person. They don’t have memories of their prior lives but they are many times drawn to those people. We readers get to see how the plots play out from a God’s eye view and understand these relationships even when the characters do not. It makes for a fascinating structure.
This particular novel takes place in two separate time periods. The bulk of the book takes place during the civil war where the effort to put Maryn on the throne is nearing its completion. This section is bookended by an era that happens nearly 250 years later. I recommend that readers new to this series not start with this one even though it is the first book in a trilogy because there are many characters and plot elements that tie together events from previous books. Consider this simply a subset trilogy within the larger series.
April 15, 2010
It has been 16 years since I first picked up the first Deverry novel, DaggerSpell, and here in am, 16 years later, about to finish the fifteenth and final one.
Has the journey been worth it? Yes. Was the wait too long? Yes.
I would not recommend anyone starts reading the Deverry cycle unless they intend to read them all, as the macroscopic story is at least as important as the microscopic ones, and as such I am reviewing the books as a set.
I almost give them 4 stars (excellent) but in the end I am not enjoying them quite as much as I did in my early 20's and so I settled on 3 stars (good). As fantasy novels go the concepts and the writing are really excellent but for me the last couple of books haven't been as enjoyable as the early ones and it's a lot to expect people to read fifteen novels. That said I don't regret a single minute of the time I spent in Deverry. I even used to own a 'deverry' domain and use the handle of 'Rhodry' when t'internet was young.
Highly recommended IF you have the stomach for a lot of reading.
Has the journey been worth it? Yes. Was the wait too long? Yes.
I would not recommend anyone starts reading the Deverry cycle unless they intend to read them all, as the macroscopic story is at least as important as the microscopic ones, and as such I am reviewing the books as a set.
I almost give them 4 stars (excellent) but in the end I am not enjoying them quite as much as I did in my early 20's and so I settled on 3 stars (good). As fantasy novels go the concepts and the writing are really excellent but for me the last couple of books haven't been as enjoyable as the early ones and it's a lot to expect people to read fifteen novels. That said I don't regret a single minute of the time I spent in Deverry. I even used to own a 'deverry' domain and use the handle of 'Rhodry' when t'internet was young.
Highly recommended IF you have the stomach for a lot of reading.
September 8, 2020
Another good read. These stories weave through the past and the present to explain and illuminate the story for all things. Some parts read better than others, and sometimes the shift in POV grated. Not because of error, but because it interferes with that part of the story just as I become fully immersed in it. And sometimes it becomes repetitive because of it.
There are some editing issues. In a book of this length, errors creep in, flaws are missed. It happens. But there are a few biggies in this one.
Still, a great story. But no dragons.
There are some editing issues. In a book of this length, errors creep in, flaws are missed. It happens. But there are a few biggies in this one.
Still, a great story. But no dragons.
May 30, 2023
Got a quarter of the way through and just ended up a bit bored so ultimately a dnf. Also didn't like the level of witchcraft but that's just me
June 11, 2020
A book should live up to its title and this book has virtually no Wyverns in it apart from a brief dream vision of them. A wyvern is a kind of proto-dragon, often seen in European heraldry. The creature has wings but can't fly (though they do fly in the brief vision in the book). They move like worms (wyrms) and spit burning venomous pitch rather than fire and have two legs.
The central block of the book, despite a Wyvern on the cover centres on a castle siege between two armies, bearing banners of the red and green wyvern respectively. The siege takes a long time, with the Red Army taking five castle walls one at a time, and a witch queen within watches the onslaught through her seeress powers, learning that her daughter, having escaped her clutches earlier, has told the Red Army the secret entrances to the castle.
There are short prologue and epilogue features with the same characters in previous and later lives as characters reincarnate throughout the Deverry books in an eternal Celtic magic struggle, but the pace is monotone and frightfully dull, and almost totally Wyvern free.
Arthur Chappell
The central block of the book, despite a Wyvern on the cover centres on a castle siege between two armies, bearing banners of the red and green wyvern respectively. The siege takes a long time, with the Red Army taking five castle walls one at a time, and a witch queen within watches the onslaught through her seeress powers, learning that her daughter, having escaped her clutches earlier, has told the Red Army the secret entrances to the castle.
There are short prologue and epilogue features with the same characters in previous and later lives as characters reincarnate throughout the Deverry books in an eternal Celtic magic struggle, but the pace is monotone and frightfully dull, and almost totally Wyvern free.
Arthur Chappell
November 18, 2016
9/10
The ninth book in the Deverry Cycle and the first of a sub series, the Dragon Mage trilogy, The Red Wyvern spends most of its pages filling in the story of the True King, Maryn, and how he came to power at the end of the Civil Wars in about 849. In doing so, it also gives us the backstory of Raena, a reincarnation of a troublemaker in Maryn's time who continues to cause problems for other characters in the "current" time of 1116.
Kerr continue just enough of the ongoing "current" story to keep our interest in Dallandra, Evandar, Rhodry, Jhado, Niffa, and others, while giving us a much fuller accounting of Caradoc, Maddyn, Branoic, and Nevyn during the final stages of the Civil Wars as Maryn battles his way to the throne as High King of Deverry.
Solid entry in the Deverry Cycle. Looking forward to continuing the series.
The ninth book in the Deverry Cycle and the first of a sub series, the Dragon Mage trilogy, The Red Wyvern spends most of its pages filling in the story of the True King, Maryn, and how he came to power at the end of the Civil Wars in about 849. In doing so, it also gives us the backstory of Raena, a reincarnation of a troublemaker in Maryn's time who continues to cause problems for other characters in the "current" time of 1116.
Kerr continue just enough of the ongoing "current" story to keep our interest in Dallandra, Evandar, Rhodry, Jhado, Niffa, and others, while giving us a much fuller accounting of Caradoc, Maddyn, Branoic, and Nevyn during the final stages of the Civil Wars as Maryn battles his way to the throne as High King of Deverry.
Solid entry in the Deverry Cycle. Looking forward to continuing the series.
June 16, 2015
Since in this book we get perspectives from both Deverry and Cerrmor during the Great Wars (to put Maryn on the throne), we are also made to think about the human toll of the Great Wars. I spent a lot of time while reading thinking about the moral implications of Maryn winning and holding the throne - does he murder the 5-year-old king and his young wife? What is the right thing to do? And how many men is he willing to sacrifice in order to get the throne?
It's almost unfortunate that the decision of what would happen to the young king was taken away from him by someone else in the dun. It saves the author from having to make the decision, but I'm curious what Maryn would have done, given the opportunity.
It's almost unfortunate that the decision of what would happen to the young king was taken away from him by someone else in the dun. It saves the author from having to make the decision, but I'm curious what Maryn would have done, given the opportunity.
March 10, 2016
I forgot this was also part of another series that I had started a long time ago and so parts of it were a struggle as I wracked my brain trying to remember minor details from the previous books even though they weren't really relevant to this particular installment. This series really has an interesting concept which, while it can sometimes be hard to follow, is entertaining and well worth the effort. Will be rereading sometime soon.
August 21, 2013
I'm so glad that I've been re-reading this series! Age can play tricks with memories & it's been a treasure rediscovering this truly great series!
November 6, 2017
It felt like the main meat of the story took place from the perspective of Lillorigga, who watches Maryn's conquest and unification of Deverry. In the meantime, Nevyn follows the curse laid upon Maryn, and we see Maddyn obtain "justice" for Aethan against Merodda. Maddyn's justice entwines his Wyrd with Merodda's - which I suspect will be a theme for this arc/trilogy to unravel. (My guess: Lillorigga has been reborn as Niffa, and Raena is now Merodda. When Rhodry brings Jahdo back, they'll clash.)
In present day, we learn of Evander's plans to rebuild Rinbaladelan. We learn that there are ongoing troubles with the Bright Court dissolving. We get the feeling that there's trouble building up around Niffa and Raena. Rhodry's and Angmar's twin daughters are born. In short: a good start for another arc of Deverry.
I do like the dialogue - it's all in English, but we get the clear sense that Niffa's people and Rhodry's people speak differently, in terms of word order and word choice.
In present day, we learn of Evander's plans to rebuild Rinbaladelan. We learn that there are ongoing troubles with the Bright Court dissolving. We get the feeling that there's trouble building up around Niffa and Raena. Rhodry's and Angmar's twin daughters are born. In short: a good start for another arc of Deverry.
I do like the dialogue - it's all in English, but we get the clear sense that Niffa's people and Rhodry's people speak differently, in terms of word order and word choice.
November 13, 2024
3.75/5
Classic fantasy with a touch of Arthurian retelling as I see the young girl MC as a Morgan with the "false king" and his wizard counselor as Arthur and Merlin.
Lots of political intrigue, a superficial magic system and two sided betrayals.
Sadly the characters were a bit simple, with not a lot of depth and things came a bit too easy for them.
The conversations felt like the author was throwing information as there were no arguments, just one said something and the other character said "You're right".
Let's see if book 2 improves this.
Classic fantasy with a touch of Arthurian retelling as I see the young girl MC as a Morgan with the "false king" and his wizard counselor as Arthur and Merlin.
Lots of political intrigue, a superficial magic system and two sided betrayals.
Sadly the characters were a bit simple, with not a lot of depth and things came a bit too easy for them.
The conversations felt like the author was throwing information as there were no arguments, just one said something and the other character said "You're right".
Let's see if book 2 improves this.
May 9, 2020
Kul att läsa mer om Nevyn.
November 26, 2014
The Red Wyvern tells the story of a civil war in the land of Deverry. A war that has been going on for many, many years, and this has taken its toll on the land. No longer can the would-be-kings bring as many men to war, and no longer can they command the loyalty they used to.
One of the main charectors, Lilli, is hoping that the war will soon end and that her family makes a good marriage for her. However she is burdende by her mother's constant insistance that she looks for omens for her, an extremely unpleseant thing to do.
I have never read any books by Katharine Kerr before so the way the book is cunstructed was quite a surprice. There seems to be 3 stories in this book. One in the prologue and epilogue, one in the first and third pard and the main one in the second, and by far the longest, part.
This was a little strange. The middle part was great, I loved the plot and the charectors. The two other parts were a little more boring since there was a lot I didn't get, which I assume would be in the earlier books.
But all in all I really enjoyed the book. I am definetly going to look into reading the rest of the series and some of the earlier books.
So I would recomend The Red Wyvern to all lovers of fantasy novels.
One of the main charectors, Lilli, is hoping that the war will soon end and that her family makes a good marriage for her. However she is burdende by her mother's constant insistance that she looks for omens for her, an extremely unpleseant thing to do.
I have never read any books by Katharine Kerr before so the way the book is cunstructed was quite a surprice. There seems to be 3 stories in this book. One in the prologue and epilogue, one in the first and third pard and the main one in the second, and by far the longest, part.
This was a little strange. The middle part was great, I loved the plot and the charectors. The two other parts were a little more boring since there was a lot I didn't get, which I assume would be in the earlier books.
But all in all I really enjoyed the book. I am definetly going to look into reading the rest of the series and some of the earlier books.
So I would recomend The Red Wyvern to all lovers of fantasy novels.
July 10, 2013
The Red Wyvern is the first book in a new cycle of novels set in Deverry by Katharine Kerr, and as such new readers can start out at this point. I would recommend vehemently, though, that they do not since a number of storylines from prior novels come together or are referenced in this novel.
For the first time we drift in time forwards rather than backwards, albeit for a short time, when we discover that Haen Marn is adrift in time as well as space. A soldier from a more modern Scotland is cast into the mythical isle for a night, showing us that Angmar is pregnant with Rhodry's child.
The majority of the novel takes place in the past though, continuing the tale of the civil war that tore Deverry in two — where Maryn becomes the High King under Nevyn's tutelage. The story is concentrated on Lillorigga (who we know in the current times as ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
For the first time we drift in time forwards rather than backwards, albeit for a short time, when we discover that Haen Marn is adrift in time as well as space. A soldier from a more modern Scotland is cast into the mythical isle for a night, showing us that Angmar is pregnant with Rhodry's child.
The majority of the novel takes place in the past though, continuing the tale of the civil war that tore Deverry in two — where Maryn becomes the High King under Nevyn's tutelage. The story is concentrated on Lillorigga (who we know in the current times as ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
December 21, 2011
As the first book of "scene 3", The Red Wyvern spends most of its time setting up background; most of the book is set in the "past", during the time of Deverry's 100 year civil war, and it's the actions taken during this time by a number of characters that set into motion the interweaving of fate that influences the story that takes place in the series' "present". This book does a good job of quickly catching the reader's attention and holding his or her interest, making it a good lead-in for the next phase of the story. Also, I remember this book dragging the first time I read it, but that wasn't my experience this time around; if anything, I found the characters and plot more engaging in this book than the others to date.
July 23, 2011
c1997. I feel pretty ashamed of myself for not liking this book. Before this review, I re-read the book hoping that a bit of time would have changed my opinion (sometimes, I am influenced by mood, what has gone before, workload **gosh - no! never!!***). Sadly, not the case. Perhaps it is because I am never quite comfortable with the "re-incarnation" plot device or perhaps it is just the names. The writing is good, the world building is excellent - it is just the other major components of the tale. I think it is one of those series that you have to make up your own mind about. I was hoping that the re-read would make me start liking Deverry and to agree with the rave reviews that Ms Kerr gets thoughout the various book blogging sites. Five words from the blurb: epic, continuation, feud, scheming, visions. "In the basin, the flaming swords winked out like sparks on a hearth stone."
June 13, 2016
Interesting, and I really enjoyed some of the ideas and world-building (that at the end I am still not clear about), but most of all the organization kept throwing me; not sure if it's just the kindle version, but there weren't any space breaks between different scenes with different characters, or any way to tell sometimes until I was a paragraph into a new scene and a character that couldn't have been in the previous scene was named. I also would have liked the appendices to be at the beginning so I would have known that some characters were specifically reincarnated versions of others. It certainly wasn't clear, and only after I'd finished and read the appendix did I sit and ponder that it made sort of sense. I am interested in the next book, but I could've been more invested and excited about it if it hadn't been a frequently confusing reading experience.
April 29, 2015
With this first book of the Dragon Mage series, the whole tone of the Deverry novels seems to change. Katherine Kerr follows the lives of Neff in Cerr Cawnen and the traveling loch of Haen Marn, while the previous characters return in the flashback to the Deverry civil wars. The change in focus characters is refreshing and gripping -- we see more of the complex web of Wyrd that ties together so many different locations and souls, while they echo back all the way to the events of Daggerspell. In the Red Wyvern, I feel like the story widens considerably, and I look forward to re-reading the rest of the series.
August 10, 2013
Delightful book! Just like Days of Fire and Blood, this is one of my favourites in the series.
The Red Wyvern starts the new Dragon Mage cycle (made of 3 books). It begins on a surprising and I thought fascinating prologue that adds a LOT to the series' mythology, while most of the story will revolve around the end of the civil war in Deverry in the 9th century. It is therefore the occasion to reconnect with old characters while various elements will help shed light on current situations.
I simply loved this book. And I'd like to add that I also LOVE the cover!
The Red Wyvern starts the new Dragon Mage cycle (made of 3 books). It begins on a surprising and I thought fascinating prologue that adds a LOT to the series' mythology, while most of the story will revolve around the end of the civil war in Deverry in the 9th century. It is therefore the occasion to reconnect with old characters while various elements will help shed light on current situations.
I simply loved this book. And I'd like to add that I also LOVE the cover!
August 2, 2008
She's a good, practised author, but... This book doesn't have as much going for it as the earlier series. The drama is interesting, but it seems less is happening. Also, she used to used parallel editing between past lives, but now it's long blocks of story in one particular time. So where before you were holding your breath to see what effect a past relationship would have on another, here you're just following a single storyline.
August 8, 2017
Book one of the Dragon Mage, book 9 of the Deverry Cycle. Another fantastic book! I had a hard time putting it down. The best thing about a series is how you get to know the characters and really become engrossed in the story. Kerr has done such a wonderful job with this series! The characters continue to develop - and re-develop - and Deverry and the Westlands...it all feels like places I've been, and people I know.
October 24, 2017
This is an incredibly difficult book to rate. It continues the storyline, and I really likd how some characters have been fleshed out more.
However, it might as well have ended with a To Be Continued sign and theme music. it is like the end of the season with a cliffhanger for the next autumn. at least give the readers some pieces of conclusion! But nope. I rated it four stars, but if someone hadn't read the previous books, I would only suggest this book has three stars.
However, it might as well have ended with a To Be Continued sign and theme music. it is like the end of the season with a cliffhanger for the next autumn. at least give the readers some pieces of conclusion! But nope. I rated it four stars, but if someone hadn't read the previous books, I would only suggest this book has three stars.
January 7, 2018
This is the beginning of more interesting story lines and a new lease of life to the Deverry series. Lilli, Merodda and the False King are a very interesting story line, as is Niffa and Demet. I also enjoyed hearing about Haen Marn in our world and spotting the small clues which indicate Evandar's master plan.
October 29, 2009
A good book, this book spends a lot of time on the long-running series theme of the old war, and how some of it's characters are in newer incarnations, and what effect that has. I had a hard time putting this one down.
October 6, 2015
This novel has a flashback to a civil war, where a young woman has to choose between her evil mother and her lovely stepmother. There are no dragons in this book, despite what the cover shows. I enjoyed the main storyline for once the flashback was more important than the ongoing one. A good read.
February 5, 2016
An easier to read Game of Thrones, like really it is Game of Thrones. I did like it though because making the story faster for me made it more engaging (I plowed through Song of Ice and Fire and would reach points were I would put it down and wouldn't come back to reading for days or weeks)
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